God of the Facebook Meme

Last updated on: February 10, 2013 at 1:36 pm by Erin Wathen

God of the Facebook Meme 2013-02-10T13:36:43-07:00 Erin Wathen

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

One woman’s ‘apologetic’ as to why she is raising her children without God has been making the internet rounds this week. Reading it made me want to respond in some way, without engaging the crazies in the comment thread (do not feed the trolls). But I also don’t want it to sound like I’m arguing with her—or with people who share her beliefs.

Because actually? I kind of agree with her.

At least, on some points. Despite my own faith and vocation, I absolutely ditto the sentiment that schools and/or government should not be in the business of teaching or imposing a certain faith, or language of faith. What we believe, after all, is a deeply personal thing. It cannot be easily manipulated or contrived.

Furthermore, I agree with her that many Christians live with a deep and abiding fear of atheists, and it makes us do crazy things. Hateful things. Distinctly un-Christlike things.

However, I feel like there is a limited image of God at work in this piece. But it isn’t her fault. It is ours.

Like I said, my interest here is not in converting this author–or those who share her views–into a Christian. I know that Jesus said to ‘go and make disciples,’ and yes, I think he meant it. I think it would be swell to go out in the world, loving and serving people like Jesus did, calling for a repentance that rejects the ills of the world and turns people back to the way of the Holy. Sounds like a great gig. Sadly, a few Christians since Jesus’ time have taken ‘make disciples’ to mean rape, pillage, kill, shame, silence and inspire fear, so they kind of ruined for the rest of us. Our best bet, in our time and place, is to model Christ-like behavior as best we can, to preach good news, and to pray that people will glimpse the goodness of God when they are in our presence. We can hope that they might want to learn more about how our beliefs shape us into the kind and loving and intelligent people that we are.

Of course, we first have to BE kind, loving, and intelligent people.

What I’m getting around to is: I’m not arguing ‘against’ unbelief, so much as I am trying to shine a light on this conversation for fellow Christ-followers and say*–this, right here, is what comes of bad theology*; this is what happens when the popular gospel message is full of easy answers, fear of ‘other,’ and an image of God that has been reduced to a Hallmark card or a facebook meme. (btw, i finally learned how to say that word).
This is what comes of shredding apart the Bible and reducing it to a quippy one-liner that will win an ideological argument for us (again, usually on facebook). This limited, unfeeling, unjust, and kind of petty God is not one that I’ve ever met before. But it is the God who has been marketed for mass consumption. I’m not arguing with the author of that post because, really, she did not create this God–we did. And I don’t blame her for not wanting to know him.

Or rather, westernized Judeo-Christian heritage created this God, and we built institutions around Him (yes, this God is a him) and, well, here we all are. May God forgive us for trying to make it so easy.

There is a cost to cheap and easy religion. It feels good–like a new clothing purchase or a first drink or a fancy scented lotion–when you first try it on. Thing is, when life gets hard, it leaves us with utter emptiness. A godless void that cannot explain away the sick child, the impoverished country, the gun violence or the earthquake.

Trying to explain away the suffering of the world continues to be our problem. We say pithy things like ‘it was God’s will,’ or ‘everything happens for a reason,’ or ‘this is what happens when we legalize gay marriage/give women the right to vote/ let kids play soccer on Sundays.’ Saying these things might somehow make the speaker feel better in the moment. But ultimately, we are not doing God–or humankind–any favors when we condense our faith to a bumper sticker. People are leaving our churches in droves, and this is the image of God they take with them.
We can do better. We can learn to say things like “i don’t know,” or “i don’t have an easy answer for that,” or “it doesn’t make sense, but I promise…you are not alone in this.”

We can do better, folks. We can try harder, be louder, live larger and insist that being a person of faith does not mean checking your brain at the door, or holding onto archaic social systems, or learning to hate and fear those who walk another way. We cannot explain or reason God into being, any more than this writer can explain or reason God away. God is reason, and wonder; God is grace and compassion; God is science, and God is profoundly unknown; God is joy, and given the state of the world, God must be a little bit of heartbreak; God is justice, but not by any system that we know; God is in all, and with all; God just IS, and thanks be to God, nothing I say right–or write wrong–will change that.
If God does not look like the world that we know—or rather, if the world does not look quite like God—then all the more reason to go and try again.

Being a Person

Previous Post

January 17, 2013

The Rhythms of Grace

Next Post

January 20, 2013 $h*t Jesus Says: Water to Wine Edition

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category a good week for progress Advent and Christmas Being a Person desert life faith and community Good News for Progressives Lent and Easter Marriage and Family S*^! Jesus Says sabbatical road tripping Spirituality in Culture Talking to Strangers the "Best Stuff I Ever Ate" diet travel Uncategorized writing Writing Prompt Wednesday

Select a Month January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 February 2011 July 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many books are in the New Testament?

Select your answer to see how you score.

27 66 39 22