It has been a hard week for Biblical people. On December 15, Anthony Lewis wrote his valedictory and accused Fundamentalist Christians and Jews of refusing respect for "faith in reason" and other evils. This follows Time's Roger Rosenblatt's December 9, 2,001 article lambasting those who believe in a personal G-d. The atheist media, it seems, was reminded by Bin Laden's tape about Islam's supremacy against the "infidels" to remember their true enemy, biblical Christians and Jews. The Taliban has nothing to teach the atheist media about hate.

The reason for this furious assault on biblical people is because September 11 forced many people to think about more things than secular material matters. No longer do the fuzzy ideas about morality coming from secularists satisfy. This threatens the atheist media and secular structure. So, they turn their hate-cannons onto biblical people.

I have already written a reply to Anthony, so now it is Roger's turn.

            Roger claims that anyone who feels that G-d thinks about us has "a pathological view of faith" or is "a Taliban minus the bloodlust." Can you imagine Time magazine calling any minority in America these names?

Do I have a "pathological view of faith"? "Pathological" means "disease" or "compulsive behavior." Calling all biblical people "sick" and "mentally disturbed" is quite serious. This is an article in Time magazine, and it should not be there, nor should it be anywhere. This is a hate article, a missive from the atheist media to besmirch those who actually feel that "G-d thinks about them." What a terrible idea! Roger, however, was kind enough to supply us with his belief, to allow those of us who were so frightened by his name-calling that we fall into the party line like good comrades. What does Roger believe?

Roger says that he is "fanatically uncertain about what G-d is thinking." That's fair enough. He is a fanatic against believing in the bible's G-d. But just wait a cotton-picking moment. Roger doesn't want to be called an atheist. He does believe in G-d, except that Roger's G-d doesn't "preside over my bowling game" or deal directly with people and their affairs. What then does Roger's G-d do?  Who and what is He? (Roger assured us that G-d is he, not she, although he or she has nothing to do with life, so what does it matter, really.) Roger explains, "I don't believe in seeking, and I don't believe in finding." Roger does not seek G-d nor does he believe in finding G-d. So, what is G-d? What different does it make to Roger and what difference does it make to G-d? Roger enlightens us. "The essential act of faith, it seems to me, is wonder-a sort of involuntary fascination in awe." Faith is "involuntary fascination in awe." Now that is a rational religion. Roger, if I am in awe voluntarily, have I failed?

You have to give Roger credit. He has courage to reveal his belief. I wouldn't mention such a belief to a soul. I would be embarrassed. I would have too much self-respect to inform people that I believe in a G-d that I can't seek and can't find, and that religion is involuntary awe that leads to absolutely nothing. Roger then goes into attack mode, obviously feeling that the best defense is an offense, and with such a religion as Roger's, a defense is certainly required.

"Most religions make awe difficult, because they are concerned with ideology, uniformity, loyalty and favoritism-not the most useful tools for those who choose to live in mystery." Roger, you've got it all wrong. I don’t live in mystery. That is for mystery writers. Einstein declared that the universe came from a Big Bang, and we call it Creation. Biblical people say that G-d created the world, that He had a plan, and that He revealed this plan in the bible. It's that simple, no mystery at all. If you study DNA, Roger, you have to believe in Intelligent Design. Yes, G-d created the universe. Why did He do it? According to Roger, it was for nothing. This is irrational and unreasonable. G-d created the world for a purpose, and we can't figure out G-d's mind, so He must have told us His will. This is the Sinaitic Revelation, when G-d gave the Law to Israel at Sinai. So the Bible and G-d's revelation to Israel must follow from the fact of Intelligent Design. This is reasonable, unlike Roger's "involuntary awe" religion.

G-d in the Bible promised the Jews that He would never forsake them. Frederick the Great asked a Lutheran minister for proof of G-d. The clergyman replied, "The Jews." The suffering of the Jews, the Biblical Curses, are accurate predictions, and so are the rest of the Biblical teachings. The Bible, if Roger bothered to read it, considers this world a time of testing. We are cleansed here, often with travail, so that we enter the Infinite World of the Soul cleansed. The pleasures there, by the way, are infinite, whereas the pleasure of materialism is finite. We assume that the pleasures of the infinite are better than that given to reptiles in this world.

All of this is so simple and reasonable. Compare it with Roger's weird idea of a G-d, ideas that were obviously concocted in a hurry while he typed out his venom. Just a trace of thought would have saved Roger from publicizing his incredible philosophy.

When we know that G-d created nature, and follows our lives and thoughts, we are in awe of just about everything, because everyone and everything is permeated with the spirit of G-d and His will, even Roger.

Roger claims that "if one prays for gifts and protections, one must naturally assume that G-d micromanages the universe for the advantage of particular believers." Yes, Roger. G-d does care if we obey Him. However, our prayers in the world of testing are often not answered, even though G-d listens to every word.

Is Roger against prayer? Oh, no. His prayer is, however, "the great deep sigh" of Paul Tillich, which Roger explains to be "an act of unconscious adoration." Unconscious adoration is an oxymoron. So, Roger has a G-d that thinks nothing of the universe and we should think nothing of Him. Roger's pray is a deep sigh, not to G-d of course, who isn't listening, but is an act of adoration. Hey, adoration of what?

"So indefinite is my idea of G-d that I do not even connect it to morality," says Roger. He then tells us, "The idea is hard to swallow, which is what makes faith equally confounding and thrilling." It sure is confounding. However, why is it thrilling? What kind of G-d doesn't care that Hitler slaughters people? Yes, He has allowed people with their deeds to determine peace and prosperity or the opposite, and when the world turns away from G-d there is curse, such as Hitler, but G-d does care, and will settle scores with Hitler in the Infinite World. He will also settle scores in a good way with the suffering people who died for the sins of mankind even though they were worthy. Only in heaven are there answers to the suffering of the righteous. Only there exist the pain that Hitler deserves. A quick hanging for a serious Nazi is a joke.

Roger then states, "The whole business of knowing G-d's devices is particularly nettling to us modern scientific Americans, who have assured ourselves that we are capable of knowing everything." Has he read the recent Lancet article, published in International World Tribune on December 17, 2,001, that researchers in the Netherlands questioned people whose brain and heart died on the operating table about their experiences, and some of them, almost one in five, claimed to have had near-death experiences. People whose brains were dead remembered what doctors and nurses said and did while they were dead. Many experienced spiritual things. Scientists are thus considering the strong possibility that people have a soul and that there is an afterlife. I knew this without the article, because my parents heard it from their parents back to Moses and Abraham. However, science is supplying the information to people like Roger who didn't learn very much about religion and the bible, and had to invent one quick to show their superiority over the biblical people.

Is Roger unaware that science has just discovered a possible exception to Einstein's limit on the speed of light? Yes, modern physics posits perhaps sixteen dimensions, the vast majority utterly removed from human experience.

Roger then invokes Hitler who believed in G-d's special protection. That shows, to Roger, that all people who believe in G-d are … Roger, for shame.

To sum up, Roger is obsessed with the "pathological" believers in a personal G-d. He is "confounded and thrilled" when he prays and nobody listens. He believes in a G-d that has no interest in whether or not Roger prays or murders. Roger's deity eschews moral judgments, and wants everyone to do what they want to do. Furthermore, those who believe in G-d's protection and salvation imitate Hitler. All of this is fine, it is the true Roger, but why did Time magazine publish this? Why do you think? The atheist media is afraid that in this time of the year people, especially after September 11, may become inspired by religion. So, they turn Roger loose, and warn us that if we do become religious, Time Magazine and Roger will call us names. We are almost as unreal to Time Magazine and Roger as G-d is, so we are in good company.

 

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