Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

Yah, there's an entry I was (am) planning to write that I haven't gotten around to ... the starting thought is: (1) that most recently publicized hateful North Carolina preacher had clearly created his God in his own image, with all of his own prejudices and lack of compassion; (2) OTOH, I might be accused of having done the exact same thing -- creating the God I believe in to match my own feelings^[1]; but (3) regardless of whether I'm making the same mistake, my God is a much nicer God than his.

Consider that even if he invented his God to match his own cruelty, any of his congregants who are trusting him to tell them what God is like and what God wants, and come to believe in his God, are going to be twisted by that gnarled theology. (Other members of his congregation may have already invented their own God, and sit in his church because his God sounds a lot like their own. I hope that still others will be so put off by his cruel God that they seek a different church where the pastor believes in a God somewhat more like mine. And I'm sure a few have already decided they cannot believe in God at all because they were told God is as hateful as that preacher's.)

Thinking of that and planning to write an essay about it reminded me of this quote that was in the unscheduled part of the quotes-file, so I put it in today's slot.

[1] Obviously, I don't think I have done so, and I try to watch out for areas where things are a little too convenient and I might be rationalizing more than reasoning, or creating more than comprehending, but brains are tricksy little things even when you're watching them. Sneaky, sneaky brains. Still, there have been subjects on which I've prayed for help overcoming my own biases ...