Bad Reputation

Let us consider the Reverend Fred Phelps, who for the last couple of decades has been treating us to signs reading, for instance, "God Hates Fags." It was he who, by picketing Matthew Shepard's funeral, inspired the Angel Action, which was later memorialized in the play and film "The Laramie Project." Mostly, Phelps serves to embarrass other Christians; even those who share his distaste for homosexuality cringe at his vulgarity. My disagreement with Phelps, though, starts even before we get to that one offensive word. Take away those four letters, and you have the root of much of humanity's self-inflicted misery: "God Hates."

Really? God hates?

How would you describe the best person you've ever known? Patient? Fair-minded? Understanding, forgiving, serene? Nobody's perfect, of course, but I have been fortunate enough to know several people whom I would credit with most or all of these qualities. So why do we believe in a God who is petty, violent, jealous, vindictive and insecure? Let's face it, the God of religion can be kind of a jerk. If He were a boyfriend, you'd dump Him. If He were a neighbor, you'd move away. If He were either of your parents, you'd be in therapy forever. A truly dysfunctional relationship.

So how did this happen? How did God get such a bad reputation? As much as I would love to blame this on some clerical conspiracy to control people, I actually believe that the angry God predates faith. Back at the dawn of humanity--when literally nothing was known of the world-- people died for no apparent reason, weather was unpredictable and often fatal, unseen danger lurked everywhere. What better explanation could there be than that there was an all-powerful entity at work, cruelly causing these things to happen? And why not try to placate Him? Try one thing, and the crops fail, so that doesn't please Him. Try the next thing, and you get a bumper crop, so you add that ritual to your repertoire. Pretty soon, you've got yourself a bona fide religion.

By now, we have a much better understanding of the world around us; yet we still believe in a capricious God. This is a shame, because it stands in the way of a healthy spiritual life. How can you have a close, trusting relationship with someone who could turn on you at any moment? I know that for some people, the alternative--that bad things happen randomly, or have circumstances beyond our control--is frighteningly close to nihilism. But here's the upside: if bad things are going to happen (and they are), wouldn't you rather that they weren't God's doing? That way, you can turn to Him for comfort, without reservation.