Edward Hays ~ Author, Artist & Storyteller
  • Home
  • Bio
  • Haystack Blog
  • Artwork
  • Novels
    • Pilate's Prisoner
  • Prayers
  • Stories
  • Spirituality
  • Advent & Christmas
  • Almanacs
  • Lent

Are You an Atheist?

8/19/2015

 

Are You an Atheist?


Dear old and new friends, 

     A recent poll by the New York Times asked the question, “Do you believe in God?” The published results showed that 36% said yes, while 25% answered not sure, and 39% saying they did not believe in God. The atheists win! If you were asked that same question, how would you answer? As for me personally, I don’t believe in God. 

     At least I don’t believe in the God of the Biblical book of Joshua who commanded Joshua in capturing Canaan to slaughter every man, woman and child! I’m an atheist of the God of Leviticus who condemned as an abomination the love expressed with another of the same sex. Among that 39%, I’m also a nonbeliever in the gods of success and war, of winning at any cost, and the fat cat gods of Wall Street and the marketplace. 

     As a growing number of people lose their belief in God, the brilliant scholar Teilhard de Chardin worried that “…humanity losing its faith in God would also lose a zest for living.” Now faith is invisible, yet in observing people while shopping or in passing on the street I don’t see many faces expressing happiness or a zest in life. The majority of faces appear worried, often angry, and empty of any expression. Yet at the same time there are two occasions when people seem vivacious; first, those animated by their city’s football team winning a big game, and second, those at rock concerts (whose frenetic joyousness might be attributed to ear-blasting loud music and/or perhaps drugs and alcohol). 

     Catch quick glimpses of your face in store windows and mirrors, and see if unconsciously your face appears as worried, hassled or glum. If the other faces we see in daily occasions seldom reflect an enjoyment or gusto for life, is this because of “their or your” God? In which God do you believe? The one of the Catechism, or maybe the one of your race, religion or nationality? The only true God who enthusiastically gives life is the God of Love. Enthusiasm (en = “in” + theos = “God”) is being inhabited by God within you! Constantly being conscious of that innermost Presence of Love inspires living in a delight that can’t be hidden. 

     Zorba, a fictional character based on a real person, for me manifests zest for life. Zorba the Greek is Nikos Kazantzakis’s great novel about a scholarly, withdrawn and shy Englishman who hires a burley Greek named Zorba as a worker, who then increasingly becomes his mentor on living life with zestful passion. Zorba refers to the Englishman as “Boss,” and once while he is away he writes him this letter about his abundant enjoyment in life. “Boss, in my contract with life, I let the brakes off when I get to the most dangerous slopes. The life of a man is a road with steep rises and dips. All sensible people use their brakes, but Boss I did away with my brakes altogether a long time ago, because I’m not afraid of a jolt. When a machine goes off the rails we mechanics call that “a jolt!” The devil knows if I take any notice of the jolts I get. Day and night, I go full steam ahead, doing just what I like…. Every man has his folly, but the greatest folly of all in my view is not to have one.” 

     Believe in the God of Love...and experiment not using your brakes!

Christmas Atheists

12/11/2013

 

Christmas Atheists


Dear old and new friends,                

    Saint Nicholas, bishop of Myra in southwest Turkey, while immigrating to America found that his golden shimmering halo and ornate episcopal vestments had been stolen, but in their place was a Nordic red and white fur-trimmed suit of clothes. The early Dutch settlers pronounced his name, “Sinterklaas,” easily mispronounced as “Santa Claus.” In these December weeks the jolly, smiling white-bearded face of this saintly giver of gifts seems to be everywhere.

    Small children profess an infallible, dogmatic belief in him. Adults are Santa atheists! These “closet atheists” don’t outwardly deny his existence…especially to their own children. Unlike some atheists, Santa infidels don’t write books about his non-existence or the ridiculousness of his circling the globe in a single night to gift children. A scholar (whose name I’ve forgotten) once replied when asked if he believed in the existence of God, “No, I do not believe God exists—and I miss him!” Sinter Klaas atheists say the same, for faith in him includes the magical, whimsical fantasy, daydreams, make-believe and active presence among us of elves, fairies, leprechauns and message-delivering angels.

    Compared to a child’s world, Santa atheists live in a shrunken merry-less world congested with dreary practicalities and endless problems. Their world suffers a drought of wild imagination, hilarity, joyous surprises and eagerly animated anticipation. If this sounds like where you live, and you desire to live in a happier place, here’s a suggestion: Go to a department store and the throne of Santa Claus, then go up to him and ask to be converted as a one of his believers!

    Be prepared, he’ll ask you to enter his convert course by engaging daily in that legendary childhood practice of pretending. Belief in him means make-believing you are him, not by dressing up in his red outfit but by imitating his merry jolliness in life’s difficulties, be they as unpleasant as descending dirty, sooty chimneys. Emanate his anonymous gift giving and experience his joyousness in secret gifting. Paradoxically, imitate him as an atheist, a nonbeliever that your gifts must be acknowledged by obligatory “thank you” notes.

    As a believer/disciple you will acquire St. Santa’s miraculous eyes capable of recognizing those who are hungry for gifts, both rich and poor, along with his great passion to feed that hunger. Pretend spring, summer, autumn and winter, and I assure you not only Santa Claus and his elves but the entire enchanted world of a child will be yours…yes, for by pretending you become a child again and a saint!

I Am...

5/8/2013

 

I Am....

Dear old and new friends,

    Uncertainty about religious belief today has caused an increase of those who identify themselves as nonbelievers, agnostics and atheists. Some Christians objecting to various dogmas of Christianity have created a new non-church identity, “I am follower of Jesus!” One wonders: “A follower of which Jesus…the romanticized stained glass savior or the real Jesus?”

    The scriptural commentator Patricia Sanchez, holder of theological and literature degrees, recently wrote, “Jesus chose to associate with people whom the rest of his contemporaries found reprehensible…Jesus’ manner was so off-putting that many people could not move beyond their repulsion to hear and accept his message. In a word he was a rule-breaker, an iconoclast, and those who follow him with integrity must be the same.”

    I found her last sentence, “…he was a rule-breaker, an iconoclast and those who follow him with integrity must also be the same,” so compelling I keep it before me on my desk. No Bible or sacred images of Jesus show him as a holy image-breaker, zealot, religious saboteur, rebel and a holy terror—all descriptions of an iconoclast. Nor is he ever depicted without a halo as a violator of religious rules and moral codes, a black sheep—a sinner! If you are a follower of Jesus, do either these two descriptions describe you?

    Jesus lived in a deeply religious culture where daily life was regulated by countless commandments and dietary and purification rules he distained to observe. This blatant disregard for religious rules and societal codes in the eyes of his law-biding culture made him a sinner! In fact, he was a notorious public sinner who audaciously enjoyed eating and drinking with religious outcasts and prostitutes. Outlaw Jesus didn’t rob banks—he just lived out-side-laws. He ignored as obsolete any that he judged incompatible with his great law of love. He didn’t break laws, he simply ignored those he believed no longer applied or whose observance was a burden.

    Which of the Bible’s God-given ancient laws today would the Black Sheep Jesus dismiss with a wave of his hand as obsolete, and so invalid? What regulations of Christian churches concerning whom one can or can’t marry, or attending church every Sunday as the law requires, or those about alcohol or dancing, do you think he would likewise dismiss today as being contrary to the freedom of the sons and daughters of God?

    If asked if you are a follower of Jesus, how many would reply, “Well, I’m definitely no follower of a reprobate breaker of rules, especially of laws in the Bible! I faithfully observe every Sunday the rule to attend church, keep all the Commandments and church rules, read the bible, and tithe as a faithful (choose one of following): Presbyterian / Methodist / Roman Catholic / Episcopalian / Baptist / Other Christian.

God Fearing Atheists

12/4/2012

 

God Fearing Atheists

Today’s reflection continues the previous one of how God assumed our human nature, as God’s own, in Jesus and all humanity. In church language, this reality which Christmas celebrates is called “the Incarnation.” It proclaims the Christian belief that by his teachings, deeds and unconditional love, Jesus of Galilee revealed God who had assumed human nature. However, if asked to believe in the divine indwelling in their human natures, Christians become atheists. The problem isn’t that they think God is incapable of this marvel, but rather the implications of having to live what they believe. Third-century St. Athanasius anticipated their dread when he said, “God became man that man might become God!”

While seeming unbelievably impossible, believing that God has saturated your humanity is the best gift you can give to those you love and the world this Christmas. Believe in and allow that mysterious hidden Presence in your humanity to become outwardly visible in your daily life as did your Teacher, Jesus. This is a homemade gift of daily striving to reshape your thoughts, words and actions to be Godlike, and to mirror the Sacred Mystery whose fullness fills your flesh.

You can complain: “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I’m too old to make such drastic changes in my behavior.” Yet at age thirty the Galilean Jesus was an old man—and he was able to change. Only at that age do the earliest Gospels of his life, teachings, parables and works give evidence of the Divine Presence in his human nature. Jesus was truly an elder because seventy-five percent of Palestinians were already dead by the age of twenty-five. Contrary to art images, when Jesus announced God’s Domain had arrived, his face was wrinkled, teeth were missing, and his hair was graying to white. Surely he looked as aged as a person of seventy today. This rapidly accelerated aging was caused by his dreadfully poor peasant diet and the endless severe hardships of daily life.

Don’t be an atheist! Don’t try to use your age as an excuse not to allow your God-soaked human nature to be transparent in what you say and do. Strive today to be as God-like as you can for family, friends and strangers so that this Christmas you will be the best of all gifts!


    Edward Hays


    Picture
    Haysian haphazard thoughts on the
    invisible and visible mysteries of life.

    Picture

    The Haystack


    Archives

    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012


    Categories

    All
    4th Of July
    Acedia
    Adam
    Advent
    Advertising
    Advice
    Affection
    Agape
    Agnostics
    Alleluia
    All Hallows Eve
    All Saints
    All Souls Day
    Alms
    Alone
    Alzheimer’s
    Amish
    Anger
    Anno Domino
    Apocalyptic
    Apostles' Creed
    April Fools
    Arrows
    Ashes
    Ash Wednesday
    Atheist
    Authenticity
    Awe
    Axe Handle
    Aztec Prayer
    Beauty
    Begging
    Belief
    Beliefs
    Believe
    Bethlehem
    Big Bang
    Blessing
    Blind Faith
    Bog
    Bondage
    Book Of Proverbs
    Born Again
    Boss
    Boundaries
    Brevity
    Broken Heart
    Bug
    Bull's-eye
    Bullying
    Carnival Of Grief
    Catalyst
    Caveman
    Celts
    Change
    Chaos
    Chardin
    Charity
    Cheating
    Child-Heart
    Chinese New Year
    Christmas
    Church
    Climate Change
    Clocks
    Coach Jesus
    Cold
    Commercialism
    Compassion
    Competition
    Conflict
    Congress
    Congress Of Fools
    Conscience
    Consumerism
    Cooking Food
    Cosmic Evolution
    Cosmic Prayers
    Cosmos
    Costumes
    Courage
    Cousins
    Cq
    Creation
    Creativity
    Cross
    Crucified Christ
    Crucifix
    Cupid
    Dalai Lama
    Dancing
    Daredevil
    Daring
    Dearly Beloved
    Death
    Debts
    Decisions
    Dementia
    Denial
    Depression
    Dieting Problems
    Disciples
    Discipline Of Listening
    Discovery Of Fire
    Disease
    Disobeying
    Disobeying Religious Laws
    Disruptive
    Divine Mystery
    Divine Presence
    Doctor
    Dogs
    Doomsday
    Doubt
    Dying
    Earth
    Easter
    Easter People
    Ecology
    Economy
    Ed's Funeral Homily
    Ed's Memorial Card
    Elderly
    Emancipation
    Emmanuel
    Emmaus
    Empathy
    Enjoyment Of Life
    Enslaved
    Entombed
    Environment
    Envy
    Eq
    Equality
    Eros
    Erotic Attraction
    Eroticism
    Escape
    Eternity
    Euthanasia
    Evil
    Evil Eye
    Excellence
    Expectations
    Explorer
    Eyesight
    Faith
    Family
    Fear
    Fear Not
    Fear Of Loss
    Fences
    Flu
    Flying Off The Handle
    Fools
    Forever
    Forgetfulness
    Forgiveness
    Freedom
    Free Will
    Friendship
    Frustration
    Funeral Homily
    Galaxy
    Galilean Teacher
    Gandhi
    Genealogy
    Generosity
    Gift Of Ears
    Gift Of Tongues
    Gimmick
    Giving
    Godlike
    God Of Love
    God Within
    Good Better Best
    Good Friday
    Grain Of Salt
    Gratitude
    Growing Down
    Grudges
    Gullible
    Gut Feeling
    Habit
    Halloween
    Hallucinations
    Happiness
    Happy New Year
    Harassment
    Haystack
    Haywire
    Healing
    Health
    Hearing
    Heart
    Heartache
    Heaven
    Helen Keller
    Holiday
    Holy Spirit
    Holy Thursday
    Home
    Homesickness
    Homogenized Spirituality
    Homosexuality
    Honest
    Hope
    Hunger
    Hunters And Gatherers
    Hurrying
    Hyacinths
    Hypnotic
    Iceburg Spirituality
    Icon
    Ill Will
    Immigrant
    Imprisoning Habits
    Incarnation
    Infallibility
    Influenza
    Injustice
    Inspiration
    Interruptions
    Intoxicating
    Iq
    Ireland
    Islam
    Jealousy
    Jesus
    Jesus The Challenger
    Jingo
    Job
    John The Baptist
    Joy
    Joy As Gratitude
    Judge
    July 4th
    Justice
    Karl Barth
    Karl Marx
    Kindergarten
    Kindness
    Kingdom
    King Solomon
    Kkk
    Kowtow
    Last Supper
    Learning To Unlearn
    Lent
    Letters
    Letting Go
    Liberation
    Listening
    Live
    Loneliness
    Lonely
    Loony Rabbi
    Lord's Prayer
    Lottery Rule
    Lottery Winner
    Love
    Love Of Self
    Lover
    Mad Delusions
    Mad Messiah
    Madness
    Mantra
    Manure/dung
    Mark Twain
    Marriage
    Martin Luther King
    Mascara
    Masks
    Meditate
    Memories
    Mennonite
    Merry
    Mindfulness
    Miracle
    Miraculous
    Mirages
    Misbehavior
    Mohandas Gandhi
    Money
    Moon
    Mother As Teacher
    Multiverse
    Mystic Merriment
    Naked
    Natural Creed
    Natural Disasters
    Near-sighted
    Needle
    Neighborhood
    Newness
    New Wine
    New Year
    No Littering
    Nonbelievers
    Nostalgia
    Obituary
    Olympic Games
    Olympics
    Open Minded
    Oppressor
    Our Father
    Out Of The Woods
    Overweight
    Pain
    Palestinian
    Parable
    Paradise
    Passion
    Peace
    Penance
    Pentecost
    Pious
    Play
    Playfulness
    Poison
    Possessions
    Poverty Of Spirit
    Prairie Spirituality
    Pray
    Prayer
    Precrastination
    Prejudices
    Pretending
    Primitive Tendencies
    Purpose
    Pyromaniac
    Quantum
    Question
    Quiet
    Reality
    Reconciled
    Recycling
    Religious Experience
    Religious Garb
    Renaissance
    Reputation
    Resurrection
    Revolution
    Rich And Poor
    Risen Christ
    Ritual
    Robert Frost
    Robin Williams
    Robot
    Rumi
    Sainthood
    Saline Savior
    Salt Of The Earth
    Samurai
    Sanctuary
    Santa Claus
    Scapegoat
    Self-deceit
    Sensuality
    Shiite
    Shinto Monks
    Signs
    Silence
    Sinning
    Slavery
    Smile
    Solar System
    Solitary Confinement
    Solitude
    Solstice
    Soul
    Souvenir
    Space
    Spark Of Madness
    Speech
    Spirit
    Spirit Of The Holy
    Spiritual Renewal
    Sports
    Spring
    Spring Renaissance
    St. Benedict
    St. Nicholas
    Stories
    Stranger
    Strength
    Struggles
    Submissive
    Suffering
    Suffering As A Toy
    Summer Solstice
    Sunni
    Sunrise
    Sunset
    Symbols
    Sympathy
    Tale
    Tears
    Technology
    Television
    Temporary Insanity
    Thanksgiving
    Thank You
    The Last Psalm
    Thinking & Acting
    Thirst
    Thomas Edison
    Thoughts Equal Deeds
    Time
    Touch
    Trash
    Traveling
    Trick-or-treat
    Trip
    Trust
    Truth
    Truthfulness
    Unbelievers
    Unethical Behavior
    Unhappiness
    Universe
    Untruth
    Vacation
    Vaccination
    Valentine's Day
    Valentine's Gift
    Valley Of The Blind
    Vatican
    Violent Behavior
    Virus
    Visionary
    Visiting
    Vow Of Poverty
    War
    Wastefulness
    Way Of The Cross
    Wealthy
    Wellness
    Whimsical Spirituality
    Winter Solstice
    Wishes
    Women
    Wonder
    Woods
    Work
    Wrestling With God
    Writing
    Zealot
    Zen
    Zeus


    RSS Feed


Home

Blog


Biography

Stories & Parables


Contemporary Spirituality

Pilate's Prisoner


Daily Almanacs

Novels


​Lent

Prayers & Psalms
Christmas & Advent

​Artwork

Copyright © 2023 Thomas Turkle. All rights reserved.