Have you experienced the sting of an event or moment in life that brought such agony that you will probably never forget? Mine was looking into the heartbroken, grieving  eyes of my cousin and his wife at the funeral home. They had just tragically witnessed the gruesome accident and death of their beloved infant child a few days prior. You know that there would be nothing that you could say that would comfort them. I wanted to show support by being with them at a most difficult time.

I had been an ex-minister for less than a year at the time of the funeral. I had never told them about my leaving the faith and I wasn’t sure if anyone else had told them either. Knowing what I knew about the ministry, I hurt inside knowing that my relatives would be getting worthless “Christian” answers to comfort them. People mean well, but I know that the bible’s answers bring about more questions, and causes more pain than comfort. Ministers know of many Christian people who are “angry with God” because something has happened to the individual that they felt was unfair or unjust from the hand of god. Wise people understand that when a child is BAD often the reason is because that inside they are MAD at something. Their outward bad behavior is actively expressing that they are mad inside. 

Why would God allow, cause or permit such a horrible event to take place?

From my viewpoint, my relatives were from great families, were devout Christians, and were good natured people. In no way would they be subjects of God’s chastisement. Obviously, coming from a Christian perspective you would want to know why God would allow, cause or permit such a horrible event to take place? Since God is in control then he had to give permission for this….right? God is sovereign, isn’t he? A biblical example would be the story of Job.

  Is God that desperate for attention or for glorification?

I will ask some rhetorical questions here. How would God be glorified in a situation like this? Is God that desperate for attention or glorification that he needs to be cruel and or unfair to attain it? Why would God give the gift of life and take it away so quickly? There is probably no situation or event that would be more difficult for a Christian minister to deal with than a situation something like this. As an exminister, I saw how cruel the God of the bible was to two very special people by taking away their child. The God of the bible didn’t have to allow this to happen!

Chapter and Verse proof: God confesses to beating his sheep!

  There is another type of cruelty from God towards my relatives (or for any Christian) involved here. It is a rather subjective topic about the matter of God chastising his children. Subjective in interpretation to those who are suddenly in the midst of suffering. Ministers use this text when they need it. Ministers use this when a member doesn’t tithe or give or is in opposition or rebellion to whatever that minister is trying to accomplish. You need to read Hebrews chapter 12 to try to get an understanding of this biblical concept.

  5. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as children, MY SON, DESPISE NOT THOU THE CHASTENING OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN THOU ART REBUKED OF HIM.

6. FOR WHOM THE LORD LOVETH HE CHASTTENETH, AND SCOURGETH EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVETH.

7. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

8. But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then ye are bastards, and not sons.

God will get to beat you sometime in your life, that is if he doesn't decide to kill you

According to the bible, God will “get you” if you “get out of line with him”. This is what the verse 7 just told you “for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?". Did you know that someone calculated the number of people that the God of the bible had killed within the covers of the bible itself. The conservative estimate was a staggering 32.9 million people had been killed! This is an excellent article posted by Steve Wells, here is the link for you to examine.

The most cruel example that I'm aware of is that God had 2 she bears come from out of the woods and kill 42 little children because these children had mocked Elisha for having a bald head (2 Kings 2: 23-24). I'm laughing at the absurdity of this and cry because of cruelty and thirst for blood that the God of the bible has towards people. I'm embarrassed that I once taught others that the bible is the word of god. God is a brutal murderer! Can he not take a joke about some little kids mocking his prophet?

Christians are ashamed about this teaching

Biblical apologists would cringe if you introduced this subject at such a delicate time of grief like my relatives had. I agree with their feelings and feel it would be totally inappropriate as well. One thing that is evident here is that Christians are ashamed about this biblical teaching about God chastising his children. If they were not ashamed then they could mention it at anytime. But being ashamed and ignoring it doesn’t lessen the burden for any Christian whom has had something horrible happen to them. Put yourself in their shoes. You just suffered a horrible time, and every Christian that you know has heard their preacher preach a sermon from this Hebrews text. Imagine what they must be thinking about you? Once again I will introduce a few rhetorical questions here. What did they do to deserve this? It must be pretty bad? Will they learn from this experience and get right with God? Can they look you in the eye again and not think about this? Or worse yet, they will pity you!

Advice to currently suffering Christians

Christians that read this know exactly what I am writing of. Those outside of faith must think that this is a “very sick” thought process and I would agree with them. Now, let me speak to any Christian whom has suffered some horrible or difficult times. Forget about what you think that someone else must or could be thinking about your case, if you can. First, who can know the mind of God (his thought processes)? God’s only sure communication to mankind was the bible and you weren’t around when the bible was being written. So whatever happened to you has no paper trail in the bible, if you know what I mean (you came along 2,000 years later). Even if you were “out of God’s will” (let us suppose that my relatives were) and God did decide to chastise them. Was your “crime” as bad as taking someone's life? Probably not! Then your god of the bible lacks good judgment for not making your punishment fit your crime! God must have gotten carried away in his anger and lost control of his judgment. Even if you go by Old Testament standards like and “eye for an eye” the god of the bible isn’t fair in his dealings and quite harsh!

  I try to make people think with most everything that I write. There are untold number of incidents that happen to Christian people around the world daily. And whenever something “bad” happens to a Christian it cannot be a coincidence since God controls by providence what happens to his people. Since coincidence is ruled out of the equation then there is no other choice except for that Christian to find out what the reason behind this bad event happening to you. Dear Christian, from the ex-ministers perspective you should want to appease the anger of God by avoiding whatever makes him angry to prevent future chastisement. Or, you should await the future blessings that you will receive for God using you like he did since you did nothing wrong. For example, Job for his long suffering! Once again, the exminister notices that people have to wait for another false promise that should be fulfilled like Job’s was BEFORE he died so that he gets to enjoy it while they live here on earth! Who is kidding who, we all know that the “spin masters” who wrote the bible use the book for control of people who are willing to be enslaved by the bible’s contents. Just another example of cruel and bad psychology of the bible.

Someone needs to knock that smiley face facade off of your cruel religion!

Is that Christian in the molding process like a piece of pottery? Are they being chastised for something that they did that God didn’t approve of? All the Christian apologist can say at these times is (we don’t know) and this is a very convenient answer for them but woefully insufficient as an explanation. We both know that Christianity doesn’t have the answer. It is perfectly OK for Christianity to leave a couple like my relatives “twisting in the wind” with some believers feeling God’s providence or chastisement is at work upon those in grief. People like me feel that someone needs to knock that smiley face facade off of your cruel religion!

Christianities two most useful “escape plans” are to act as if they didn’t hear and avoid whatever threatens them (ignore); and throw up their hands and say that they do not know the answer to whatever threatens them (ignorance). Yes, very convenient and effective for people who are sheep like. But what about those of us who demand a reasonable explanation? They are often told by their minister or leader that they will have to get back to them. This is just another form of their avoidance and IF THEY EVER GET BACK to you they still won’t have a sufficient answer for someone who isn’t sheep like. You can be waiting a very long time for their reply. Tell them you will withhold your tithe and offering money until they answer you! (Humor) 

Reasonable people see the big picture here. Simply stated the bible isn’t divine, far from it. The bible is full of made up stories, bad psychology and a great cover for those with character issues of their own. If these people (Christian leaders) had character they would resign their positions and find an honorable way to make a living.

Christianity isn’t true, doesn’t work in real life and unworthy of acceptance!

Now for you dear Christian! What in the world are you waiting for? In real life Christianity doesn’t work. The bible is just plain old bad literature and dangerous when used as a psychology text! Did you join Christianity for God to look after your well being? Now you know that God is actively viewing your behavior and you are subject to chastisement when you do wrong things. Your minister doesn’t have the answers to real life situations. They are just hoping that you “keep putting money in the plate” and don’t ask too many or the wrong type of questions. Go ahead ask one to them as a test, then notice their response to it. This time, don’t be a gullible sheep when they give you that same old insufficient line. You must get past this mentality of “God will get you” because God won’t get you. God won’t get you because who is to say that there is a God out their anyway? The great secret out there is that their isn’t any God out there like the bible describes. 

If you have made it this far in your journey then you can begin to understand why I and all the other ex-ministers in the world left Christianity. Ex-ministers who left for intellectual reasons have a heart for people and for good conscious reasons won’t subject you as a pawn to this organized chess game. Christianity isn’t worth anymore of your time, talent or money. If you haven’t done so already, read the link on my website on “How Religion Robs People”. You can stay in Christianity and be a sheep (I call it you choosing to be a victim), or choose freedom from religion and go out and enjoy life!

Brian Worley   Ex-Minister.org     October 5, 2007    All rights reserved

Ex-minister's Blog

Website/Contact Information