In 1996 I created a stupid flying 3D logo for a Christian writer’s website. To this day he considers himself God’s messenger of mathematics. He was a nice guy, but very human and very self-deluded. Of course, at the time, I hung on almost every word he said, or wrote, as I was a complete dumb-shit, a fact which bothers me.
Sure, I’m now an atheist who believes there’s a rational explanation for everything, but I still sense that somewhere in my past I may have been lead poisoned and will probably continue to make many dumb-shit decisions in my future. I suppose I’ll just have to deal with those mistakes when I make them.
Yes, over the past few years I’ve tried to reshape my predilection for cerebral idiocy, but I can’t honestly say I have answers for everything. And, while I’ve trashed my past supernatural dependent ideologies for more rational explanations about the universe, I confess, I really don’t trust other atheists any more than I do religious people.
I confess, I do miss God. I liked him, or I liked the image of him in my head. I believed he liked me, too. But now I see how similar he was to my childhood ideas regarding St. Nick. As a one-time follower of both, I was no slouch.
Now? Now I feel a certain peace about the indifference of the universe. Of course, mindless cause and effect are not always our friends: the rules they follow are unforgiving. If you ingest poison you’ll get sick and die. If you don’t watch your children, a serial rapist may take them away like a predator takes a gazelle on the Serengeti.
And while I may not feel all warm and fuzzy about how the nice guy in the sky loves me and will take care of me and my family, I’m also no longer faced with theological questions like: why does a loving God answer *(1) some asshole’s prayer for his football team to win the Superbowl, while *(2) a little girl’s prayer to be rescued from her criminal abductor is answered with torture, rape, and murder? *(3) Why?
*(1) Insert whatever idiotic or profound example of an "answered prayer" you believe proves the existence and or goodness of whatever God you believe in.
*(2) Insert whatever tragedy you know about which had someone praying for a miracle which never came.
*(3) For those who believe they have a perfectly good answer as to why an all loving, all knowing, all powerful God allows #2, insert whatever idiotic answer you need to keep your faith afloat.
[Eddie Vincent is a fictional character created by Wade Buffington. Views expressed by Mr. Vincent do not necessarily represent the views of Wade Buffington. Any similarities between Eddie and Wade are entirely coincidental.]
*(1) Insert whatever idiotic or profound example of an "answered prayer" you believe proves the existence and or goodness of whatever God you believe in.
*(2) Insert whatever tragedy you know about which had someone praying for a miracle which never came.
*(3) For those who believe they have a perfectly good answer as to why an all loving, all knowing, all powerful God allows #2, insert whatever idiotic answer you need to keep your faith afloat.
[Eddie Vincent is a fictional character created by Wade Buffington. Views expressed by Mr. Vincent do not necessarily represent the views of Wade Buffington. Any similarities between Eddie and Wade are entirely coincidental.]
