Mind the Gap

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The gap between "love" and "religious dogma" is getting wider and wider every day... How much longer can believers hang on???

My friends who are believers seem quite unaware of it at this point (or so it seems), but I can see the space between their altruistic and loving intention and what their religious dogma requires of them these days. Not even including the flaming Westboro Baptist extremists. Good people who cling to their religions for comfort and guidance and good feelings are being asked to accept empty platitudes and simplistic comfort...

Some people that I truly love are believers of one creed or another. I know that they are truly, in their hearts, doing their best to seek guidance and "redemption" from their faith. From the outside of those creeds, though, it is obvious how wide the gulf is that they must span in order to maintain their understanding of their gods' words and intentions. Unfortunately, this "comfort" comes with the price of holding the "godless" responsible. It also, somehow, requires wonderfully kind people to ignore the obvious fact the no one was there to stay the hand of the gun man.

The gulf keeps widening. How much longer can they ignore it? How can they explain the psychic dissonance of the claims of their "loving and kind god" in the face of such tragedy and obscenity as the shooting of twenty innocent people, children?

Maybe it's the shooting in Connecticut and it's subsequent barrage of "God is Love" and "We are in God's hands" posts on Facebook that has my incredulity dancing, but how can "they" not see the discrepancy? I can't even BEAR to read that one meme that describes the "lovely smiles" of the kids as they enter God's house. That meme is particularly distasteful and awful. But some people cling to it...because it offers some "sense" to them.

As for like-minded friends to me, this blog post from Examiner.com entitled Connecticut School Shooting:  Processing Grief without God seemed helpful with regards to our shock and horror and loss that we are left with from this horrific event. Our horror that has no crutch upon which to hang it. Instead, we count on our loved ones for comfort, as well as finding a sense of comfort from our own actions.

This country is reeling from such senseless violence. Atheists are, in some circles, being hung with "blame" as we are the "godless". I ask the thinking people of the world to be aware of the attack of these memes. Be aware that you are blaming me and mine when you ascribe to this.

Let us be kind to one another.


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If you like this post you might enjoy:
Sandy Hook Elementary School:  The "Godless" to Blame?