Humiliation of Christ, Madrazo, 1803
Even though I’ve always believed in sort of a supernatural world and God, I used to be very hesitant about Christianity to the point of just basically looking at every single religion out there (even if I quickly decided plenty were awful.) This was because lots of people make God sound like some narcissist who wants to beat you up for sins and that additionally basically everything you did or thought was a sin so you were going to keep getting beaten up until morale improved, which was called Heaven, and happened after you died miserably due to being beaten up by God until morale improved. Additionally, the people who don’t often just have Pop Culture Hour at church, which tends to be awful and boring in its own way and make me not want to spend time at those people’s sermons out of thinking they are rather lazy and don’t have anything worth my time, even if I wish them no ill will whatsoever either.
What’s Wrong With Christian Pop Culture (Part Three) — Buzz Dixon
Later, partially as my own journey of humility, I learned not to care about other people’s opinions. Other people’s opinions really are like being crucified in a way, because no one cares about physical pain and suffering, sadomasochism is a thing and a common form is called exercise, we care about the meaning or lack thereof of our experiences. I also enjoyed studying the Bible as literature because everything I like and everyone I like is basically constantly referencing it, and since I believe in supernatural world, I find it fairly easy to believe in the Bible, though also easy to not entirely believe since there are so many other competing narratives if you solely rely on a historical perspective.
And what I learned from getting past the whole shame and guilt narrative that seemingly most churches teach is that no, not everything bad that happens to someone happens because they sinned. Even if bad things only happen because of original sin happening somewhere, it doesn’t follow that if you’re poor it’s because you overate or said something mean (which I don’t think is always a sin but I digress) or whatever people want to blame it on anyway. This isn’t just my sort of a priori logic, the Bible is very explicit on this on multiple occasions and I don’t think noticing that should be left to “spiritual, not religious” types.
Bible Gateway John 9 :: NIV (mit.edu)
John 9
1
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.
2
His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
3
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.
4
As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
5
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
6
Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes.
7
"Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
8
His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?"
9
Some claimed that he was. Others said, "No, he only looks like him." But he himself insisted, "I am the man."
10
"How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded.
11
He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see."
Job 1 NIV (biblehub.com)
Prologue
1In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. 2He had seven sons and three daughters, 3and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.
4His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom.
6One day the angels a came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan b also came with them. 7The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
8Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
9“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. 10“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”
12The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”
Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
John 15:20 Remember the word that I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well. (biblehub.com)
Remember: Jesus was persecuted, and lots of bad things happened to good people besides just Jesus, just that good always triumphed in the end, on Earth much of the time and in Paradise much of the time. Life eternal is also not just something you have after you die since eternal means for all time, but it’s certainly a guarantee that you’ll be raised from the dead. It never says in the Bible that people are being punished with suffering because they gossiped or stole something or watched porn or whatever you think a sin is (the most obvious sins also seem to be the ones most people very obviously don’t go out and commit, leaving me with what feels like mostly common opinions to use as examples even though even the Catholics wouldn’t think, e.g., stealing is always a sin if it’s like Robin Hood) and Jesus never suffered at all because he didn’t have sins, it says the exact opposite more times than what I’ve cited here, these are just the clearest examples to me.
Additionally, the Bible frequently says you are the body of Christ. It says you should go and sin no more, which is the doctrine of sanctification and depending on who you ask the doctrine of divinization. It says however you treat the least among these is how you treat Jesus, which implies there is some real similarity between people sometimes and Jesus besides merely having a human body, though that is also by the grace of God and not your own actions so none may boast.
These are the reasons God is not a narcissist and you don’t have to be afraid of the narratives that paint God as a narcissist or otherwise try to just deny sin and other doctrines that are very clear in the Bible. This is also why I would advise to everyone to just read your Bible first and foremost, aside from the fact one of the best things all your pop culture and classical culture should do is make you want to read your Bibles to understand all the references anyway.
David Bowie - I Can't Give Everything Away (Farewell Mix) (youtube.com)
You're almost like St. Milburga or that triumphant Archangel of your namesake with your online good works. Say, you might know what did Ziggy meant when he sang "You're squawking like a pink monkey bird -- And I'm bustin' up my brains for the words"? I think those Spiders from Mars are actually here don't you.
I recently heard that Mark twain said something like, “I’m not bothered by the things that are in the Bible that I don’t understand, I am more bothered by what I do understand.”
This does not allow us to know for sure what he was thinking, but I would say that a lot of people are bothered by what they do you understand because of what God calls us to do : “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your neighbor as you love yourself.“ You may say that sounds very noble and lovely. What’s wrong with that.? Sometimes genuinely loving someone involves self sacrifice. That is very difficult for all of us.