There has been a lot of talk about religion in the blogs recently.   I tried to stay out of it...  I really did.
But now that I've been assured that Tom is getting his liver taken care of, there really isn't any other topics on the go.  (I could talk about how sexy SJG is, but that blog would take me all night - if ya know what i mean).

So I'll start off by saying that I do believe there is a God.... I've yet to find an alternative answer to how existence came to be... so I'm going with it.    I don't belong to any particular religion, so what I learn of God is what I see, and less of what I am told.   I look for consistency and similarities between popular religions and compile them into a series of beliefs. 

Here are my findings.  

God is a sadistic bastard.   Like a senior student at the local high school, he has subjected us to a trail where our performance dictates the quality of our future.   As we kneel down and push-the-penny across the road of life, we are motivated by the prospect of two options.   Heaven and hell.   If you're good, God will welcome you into his exclusive click, and let you hang out with him and all his cool friends.  If you're bad, you are shoved into the locker of misery and despair with all the other losers who didn't pass initiation, and those who refused to participate.

Now, this trend in religion has brought up a couple questions.   If God is all powerful, why give humans the choice?  "He" (assuming god has a penis) didn't for any other animal....   being an all knowing energy, God should of been insightful as to the consequences of giving us free will.   I highly doubt he's conducting a world wide survey.... he should already know the statistics.

God created evil, as evil is a part of existence, and existence was created by God.  He didn't have to... but he did.  Same with fear, sorrow, guilt, and physical pain.   It's all defining aspects of God's plan.  Everything happens for a reason after all.
It is also said that "God works in mysterious ways".....  now I believe that if God didn't want us to try and solve this mystery, he would have a) given a clear cut explanation,  or b) denied us the ability to question his ways. 

God works in mysterious ways.... now that can mean anything.  Many define this phrase by implying that God actually means good, despite his actions; however - only god knows how.   Now, bare with me... I'm going to challenge the common interpretation of what God wants us to do.

I believe that god wants us to be evil.  By Evil I mean non-followers and free thinkers.   Satan is God in disguise.   I have much evidence to support this theory. 

First of all,  Satan was one of God's creations.   After Satan, who was once an angel in heaven, questioned God's word, he was sent to a place that God made, called Hell, where he was put in charge of all the world's late sinners.   For all eternity, it's Satan's job to tempt us away from our human interpretation of God's Word.  Satan does this by using God's second most important gift to us (after the gift of life) - free will.    I believe this answers the question as to why God gave us free will.

Basically, if God wanted us to act a certain way, he wouldn't of given us an alternative option. 

The true test.  God being the sadistic bastard he is, has given us many tools to accompany and assist in our free will.   Anger and displeasure vs Joy and contentment.  Fear and guilt vs Courage and pride.  Forgiveness vs resentment.   We have a choice between the two.  That's our God given right.  But think about it.... it's known that religious practice is conformity.   When you go to Church you are told what God wants of you, and how to achieve that, and even what will happen to you if you don't.   If you base your beliefs and actions on what you are told, especially when the justification and reasoning behind it is not your own, you are not a free thinker.  Does it make sense to think that God wants us to deny one of his gifts to us?  Especially one as significant as free will?    If so, why would he use such negative means to do it?  Guilt, fear, and even selfish desire.....   all very powerful motivating factors to religious conformity (if you don't believe me, take a history class).  I can't help but get a sense of hypocrisy.  This uneasy feeling I get when I try and wrap my brain around the human interpretation of God, is enough to convince me that what we think of God is inaccurate.  


Now, let's look at the Satanic Bible.   Some may argue it's credibility, but that may also be applied to the Catholic Bible, so such arguments really should be left out.   For this, let's assume both are non-fictional.   Satanism is more about the agnostic approach to life than it is a book of worship.  It has heavy emphasis on free will.  It tells that we should and will do what we want to, regardless.   It's teachings are very similar to the practices one would practice without any religious influence.    For example.  You do not need a bible to tell you that it's not ok to kill others.   But one very astounding find was how this way of thinking exists in some of the most religious followers, and can go on to explain why some would choose go against / manipulate their taught beliefs.   To deny this would be to say that every Catholic waits until marriage before having sex for the first time.    Our god given gifts like desire, and free will ALWAYS trump conformity. Religious belief only exists because of our desire and free will to think that way.   And if you trust that God is the all knowing and powerful being that created all that we know, you should trust and use what he gave you.   It only makes sense to me that, if God has a plan for us, it's not written in a book, the answers are already in our soul.