Punching God in the face

Stevie Johnson should be applauded by everyone ever.


"I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO..."


Why?  Why do I think this so great?  Because I think most people who are religious or even simply spiritual are very reluctant to actually blame the supernatural for bad things.  If bad things happen, or good things don't happen, you're supposed to learn from it or "it wasn't meant to happen" or it's part of a plan.  Honestly, I think that's bullshit.  Most of you are aware how much I don't like karma, I find the idea ridiculous.  If I'm nice to someone, there is no reasonable reason to think it will positively affect an unrelated part of my life.  Obviously, if I'm nice to them they may be nice back, and if I run into them later they may return the favor, and if it was a random person on the street who happens to be the person at the bank I apply to for a loan, and s/he gives me an otherwise undeserved loan because of my kindness, that still isn't karma, that's just a really nice coincidence.  Possibly if I'm nice to someone they'll smile at me and I'll be in a better mood and my better mood will cause me to see a difficult situation more positively.  But that still isn't karma, it's just me elevating my mood.


In any event, I see no problem being mad at the supernatural.  Even if God has a plan, that doesn't mean I don't have a plan.  And if God's plan is different from mine, I have a right to be mad at God, and I am under no obligation to accept His plan over mine.  Maybe His plan has me dying in a particularly memorable way, which will help improve the world by highlighting some injustice.  But that sounds pretty terrible to me.  It also seems to imply God thinks tragedy is the best way to motivate people, which seems wrong.  It would also mean people like Matthew Shephard were never going to amount to anything except as a martyr of hatred.  I can think of a million things Matthew and his family probably wished happen instead.  But what if it was part of the plan?  They should have the right to protest this.


I don't mean protest it symbolically, nor do I mean they should be like those who say "Let us burn in hell, we'll enjoy it!"  No, I mean actually protest and prevent it.  Like Truman in The Truman Show, or like Harold in Stranger than Fiction (never mind that Harold eventually accepts and embraces his fate).  If someone wants to die a fantastic and momentous death, fine, but what if someone wants to disappear into the vulgar chaos and live a life with ultimate insignificance?  How awful is it to force them to become martyrs?


But that's getting extreme.  Even things like a relationship ending or a business failing or drawing a bad card in high-stakes poker.  I don't see what's wrong, theologically, with being mad at God.  God is, by definition, focused on humanity.  That means humans must be overlooked.  Therefore, God is unaware of what individual humans want and incapable of understanding what makes it so important we get those things.  And in an age that seems to trumpet democracy, it seems odd many people believe there's a tyrant above it all, using humans as pawns for a benevolent purpose.


I think there is a better way to believe in God.  To demand answers angrily, and to believe strongly that we have a good sense of what we want.  To be thankful of what we have, and to appreciate nature, but to know we're in control of the future and take the reins without hesitation.


And sometimes, the best way to do that is to punch God in the face.  To tell God to back off.  To say "You expect me to learn from this???  How???  I'll never forget this!!"  Because you're the only person who knows what you want.  God knows what He thinks you want, and a way to maximize your service to humanity, and perhaps He does know what is best for you.  But brownies are not good for me, but I love to eat them.  I'm certainly not saying we should become murderous sinners, but I think submitting to God like dogs is a pretty terrible idea, too.  We should have a right to be mad at our fate.


Unfortunately, it seems Johnson issued an apology, saying  ""No I Did Not Blame God People! Seriously??!? CMon! I Simply Cried Out And Asked Why?" & "I AM HAPPY & THANKFUL 4 YESTERDAY! w/out Sunday i Wldnt have grew closer w/The Lord!!" (Two separate tweets)  I am always amazed how failure brings people closer to God.  If I were to be really cynical, I'd suggest God makes us fail because He knows it leads to a type of humility that draws humans closer to Him.  But no, I won't go there...