The notion that the world would be perfect under the doctrines of God is challenged by the ongoing Israel and Palestine conflict. Growing up in a devout Roman Catholic family, my faith remained unshaken until I delved into history, finding a discord between the historical records of my religion and its teachings. The abuses of the church in the past led me to question if God had forsaken my faith, ultimately prompting my shift to agnosticism.
From a logical standpoint, it seems illogical for God to create something divisive, prompting harm among individuals. The idea of God only welcoming those who praise Him on Earth contradicts my perception of a fair, perfect, and divine deity. I’ve concluded that, akin to human laws, interpretations of religious teachings vary widely among priests, lacking a definitive final interpreter appointed by God.
I arrived at a painful realization that, like human laws, the interpretation of the holy teachings of any religion is as diverse as the number of priests. The absence of a Chief Justice or a group of justices appointed by God leaves us with interpretations by mortals. As Alexander Pope said, “To err is human, to forgive divine.” If it is never perfect, then it is not godly.
I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears when I saw celebrations around the world over the deaths of civilians in Israel. I would try very hard, but to no avail for sure, to understand if they were armed or part of the Israel Defense Forces even if they were attacked unprovoked, but they were not. The first victims were celebrating life and for many of them unfortunately, it was their last.
How on Earth in your right mind can you celebrate violence, right? Now that Israel is exacting revenge in Gaza, they cry for human rights, which they conveniently forgot for a few fleeting moments of misplaced ecstasy. To be honest, they certainly have a point at this time. It is not right to bomb civilians to neutralize a handful of enemies. I will never agree that the end justifies the means. It’s not just because the indiscriminate bombings will harm the Israeli hostages but also because there are too many civilians who would rather choose to have nothing to do with Israel in their now futile quest for peace.
While victims of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood by Hamas in Israel deserve justice, it should not come at the expense of innocent lives lost in Gaza. Carrying out terror, especially against civilians, is inexcusable. Israel, as an influential player in international politics, should find alternative ways to hold culprits accountable. After all, Hamas is not synonymous with Gaza or Palestine, and Israel’s hands are not entirely clean.
The pervasive greed evident in actions like Israel annexing land from Palestine and Vladimir Putin’s ambition to reintegrate Ukraine into Russia at all costs is difficult to comprehend. Despite the belief that wisdom comes with age, numerous exemptions exist, highlighting the complexities of human motivations and actions.
I came across your article. I know that you only wish the best for the opressed. But I wish you could have researched some context before making a comment on such a complicated topic such as this. Let me itemize:
“The abuses of the church in the past led me to question if God had forsaken my faith”
-While I respect your feelings and your experiences. This is a flaw in logic. If a person was abused by a teacher, we would agree that it would be illogical if that person lost faith in School system
“The idea of God only welcoming those who praise Him on Earth contradicts my perception of a fair”
This is very misleading. It’s as if God would not welcome you if you don’t agree with the terms of service. If you are referring to a Christian God, I suggest that you make a well thought research first before making a comment to such Philosophical topics such as this. You are doing your readers injustice by misrepresenting the context of God, free will, and fairness. The idea that Humans are free to choose, without influence, without mind control, to choose righteous way so that God would welcome them sounds fair enough for me. If humans chose to do evil things, and bad consequences happen, how is that God’s fault that there are consequences to their bad decisions? Are you implying that your idea of fairness is that God should accept everyone regardless of their choices and what they do? That there is no standard at all?
Anyways, wish you the best and hope that you continue to make such thought provoking articles in the future.
Thanks for reading this article. You must be overthinking. You do not need to research to say “The notion that the world would be perfect under the doctrines of God is challenged by the ongoing Israel and Palestine conflict” because that is what we were made to understand in our tender years growing up in a devout Roman Catholic family. I could not agree more that religion along with politics is an abyss of varying opinions and endless debates.
I don’t know exactly what you want to convey here – “If a person was abused by a teacher, we would agree that it would be illogical if that person lost faith in School system.”
When there is a perennial case of teachers abusing a student, then there is a flaw in the school system but the difference is it’s not sanctioned by the regulators. The comparison is inaccurate.
The phrase “The idea of God only welcoming those who praise Him on Earth contradicts my perception of a fair….” refers to the exclusivity of religion. I am a history enthusiast but you do not need to conduct research when your own religion tells you the other faith will go to hell because they worship a false God.
“If humans chose to do evil things, and bad consequences happen, how is that God’s fault that there are consequences to their bad decisions? Are you implying that your idea of fairness is that God should accept everyone regardless of their choices and what they do? That there is no standard at all?”
You misinterpreted a simple logic. I will never blame God. Religion is not God, it’s man-made. You should just interpret what you read, not wonder in your own thoughts or hyperanalize.