Your GOD
is a hindrance to God
Introduction
Seeing a poor man eating some puffed rice,
someone supplied for him four sacks of it, just because ‘the poor man liked
it.’ In similar like-ability we too perform many things of/for God. There
is an urgency to reflect whether the innumerous images of GODs we love and
serve leave us impoverished or give us life. These GODs defend inhuman and
exploiting approaches instead of liberating the vulnerable. These disfigured
faces of God are laid upon us when we are helpless, or we ourselves buy them when we want
to hide. Such GODs are the greatest obstacle in our search for God. This paper
intents to show the burdening effect of these puffed GODs, and invites for a
rejection of these self-centred models that just treat our projected feelings.
In GOD’s Image We Create Our Self and History
What we prefer to imagine about God is not
an image of God alone, it is a revelation of our own commitment and activity in
our personal and social existence. So, the way we imagine ‘God,’ also indicates
the values it symbolises in our lives, and shapes our character.
We may have conceptualised convenient images of God since we also search for
our own self. We can find justifications for our GOD-concepts just as how we
want our disguised interior self to be treated. What we find here is a GOD
framed from favoured feelings, and from imaginative inputs shaped by books,
films, or advices. Their characters are according to the conclusions we draw
from providences, rewards and punishments, and the perspectives received from our
experiences. Since God is the source of life and existence, the image that
facilitate us with life would be truer to the reality of God. Those images that
intimidate us, and keep us feeble or in fear are fake.
God feeding on Sin
Society stresses on the
accumulation of cultural symbols and rules of social behaviour. Though society emphasises
formal correctness and adherence to systems, personally convincing and
critically reflective approaches are subordinated. ‘GOD’ functions as a
massively magnified picture of someone who upholds moral prejudices and
judgments in minute details. We need to see how this loyalty/obedience benefit
the authorities or the society in order to understand its manipulative power. People
‘learn’ to envision their faith, morality and mode of living within the system.
Promotion of guilt is an easy
tool for keeping the people obedient to the system. The misconceived link
between sin and suffering has been misused as a fertile field for exploitation.
An insecure and suspicious person might falsely imagine one’s protectiveness as
purity and holiness. A guilty-‘righteous’ person can project suspicion and
disapproval onto others, by blaming, shaming and frightening oneself and others.
They reach a no-escape situation as these persons justify and intensify these
feelings.
The feeling of guilt also holds two
fears within: being unworthy of oneself (shame), and losing the love of the
other. These fears lead to narcissism or perfectionism consequently affirming
an image of a destructive GOD who does not allow his subjects any of their
desires, and is content with their life of misery.
Those who have the manipulative power emerges as the exemplary righteous. Reparatory
devotions and morality become components within a system of retribution and
payment whereby ‘others’ can obtain righteousness.
God and the Loathsome World
The contempt of the world, body
and sexuality are constructed within several thoughts – the Judaic concern with
ritual purity, the rejection of the body by neoplatonic pessimism, and the
mistrust of worldly attachments common to stoicism and the Book of Wisdom.
If we could see the signs of God
being active in natural, cultural and social changes, we could avoid thoughts
such as, “since GOD is in enmity with the world which is evil, we must live in
this world as though we just happened to be here. The world we live in is a
realm of Satan.” Envisioning a
supernatural world in such a way is a form of escape that makes it all the more
difficult to solve our problems.
We find our inability to appreciate the world due to our
constant encounter with miseries and challenges, and we attribute that
loathsome attitude to God. We are pleased to consider evil and suffering as
the work of evil and the effect of sin, but seldom acknowledge the reality of an
exploited humanity, nor do we ask ourselves what is our responsibility for such
a world.
The neotraditionalist blend of seeing medieval ‘ascetic’ symbols as forms of pure
spirituality, is either a spiritually justified escape mechanism amidst the
complexities of life, or a search to find comfortable identity providers. From
a false assumption that GOD who does not like the world would be pleased to see
the avoidance of all joys ‘for his glory,’ we make masochist self-righteous
self for ourselves and a sadist GOD.
Humanity condemned to punishment and reparations
Guilt conscience of an ‘unworthy
self’ compels for reparations either for one’s own fault or for the fault of
others, because it holds a vision of the world which is always under
punishment. A melancholic attitude becomes appreciated cultural trend within religion.
A number of scrupulous frequent examinations of conscience becomes the guiding
pattern of life, not in sincerity, but out of fear and to be safe from
punishment. One becomes more cautious of a profane and decaying universe, and
submits to ever-increasing mortifications. It is a collective guilt conscience
formed as deviance of a Christianity that focuses its message on the evocation
of sin and which narrows its aim to the fight against sinning.
There are many salesmen of fake-crosses who say that we must pain ourselves for
the love of Christ. They are the modern-day money-changers of the temple.
Sacrifices demanded and interpreted to be sacrifice and commitment for the
Lord, often serve someone’s ulterior benefits. Guilt is the GOD they serve, and
shame is the relation they have with GOD.
Like a child who takes
advantage of a sympathetic mother, we frame a GOD who becomes very lenient and
loving if we inflict pains on ourselves through severe fasting and afflicting
pious practices. Through the Spirit God gives us the strength to involve in history
and keep God’s love alive in the world. God does not want us to hide behind as
a fearful or irresponsible child, instead enables us to face conflicts and
improve our strength.
Devotions emphasising on reparations
have emerged in a historical context when humanity faced atrocities. Christian
asceticism is
mistaken for an indifference or repulsion from the life issues in the world as
though God does not appreciate that we have any joy. Being a grace,
liberation cannot represent an inhuman apathy towards life, as it is often
presented. True asceticism is a quest for deeper truth and authenticity in
one’s development as a person, in order to achieve an interior calmness undisturbed by
emotional extremities.
It is fear and false-humility
that drive many to ‘say’ that everything is by the grace of God. GOD who feels bad if we don’t use flattery is
a God of adulators. It is a GOD like a king in his Darbar who is pleased with
music, dance and offerings of his choice. Servants of this GOD more and more
involve in rituals and piety expecting to please God. Testimonies become
advertisements and limit him to be a God of the rich who can spend.
GOD is imagined as a child who is
happy when it is given chocolate or when someone entertains it. GOD is happy when pleased and can be easily
offended. Those who possess such an approach neither use their critical
faculties, nor speak the plain truth, nor behave ‘naturally’ for fear of sinning
against this sentimental GOD. Such people’s actions, and even their thoughts,
are led by a false sentimentality which they call as ‘loving God.’ Forced to be
in a sentimental care, they have never been free to love.
Yet society often acknowledges this ‘saintliness,’ because it is never
challenged by these saints. They are very nice outside, but inside they suffer
because they cannot be themselves.
Super-perfect God and imperfect followers
GOD is imagined after a monarch sitting on
his throne as an omniscient and intolerant judge with the book of all human
acts. We are all at fault (guilt), and deserve vengeance (fear), and unable to
look up to God and others (shame). The image of the ‘god of one hundred per
cent,’ and his demand on us to be without faults keep us condemned to be always
in an imaginary ideal. The more it is considered as God’s demand, the more
guilty and miserable people become. What was meant to be a life of perfect
freedom has become an anxious slavery.
Some take this GOD to justify their own revengeful attitudes towards others,
and even convince one’s community to keep such hatred towards them.
God’s Costly Laundry
To remedy these imperfections GOD appears
as a laundry man. It can be either at the cost of sacrifices, prayers, and
rituals, or it can be ‘free’ forgiveness of debts but bound to innumerable
obligations. The story of redemption and atonement is dramatized as a monarch
offended by the failings of his ungrateful and rebellious subjects, would take
vengeance. The act of redemption “is not automutilation as payment of an
insolvent debt. It does not seek to pay a debt at all; rather it affirms that
there is no debt to pay.”
Jesus the saviour-deity becomes a mere object of religious cultic worship. If
Jesus is given due importance, it necessarily demands serious modification of
the picture of GOD as dictator and moral governor. Cultic image of a bleeding saviour is
over-projected to the effect that it further accuses us of sins than reminding
of the redemption and life of grace.
God of the Righteous Hypocrites
Many behave ‘nice’ because ‘someone is
watching’ them. It is a conscience shaped after guilt, shame, and the fear of
punishment. The root of their hidden ‘sin’ or ‘rebelliousness’ could be their
own responses to persons in authority in their early years.
Their behaviour may be appreciated for ‘reverence and piety’ because it
supports not only one’s own hiding, but also the hypocrisy and irresponsible
stand of the society in the name of fake loyalty and obedience. Unfortunately,
these emerge as exemplar within religious systems and become influential
contributors in conscientization of others. It is reinforced by retributive
theology and ethics that demands perfection and grants approval and
recognition. Gradually it becomes the cultural trend, and ‘others’ are damned
ungodly.
GOD of the Holy People
Some tend to take the mind of god
into their custody. These isolated groups, as a ‘privileged class’ believe that
their values and patterns of life are the true ways of God, and only they
follow them correctly. They are
characterised by attitudes of ‘separatedness’ from others, rather than as a
creative responsibility toward others. Since they are ‘special,’ they are more
perfect, real, authentic, and holier than others, and go on creating ‘our GOD,’
‘our traditions and customs’ etc. They find their false GOD in the manipulation
of isolated texts of Scripture.
Faith is set on some calculative
beliefs that provide conceptual clarity avoiding all risks of
reflection. They fail to accept that what they emphasise are some religious,
social or political ideology or culture as if that is the way of God. Their
fear to think or imagine outside the box, they call zeal for truth. Those who
follow it gradually abandon faith, or begin to use it politically as a pressure
group.
We can see it in gathering, numbers, prayer protests, faith rallies etc with an
appeal of faith. We can understand the political or economic interest in their
rigorous demand to adhere to a special scheme of faith emphasising clear
difference from others.
God of the Exemplar
In defence of these ideologies some assume
the role of hero prophets. They make GOD jump through their rings confining God
to their definitions. The rigid attitudes and arrogant defence of beliefs also
function as a convert neurosis defending one’s ‘distancing from an earlier
system of belief.’ Religion becomes a new personal or professional identity,
and can lead to religious fanaticism. Abandoning their profession and
responsibilities receives magnified interpretation as ‘great sacrifice.’ Innocents who see them as ‘ideal’ heroes
follow them, and do everything in the name of faith, and the heroes do their new
business. Sometimes these GODs seem to be in a hurry looking for immediate
result. These promoters urge themselves
and their followers with tension and anxiety. They usually pin their practices
to something of the past, and consequently shape a GOD in love with things of
the past, understands and likes archaic language or the oldest available form
of modern languages.
This GOD is always in danger, attacked by enemies, and in
need of protection. God who presupposes a necessary enemy, and who cease to
exist if no one is there to believe is not God at all. The crisis felt is about
the tension of changing the familiar images and practices.
Encountering the real face of God would make us struggle to
rise to life. Our falsified and inauthentic ways of dealing with our society
are allied to our distorted images of God.
Here we can see the exploitative power of the fake faces of GOD. We defend our
own egotism devising countless ways to keep God far away. People do make use of
the church and the faithful promoting these fake images while overlooking human
liberty by forcing certain performances as the ways of authentic faith.
GOD on the Cheap Paths
‘This statue’ will give ‘this
special favour,’" ‘this prayer’ will work miracles, and ‘Hail Mary’s
without breaking,’ ‘write Bible verses for thousands of times’ show distortions
of ‘devotions.’ Something that was misinterpreted and idolised in recent times
is ‘First commandment’ whose ‘devotion’ has resulted in isolating themselves,
and looking others with suspect. Similarly, certain Scripture verses are
attributed some ‘special power’ that we can use them magically. Some have
unknowingly become faithful devotees of the hero prophets and spiritual
leaders.
When devotions emphasise heavily
on the ‘miraculous objects, prayers, and practices’ they potentially become
superstitions.
Often the emphasis on particular devotions happens at the manipulation of fear,
insecurity, uncertainty, and results in personal subjugation or economic gain
(“it is not because I believe in it but because something might happen or some
blessing may not be given if I don’t do it”). Devotions are not a magical
process, but based on the trust in God’s living presence. Devotions devoid of this
can turn out to be an opium, a self-consolation onto which we gradually become
dependent (even on retreats, and some retreat centres).
Within devotional system, for some,
the matters of the evil and the ways to have protection has become the primary
concern of life. Unknown insecurities triggered by popular preachers make a
peaceful stay at home or a comfortable travel nearly impossible. They find the
presence and the influence of devils everywhere around them. They are ‘happy’
to have devil because he becomes a cause-answer for all their troubles, and
saves them from serious introspection into social and personal
responsibilities. Fear is the service they do, and devil is their God though
they always attempt to chase him.
GOD Business competitive Business
Business and market transactions have become
a familiar model in religious thought and image of God. GODs are operating on
zones and behaviour patterns of non-liberty that all of us have.
These GODs are effective actors in religious-secular and intra-religious
competitions at different levels of society.
They want to possess power to interpret, define and instruct the values
and morality, authority over the rules of coexistence, and the monopoly for
solving problems. Competition arise because the goods offered by religious and
secular suppliers today often satisfy the same needs of customers whether they
are served with proper provisions or not.
We can also see GOD marketized and sold. Remember the advertiser telling to buy
‘our product,’ and we bought what they said to be the best. At the end, we are
left with bags of sparkling wrappers.
Business man-Banker
We are welcomed well in a bank if we are to
deposit, but there are conditions to get a loan. God will reward with more
blessings (interest) if we invest more with the number of prayers, etc (investments).
Similarly, God will bless (pay the wages) if we ‘work.’ ‘These prayers, these
number of times, for these purposes ...’ is quantification and materialising of
faith.
Relationship with God is not a business; blessings are not a reward, but it is
gratuitous. God is
shaped in the tendency to bring Christian life and its effectiveness in terms
of money and number. It gives an image of a God whom we can condition by our
doings, praying or paying. God who blesses according to the money given is not
a God at all.
God who runs pyramid schemes
God guaranteeing some sure blessings for
sharing pictures or prayers to 1,00,000s functions like chain money, chain
letters, pyramid schemes. ‘The prayer’ or ‘the act of sharing’ itself appears
to be easy techniques with magical effects; a way of using God. We can expect only ‘cheap graces’ from a GOD
who is pleased with the number of ‘Likes,’ ‘Shares’ and ‘type Amen’ categories,
and offer deliverance, healing, and relief of debts in online packages.
Robot Programmer
God is seen as a manager or a Puppeteer GOD
who controls everything that happens in the world. The subjective unpleasant
events, apparently GOD’s failures, challenge our views on ‘providentialism.’
God gives us a world that functions in accord with its proper laws, through
man’s affairs and efforts he leads us to shoulder the task of freeing all its
dynamisms for the service of love and the construction of the world.
We are not mere puppets or robotic creatures who behave very nice, kind and
cheerful within his control. God does not treat the humankind as a kindergarten
where he has to discipline everyone every time. It is our discerning power to
recognise what should have been done and what we need to do.
Problem Solver Sale
Nowadays many are experts not only
creating and selling GODs but also playing a GOD. They provide problem-solving
rituals, beliefs, values, and methods of healing, most of them as directly
revealed by God. Some gradually form groups around them, while others maintain
personal supplier-client relationship, as participants or customers. These hero
figures offer particular services (remedies, massages, predictions for the
future) as demands arise. These consumers consume spiritual products, books, TV
programmes etc., choosing from the options that give them the greatest
‘satisfaction.’ They
sell well because these ‘services all for the glory of God’ gives the best
appeal of faith.
God possesses an expertise that
no human knowledge and effectiveness has ever reached. Similar to God of the
gaps, God who appears as ‘the answer’ for anything not currently explained by
human knowledge. This GOD goes on losing the grasp as
human knowledge and expertise increase more and more. God is in one way or the
another behind all events. If we cannot wonder except when the so-called laws
of nature are broken, then we must be in a sorry state.
We are reducing god to a magician.
GOD is a problem-solver who is
approached only when there is a problem. A mythical presentation given to the
ways that God intervenes in struggles can bring God only as Deus ex machina,
a GOD arrives at emergency demands. Often our prayers and devotions are in
favour of this GOD. GOD is used like paracetamol, kerchief, or an umbrella
according to our convenience and forgotten until the
next use comes.
We can imagine what happens when
these GODs fail. The whole religiosity ends with its sad conclusion: ‘God is a
Disappointment.’ Only a
faithful believer can trust in a God who is as helpless as the victims
themselves, and know that it is God’s way of proclaiming that God loves the
victimised of this world.
It powerfully contradicts GODs of prosperity gospels and capitalist christianity.
They present the rich are already in a blessed a state, the needy are so
because of their sins, and have to ‘spend’ if they are to be ‘blessed.’ Greed
is their God.
Why we must reject ‘our’ GODs?
The first cure from idolatry is to
acknowledge that the image of God is distorted according to the religious and
cultural caves in which we live. It is true that God becomes an empty
abstraction without those anthropomorphic images. Our only option is to use them with constant
critical evaluation. Idolatry of the highest form is seen when we assume that
our picture of God perfectly reflects who God is.
Since these masks of God possess
exploiting capacity, and dehumanise their worshippers they have no place in the
kingdom of justice and freedom. All these GODs bring along some essential
qualities to our own person and society. Their ultimate evil lies in the fact
that they feed on the poor, the unemployed, the helpless, the disappointed, the
abused. In a world of victims, it is imperative to know in which GOD one is led
to believe. For the
sake of the survival of these GODs people are instructed not to think, and
believing is taught to be an irrational process. Here we have a God who demands
a brainless people. Prophets of these GODs are actually saying that they have
no answer to the concerns of today. Here these images have come from distorted
views of the world, anthropology, holiness and sin. They do matter for someone
who sincerely seek divine life and these fake faces will not suffice.
Who makes us play a puppet? It is
our own liberative process to unmask the face of our GOD; then we will find what we have
created of ourselves and our society, and why.
