Friday, 30th October 2009
Is the essence of religion guilt or love?
I very rarely go through the magazines distributed with newspapers, and consequently I never read or flipped through Phase. I came to know about it when Ms Velislava Hillman, its managing editor, kindly invited me to write a piece about God and religion for the magazine. Now I know that Phase magazine is a youth bi-monthly publication distributed with the Times on Saturday. Phase had published an opinion piece on “No God?”written by a young person, Gordon Camilleri. My piece entitled A love affair called God found its place in the October 31 edition of Phase.
I would like to get a discussion going on about this subject; and what better place there is for such a thing than this blog?
The essence of religion is love
“The essence of religion is guilt,” according to Mr. Camilleri.
Definitely not true, at least as far as Christianity is concerned. The essence of Christianity is love – the feeling of love that is meant to enhance the joy of living. Christianity is a love affair between God and humans. It is the celebration of living and giving. It is a concrete statement that this love affair is so strong and deeply rooted that not even death can extinguish it. This love affair is intentioned to last forever.
The foundation rock of Christianity is the realisation that God loves us. This God – described in the Bible both as Father and as Mother - is Love. God is crazy in love with us, is close to us and cares for us. God knows each one of us by name and, as Isaiah wrote, our name is tattooed on the palm of God’s hand. God accompanies us in our life journey: encouraging us, healing us, crying with us, laughing with us.
This is the religion communicated through Jesus Christ. This God/Man experienced our humanity, warts and all. He who is so powerful that can hold the whole universe in the palm of his hand became weak for us. He was not able to carry His own cross. Were it not for the help from a weak human being He would have stopped half way. He understands and empathises with our weakness. He also experienced joy and sadness, love and betrayal, laughter and tears, triumph and defeat, merriment and solitude. He died for us but He also rose from the death for us. His victory can now be our victory.
It is true though that our preaching and catechism have instilled in many people a mistaken image of God. Instead of a loving and forgiving God, we preach a vindictive one. Even Shylock would look as a generous guy when compared to the God some preach.
The hardship that sin brings
Camilleri also wrote that the feeling of guilt, that according to him is instilled by religion, is meant to nullify the pleasure of sin.
The road to happiness seems to be sin, according to this gentleman! Are you feeling down? No problem Camilleri will find a sin for you to raise your spirits. Are you depressed? Forget your psychiatrist or psychologist; phone Camilleri. Following a short session, he will give you a recipe for sinning. There is nothing like a couple of sins for breakfast and one after lunch to get you better. If need be, he would suggest something to do before dinner.
Sin is not the road to happiness. It promises everything – pleasure, fame, riches - but in the long term it delivers only pain and frustration. It cannot do otherwise. Sin alienates us from the root of our existence – God – and therefore alienates us from ourselves.
Look at the ills and woes present in the world around us. Cannot we easily point a finger towards sin as their cause or origin? Is not the present financial crisis the result of the sin of greed? Moreover, the crisis that is making so many families suffer isn’t it many times due to the sin of infidelity? Ask all the victims of crime what they think of the sins that were perpetrated against them? Is not poverty the result of the sin of the existence of unjust economic structures and bad distribution of wealth? Isn’t it an obscene sin that a score of persons have more wealth than dozens of countries put together?
Will the world be a better place if the Commandments are eliminated or will it become a worse place? Has anyone ever been harmed because of fulfilling the Commandments?
Religion and human dignity
Camilleri also says that “religion is an insult to human dignity.” This is a nice quip indeed!
Christianity preaches that men and women are created in the image and likeness of God. Has anyone ever trust upon men or women a greater dignity than the fact that they are an image, nay children, of God? Christianity enhances human dignity more than any philosophy or political ideology.
Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of Great Britain recently said that God is needed in the public sphere so that the Christian religion and other religions can make their contribution to real development.
Blair’s comments proves what experience has shown all along: the more time one has for God the more one finds time for others as Love begets love.
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Comments
Madam, I have nothing against you. Why would I? I do not know you, nor would I. I prefer the company of people who question, people who don't believe just anything because everybody else does. Be grateful that you are surrounded by many with your mindset (even some homosexual men I have no doubt). Sorry if I strike nerves. I mean no harm. It's just me, a free homosexual man
I really do not care which camp you're in. If you change camp, you won't join MY camp. An atheist is a one-man band on a solo journey. No props. And that is the whole horrific point. No props. Look mummy, no hands!
The only thing you prove with experience and anecdotes is that experience and anecdotes exist.
Joseph Carmel Chetcuti
In my opinion, all priests and cathecists should be ordered to preach about love and charity only.
All other religion is noting other than spiritual prostitution, confusion, drunkenness of false believes, the truth is only the word of God, Jesus Christ, The Bible.
There is noting new in theology except that which is false. Theology always was as where Jesus and his apostles have left it.
Sadly people are thoughtless of their eternal souls and the Gospel of Jesus Christ they do not know. But want their ears to be tinkled.
Jacob I loved but Esau I hated God said, wake up you who are thoughtless of your eternal souls, look at the law of God, meditate in it for unless you treble you would never appreciate or know the grace of God.The object of faith is Christ, and Christ alone and not any man.
common sence tells us he is the word of God, and him alone we must trust.
Joseph Galea.
Mr. Xuereb, I do not see such an anomaly as you make it sound. God as the prime mover set evolution in motion. I do not see creation as things appearing at a magical wave of a wand.
@Joe Xuereb:
Mr. Xuereb what is it with you?
Can’t you tolerate my presence on this blog?
Seems like you file my comments too – so ready are you to pick and refer to them (always out of context, of course). Makes me feel quite important to have left such a mark on you!!!
And why do you question whether I am a Catholic or not? Would you rather have me join your camp? I might have my doubts about my religion, but I would much rather not mix with attitudes such as yours.
Please note that, I prefaced my comment with, "While Fr. Borg appears to want to take us beyond the basics, it seems that he may have gone too far: ..."
The flaw in your argument lies in your (new) depiction of God. You have reduced Him from the Creator Who is also the Supreme Judge of each mortal's behaviour, to One Who is a participant in each mortal's acts.
Adding your comment that, "God accompanies us in our life but we can ignore Him and, in fact, we often do.", does not change my conclusion.
God gave a set of rules -- The Ten Commandments -- and a free will. God judges us on how well we abide by those rules. In no way does this imply that God is a direct participant in every individual's deeds.
Consider:
In the case of rape, according to you, the rapist is ignoring God. But God is also part of the victim. Is the victim too ignoring God? Or, is God just going to cry over the victim's agony?
It does not make sense. But then, I am not a theologian.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/blogs/view/20090509/fr-joe-borg/should-there-be-more-mosques-in-malta ?
Ms Debattista you take the saintly Joe Zammit for promoting martyrdom (which you find distasteful? unnecessary?). In spite of the church investing its credibility on these creatures. And latterly you have plagiarised 'evolution' which you have substituted for creationism. Are you sure you are a Catholic Ms Debattista. Answer on the blank side of a postage stamp please. (maybe you have been spending too much time with homosexually oriented men - platonically of course - who tend not to be overly pious?).
Hi Steve, long time no see.
Yeah sure he's needed so that those in power remain in power through god's fears. I can prove myself that I don't need to believe in:
"And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever till the end of time. But he loves you! He loves you. He loves you and he needs money. He always needs money! He's all powerful, all perfect, all knowing and all wise. Somehow - just can't handle money! Religion takes in billions of dollars, they pay no taxes, and they always need a little more. Now, you talk about a good bull* story!"
And please don't start judging me that I don't know how to love, forgive, be kind, etc before even knowing me!
I quote Ratzinger's way of loving: "When you have religious leaders like that making that sort of statement then followers feel they are justified in behaving in an aggressive and violent way because they feel that they are doing God's work in ridding the world of these people."
The pope also said at his end of year address to the Curia that the existence of gay people threatens humanity as much as the destruction of the rainforests does, and that "blurring" genders through acceptance of transgender people would kill off the human race.
"Is this love that I'm feeling? Is this the love that I've been searching for? Is this love or am I dreaming?" (Whitesnake) pfff pathetic
This is one stricking statement coming from a member of clergy. It is indeed one reason why so many have moved away from church and why many seem to be frustrated at God .
Now , i ask dear Fr. Joe... Who is exactly giving us the wrong idea about God ? Who are you referring to ? And which elements presented in any published article are not showing us the true God ?
No wonder we are so confused ! Who is right Fr.Joe ? Just who is saying the truth then ?
Through man’s transgressions - when power, greed and avarice blind man to the need of others to the extent that man willfully ignores natural law seeking only his own gain - nature is sent off-course resulting in climate change which in the long (or short run) has grave repercussions effecting the whole balance of nature.
Before blaming God for all the catastrophe’s we hear about on ‘The News’, shouldn’t we be asking ourselves how much blame we ought to be laying at our doors?
We're all sexual creatures, inevitably. EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US. We have to be for the species' survival. Nature is wily. It gives us a 'carrot', an incentive. People are naturally drawn to pleasure. So when the young go to Paceville, their intention's not to make babies (but happens) but to have fun, sex as sport. In all its presence, and particularly, in its absence, our sexual drives are at the base of many transgressions. Fact. The church doesn't bother to explain to us the intricacies, the implications of sex as pleasure but everything about procreation, strictly within marriage, no contraception. Unfortunately, this doesn't dull our normal drives. So the pain, the urge, the Human Condition is never resolved. Unless of course, one blindly accepts the church's teachings. If one transgresses, one goes to confession - antidote? One struggles with periods of reprieve. The rest struggle, period. They're not told the truth. So they continue to struggle, doing what comes naturally. But they're decent people. So they feel guilty. So yes, religion IS about guilt. QED.
I think that God created an inquisitive animal (man) because He wanted us to question His existence and to arrive at the conclusion of His immense power and greatness.
God wanted us to question our purpose in life, and whether there is in fact an afterlife which is only eligible to those who abide by a moral code aimed at the good of society in general. I believe that when we question the existence of God we are only doing what God intended for us in the first place and our doubts are not in themselves negative attitudes for while we doubt we still believe, otherwise we would stop our search for the truth.
An interesting write up however I would like to refer Fr Borg to the section "The Harship that Sin Brings".
Statement: Sin is categorised in different ways by various religions.Classification of mortal sins in certain religions can be hailed as immediate salvation in other religions.
To love your neighbour incorporates the above statement.
Question : Your comment please.
While Fr. Borg appears to want to take us beyond the basics, it seems that he may have gone too far: "God accompanies us in our life journey: encouraging us, healing us, crying with us, laughing with us." This implies that there can be no evil because God is incapable of sin. Therefore, there can be no Hell. Thus, rapists, pedophiles and their ilk, can sleep easy knowing that God is in cahoots.
So much for id-Duttrina.
'Heaven' is the happiness that comes from the eternal union with God for those who love Him, and Hell the unhappiness of those who have freely chosen another option. Yes, God does love us and wants us to be united with Him, as it is only thus that we can be fulfilled. However, true love can only be free and thus He cannot force us to love Him. Hell is the place (condition, state...whatever) of those who freely choose not to return God's love. In THE GREAT DIVORCE, CS Lewis defines Heaven and Hell precisely in terms of the choice we make: “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done’, and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done’. All that are in Hell chose it."
@ Fr Joe
Prosit for a beautiful article.
The words are very beguiling, very seductive. One is so easily swept away and along with all this heady stuff. Hardly surprising. This is the belief system of incense and myrrh, incantations and purple vestments. Very 2009. And then it all comes apart at the seams at the mention of god. God Who? God, the one who loves you, and cries with you. No proof there. And you'll be with him forever. No proof there either.
Happiness is only a word. And sin contributes not to it. Show me a sinner, a denier of truth, and I will show you a wretch. A desperately unhappy one. Camilleri (whose article I have not read) is right when he says that Catholicism is guilt. Sexual guilt. But he is wrong if he insinuates that, for example, sexual transgressions make one happy. It does not. Unbridled sexuality, to quote, has death as its wages. But not because of what religion says. It is more to do with understanding the intricacies of unbridled sexuality, sexuality as a sport, with consequences. Grasp that and Camilleri and his assenting readers will be 'happy' - so to speak.
Of course there is also the guilt - Catholicism is quick to remind us that the suffering of Jesus was "our fault" and "to save us". We were taught as kids that every time we sin it's like driving another nail into Jesus' hands. Not a religion of guilt? Pull the other one.
We are repeatedly told that God loves us - but we're also taught that God killed, maimed and slaughtered countless people and tribes. Ask the Midianites. Ask the Amalekites. Ask the first-born of Egypt, the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah (women and children included). If that's what God does to those he loves, how does he treat those he hates?
We're told that there's no greater act of love than that of Jesus Christ. Yet, according to the Bible, he knew he would only spend a mere weekend dead.
It's anything BUT a religion of love.
Part 2.
I was noticing how God seemed to be losing favour all the time and it was not only in this blog but in all blogs on this site. And then an uplifting news item that appeared on Tuesday, 27th October, ‘Maltese surgeon developing safer cancer surgery” by Cynthia Busuttil, could not but bring a prayer to my mouth. I felt compelled to congratulate the surgeon but the only way I could find myself able to do so was through wishing him God’s blessing. I must confess I felt awkward to be the only one among the bloggers to mention God and for a moment I thought of changing my comment. But I did not and I am thankful for it.
Part 1.
Thank you for such a wonderful article!
It is so soothing to the spirit to know that when jaded by life’s tribulations, we can find solace in the knowledge that God is “madly in love with us”.
When I first started following this blog, I had never before come in contact with people who could make me question the existence of God. Influenced by the animated discussions that went on, I began to drift away from the anchor and consequently I felt lost. It was an uncomfortable feeling for I was losing part of my identity as well as the prop that had always supported me through bad times.
Continued...