My son once dated a nice girl whose mother was a very
religious woman. She wasn’t just very religious, really, she was one of those angry religious people. The ones who use God to hate others and insult
others and be rude to others.
I hesitate to call her a holy roller because that
seems too jovial of a term to describe her. She worked at her church, in some
capacity or another, and she crusaded to save the planet … so much so that she
did not hesitate to spew hatred toward anyone who she felt was breaking God’s
great planet. Because, of course, God would want his chosen ones – the seers of
the light – to spew anger at anyone who dares not follow the path of
righteousness and holiness and planet saving.
But, I guess my question to her, if she would have given me
the time of day the one and only time I met her instead of dismissing me and
walking away for I’m not sure what reason, would be, “If God is all-knowing and
all-loving and all-everything-perfect-and-wise-and-good, why did he make such a
mess of the human body that he claims to have created?
What was he thinking when he made teeth that rot and
toenails that grow for no apparent reason?
Why do bones break and breasts sag? Why do our ears fill with wax and
why the fuck are the intestines over 15 feet long? – no wonder everyone has
polyps and no one can shit properly.
And why do our hearts have 4 chambers when one big sturdy
chamber probably would have been more efficient. Why do our cells grow
uncontrollably and cause cancer? And why do balls shrink while the sac of skin that
holds them grows longer and longer?!
Why do we get frostbite in the cold weather and heat stroke in the hot weather? And why do so many people need glasses?
Why do our brains shrink as we age and why are so many people sad and mean and lonely and in pain?
Why are people hateful and hurtful and sneaky and dangerous? And why do our bodies have to die?
The Godly answer will be that Eve screwed everything up by eating an apple. But. Come. Now.
Seriously.
If God made us, why aren’t we perfect?