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Health & Fitness

Rewards and Crowns For You

Discussion of some religious beliefs that will take away rights of contraception, privacy, abortion et al, and the superstitious nature of this belief.

 

I was listening several times today to the piece by John Tavener, British composer and Russian Orthodox convert, entitled Song for Athene.”  It became well known as it was sung at Princess Diana Spencer’s funeral. 

I was for a while uplifted by the last line of the piece: “Come enjoy rewards and crowns I have prepared for you.” God in his infinite love, theoretically, has set aside these rewards and crowns basically for Christian believers and some others who have unknowingly followed the commands of Jesus, having not been educated in the Christian faith.

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It is a beautiful statement, somewhat coincident with promise of the Islam faith, that one can gain seventy-two virgins upon his arrival in heaven if he sacrifices himself as a martyr of the faith.  (What treats do the women martyrs receive? Anyone who knows please leave a comment.)

These rewards come if one lives a life of holiness or dies as a martyr. After the ball is over, so to speak. Once we have traversed the vale of tears long enough as God allows us, we might get the rewards. When I get a warranty from Best Buy or Sears, I can at least have the item replaced if there’s a defect. What warranty is there on the human soul? Not much.

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There are those who peer into the very commas and quotation marks of the Bible, looking for the meaning which God had in mind when the commas or apostrophes were placed there, some believe by a person to whom God dictated each word, letter and punctuation mark. Yes, there are “regular” Christians as well as all of your run-of-the-mill fundie Christians who believe this.

They also believe whatever harm comes the way of the USA is because we have brought the ire of God upon us. This belief was expressed several times in the past by televangelists such as Jerry Fallwell and the other one over at the 700 club TV Show, Pat Robertson. This is why Rick Santorum, Rich Perry and the people who support them want to end all these immoralities, because if they are repressed, God will once again shine his happy face on us.

If this isn’t the most superstitious belief you’ve ever heard, then please let me know more. This is not unlike when the “primitive” peoples would toss a few virgins off the top of the temple to appease whatever the god’s name was. In this conception of religious belief, appeasing God will produce…say rain for the crops, or a better life for a nation that removes all the immorality as defined by one religion.

For me, I will take my chances with the cannibals. At least with them, you know what they’re up to. These quasi-Christians will smile at you, love the sinner not the sin and plan to soon put your ass in jail for using contraception or having a gay relationship.

Let me be frank, I’ve fought a long tough fight for the freedoms that are guaranteed in the US Constitution to be applied to women, minorities as well as LGBTQ citizens. Join with me and others as we challenge this new “evangelism”. Believe what you want, but leave me and others like me alone to enjoy the rewards and crowns we will gain as well.

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