How come those who claim to be closest to God are so mad all the time?

[SeveneightyWhoa]

In the Name of the Prince of Peace, We Rage
How come the people who claim to be closest to God are so mad all the time?


March 25 2005
Counterbias.com
Steve Horowitz


Watching the 24/7 "Survivor: Shiavo" on TV ("We'll never let her be kicked off the island! Never!") I was struck by an observation.

Continue.. http://counterbias.com/256.html

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. So much for...

"The peace of God, that passeth all understanding", huh?

[sarcasmo]

2. They live in fear how can they help but not be mad. Being Atheist it is

nice living with out the fear of God.

[ginnyinWI]

12. Yes, they are afraid.

They are afraid of life, and afraid of death, and are looking for someone/something to rescue them. Afraid to face themselves. Afraid of what life might have in store for them. Afraid of making God angry. Afraid of life out of their control. They need to grow up. You can't control life.

I was that way once, myself. I thought the world was a fair place, and if you did the right thing, you would not suffer. But then I grew up. Life is not fair. Some people are victims. Some people get away with doing bad things. What goes around doesn't always come around. We all have to just deal with it. We have to stop blaming victims. We have to stop thinking that if someone doesn't make it, it is their fault. I guess that's what changed me from being a Repub to being a Democrat, too. Democrats care about people who need help. I've learned compassion, and learned not to judge other people who have troubles in their lives.

I think I'm more "christian" now than I ever was when I was a Christian. :)

[kiki]

3. There's apparently a form of epilepsy...

...which causes one to have religious hallucinations. Generally these hallucinations share similar features such as direct contact with "God", religious visions etc.

There are some who theorize that characters like Moses, Mohammed and even El Christo himself were afflicted with this illness.

[wtbymark]

6. Let me Ponder

"There are some who theorize that characters like Moses, Mohammed and even El Christo himself were afflicted with this illness."

uuuummm duh ya think?

[Demit]

4. I think it's a misery-loves-company thing.

They're mad because here they are being so very, very religious but they aren't happy! Why not?

Not to mention that in their religion you have to FEAR God. You have to be God-fearing Christians. Living in the constant midst of fear, I imagine, could make you very angry--especially towards people who only just love God and therefore don't look fearful or angry at all.

[Selteri]

11. Where there is fear there can be no love

I guess they don't love God, just don't want to be smote.

[elfin]

5. And why are they so afraid to die

or let any living vegetable die and meet Jesus? Many of the most practicing religious people I know are remarkably afraid of death.

[wtbymark]

7. because they feel too guilty about living

nobody can be perfect, so there's always a notion that nomatter how good you are, you'll still wind up in hell. LOL

[kaitykaity]

8. The rage of the righteous smiting the heathen.

The God of the Old Testament is a smiting God,
an angry God.

If you believe God speaks to you, and you are the
only one who hears him truly, then you give yourself
God's permission to act in his name and smite your
(God's) enemies.

When these people can wield the power of state
with no interference, we are all in big, big trouble.

[gizmo1979]

9. They won't be happy until we have a theocracy

and then they can persecute all non believers and heathens.Oh wouldn't that be a grand place to live!

[Selteri]

10. It is not they who are mad, it is they who are insane!

They don't get things that a lot of people do. They use religion as a shield to hide thier actions that they know are not appropriate behind a book that can't be argued against. Who can argue with God?

Who can argue with a man?

EOS

[damntexdem]

13. It's that bright light:

ah, the headaches!

[montieg]

14. It's because they were baptized

in lemon juice............by immersion!

[The White Tree]

15. Actually, I think it can be explained quite nicely by....

the parable of the Prodigal Son in the Bible.

The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32)
"Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.
And he called one of the servants and asked what this meant.
And he said to him, `Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.'

But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, `Lo, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends.
But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!'

And he said to him, `Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.'"

I honestly feel that many who subscribe to be deeply religious and close to God, feel the way the elder son in this parable does. They feel their deep faith should, in some way be tangibly rewarded in this life and that those who seem to "get away with things" or do not "do as they do" should be punished. This is not an uncommon characteristic of any human being, we all have those tendancies, but their religious fervor may magnify the way their feelings are projected. Self-righteousness fuels self-denial so to speak.

[Technowitch]

16. Two reasons--

(1) They believe in an Angry God, one who is perfectly capable of hating sinners, unbelievers, heretics, and anybody who is 'different' or who commits the blasphemy of failing to follow absolute doctrine.

(2) As others here have noted, they are also afraid of death. This may be because their faith is weak, and they're really not sure. It can also be because they are literally "God-fearing" -- in other words, they know darned well that according to the tenets of their own actual faith, they'll be called to task for their own sins and hatred.

Every decent religion on this planet, at its core, has two simple rules:

(1) Be nice to each other
(2) No killing

Unfortunately, many of these lunatics have lost sight of this.

[Selatius]

17. The god they worship is an angry, vengeful, cruel god

That's not the god I worship.

[Shallah Kali]

18. The rage of the enfranchised?

?

[Memekiller]

19. Frustration with disconnect between their beliefs and reality

The spiritual path leads to Nirvana.