I weighed in on a debate running hot in one of the conference rooms near my office today. Apparently there are a number of Christians who have had their faith shaken by the recent spate of paedophilia in various Christian churches.

When I say ‘various Christian churches’, we are talking Protestant and Catholic churches.

The debate it self was between a Baptist and a Catholic. The nosy and opinionated Baptist (they’re all nosy and opinionated) was criticising the guilt-ridden and persecuted Catholic (they’re all guilt-ridden and persecuted) over the fact that the Pope, Benedict XVI, Joseph Ratzinger, or as I call him, J-Ratz, has not admitted any liability and has not accepted any responsibility for abuse cases that he CLEARLY had a hand in.

As the workplace’s “Token-Ecumenical-Atheist”, I felt the need to point out that despite the different denomination, they both believe in the same God. Despite the difference in their respective dogma; despite the religious figureheads they support or follow; if there truly were such a thing as God, then he should have intervened.

“But what of the alleged ‘Free Will’”, quipped the apologetic Baptist.
To which I replied, “where is God?”
They both agreed, “all around us”.

“Well then”, I began, “if God is omnipresent, then He is in the room while a child is being raped by his priests, and yet he does not provide comfort, only absence.

“If God is omnipotent, then he has the power to stop the paedophile priests, but does not so much as lift an ethereal finger.

“If God is omniscient, then He knows that it has happened more than once.”

Wake up and smell the bullshit!

Seriously.

Belief has never stopped a murderer from murdering, a paedophile from raping or a psychopath from torturing, because there is always forgiveness, penitence, or ‘accepting JC as your personal lord and savior’.

Regardless which religion you have chosen to worship under, people within your religion do and have previously committed countless vile, deplorable and abhorrent acts, and your respective God/s have done nothing!

God, Allah, Yahweh, El, Odin, whoever; they’re powerless or gutless.

Clerics and priests claim to speak for God and direct their followers hither and thither aimlessly.

I speak for your God; I speak for Allah; I speak for all of them. They’re saying, “I don’t exist. Dissolve the religious institutions and be good for goodness sake!”
 

Epicurus’ Paradox.