Friday, December 14, 2012

May God Get the Glory for this Tragedy

Yes.  You read the title correctly.

This came across my news feed:



I just spent an hour going through my newsfeed, reading all the comments from people expressing shock and horror at what has transpired today. I am as horrified as everyone else, but sadly, I am not shocked. We live in a culture steeped in self-obsession, and while the concept that a human being would willfully slaughter so many innocent lives to pacify his ugly need to for self-fulfillment (whatever that might be) is terrible and disgusting, it is no surprise to me. I'm not sure if that means I'm jaded, a realist, or just plain cynical, but it sure expresses the way I'm feeling right now. May God use this ultimately for His glory!


Forget about his assessment of human behavior.  Forget about the fact that he thinks the Connecticut shooter was attempting to fulfill a need, rather than carrying out a "last stand" serial murder before ending his life.  Forget about every one of his words - except for the last sentence.

May God use this ultimately for His glory!

What. The. Hell.

Am I supposed to love an omniscient, omnipresent, omni-freaking-everything deity that looks at himself and says, "Damn straight yaw...I need some more freaking glory heaped on my awesome head.  Hey angels...let's have a school shooting.  Let's see.  Yeah!  That dude down there.  Yep.  That aspie.  He'll do.  [Wording removed by request of commenter.  Again, I apologize.].  We can whisper in his ear and force his OCD to work against his high functioning autism, (that we gave him, by the way!...'cause we're that awesome!), grab a few guns, and go kill a whole classroom of 5-year-olds.  Yes!  That will do the job.  Let's get on it boys!  For glory!"

Kindergartners people!  I'm supposed to love this god?  Why would a god who knew this shit was going to go down, allow it to happen, and then be worthy of the millions of prayers that people are sending his way?  He killed the children.  Now he's supposed to work the other end and make everybody else happy?  He has the power, according to the stories he wrote, to stop everything.  But he doesn't.  And why?

So he will get the glory in the end???!!!!

I will never worship this god - ever.  Any god who wants 20 children slaughtered in cold blood, just so he gets a few extra worships, deserves to burn in the same hell he designed for everyone who breaks HIS COMMANDMENT and, well...murders.

Spare me the religious bullcrap.  Think before you write such horrible words.


13 comments:

  1. My fave so far: "There seems to be alot of people affected by the shooting. I can't relate to you guys, nor do I have the great love you all share for each other. Much, much worse things will happen befor the end. But take hope my loving friends, God has it more than under control. Keep up your good work guys and gals! :)"

    Keep in mind the writer is 17. Just another example of religious fundamentalist brainwashing.

    I feel exactly the same as you, but there is a nagging voice in my head that keeps trying to explain away the horror of giving glory to god in this moment. You know, with all the normal religious arguments. Do those still plague you, too?

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    1. No. Not in the least. I don't even believe in god and wouldn't want to believe in that one anyway.

      But I understand. Keep thinking and discussing. You will get where you are trying to go.

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  2. I'm glad. :) Being unsure of whether or not you can escape a ferociously ingrained fear of hell sucks. :P

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  3. What's "funny" is that the news feed item is as self-centered as what they claim to be commenting about.

    Analyzing what was written:
    * the person made their assumptions,
    * got on their soapbox
    * dismissed any proper and rational research.
    * made all the emotions about the situation sound like it was about them

    "I just spent an hour..." (boring relating to the speaker)

    "I am as horrified..." (tension setting)

    "I am not shocked..." (slight jarring)

    "We live..." (story time... time for an inclusive statement with the audience to bring them in for warm fuzziies)

    "his ugly need..." (antagonist setup and third person reference begins to dehumanize)
    "(whatever that may be)" (dismissing and dehumanizing, author shows disdain for anything but his view despite the fact it might be EXTREMELY relevant)

    "I'm not sure..." (climaxing and back to narrator)

    "I'm jaded..."

    "I'm feeling..." (resolution and justify the audience)

    This sounds just a tad narcissistic.

    "May God..." (WHAM BAM jar people into something different and accept new information after the manipulative setup, tension, diversion into story time, climax, and then release and focussing on the speaker before jarring manipulation).

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ugh. What is UP with fundies?! My uncle posted a post about how the media is 'sensationalizing' the CT massacre (and broadcasting more about it than a couple who were murdered in his home state yesterday) and 'regurgitating' stuff cuz there's no new news. What the ever lovin fuck?!

    oregonmac.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-take-on-recent-tragedies.html

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  5. As the mother of an Aspie kid, I really wish you would not call such a person "a little off his rocker". There are, according to this estimate (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_people_have_Asperger's_Syndrome) about 630,000 people in the US with Aspergers.

    They used to be called merely nerds. They are not dangerous people. It is not fair to imply they are more prone to committing murder. It's popular to do, because often they are ostracized in a culture that puts so much emphasis on coordination, physical prowess and being an extrovert. Being ostracized or unpopular, and withdrawing from social contact are two different things. Being naturally introverted is very different from withdrawing from society. On the outside it may look the same- lots of time alone, avoiding socially prominent positions, etc.- but the one is a sign of mental duress and the other is merely a social preference.

    Withdrawing from society is far more commonly a sign of depression, which is way more dangerous to everyone. Depression results in suicides and homicides. Being Aspie results in neither, it is just a genetic trait like eye color or height.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I should add, that being ostracized often results in depression, so greater social understanding of Asperger's should result in less ostracization, and then less depression at being ostracized. So, this conversation does need to happen. Thanks for letting it happen here. <3

      Delete
  6. I understand completely. I am fully in agreement and am not only related to a brother-in-law with Asperger's but have friends who have it. I was not making a statement, but merely adding stupidity to the imaginary conversation between the god defined here and his angels.

    I will remove it.

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    1. Thanks IC, I actually liked the irony of that line, especially as ignorant/bigoted about mental illness many fundamentalists are, in my personal experience.

      I do see shadowspring's point though, I need to be tested myself, I've been told that I show quite a bit of the signs for Aspberger's/high functioning autism....

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    2. Sheldon, might I recommend a book:

      The Journal of Best Practices: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man's Quest to Be a Better Husband by David Finch

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  7. No need to do that; just leave these comments up. Other people are thinking it, so hopefully they will keep reading too. <3

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  8. "All of them are both sad and depressed enough to be willing to die and also angry or paranoid enough that they are blaming other people for their suffering and misfortune," forensic psychiatrist Dr. Park Dietz, explained in a Q&A with SecurityInfoWatch. "Those are two of the critical ingredients, there has never been a mass murderer, acting alone, who didn’t have both of those (characteristics)."

    Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-explain-what-makes-a-mass-murderer-2012-7#ixzz2F8vnxJe5

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    1. And this is why, though I get flack for saying it, these incidences are more predictable and preventable than the average person has any clue about. Instead of trying to know and understand, the media and sheople prefer to call the perpetrators of these situations "monsters" so that it's an "anomaly" that "couldn't possibly be like us." Makes for a good story that sells and has a "happy safe ending" when the story dies down several weeks later. Never mind the fact that the story doesn't die down for those directly affected and the perp was a real living person that didn't have to end this way.

      All it takes is for us to get out of our comfort zone and do something other than hide.

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