I hate God

If He were real I would that is.  Okay maybe hate is too strong of a word, but I don’t think the God of the Christian Bible is one that I would ever be getting along with.

First, from scriptures we see Satan created as a perfect being (Ezekiel 28:12-19) and an anointed cherub (or high-class angel).  Lucifer (who Christians assume is the same) decided that he could do a better job as God, and wanted to replace him at the top of the metaphysical totem poll (Isaiah 14:12-17).  There was a big rebellion, with Satan and the angels he’d convinced to join him losing badly (Revelation 12:7-8).  The rebels were then cast down to Earth (where they were given control) (Revelation 12:9, 12:12).  The rest of Satan’s story has to due with the supposed Second Coming of Christ, where Satan will then get sent to hell.

Now there’s a couple things to notice with this story:

1. It’s patchy as hell (pardon the pun).  The references are all over the Old and New Testaments, and it’s a bit hard to piece together even when it’s spelled out for you. (This is a minor issue for me in this post)
2. God created Satan, but Satan supposedly developed lust (read sin) on his own, even though God should have seen that coming.
3. It’s not evidently clear that Satan is evil - he is portrayed as such in the Bible, but remember the books are supposedly inspired by the God who won in the attempted revolution.  If Satan had won he’d probably have inspired a different sounding book.

Now I’m not going to try to out-think a theologian and suggest Satan is actually a good character in the Bible, but I think there is something to say for the act of rebellion against a tyrannical dictator in the sky who promises eternal suffering for finite sin.  What’s more is Satan wasn’t alone, he attracted a lot of angels to his cause; that doesn’t mean his cause was virtuous (as many charismatic leaders have attracted followers despite their causes), but it does mean there were many angels willing to turn from the “divine.”

What my distaste for the Biblical God boils down to is that in the Old Testament He was a very fire-and-brimstone smiter of everyone He disagrees with (going as far as killing all Egyptian firstborns) and in the New Testament He said all who do not accept His Son (who is himself) as their saviour are eternally damned to Hell.  Both of these versions are morally abhorrent by modern cultural standards.  I don’t respect the idea (and neither would a court) that a thief is just if he offers his victim the choice between being shot or giving up some goods (in this comparison God would be stealing my “free will”).

I know the response that I’m going to get is that all I have to do is accept JC, but I’m offended by the thought of spending time in a Heaven run by a God who sends anyone to eternal damnation.  (Problem of Hell.)  I will have no part in such a farce.

If there is a Christian God (which I highly doubt), then sign me up for the next revolution.

Note: If this passage greatly offended you, I’d suggest you avoid reading the Golden Compass and its sequels (of His Dark Materials trilogy) which focus on a multiple universe rebellion against the almighty.