And one of the most obvious truths there is for some people.
Almost everyone, I suppose, is aware of the infamous Westboro Baptist
Church of Topeka, Kansas and their penchant for preaching a God of hate
.
.
Josef Miles, a mere child of nine-years-of-age, decided to do something in
response to the constant hate-picketing of Westboro Church members:
As he reflected on that, Josef said, he decided that "I didn't
want everybody to think that Topeka has a bad image." So on the day earlier this
month when they came upon the protesters again, "I thought about it for a
minute" and concluded that "God hates no one" would be the right thing to
say.
Why?
Why?
Because "that is true," Josef said.
Most of us who do much thinking about God have some conception of what God (if one exists) must be like. I've stated before on my blog that, if nothing else, God serves as a powerful symbol of our highest ideal of what we humans should be: wise, just, kind, merciful, etc. Many people feel that hate is not a desirable emotion. Thus, they reason as does young Josef, that God would not, could not be a hater.
I suppose Western philosophy will continue to grapple with theistic notions of God. If so, I certainly prefer Miles' version to that of the Westboro crowd, which is actually a worldview that emphasizes the most negative aspects of John Calvin's theology.
4 comments:
In the news coverage of the young lady combating flesh eating bacteria, there was a picture of her with a poster. It was not all visible, but what I could make out was something advocating for 'the power of love to overcome the love of power'.
But you have to take away fear. It seems fear is a stronger motivator in the human psyche, and thus it is fear that the demagogues deal in. Shucks, I fear the success of the demagogues. It's not easy, is it?
@ Exrelayman,
No, it isn't.
I do not fear people. People come and go, but my country is still based on freedom. I still can buy a burger any day I want. The flowers still bloom. Hate always attacks itself in the end, love always builds and reaches out toward growth and joy.
@ I would speak untruthfully if I said there aren't some people whose existence makes me - to say the very least - uncomfortable. And the way some groups of people think is more than a bit scary to me.
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