What Easter Means to an Atheist

I just returned home from a wonderful Easter Service at the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee. We celebrated the return of spring and the promise of summer, the renewal of hope and resurrection in every day life and the religious traditions from which Unitarian Universalism developed. There was no picture of Christ on the cross. The Senior Minister, the Rev. Drew Kennedy, delivered a sermon that would have horrified those who believe that Bible is the literal truth.

He spoke of the myths that have become associated with the death of Jesus and his ministry. And he applied the vision of being crucified, descending into hell and being reborn to the story of a young man living with AIDS struggling to come out to his family in his last days on earth. The closing hymn was one of my favorites, Bring Many Names. I  love this song which I wrote a blog about because it humanizes the concept of God as a being that may be male, female, young or old, like us. I never heard of an old aching God  when I was growing up. And I’m not sure how I would have reacted, too.

There is a sense of irony in my finding church so meaningful. Especially since I resisted any efforts of my family to instill Christianity in me. With the Unitarian Universalists we can go out and change the world and find support for our beliefs. We are challenged to explore new ideas. And none that that, pass the money and check your brains at the door stuff. We bring many names to the things we believe.

That is why I left the church this morning excited, hearing a hymn and wanting to explore what I had found. So, keep all that Jesus died  for your sins crap, because I’m not buying it. I find meaning in hope for my struggle tosurvive.

The version of the flaming chalice currently used as the logo of the Unitarian Universalist Association. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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What Is It You Find Comforting About Hell?

When I debated with classmates about religion,   I often asked them about hell, saying things like, had you ever heard from anyone in hell? I mean, how can you really tell that such a place exists? Who is in it and what have they done? What purpose does hell serve and who created it?

To me the idea that some invisible being had the power to vanquish people to such a   place where they would be tortured for all eternity seemed harsh. A person could be a faithful believer in Wicca or traditional African religion but according to the rules governing some other doctrine be considered a heretic and told he or she will burn in hell for not accepting the tenets of Christianity, Islam or something else. Does that sound just or logical? Why would there be one true faith?

Why would heaven be so exclusive? Is it just for the people who believe like the followers of my deity or can there be exceptions? Whoa, that’s a lot of questions, K Man.

In life we mix with Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, pantheists and more. Except for the few who wear signs proclaiming that someone or another is the savior of the world, we have no idea what someone truly believes.

I tell the consumers I assist that religion is one place I consider off-limits. when people try to say “god bless you’,  most often I respond, “no thanks.” There was a so-called National day of Prayer so naturally we non-believers proclaimed a National Day of Reason. A day to reflect upon the things we say and do  and take ownership of them. A day to understand what we need to change and what we wish to retain.

So, why shouldn’t heaven, if it truly existed, be like that, a mirror of every day society? Shouldn’t there be people of many different colors, shapes, sizes and beliefs in heaven or is the concept of heaven merely a waste of time?

There are general ideas of goodness that are accepted such as doing onto others as you would others do onto you.  Committing crimes such as murder, rape and burglary is not only morally unacceptable, but punishable by law. Prisoners are kept in a living hell far away from society for their crimes.

But even prisoners can seek redemption. Even death sentences can be appealed and overturned. Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, for example, waged a long battle and was victorious in overcoming his wrongful conviction on a murder charge. If one can be found innocent of a crime, why isn’t there an appeal from being condemned to hell? I suspect that hell was simply created by religious zealots to enforce discipline and frighten the superstitious. In a moment of anger I might say that I hope certain people are in hell. But in reality I don’t believe it exists and I would not wish anyone would suffer such a fate.

I prefer the possibility of redemption and learning from one’s mistakes. It was very instructive that Rev. Carlton Pearson lost many people from his very large ministry after he developed the doctrine of the inclusive gospel and declared that he no longer believed in hell. Moreover he began reach out to gays and lesbians and others not included in his earlier spiritual vision. If you google his name you will undoubtedly find websites denouncing Rev. Pearson. His crime was the ultimate, taking away the fear of ultimate eternal judgment and substituting human love and decency. So it leads me to ask you to ponder the question I asked at the beginning of this blog, what is it you find comforting about hell?

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