I have a dream

Sorry its been a while since my last post, it was my intention to blog everyday but those of you that know me know that such a thing is rarely possible.  LOL  Anyway, the holidays are just around the corner and its got me thinking, about way many things to list at one time but meh, that's just the way my mind works.  What I've been thinking the past couple days is, charities.

Now that Atheists are starting to "come out of the closet" why isn't there a national Atheist charity?  Why don't we dispel the misconception that Atheists are selfish and uncaring?  And would prefer to 'fiddle while Rome burns'.  Of course as long as it doesn't interfere with our baby eating activities and sacrificing animals to the sun.  What better way than a charity?  Compassion is not limited to just those with religious tendencies, what better way to prove that we care and actually have hearts than to give to those who need it?  And let's be honest, an Atheist in charge of such a thing would be able to run the thing more efficiently since they won't be relying on 'god' to prove funds or be foolish enough to hire a con-man to be in charge of finances and then wonder later why such a great 'god-loving' man could embezzle a million dollars.

Don't get me wrong I think religious charities are great, they do good work.  But let's be honest, some of them are only interested in adding to their numbers.  Yeah we'll feed you poor starving slob tonight but you'll have to sit through a church service first.  I know not all of them are like that, but really and Atheistic charity wouldn't give a crap where your soul is going to spend eternity.  You're hungry?  Here eat something.  You're cold?  Here's a jacket.  Need a place to sleep?  Here's a cot and blanket, don't worry about anything tonight you're safe here.  Get some sleep.  No need to sign up for church, no saying a prayer to save your soul, you've got a need?  Here we'll do our best to help you. 

Currently I actually work for a religious charity, (not that really had much say in the matter) and yes I was concerned that my being an Atheist would cause problems as I decided before I started when the matter of religion came up, I was going to be honest and straight-forward about it.  My boss was great about it, yes of course he asked questions but he didn't push the matter, nor did he try to convert me.  To tell the absolute truth, I love my job.  I love the fact that I help people who need it and what I do makes their lives better.  Its fulfilling in a way I didn't think it would be when I started.  And the way I look at it, its not labeled any particular religion they just call themselves 'interfaith'.  Well, I have faith, just not in any supreme deity who watches me when I'm on the toilet or scratching my butt, so can include myself in there.  

Since the charity I work for is on shaky ground this up-coming year, it really got me thinking.  So, I have a dream.  Why the hell not?  Most great ideas start with one  person.  I have no idea where to start, if anything will actually come of it, but whose to say I can't dream and dream big?

The name would be the first big issue, well at least to how my mind works.  LOL  We already have The Salvation Army.  The Atheist Army sounds militant.  Not to say that Salvation Army doesn't, I can picture nuns running around with bibles hoisted like M-16 rifles in their arms.  Still, not the kind of image that I want to convey.  The Red Cross.  The Red um..  well we don't have a rallying symbol per-say.  The Red A?  Sounds like a punk rock group  or some kind of chemical weapon.  Or a really bad war movie.

I guess the name can come later.  Will I actually do anything with this?  Who knows?  Its not like I've never done wild and crazy things before.  If you know me, you can honestly its hard to say what I'm going to do.

Why not?

When I was thinking about my time teaching Sunday school yesterday I remembered something that still bothers me to this day.  It was back when I was helping teach a VBS (Vacation Bible School) and our theme was under the sea.  I was teaching about Jonah and the whale.  Which now when I think back about it, oy...  a guy in a whale for days and lived?  I don't even want to think about how I thought  it was true. 

Anyway...  As I said in my previous post I was a pretty neat teacher, so for this lesson I constructed a 'whale belly' out of black plastic garbage bags and a fan at one end to inflate it.  So the kids and I crawled into the 'belly' and I talked about Jonah and stuff.  Then I asked the kids if there was one question they could ask God what would it be?

This is the part I'll never forget, one boy (who I was very fond of and still miss to this day) asked the very simple and direct question, "Why can't God just save everyone?"

I remembered I stared at him for a bit, I knew the answers I was supposed to say.  'He wants us to choose Him', blah blah blah.  But, I just couldn't answer him, nothing would come out of my mouth.  I eventually said, 'that's a good question' and moved on to the next kid.

I couldn't answer him because the pat answers just sounded so lame and quite honestly, they sounded stupid.  Why can't God just save everyone?  Its his rules that we supposedly are breaking, if he really wanted to why couldn't he just forgive everyone and let them into heaven?  Isn't that what we were supposed to be teaching?  That God is forgiving, compassionate and is love?  If you really love someone enough to die for them, can't you just forgive everything? 

Let's face it the god of the bible is petty, mean and violent.  In my opinion I think if anyone should ask for forgiveness, God should ask us to forgive him. 

I will also never forget when I asked the Children's pastor that I assisted if she really believed if people who had never heard of Jesus would really be sent to hell.  Her answer came quick with unwavering belief behind it, "I have to believe what the bible says, and it says yes, they will go to hell."

So through no fault of their own, this kind, loving 'father' would send his 'children' to hell simply because they had never heard of him?  I know there some Christians who don't even believe in hell and that no one is going there.  But I just could not swallow this blanket belief in everything anymore. 

I wish I could go back in time and answer that one boy and say, "God can't save everyone because he isn't real and there's nothing to be 'saved' from."  Then maybe I could get the look on his face out of my head.  Perhaps one day I'll have a chance to talk to him again and have a grown-up discussion.  Until then, at least I have the peace of mind to know that we are responsible for saving ourselves and don't have to ask a deity to do it for us.

Sunday School Amusements

Sorry for the late post tonight and its going to be a short one, but I've been on the couch all afternoon after getting home from work.  Thinking of how I feel like death warmed over reminded me of a Sunday school amusement.  (If you haven't read my blog A bit about me, then you don't know that I used to teach Sunday school.  Yes, very scary I agree.) 

So this was the Sunday after Easter and our theme was all about Jesus' accession and the "gift" of the "Holy Spirit".  We had a great morning planned with games, crafts and a re-enactment led by yours truly.  (I was a fun Sunday school teacher if I do say so myself.  And so did a lot of the kids.  But I digress)

I don't remember the game or the craft, but I will never forget the re-enactment.

I picked one kid to play Jesus and then a bunch to play his followers and the rest of the kids were all the villagers.  And I'm telling the story, the kid playing Jesus was standing on a chair, his 'followers' were all around.  I get the part about Jesus going up to heaven and the 'Holy Spirit' coming down and I'm excited, the kids are all into it and we're having a grand time. 

Then I talk about how the followers started to speak in tongues and the villagers were all calling them crazy and drunk.  The village kids are all yelling, the followers are babbling.  I finish the story and had them all sit back in their seats.  I'm smiling and laughing, they are all smiling and laughing, I'm patting myself on the back for doing such a great job on teaching them a wonderful lesson and how they must have really gotten it. 

I asked the kids what they learned. 

All the kids replied.  "THEY WERE DRUNK!"