***Catholics in specific and Christians in general you are hereby offered a trigger warning. I highly recommend you go find a cute cat video or football highlight video to watch. Seriously, you won't like it.***
I had been thinking about the things we believe or profess to believe. We most certainly includes me.
While rolling ideas around the old brainpan, I suddenly had a mental picture which I wanted to share.
I assert that, if asked, almost every woman and most men (regardless of religious affiliation or lack thereof) would agree with the statement at the top of the image. However, when we are faced with the ultimate example of a power differential, what do we believe?
Let's consider this. We have a young lady (we would likely consider her a girl by today's standards) who is living a very basic existence with little or no education at a time when the average person didn't understand the world was round and thought diseases were caused by demons or the displeasure of the gods. Thus, with all due respect to Mary, we can safely assume she was not a sophisticate or a scholar. In fact, if she'd been the most sophisticated educated woman in the world, how much would she have understood about the world at that time?
Now things get really dicey. A member of the 'holy trinity' visits her and tells her he will impregnate her and that her child will be special in all the world.
I suggest nobody in her right mind would argue that Mary had the ability to give informed consent. Well, except for those inculcated to believe in this particular canon.
Obviously, I understand that the believer will clap back with some version of, "it's God and he can do as he wishes" or "God works in mysterious ways" etc.
And, no, I do not expect to change their minds.
My intent is to challenge thoughts/beliefs. Why? Because challenging beliefs is how we evolve superior beliefs. Therefore, my retort is simple. Those who hold these beliefs are welcome to continue. That said, according to my calculation, they are holding their fellow humans to a higher standard than their deity.
I had been thinking about the things we believe or profess to believe. We most certainly includes me.
While rolling ideas around the old brainpan, I suddenly had a mental picture which I wanted to share.
I assert that, if asked, almost every woman and most men (regardless of religious affiliation or lack thereof) would agree with the statement at the top of the image. However, when we are faced with the ultimate example of a power differential, what do we believe?
Let's consider this. We have a young lady (we would likely consider her a girl by today's standards) who is living a very basic existence with little or no education at a time when the average person didn't understand the world was round and thought diseases were caused by demons or the displeasure of the gods. Thus, with all due respect to Mary, we can safely assume she was not a sophisticate or a scholar. In fact, if she'd been the most sophisticated educated woman in the world, how much would she have understood about the world at that time?
Now things get really dicey. A member of the 'holy trinity' visits her and tells her he will impregnate her and that her child will be special in all the world.
I suggest nobody in her right mind would argue that Mary had the ability to give informed consent. Well, except for those inculcated to believe in this particular canon.
Obviously, I understand that the believer will clap back with some version of, "it's God and he can do as he wishes" or "God works in mysterious ways" etc.
And, no, I do not expect to change their minds.
My intent is to challenge thoughts/beliefs. Why? Because challenging beliefs is how we evolve superior beliefs. Therefore, my retort is simple. Those who hold these beliefs are welcome to continue. That said, according to my calculation, they are holding their fellow humans to a higher standard than their deity.
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