If God has a plan, you’re not in it

When a religious-type is confronted with strife or tragedy, they often attribute the event to “God’s Plan.”  Grandpa was diagnosed with cancer?  Puppy was run over by a car?  Terrorists flew two airplanes into the World Trade Center?  It’s all part of the Lord’s divine plan. 

This phenomenon is emblematic of the popularity of religion as a whole.  Followers take solace in the fact that there is a higher power at work, governing the workings of the world.  If God wasn’t calling the shots, the world would descend into chaos, threatening the sheer existence of humankind.

I believe that this is complete bullshit. I cannot fathom the concept that we are all pawns in an omnipotent being’s master plan. 

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It is pompous to believe that you could play a part in God’s plan.  Consider the key players in God’s plan – he’s got an excellent team with a deep bench.  What could you bring to the table as a mere mortal, when God has Jesus, Abraham, Moses, Noah and Barack Obama in his Fave 5?

It’s not like God is franticly pacing in heaven, fretting about the next step in his Big Plan.

“We’re going to need help to pull this off,” God remarks, “who can help us out?”

“Great questions,” Jesus laments.  “Wait – what about Tara’s Uncle Larry?”

The suggestion piques God’s interest.  “Tara Almeida from Buffalo?” he asks.

“No, Tara Bailey from Chicago,” Jesus explains, “the drunken junior high janitor with the addiction to YouPorn.”

“Good call, JC!” God exclaims.  “If pull Uncle Larry into the fold, we’ll get this shit done.” 

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Face it: there is no Grand Master Plan.  If there were, every calamity on earth would be the means for God to reach his or her ultimate goal.  If natural disasters, terrorism, wars, pandemics, bad sitcoms and puppies being hit by cars are all part of God’s plan, God is a cold motherfucker.  How does a religious person reconcile the fact that God – purportedly an all-knowning and loving entity – had shared interests with Usama bin Laden, Hitler and Jim Belushi?

I cannot find a fundamental flaw in an individual’s faith in a higher power – religion just isn’t my bag.  But the world is a scary and unpredictable place.  If you insist on believing that a higher power causes all of the bad things that happen in the word, you are deceiving yourself.

And if you believe that your ultimate fate in life is predetermined, you are missing the point of life.  If there is a God, his or her greatest gift to humanity the freedom to make our own decisions and shape our own futures. 

If you don’t agree with that, then your life is rather pointless.