God

Last night I slept at 5 am after I couldn't keep my eyes open. What was I doing? Pat and I were chatting online about Christianity and I was asking her about her God. I was trying to reconcile the God whom Pat and Webby KNOW (not feel or think) as real and the contrary view of Buddhism.

I was reading about the Dalai Lama's visit to to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in 1979. A monsignor in the receiving line recalls his encounter with the Buddhist patriarch: The Dalai Lama approached him, gazed into his eyes, and queried, "Father, do you know the difference between you and me?"

"No, Your Holiness," replied the monsignor.

"You believe in a personal God," the Dalai Lama observed, "and I do not."

I am having huge difficulties reconciling the God so many Christians believe to be real, and the complete opposite from Buddhists. There have been so many reincarnated high Lamas and Rinpoches - coming back lifetime after lifetime. And not one has come back saying - hey guys, guess what, Jesus LIVES! And oh, God is definitely there - and what he wants is... etc.

When I have asked about inconsistencies in the Bible, such as why is there so much violence in the Old Testament (see Book of Joshua - where there is killing after killing after killing..."Everyone in it they totally destroyed. They left no survivors." and "He left no survivors. He totally destroyed all who breathed, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded." Reading it makes me want to cry. All this death and killing because the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded it? Christians justify it by saying that they had to die because they are evil/did no obey God etc. Or that it is simply metaphorical to show the power of God, as in if God is on your side and you obey him, you will win all battles. I don't buy it. You can't pick and choose - oh this part in the bible is metaphorical and this part is literal. It's either all metaphorical or all literal otherwise how will people know which parts are which.

Or best defence of bible I have heard is - God's ways are higher than ours. Ours not to question God. He has his reasons.

What a cop out. Great.

So we just blindly believe? All that we don't understand we simply say He knows best? Wasn't that how we ended up justifying apartheid, lack of women's rights, slavery etc - because it was all 'justified' by the Bible? And now, the Christian prejudice against homosexuality and gay marriages? How does gay marriage undermine the family? Are Christians worried that there will be no offspring to be little Christians? If all these sins were so evil, wouldn't Christ have specifically said so?

'Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened' says Christ, Matthew 7:7

I've been asking for years... I still don't have answers. I guess I will still continue asking and seeking and knocking... and see who is finally behind the door.