My Easter Story ..answers to comments

My Easter Story .. answers..

It is truly interesting: I received a number of comments about my “Easter Story” Several were in positive agreement with my thoughts, others however did allow that they had a different set of beliefs.

The fascinating considerations which one must gather from the negative comments is, that not one of them discussed the issues I raised. Not one of them said: Bert, you are wrong because....

One said: “How can you question the word of God? Be careful, God's vengeance may be swift.”

Well, I can question it because first I do not believe that the Bible is “the word of God”. It is , I believe, the word of several, definitely not God-inspired, human beings, evidenced by the “human traits” with which God is endowed., evidenced by doubt, anger, punishment, penalties, evidenced by contradictions, absurdities and sheer preposterous suppositions.

Typical of course also is that I was warned to

“be careful, God's vengeance may be swift”.

There, out in the open is the threat with which Christian Churches of all denominations as well, I assume, other organized Religions,try to keep their flock in line. Do as we tell you or God's wrath shall befall you. “Fear the Lord” is the usual battle cry.

I believe that contrary to popular belief: God did not create Man, it was Man who created the image of God.

This does not mean that there cannot be a Creative Force, but it means that I do not believe in the God as described in the Old and New Testament of the Christian Bible.

Let it be known, that I neither affirm, nor deny the existence of a Creative Force. I am sitting on the intellectual fence of the Agnostic. I just wish to express my absolute disbelief in the God of the Christian Bible

Now, back to the-mails I have received in response to my essay:

One of them said this: ( an excerpt)

“Dear Bert, why do you not believe in Jesus Christ and in God? It gives to those who believe so much inner peace and contentment.”

Well, to those, who believed, Mao Tse Tung's “Red Bible of Communism” gave “inner peace and contentment” So did the writings of Karl Marx, and, I am certain that Hitler's “Mein Kampf”pleased many of its readers.

Another writer assured me that the Bible speaks in Parables and Similes and may therefore not be read without the explanations of a “learned Theologian”

Such a suggestion is truly funny: It is like saying: You must not study “the Law” without consulting the Don, Vito Corleone.

In fact, this is just the point of it all: If you do not want to think for yourself, just read and accept the Bible and, if in doubt, check it out with a “learned Theologian” and then believe what he tells you.

You, as a member of the common folk are evidently not smart enough to think, recognize contradictions, be astonished at preposterous suppositions

If, as another of the readers of my Blog, suggests via e-mail, words may not mean the same today, as they meant then and translators may have made errors, then the entire book becomes a totally useless book of (and here comes one of my favorite words about the Bible) gobbledygook

Bertstravels

would have much more to say, but will leave it alone for now.