I've been putting this off for quite a bit because, well, I didn't want to be in a bad place when I wrote it. It's going to be quite the rant, worry not, but I would hate to express it poorly or not weigh in on the issue entirely. So it's been long enough.
I'm going to give my thoughts on the Japan Quake, and how it relates to religion.
It's not a coincidence that this blog is named “Thought Quake,” and it emerged soon after the devastating events in Japan. The day it happened, the day I stood beside a Japanese 7Eleven, feeling the quake under my feet and the aftershocks that followed, that there would be a reaction from the religious community. I didn't know how, I didn't know when, but I knew that no matter how well mannered it seemed,
it would be misinformed, ignorant, and almost ALWAYS totally illogical.
I wanted to start with my own personal views on the issue. I've had dozens of people come up to me and say things like, “you where in our prayers,” or, “We were praying for you.” That's all well and good, I have no quarrel with well-wishing. I found it sweet and endearing to hear such kind words. This rant isn't about the people who showed me such kindness, it's simply about the words and what they mean. These words are implying that God answered their prayers right? That I was saved because god watched out for me during this disaster. Last time I checked, I lived through this disaster because I was in Tokyo, instead of Sendai or Fukushima. Could I have been in these areas, or conversely could the earthquake have been in Tokyo? Sure. Why wasn't it? I and many others believe that it was random coincidence that saved my life. Many others would say God. They would say that “God was watching out for me.” The main thing that I think, still throws a wrench in the gears is that,
The damn thing still happened.
Those people didn't have to die. If god is all powerful, why would he allow such a disaster to happen? I actually find it quite disgusting that some cosmic force would place my life above some 30,000 others. It's interesting that when you ask these people why the earthquake happened at all, God doesn't seem to be on the list. Why is it that God can decide the location of the earthquake, but not whether or not it happens at all?
I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you believe in the Christian god, then by all accounts, God caused this. Even if he somehow didn't, he did nothing to prevent it. It frustrates me that people believe God is working his miracles to get their kid into college, but doesn't have the time to prevent 30,000 human beings from dying in a matter of days. Your kid got into college because they worked their ass off, and the Japan Quake happened because of seismic changes beyond our control or scope of prediction. That's it. It seems ironic that gods where most likely created as a way to, among other things, explain the power of natural disasters. And, now that modern Christianity has evolved this all-knowing, all-loving god, disasters like these are the strongest evidence to the contrary. I have said this many times. I'm truly glad that I don't believe in God. I take the smallest amount of comfort knowing that there was nothing that could have prevented this. To me, believing in a force that had all the power to prevent this tragedy, yet chose to do nothing, would kill me.
I guess the point is, all this well-wishing, and the “God has a plan,” and the prayer to a being that, according to these beliefs, so easily commits genocide, it's all crap. Those men, women and children, what was God's plan for them? The majority of the Japanese population is Atheist, so that means no entry into the clouds. That means that god is not only allowing these people to die, but is then CONTINUING their suffering in the Afterlife. I honestly don't understand why anyone would be so willing to worship such an evil, destructive, and sadistic megalomaniac. I would never in any way look down upon these people, I guess I just don't get why its necessary. These people died because of a random tragedy. If you start involving God, you start steering towards the belief that these people somehow deserved what happened. That's simply rude and unfair. These people deserve better than that, plain and simple.
Korean Paster Cho Yong-gi has just said exactly that. With several statements he has perfectly encapsulated why religion can be so absolutely evil. It causes people, smart people, to do inane, horrible, vile and socially detestable things. Here is a quote from the priest himself.
"I fear that this disaster may be warnings from God against the Japanese people’s atheism and materialism," an online Christian press quoted the elderly religious leader as saying Saturday.
"I hope that these series of events will drive the Japanese to turn their eyes towards God."
Now, it alludes me why anyone at all would EVER in their right mind, blame a natural disaster on it's victims. I think it is one of the more horrible things I've ever heard come out of a religious leader's mouth. Here we have people, good people, lost forever to a terrible tragedy, and this wretched vile scum of a man is trying to say it was somehow their fault. Here is a well respected man many believe to be a force of love and good in the world, saying that JAPANESE PEOPLE CAUSED THE EARTHQUAKE with their lifestyle. It's absolutely insane. This is a huge problem with modern Christianity. It places blame where it shouldn't, and removes it from where it should be. The worst part is, people like this man are genuine. They honestly hope that this disaster will make Japan more religious. They are willing to say the most vile things to hopefully rope in a few more followers.
I can tell you first hand, that while in Japan, I experienced nothing but honesty. A city that is practically crime-less, clean streets and honest people. It is a beautiful country that I wouldn't change for the world, and it's certainly one that is better off without people who believe in a “loving god” capable of destroying tens of thousands of people in a matter of days. Keep doing what your doing Japan, and may we all learn something from your “Material, sinful, atheistic” lifestyle.
No comments:
Post a Comment