Q: What do some Christians have in common with some atheists?
A: The assumption that the Christian God is the only God and when you speak of god, even in a general sense, you are speaking of the Christian God.
Why?
Because when some Christians say “there is a God,” they really mean “the Christian God exists and is the only god.” And when some atheists say “there is no god,” they really mean “the Christian God is the only god and does not exist.”
I went through both these stages. As a Fundamentalist while I was growing up, the only God in town was the God taught from the pulpit in my church. I didn’t even consider the possibility of another god. It was unthinkable! Then, starting in my college years, I became disillusioned with God as taught from the pulpit in my childhood church. I said, “that God is a crock of horse pucky; ergo, there is no God” and promptly threw religion — in general and as a whole — out the window because I was still brainwashed into thinking that the only god in town was the god taught from the pulpit in my childhood church.
Years later, I’ve come around to realize that the God as taught from the pulpit in my childhood church can be a crock of horse pucky but that does not mean that there is no God. I need not throw all religion out the window. I need not even throw all of Christianity out the window for there is a huge chunk of Christianity that was not taught from the pulpit in my childhood church.
I like to think that I’ve “grown up.” I no longer express that knee-jerk reaction to one aspect of Christianity which only resulted in a complete purge of everything and everyone who even mentioned the word god. Now, I realize that “Christianity” does not necessarily mean The Christianity I was taught as a child. There are other aspects to Christianity and so the Christian God is not necessarily The God I was taught as a child. I can reject the one without rejecting them all.
I hope that all atheists — and all Christians — will someday come to realize the same thing.
Well, with all due respect, I would say “Don’t hold your breath” (“all…will someday come to realize the same thing.” Regardless of the particular belief system, I don’t think “everyone” will ever come to believe any one thing, nor would we want that, really. I’m thinking it might sound good, but would be immensely boring; freedom (to be, do, have)is the only fun we have and who would want to give that up? People will grow up, evolve, and come up with anything imaginable, literally. I feel my job is “to allow” them to be all they are and all they are not…not tolerance, which implies ‘putting up with’ (but that’s another subject).
My last sentence does not mean that I hope everyone becomes the same kind of Christian. I agree that that would be the worst thing that could happen. What I want everyone to realize is that there are many different aspects to Christianity; that the Christian God is not the God of Pat Robertson or Billy Graham; that you can believe in God without believing in Catholicism or Fundamentalism or Judaism.
Yes, “tolerance” is a whole differently colored horse. I like “allow” but there must be limits on what you allow. This is something I’m struggling with right now. How can we “allow” the likes of Jerry Fallwell and Pat Robertson who are(were) supporting such hatful ideas and such environmentally harmful practices and such rigid, limiting legistlation?