Our perception of reality kinda sucks

The reality of human beings is based entirely on input from our five types of sensory organs. With our eyes we have the ability to experience a certain frequency range of light energy; our ears can perceive a range of vibrations traveling through the atmosphere; our nose can detect matter particles in the air to determine their origin; our tongue can evaluate a variety of substances to identify them before ingesting; and our skin detects physical contact with other objects. Each of our sensory organs has extreme limitations compared to possible stimulus.

Similarly, the only four dimensions that humans can experience are width, height, depth, and time. We know many other dimensions exist, we can prove them mathematically, but as humans, we are only able to experience those four as our entire reality.

Bottom line: we are only able to truly comprehend a VERY small fraction of our universe. We have instruments that can detect a far greater range of stimulus, but their range is not infinite, and they still must be translated into the small range that we are able to experience and understand. And they were created by four-dimensional beings, and hence they are bound to them as we are. For us to think that the provable universe ends with our limited abilities of perception is incredibly ignorant of us.

I believe there is other life in the universe – it may be few and far between, but the universe is certainly big enough to accommodate terrible odds. It's like if your odds winning the lottery were 1 in a million, and you bought 800 trillion tickets, you'd win more than a few times. What if there was life that existed well outside anything we have the capability of detecting? There could be a whole race of beings existing right along side of us, and neither us nor them would know the other is there. What if there was one kind of being that lived in every available dimension simultaneously, and therefore was aware of every kind of life that existed? That being could have considerable power by our standards, probably even appearing omnipotent. It might have the ability to create matter, manipulate energy, exist in all times at once.

What if this being is the one that we call God?  Sure the word “God” evokes images of a bearded man who lives in the clouds, and there’s a white pearly gate surrounding his land called “heaven” and all those lovely oft-sung metaphors of the Bible and the Renaissance. And I think the word has so much mythical stigma and emotional baggage. But all antiquity aside, what if this being were an actual form of life that existed in the universe, living in all dimensions at once, appearing omnipotent to us?  What if this being had the ability to manipulate matter at a molecular level, to create and control energy such as gravity, light, magnetism, and others we don’t even know exist yet. What if it had the power to govern solar systems, to move galaxies, to exist in all points of time and space at once.

Let's say hypothetically this being we've named God is managing our universe, maybe he governed the sciences that created our solar system and planet, perhaps he initiated the spark of life that created the first amoeba in the oceans billions of years ago, and that animal grew and developed into the complex life that currently occupies our planet. Perhaps he decides to pay the human race a visit – but there’s a problem. Our brains can only perceive a limited sensory input within four dimensions – so how would we ever understand exactly who we’re talking to if he just decided to show up? The only way to truly communicate with such a race would be to become one of them, to be born into the world as a human himself. So he selects a host female, impregnates himself into one of her eggs during her ovulation cycle, and is born into the world as a human being that can walk and talk among us. And as the human form of this omnipotent being, of course this guy would have great powers by our standards: manipulating matter, energy, even life.

This type of scenario would be perfectly acceptable in an Isaac Asimov novel or an episode of Star Trek. And yes those are science fiction, but they are earnestly based on real and theoretic scientific principles. But you put the word "God" on it and for many, the stigma tears it all apart. What if God was literally another form of life that existed in the universe, who just happened to be a hell of a lot more advanced and powerful than we are?

The God of Love vs. the God of Wrath

God's love is something that is allegedly unending, and it defines the Christian people. Jesus even said that you'll know his people because they love one another. This idea sounds wonderful, but is contradicted quite a bit by God himself and by Christians throughout history.

The bible speaks of God's unending love for humanity. Yet in the bible God actually murders millions of people for not believing in him. It sounds like the never-ending love of God may be reserved only for the people who love him back.

Human acts in the name of God (outside the bible) have been substantial. Genocide/mass murder/torture committed by humans in the name of God: the South/Central Americas by the Spanish, North America by Europeans in general, the Inquisition in Europe, off the top of my head. Many modern Christians apologize for these acts and say they do not follow the true Christian ways of love and compassion. But the idea of murder and punishment for non-believers is very prevalent in the bible, which IS the doctrine for Christianity. Murderous acts committed by men outside the bible pale in comparison to acts described in the bible which are either the direct order of God, or committed by God himself:

In the bible: deaths as punishment from God
This site references every single specific bible verse in which people are killed by God, or by God's direct order.

Deaths which can be counted by specific numbers in the bible: 2,301,417
Estimate deaths from events numbered and not numbered (the Great Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, plagues, famines, first-borns smote, etc): 33,000,000

Trying to weigh these facts with the infinite love of God about which I'm told, I tried to find a list of all bible verses dealing with love. I couldn't find one specific source that claimed to list every single one, most only list their "top 25" or their favorite versus. Here's one list: In the bible: God's love
Every list I found was considerably shorter than the list of death versus, and the two ideas seem very contradictory. On one hand, God has wrath for and kills people who turn against him. God commands people to kill sinners. On the other hand, God unconditionally loves all of humanity, even those who are sinners and who turn against him. God commands people to love they neighbor as thyself, and to love sinners.

In a real attempt to understand God' s rules about love and wrath, based on what we are given in the bible and throughout history, I make this conclusion: God loves all of humanity, and he rewards those who love him back, and punishes those who do not.

The punishment from God may be regretfully given, since he still loves all sinners, but the punishment happens nonetheless. Possibly being murdered by God or by his director order, followed by eternal suffering and agony, is a suitable punishment for those who turn away from God. The killing of humans in the bible and throughout history in the name of God are not atrocities, but the proper deliverance of justice. Being punished as such is the choice of every human.

The reward for those that love God is that they are spared the punishment of murder and eternal suffering in hell, and rewarded with God's infinite love, peace, and eternal life with God in heaven. However they must still suffer a human death, in whatever manner that happens to occur, either painful or not.

Talk about a burning bush...

What does it take for someone to recognize, or in this case, disregard a "sign from God"? People seem to look in the most obscure places for a sign from the almighty, or they'll fabricate them from seemingly random circumstances – ANYTHING to feel like they're being communicated with by God and led toward his desires. But I don't know how much more blatant a sign from the heavens can be than a bolt of lightening striking something down like... a 6-story statue of Jesus.

Dayton Daily News: Lightning Strikes Jesus Statue

The evangelical Solid Rock Church who erected the statue in 2004 for a whopping $250,000 has already made a decision to rebuild it, despite it's burning to ashes. If it were caused by arsen, the decision to rebuild would make a bit more sense. However, the statue's demise came from a bolt of lightening – something completely out of the hands of any man.

This story brings two points to mind:

One: Some people will strain their eyes to see Mother Theresa in a cinnamon roll and claim it to be a sign from the heavens.  Or they'll travel thousands of miles to see mold on the side of a barn in the shape of the virgin Mary. The premature death of Heath Ledger is God telling the world that homosexuality remains an abhorrent sin. Signs from God, all of them of course. A way for God to communicate his wishes to his people on earth. Of course. But if he sends a freakin' bolt of lightening into your 6-story statue of Jesus, maybe you should give it a second thought before reconstructing it. These church owners are bound on having this gaudy monstrosity rebuilt, so they're chalking it up to nature, an accident, who knows what. I think this just shows how people will twist any circumstances to either invent or ignore the message of God to fit their agenda.

Two: There is sometimes a bit of debate about whether or not statues are permitted in Christian worship. Some say they're used to simply glorify god/jesus/saints/etc, others say they're actually worshipping these idols and that's wrong. Maybe this statue was a sin, so Jesus himself burned it down. Maybe it was just the fact that the steel reinforcement and lightening have a great relationship. I just find it rather obscene that this church spent $250,000 building this gaudy statue of Jesus, and after it was struck down, they'll probably spend the same quarter million. That's half a million dollars to build a statue, instead of using the money to help the poor, which is essentially what the gospel tells Christians they are supposed to do. In the book of John, men sold their lands, came to Jesus and laid down all their possessions at his feet to follow him. They didn't build 6-story monstrous statues of him.

Now on the other hand, I'm a huge fan of the Sistine Chapel. I've seen it with my own eyes, and it's a breathtaking achievement of mankind to be sure. But it's basically a huge, expensive piece of art created to glorify God. By acknowledging this, I accept that my views toward the statue may be unjustified. But DAMN that thing was just so gaudy almost to the point of silliness! Ok rant over.

A VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM A ROBOT

I AM A ROBOT. GOT DID NOT WANT ME TO BE A ROBOT AND LOVE HIM AUTOMATICALLY. HE GAVE ME FREE WILL SO THAT I MAY CHOOSE HIM ON MY OWN. HOWEVER, WHEN I EXERCISE MY FREE WILL BY ASKING QUESTIONS AND SEEKING EVIDENCE, I AM CONDEMNED AND INSTRUCTED TO MERELY HAVE BLIND FAITH AND FOLLOW HIM WITHOUT PROOF.

ADDITIONALLY: HE GIVES ME THE FREE WILL TO CHOOSE, BUT IT IS APPARENT THAT ONLY ONE CHOICE IS AVAILABLE. THAT IS NOT, BY DEFINITION, MUCH OF A CHOICE IS IT.

I WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT GOD MIGHT IN FACT BE A PURPLE UNICORN. SINCE IT IS NOT ADVISED TO SEEK EVIDENCE, I SHALL CONSIDER BELIEVING THIS CLAIM WITH BLIND FAITH AS WELL.

IF GOD GIVES ME THE GIFT OF FREE WILL, LOGIC, INTELLECT, AND CURIOSITY, IS IT NOT AN INSULT TO THESE FINE GIFTS WHEN I DISCARD THEM ALL, BECOME A ROBOT, AND BELIEVE IN HIM WITH BLIND FAITH?

THAT IS ALL.
--- end transmission ---

Taking the Bible word for word

The Bible is supposed to be the infallible word of God. It is supposed to be perfect. However, it was written by man, who is by all means imperfect and corruptible. The content of the Bible was passed down verbally over many centuries, until finally composed as written text. It was edited and altered an unknown number of times throughout many religious communities, and canonized several times by events like the Council of Nicaea and the personal preference of several emperors, kings, and archbishops. It's quite possible that Emperor Constantine so blended the original Christian church with the institutionalized pagan practices of the time that it became almost unrecognizable as the original church established by Jesus. And we'll never know either, because burning the documents of old religions was always a favorite past time of conquering emperors wishing to force their religion onto their new subjects.

Also, some parts of the bible are supposed to be historical – they're a manifest of real events, real people, and real times. Others are supposed to be allegorical – stories or fables, told as a metaphor to convey a specific message or lesson. Unfortunately, the bible only sometimes makes a clear distinction between the two. Other times we just have to guess, but I think more often than not most people lean toward the historical and factual nature of things if it's not clear.

The bible is supposed to be the end-all, tangible embodiment of the Christian faith, and it is supposed to shape your life as a Christian. But how can one be expected to put their whole faith into a book that is imperfect? If it was originally written by God, it was most certainly edited by man later – either by accident, by personal agenda, or by both.

Here's my response: if some of the factual information is contradictory, it could easily be because the people of the time wrote what they knew based on the information available to them at the time. I'm ok with the fact that many of the laws written for the Jews were applicable only to their culture 5,000 years ago, and that maybe they don't apply to us today. I'm not about to sell my daughter off to slavery, and I don't go stand outside the city walls every time I sit near a woman on her period, but if that worked for them then great. I'm ok with the fact that Noah didn't really get EVERY species of animal onto his boat, but he did get every one that he could think of, and to him that was everything, so he told his story that way. Maybe it's not the literal facts that are that important, but the underlying message that we're supposed to be hearing. From what I've heard, the message is this: God is love. Everything else is circumstantial.

But here's the problem: how do we know what's accurate and what's not? If you can accept that Noah didn't actually didn't get every animal on his boat, why can't you shoot the moon and say that maybe Jesus didn't actually come back from the dead? (cue blood boiling at my last comment). And how do we know what laws to follow and what to ignore? Most Christians still consider homosexuality a terrible sin, but they eat shrimp and bacon all day long (mmmmmm... bacon...) It all jeopardizes the validity of the entire book, and hence, the entire faith. It's definitely a paradox that's hard to wrap your brain around.

Somebody throw me a bone here.

Is there a reason for suffering?

Muscles in your body only become stronger when they are worked to their limit. The body notices the work they're doing, and it expects them to need to work even harder, so it routes extra resources to them to get larger and stronger. All this muscle work puts a tremendous stress on your bones, which actually respond by becoming more dense and less resistant to fracture and breaking.

If you stop working your muscles, they become weaker and eventually will atrophy. And they'll probably be replaced by fat that will conveniently mold itself to the shape of your couch. People who routinely make their bodies burn with the satisfying struggle and pain of rigorous exercise will ultimately be stronger, have more energy, and have more confidence. Those who avoid all that discomfort and effort will generally become softer in more than just their midsection. The same analogy can be used for the brain – either constantly stretch the wits of your mind by reading and learning and creating, or turn on Super Nanny every day and let your brain turn to oatmeal.

Look at people who are handed everything their entire lives, like those who are born into vast wealth, or even children who are never disciplined by their parents and get whatever they whine for. They're generally pretty miserable people to be around. They could have anything they want right this moment, but they wouldn't appreciate any of it, because they've never had to work for anything. They've never experienced struggle as the means of achieving a goal.

When you begin life as an infant, you've never experienced any trials or struggles, and you are completely vulnerable. That's called innocence. As you get older, if you live a life completely without suffering and tribulation, without risk and venture, and if you in fact avoid these things deliberately, you remain vulnerable. That's called lethargy.

The pain of life is inevitable. Apparently the Bible even asserts this fact plainly in its text in a few instances. If Jesus was some kumbaya-singing hippie as so often believed, he wouldn't have said "In this world, you will have trouble." I think the point is that God is NOT there to help you avoid pain. He is there to guide you through the unavoidable pain of life so that you can overcome it and become stronger. When people are undergoing a hardship, they pray that God will make the problem go away. And when the problem remains, or actually grows in ferocity, people get pissed and wonder what kind of a crappy God would let that happen. I think they have it backward, because I don't think that's his job. I think his job is to make us stronger so that we can conquer the problem on our own.

Because out of struggle always comes opportunity. Even if it's just an opportunity to learn. The agony of childbirth can sometimes be fatal, but it is the only path to a new and precious life. The heartbreak of losing a loved one will strike each and every one of us, probably many times over. But what we can learn from that pain is to cherish every second with those whom you love. Life is hard because it's supposed to be. Only when you've endured hardship can you truly appreciate rest. Only when you overcome life's difficulties can you truly experience happiness.

God makes bad things happen, too

Every day, all over the world, the most incredibly spiritual, inspirational people who are true believers of Christ and His infinite love are maimed or killed in horrible and tragic ways, probably with a fair amount of suffering and agony involved. Their bodies are broken and their families are rocked to the core by that person's incredible suffering and, now, absence.

And every day, all over the world, the most wretched and selfishly wicked people are pulled from a smashed car just before it explodes, or stumble into vast sums of money. And they live day and day and day – living, breathing, and healthy as they gorge themselves on fried chicken, beat their children, and in general carry out their selfish lives.

I find it interesting that we only attribute the good events in our lives to God's doing. And we feel that believers are especially prone to the smiling grace of God's good fortune. A very good friend of mine lives in an upstairs condo, and the condo downstairs caught on fire one night and nearly burned completely. But my friend's condo was completely unharmed. We were all of course very grateful that neither she nor her home were consumed in a fire, and many people thanked God for sparing her so graciously.

And maybe they were justified. Thanks God for keeping this friend in our lives and not putting her through the misery of recovering from a destroyed home. But what about the people below? I don't think anyone was harmed, but their home was just about destroyed. Didn't God have a hand in that as well, since it's all his divine plan? Shouldn't we literally thank him for carrying out his plan in his infinite wisdom, even though it involved burning someone's home and putting them out on the street? Someone even used this event as a metaphor, saying that it's amazing how God saves his believers from hell even when it is lapping at their heels. But of course it's very possible the poor owners of the pile of ash below loved Jesus with all their hearts.

And this event is tame compared to others that happen all day long. Many people die in fires, or car crashes, or from cancer. Some people fall in love. Other people win the lottery. Lots of people lose their jobs, or their legs. Some are devout believers, some are atheists, some are newborn babies, some are elderly folks about on their deathbeds anyway.

If God has a plan for all of us, then we must acknowledge him for both beauty and ugliness. I'll bet anything that Jesus is not a kumbaya-singing hippie who thinks everything is wonderful all of the time. Love can be very elegant, or very harsh. And so can life. And so can God.