Why Is Your God So Weak?

I mean really. If we're talking about a dude, or possibly dudette, that can actually speak universes into existence, why do we never ask anything of them more substantial or meaningful than to bless America?

Is it just me or does there appear to be some unwritten rule that anyone addressing a gathering of more than two or three people has to end their remarks with 'God bless you, and God bless America?'

Or that failure to perform this one seemingly innocuous ritual can be anathema for a public official?

Is America the only country of the almost 200 on this planet that needs or deserves to be blessed? What's behind this narrowly focused request to the almighty to bless America all the time? Am I to infer that the rest of the world can go to hell?

It never ceases to amaze me that the utter and obvious selfishness of this request is never mentioned or more importantly, challenged. It's like America has its own private, personal and exclusive God that is only allowed to act on behalf of America. Give me a break please.

Of course one must be aware that whenever you attempt to discuss the subject of religion, you venture neck deep into an arena whose very borders are defined by nonsense. With that caveat, I shall now venture into the abyss of arrogance.

Let's travel back in time a few centuries. Imagine if you will a great hall wherein many thousands of people are gathered. All the tribes of the world are represented. Near one wall of this ancient auditorium there's a long row of tables stretching the entire length of the wall.

Seated at these tables, with their backs to the wall, are the fore-runners of what we today call swamis, rabbis, priests, pastors and the like. In front of each of these men -- there were no women among their ranks -- was a book written in the language of the tribe of the respective elder.

As the countless members of the countless tribes arrived at the hall, they immediately sought out the line the members of their tribe were supposed to join. And one by one, those waiting in the various lines would each step up to the table and greet the elder from their tribe.

After salutations the elder would point to the book before him and tell the member of his tribe something along these lines. 'This book contains the one real truth. All others who make this claim are false.' The tribe member thanks the elder and without ever reading a word from the book walks away and the person behind them steps up to the table.

This process, with almost no variation in its essence, is repeated for all the different tribesmen in all the different lines as they each step before their respective elder to be informed that their tribe has the one real truth.

After the members of the various tribes had been convinced that their tribe owned the one real truth, they began to gather at the rear of the hall to enjoy the various refreshments available.

Up to this point in time, before any one tribe had come upon the one real truth, it was customary for strangers to greet each other in an amicable manner. And so a few members of several tribes were having a casual conversation when one of them stated how proud he was that his tribe had the one real truth. Of course a member of a different tribe immediately challenged this assertion and the disagreement rapidly became rather heated.

It wasn't long before there was name-calling, followed by racial insults and soon improper references to enatic lineages. This led to a big brawl. And soon there was utter chaos and violence at the rear of the hall.

As those still in line, awaiting their brief encounter before the givers of the one real truth, heard the cacophony behind them and realized members of their tribes were fighting other tribes, they rushed to join the fray and assist their tribesmen.

The big fight lasted for days. Finally, after many had been killed, and a great many more injured, the survivors began gathering the wounded and each tribe hobbled away to its homeland. The survivors of the big fight all handed down the story of that day to their children. They taught the children, before the children could even talk, that their tribe had the one real truth. They further taught them they should never, under any circumstances, allow someone from another tribe to trick them into looking for truth in a different book from the one they had.

As time passed the different tribes began teaching their children that they did not have to show any respect to members of the other tribes. In fact, many were taught that it was actually alright to hate other tribes. This led the elders, who had become members of the aristocracy, to begin teaching that the author of the one real truth, their God, had given them the right to invade, conquer and enslave the other tribes and secure all the treasure for the rulers of their own tribe.

And after invasion, conquest and occupation, the interloping tribe would force the victims to accept the conquerors' version of the one real truth.

This somewhat less than perfect analogy of religious evolution on planet earth is, in my opinion, close enough to actual history to provoke the thoughtful reader to further study and introspection.

We really do need to get a grip folks.