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The Worst Story Ever Told

The Worst Story Ever Told

Last updated on: July 31, 2023 at 3:26 pm by Karl J. Forehand

The Worst Story Ever Told 2023-07-31T15:26:15-06:00 Karl J. Forehand

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.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/happy-adult-woman-reading-book-with-interest-on-street-3772711/

Once upon a time, there was a being that was all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving. Eventually, this being created, angels or messengers. Even though the creator was perfect, these beings that he created were not and a third of them rebelled against him and were sent away.

It was reported that this being created the Earth and everything that surrounds it. We assume this means all the universes and all the planets, stars, and matter that exists.

On the earth, he set in motion weather patterns, cycles, and all the plant and animal life. Then he created human beings, who apparently had the autonomy to choose, but we’re prone to follow the rebellious angel. The being devised a test of their loyalty, which he knew they would fail, but still reacted to their rebellion with rage and anger.

It didn’t get better. The people multiplied on the earth and then continued to do things that angered this being. Even though he knew, because of his foreknowledge, that they would not do what they were supposed to do, he still was so angry that he destroyed almost all of the humans and almost all of the animal life with a flood.

It was never explained why he didn’t remove the fallen angel that was causing the humans to stumble, but apparently, he prepared a torture chamber for all of those people that didn’t answer the right questions on their theology test, or follow a certain denominational prescription.

The humans could never agree on what the right prescription was to escape this torment, but for thousands of years, the being didn’t provide a solution. There were many more morality laws instituted by the religious leaders that made it even harder to follow all the rules and they assume that these rules were ordained by the being.

After thousands of years, the being impregnated a virgin human (rape?) which helped incarnate himself into a human being. Apparently, this was as a sacrifice to himself when other humans eventually killed the god/man.

After the death, burial, and resurrection of this human/god, the other humans continued to go against the wishes of this being, so one of the disciples of the man/god wrote an apocalyptic letter that most of the followers interpreted as prophecy.

Some believe this story of retribution happened in the first century and others think it is mystically somewhere in the future. This will be when everything bad is put into the torture chamber and all enemies of the being will be extinguished.

Some of the ancient writings of these people were preserved several hundred years before the man/god was born. They were known as Scriptures / Scrolls and became very important to Jewish scholars.

From what is recorded, the man/god never told anyone to write things down. He also never authored scriptures or instructions, etc. After about 4 decades, after repeating stories to each other, some of his disciples wrote some things down. Other groups of people also wrote some things down that they remembered. One Jewish historian wrote some things down, except not until about 6 decades after the death of the man/God.

Three centuries later, a Roman emperor and the popes, that led the followers of the man/ God, decided that some of these writings needed to be preserved and canonized. The followers rejoined the Empire and have been trying to control the narrative ever since.

The idea of the torture chamber was never consensus by those that followed the god/man, but they found that it was helpful to sell their version of religion if they had something to fear. This doctrine traumatized millions of people but kept them loyal to these belief systems, which silenced their questions and doubts.

When the followers joined the empire (1700 years ago), the followers of the god/man began elevating one spiritual leader onto a platform in a much bigger, formal meeting place sometimes called a sanctuary or temple. Questions were discouraged, and only a select few were able to be priests or shepherds of these congregations, even though the canonized record said all the followers were supposed to be priests.

Tens of thousands of sects developed who all believed their version of the story was right and that the being was on their side. Even though the being supposedly had a purpose for each one of them, most of them would admit they have never heard that and just morphed into the purpose and plan of the leader of their sect.

Even though the movement touted that the world outside them (everyone that disagreed with them) was evil, It eventually became apparent that abuse was rampant inside these sects and the ones that claimed to be the most right sometimes were the most destructive.

The more they tried to control the narrative by banning books, and trying to control behavior, the worse their behavior became, and the less they influenced “the world.” They settled with the comfort that at least they were better than the group down the street.

Initially, with the advent of the printing press, and later the internet, people began to find information and subsequently found an escape from the cult-like behavior of the sects. But, the leaders of these sects anointed leaders that were more like John Wayne than the man/god hoping to control the narrative and make people do what they wanted.

Many of these leaders started wars within cultures, and even between countries based on their desire to get what they wanted because they believed that what they wanted was what the being wanted. Much trauma and devastation was administered by these people including genocide, racism, misogyny, murder, and sexual and emotional abuse.

During all of this destruction and harm to the humans, the being that supposedly loved them remained aloof and uninvolved, and could only be heard, not seen, through those that proclaimed they heard from the being.

Billions suffered and died. Millions were traumatized, yet the being remained silent, So, the followers man up stories and platitudes to temporarily soothe themselves, even though their trauma and shame remained. They routinely returned to practices of fear and control in an attempt to control the narrative around their belief.

Recently, millions of people have embarked on a journey of deconstructing these ideas and beliefs. The followers responded with gaslighting, persecution, and creating more false narratives, including totally fabricated stores of their imagination.

The scripted ending to this tale is more of the same. The being is going to come back as the god/man once again to destroy everything that is against their belief even though that will mean that the god/man will be the opposite of what he was when he came to earth the first time.

High school students can formulate the questions the followers can never answer:

– Why didn’t the being just destroy the rebellious angel?
– Why didn’t he completely forgive?
– If the being wanted to communicate with us, why did it do such a horrible job?
– If the being indeed wrote a book, wouldn’t it be clearer and not cause division as often as it created unity?
– What kind of parent would torture their children forever for minor offenses?
– If the being is omnipotent and unconditionally loves humans, why is he so unconditional in the way he expresses love and so slow to help his children or even communicate with them?

Instead of going on and on with this story, I invite you to honestly consider the story that you have inherited. Ask honest questions. Don’t stop till you get the answers. Don’t accept platitudes and excuses and bypassing and stay on the journey,

Be where you are,
Be who you are,
Be at peace.

Karl Forehand

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/happy-adult-woman-reading-book-with-interest-on-street-3772711/

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