GOD CAN DO NO WRONG

Words by Grace Atta

I would like to preface this article with a couple of disclaimers. I am not against religion. I believe that if religious faith, spirituality, or any belief in a divine being makes you a better person; more loving, compassionate, empathetic, courageous, forgiving (and so on), then I will be the first to encourage your pursuit of faith. I also write from a place of experience. I was raised as a Christian, I was baptised in the Coptic Orthodox Church, and have attended Anglican, Lutheran, Protestant and community churches (including evangelical megachurches) in my lifetime. I indeed was a devout Christian for most of my life - I decided of my own accord, when I was 10 years old, to be ‘confirmed’ (a practice that allows you to receive The Eucharist or Holy Communion in the Church). I even gave devotions (mini speeches / sermons) at my Lutheran primary and secondary school. For years I read my Bible nightly. So you get the point…Christianity was a big part of my identity. But there comes a point where questions and doubts are raised, key values turn into intricate theological debates reliant on technicalities and varying biblical interpretations; it is never simple. And don’t get me started on the sly digs and the one-upping on the other Christian denominations; however, I digress. At its core, in my slow 3–4-year step-back from faith (or as some would call, ‘the straying of the lost sheep’) I came to understand that my issue with the Church could be summarised by the belief that ‘God can do no wrong’. As they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

You don’t have to be attending church for long to hear the devouts’ adage response to any criticism or questioning of their controversial views. ‘Well, you can’t pick and choose which parts of the Bible you follow’. Well, I think you can. I’ve yet to attend a Church that does not do that. Or rather, couldn’t be accused of that by another Church / believer, based on their varying interpretation. For instance, some will say confessions to a Priest / Father are a must, and others will say we have a direct line of contact to God and that this is enough. Some churches will have women as priests / pastors (they don’t call them Mothers, despite calling men Fathers… at least not that I’ve seen), and some will not even allow women to serve at the church altar. (They’re a Sunday school teacher at best). Some will deny and indeed persecute the Queer community, and others will marry Queer couples in the Church. Some will take a literal approach and say Noah’s Ark and ‘creation’ happened exactly as written, and some will say they’re representative stories. And then there’s the ‘music issue’; are drums allowed in church? All of these variances in interpretations are areas that Christians would point to one another as places of straying from scripture. Romans 12:2 (NIV) is an especial favourite for this scenario and if you know, you know. (The verse is ‘Do not conform to the patterns of this world’). The sentiment is used to argue that you and Christians shouldn’t follow the secular, but instead, seek out God for a transformed way of thinking about this world. The natural implication of this for many, is the maintenance of the status quo. The refusal and indeed fear of information contrary to the established belief, and the antagonisation of progression.

Why hold on for dear life to views on women, homosexuality, abortion, and creation which aren’t reflective of science (natural or social) and the reality of individuals’ experiences? A statement which in itself reminds me of a time a ‘brother in Christ’ spent up to

30 minutes, and paragraph texts, to convince me that my leniency on evolution, even if ‘as the process of creation’ was misinformed and wholly unbiblical. Personally, and respectfully…who gives a damn?! There are a multitude of explanations, which I cannot explain with justice in this piece, but I argue that one is the belief that ‘God can do no wrong’. It is my observation, that of the most conservative Christians, the view truly is that if you make even one omission, one admittance that something within the text or faith practices is debatable, or God forbid untrue of reality, then their whole faith will fall. The Bible has to be infallible and as the source of this text, so too must God be unchallengeable.

I recall in the beginning of my doubt in faith, I asked, ‘How can God be an unchanging, all-loving, all-knowing being, when his very nature is drastically different from Old to New Testament?’. Old Testament God is a big fan of revenge and punitive punishment. You’re a sinner? Do you have doubts? Be ready to be washed away…or turned into a ‘pillar of salt’ (Genesis 19:26). And Jesus is the opposite of that. The Old Testament preaches an ‘eye for an eye’ (Exodus 21:24), and the New Testament preaches the sentiment of ‘turn the other cheek’ (Matthew 5:39). I was given no real response to my question, just a ‘because’ and the typical, that was ‘old covenant’ (old promise) and the New Testament is the ‘new covenant’ (new promise) …which again, doesn’t really solve this whole ‘all-knowing’ characteristic. Wouldn’t an all-knowing God know that a punitive, damning-todeath-and-hell would never save the children he supposedly cares about? Wouldn’t he know a constant state of forgiveness and the now highly praised grace is the only way? My goal or hope is not to deny or discourage people from faith. There are days when even I can still say ‘thank you’ to the larger entity for allowing certain things to fall into place. Even though I recognise that if they hadn’t worked out, the Christian response would be that God intended it to be that way and there is meaning regardless. (A rather circular argument). Sentiments that don’t necessarily make sense can still give us humans peace, and indeed relief from the fact that there are some things we simply cannot control. Sometimes bad things just happen and there is no reason. However, what I implore Christians to consider (as I once did with myself, in a reflective, rather dissonant state) is to allow the Bible to be wrong. To allow it to have limitations. To not enforce your source of peace, as a perpetrator of control, harm or judgement onto others. I argue that the overarching message of love and compassion, especially towards those marginalised and disenfranchised by society is at the true core of the faith, and ultimately should take precedence in all that we say and do. ‘And now these three things remain: faith, hope and love; but the greatest of these is love.’ (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Even if you cannot admit that God can do wrong, I propose that even a message delivered by the Spirit or Son or the booming voice of God, was inscribed by human hands. And we can at least accept that humans are not perfect beings.