Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain

[trek4fr]

I went to the Candlelight Service at my wife's Methodist church last Christmas Eve. It was good to see some old friends, many smiling faces, to hear the "Merry Christmases." In some ways, it was mildly comfortable to be in my old milieu. Sort of like remembering a childhood memory from days gone by, from days when I simply believed and didn't question. At least not much.

 

But in so many other ways, I just felt out of place. No one talked about the fact that not only is there no historical evidence for Yeshua of Nazareth, but even if he did exist, he certainly wasn't born December 25. No one talked about the differences and discrepancies between Mark and Luke's accounts of the birth narratives. No one talked about the disturbing notion of a being coming down from heaven to mate with and impregnate a young virgin (according to the biblical accounts). No one talked about how the birth of this baby saved no one. No one. We still all die. We still live in a world with suffering and death. No one has been saved by the birth of the Christ-child.

 

And I sat there asking myself, "Am I the only one?" For better or worse (I think it is better), I did pay attention to the man behind the curtain. I saw that there was nothing supernatural there. It was only a man. A clever man, no doubt. But a trickster. A charlatan. The Great Wizard of Oz, despite his presence and claimed power, was no more than a man writ large. If we've seen this, how can we go back to believing in the Wizard?

 

The church service was beautiful. So are fairies. So are unicorns. And I'm sure many there were comforted by the notion that god and sinner have been reconciled and that the world has a new king. But, for me, I can't believe it. I'm searching, not for comfort, but for truth, for what really is. And I simply can't drop the edge of the curtain and pretend that I haven't looked behind it. That wouldn't be honest to either my experience or to what I know of reality.

[Margee]

20 hours ago, trek4fr said:

I'm searching, not for comfort, but for truth, for what really is. And I simply can't drop the edge of the curtain and pretend that I haven't looked behind it. That wouldn't be honest to either my experience or to what I know of reality.

2

 

20 hours ago, trek4fr said:

 

1

 

Hi trek, Thanks for sharing this story. 

 

You brought back a memory this morning for me. I remember the day that I found all of the toys I asked Santa for, behind my mom's bureau. OMG, I didn't want it to be true what the kids were talking about at school! We were at the age to start questioning and I didn't want any part of it. They were saying that maybe Santa wasn't real? When the kids were putting pieces of the puzzle together, I stood up for Santa Claus! But then again, I must have wanted the truth. I must have wanted to know? Why would I be snooping behind my moms' dresser? I had no reason whatsoever to be snooping? Because deep, deep down in my heart I must have been on the 'hunt' for evidence. And I found it. And I remember how my heart was broken because I, at that moment, knew that Santa was not real and Mom and dad bought the presents. So I must have wanted the truth and I found it. My heart sank. Even when mom and dad tried to convince me otherwise, it was too late for me. I knew the truth. The same thing happened with christianity. Something in the church and bible did not sit right with me and I went on the hunt again like I did when I was a child. And here I am, on Ex-c.

 

After writing on this board for 7 years now, I truly understand why people won't question all the gods in the world. I personally understand why people turn a 'blind eye'. I think that 'reality' is too hard for most people. I hate reality. I like fantasy better. Sometimes I ask myself why did I go hunting for the truth? I knew the truth would hurt me. And so it did. And it's taken a long, long time to recover from the belief that I had a personal, invisible friend who loved me more than anything and was always there to guide and protect me.... And keep me out of hell.... And give me the opportunity to see all my loved ones after death. Knowing the truth is very hard for a lot of people. That's why they don't question the virgin birth. I must always try to remember that one time I believed in the virgin birth. I wasn't ready to ask all the hard questions. I didn't want to know the truth even though I had already started to question things in my mind. God was magical to me and if the bible said that he was born of a virgin, I believed it at one time without question. I enjoyed all the magic and hope that believing in god brought me.

 

You probably weren't the only one who questioned it all at that service you attended. But... you were one of the brave people to pull the curtain back. It takes very courageous people on this earth to pull the curtain back.

 

I hope you are peaceful.

(hug)

[Cousin Ricky]

1 hour ago, Margee said:

After writing on this board for 7 years now, I truly understand why people won't question all the gods in the world. I personally understand why people turn a 'blind eye'. I think that 'reality' is too hard for most people. I hate reality. I like fantasy better. Sometimes I ask myself why did I go hunting for the truth? I knew the truth would hurt me. And so it did. And it's taken a long, long time to recover from the belief that I had a personal, invisible friend who loved me more than anything and was always there to guide and protect me.... And keep me out of hell.... And give me the opportunity to see all my loved ones after death. Knowing the truth is very hard for a lot of people. That's why they don't question the virgin birth. I must always try to remember that one time I believed in the virgin birth. I wasn't ready to ask all the hard questions. I didn't want to know the truth even though I had already started to question things in my mind. God was magical to me and if the bible said that he was born of a virgin, I believed it at one time without question. I enjoyed all the magic and hope that believing in god brought me.

 

“The truth will set you free.” —John 8:32b

“But first, it will piss you off.” —various attributions

[trek4fr]

Margee, I've come to believe that religion is mostly about a search for comfort, not a search for truth. You're right, the truth of 'reality' is too hard for many people. As conscious human beings, we have to find ways to deal with the angst of why we are here, is there meaning, is there purpose, where did we come from, what happens when we die, what about our loved ones? Religion offers us ready-made answers in a beautiful package that only requires belief. If you believe, you can (and often do) find comfort. But it is, IMO, a false comfort, a fairy tale not based in reality. It is only wishful thinking. There is no solid evidence for its claims.

 

There is, of course, nothing wrong with things being man-made, as religions are. Art, science, music, architecture -- all of these things are man-made and often beautiful. These things allow us to express aesthetically what it means to be human. But when religions claim to be more-than-human, to come from a deity or from divine, supernatural revelation, then they cross the line. The man-made ideas become idols that we often worship, we think them to be god's ideas or doctrines or teachings. And they can be harmful, not only because they discourage our natural bent to inquire into truth, but there can be punishments levied against those who dare question, who dare to peer behind the curtain.

 

I, too, believed many of these claims at one time -- for many decades. Yet I always wondered where these claims came from. And when I dared to research and ask, I was told (directly or indirectly) that believing without evidence (faith) was all that was necessary, was the epitome of what god wanted. If god is real, then it seems to me that god would never discourage us from examining reality, from discovering truth as best as we can.

[trek4fr]

3 hours ago, Margee said:

I hope you are peaceful.

 

Yes, I am. And, no, I'm not. I'm peaceful in being a non-theist. This position makes more sense to me than anything else I've come across in my life, especially when coupled with positive humanism.

 

But I'm frustrated by the fact that so many are still caught up in this "god delusion", not only friends and family, but public servants who make policies and laws based what they believe their sky-daddy wants them to do. If the religious could keep their beliefs to themselves, then I believe this world could find some measure of peace. But as long as different religions feel like they have to convert others, through guilt or sword, then I'm not happy or satisfied with the way things are. Thanks for your feedback. 

[♦ Fuego ♦]

2 hours ago, trek4fr said:

I've come to believe that religion is mostly about a search for comfort, not a search for truth.

 

Yep. I recently saw a singer friend convert due to family pressure. Now she's a bot, a liberal bot, but still insistent that her invisible friend is there for her. Fitting in is a huge social pressure, fitting in with family even more so. I gave her a brief account of my deconversion and she seemed frustrated that "a man caused all this", meaning the preacher who was lying about miracles. She didn't get the real story, mostly because she didn't want to, as it would cause emotional turmoil.

 

A recent testimony on this site talks about the power of emotion in keeping people dedicated even when they are fairly sure it isn't real. There is anger and resentment when anyone suggests that a believer was tricked. People really don't want to hear that, perhaps because of pride or shame of having been duped. I've seen the same thing when people are duped by phone calls and emails telling them they've won millions of dollars and to send $30 to claim it, and then another $20 processing fee, and then... They are so blinded by the fake prize that they keep sending money expecting a big payout that will never happen. Even when a police detective shows them clear evidence that the person behind the scam is just a lying criminal, they can't let go of the idea that they really won the big payout, and are still willing to send more money. It's like hackers finding a serious flaw in a computer system and exploiting it for all they can get. Humans have a flaw in our thinking/feeling system that lets religion flourish despite physical and historical evidence that contradicts it. Having other humans that gather together to celebrate and sing about the fake payout makes it seem even more real.

 

[MOHO]

On 1/15/2018 at 9:22 AM, trek4fr said:

But I'm frustrated by the fact that so many are still caught up in this "god delusion", not only friends and family, but public servants who make policies and laws based what they believe their sky-daddy wants them to do.

 

This is a persistent source of frustration for me as, I'm sure, for others here as well.

 

Some hang on to their delusions because they are so terrified of death and/or going to hell that they purposefully, and continually, self-indoctrinate. Still others really get-off on having a tool for manipulating and controlling others as well as proving to others that they possess a quality that the masses never will. Yes, they are SPECIAL.

 

Just imagine a world where he god virus has been eradicated. Yes, there will still be wars. But no radically, diluted, fanatical solders or suicide bombers hell-bent on mayhem.