by h.koppdelaney

If you study the Book of Jonah the questions will probably flow through your mind concerning salvation and the path to Heaven and one cannot blame you. Jonah typifies the belief among religious followers that to be devoid of a religious mindset and its benefits one is lost; it is a limited theory without basis.

The question posed by the title asks who is their God but the real question is: where is their God if we are to believe their dictates. The reason this question comes to mind is their habits do not promote their God’s word and this is based on crime, domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual abuse, drug use, wars on all fronts and a whole plethora of actions that truly should not exist.

Violence is at the very core of all of us but we have to consciously work on quelling its appearance otherwise our societies would be worse than the wild west of days gone by. As humans we are all prone to imperfections but it is within our capacity to limit disasters not accentuate them.

To define the word violence we look at the results that deplete another person and go no further than words and actions. These encompass gossip, slander, lies and deceit plus the actions of intolerance, hatred etc and then realize the vastness encompassed by violence.

Violence is also depicted when we practice disloyal behaviours like infidelity and injustice with a dim light on the definition of equality. All we have to do is look at families being torn apart or someone locked up because of an inherent bias and we have cause and effect of infidelity and injustice.

Punishments are not harsh enough for lessons to be learned and when we see people commit suicide because of the depraved actions of greed and insensitive words we see other additions to the meaning of violence.

If we stopped looking for God through religions instead acknowledge that as he is within each of us then it shall encourage us to figure out a more compatible society. Perhaps churches could be used as community centres, homes for the homeless and as a refuge for victims of abuse; who knows as the possibilities are numerous.

In Richmond VA, a curious thing is being developed; a museum to the work of the Catholic Church; wow! Then ask who needs a relic to the Spanish Inquisition, or the abuses of the past one hundred years. What about the intolerance inflicted across the spectrum of society. The CC does not have a monopoly on barbarism or intolerance and within the past few weeks there was a meeting of the Churches in Britain and they want to do away with equality disallowing women to be ordained; wow!

Religions are causing society to regress not advance and soon, perhaps very soon they will go the way all dinosaurs have gone; become extinct! It is a stretch of the imagination and even of faith to trust in any entity whether church or government with emphasis on faith while they pander to certain interests at the expense of the populace; kind of condescending really!

It is humorous to find the doors of churches locked because of vandalism, which rather defeats the purpose of freedom to honour God! It is an example however of the limited reach of the arm of particular churches. Basically when we accept the existence of God as an example for all of mankind to trust in and that He is a God for all nations’ individual religions become superfluous and contrary to the intention of God.

Frankly it may be that religions are the instruments of the crime they are actually aiming to prevent because of their excessive rules and examples devoid of kindness, equality, love, tolerance and justice; with exceptions for certain interests like; the Mafia, the UVF and Al Qaeda to mention a few.

‘For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice;

it is knowledge of God, not burnt offerings.’ Hosea 6:6

As history is full of fallen realms, leaders and entities then we can only hope and pray for justice for all!

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