How Long Does It Take for a Baby to Drown
If you lot or someone you know is considering suicide, know that resources are available. Text: 741741, telephone call 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or visit www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
A couple of months agone, the New York Times ran a fascinating article chosen "Googling for God." In this piece, author Seth Stephens-Davidowitz explores recent trends in Google search data specifically related to questions people pose well-nigh God. Stephens-Davidowitz notes that the number one God-related question people ask on Google is, "Who created God?" Not surprisingly, number ii is "Why does God allow suffering?" However, I was shocked and dismayed to run across the question that came in at number three: "Why does God detest me?"
Stephens-Davidowitz and then provides an even more troubling piece of information: "What is the most common word to complete the following question: Why did God make me ___? Number one, by far, is 'ugly.' The other pitiful answers in the top three are 'gay' and 'black.'" Although the author of this article does not explicitly link "Why does God hate me?" and "Why did God make me ___?" I couldn't help merely wonder if there might be some connexion between the 2 questions. Afterwards all, if you believe God made yous "ugly," it's not a stretch to believe God hates you, too, since in our culture "ugly" is a very negative term that is used to denigrate people based, primarily, on their appearance. In the same way, given that those who place as black or gay are frequently marginalized in our society—or even targeted for violence on the basis of those identities—it'due south not difficult to imagine that members of those groups might feel that God is, at best, indifferent to their plight, or, at worst, that God has hand-picked them to exist oppressed and mistreated.
Reading this article made me deeply deplorable, because information technology fabricated me realize just how many incorrect ideas virtually God are yet out there, and how deeply those ideas are pain people. Although the church building certainly teaches that nosotros are all sinners and have fallen short of God's glory, it also fundamentally affirms that each one of u.s. is created in the epitome of God and that through God's grace we are loved unconditionally. Somehow information technology seems that this crucial message has gotten lost in the wider civilization, because every bit the Google data prove, people searching on the Internet for answers to their faith questions seem to assume that God is primarily a judgmental, capricious tyrant who selectively applies oppression and suffering to certain groups, or who makes some people "ugly" and others not.
The trouble hither is that it's non God who is doing this labeling and excluding—it's human beings. We are the ones who have created societies in which individuals are judged based on their physical appearance or on their membership in particular demographic groups, rather than on the content of their graphic symbol or according to their unique gifts and skills. Nosotros—non God—are the ones who take decided that some are "in" and some are "out," which is in direct contrast to the message we hear over and over again in Scripture: that God has come into the earth to reconcile all people, through grace that is freely given to anybody. As the church, we are called to find new ways to spread the message of God'due south grace and dear far and wide, so that we might challenge and dismantle the erroneous theology that is causing people then much harm. My prayer is that one 24-hour interval, in the not-and so-distant future, Google might report their top God-related searches as "Why does God intendance for me and so much?" and "Why did God brand me and then beautiful and love?" May it be so.
The Rev. Dr. Leanna 1000. Fuller is assistant professor of pastoral care at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and teaches in the MDiv Program. Her ministry experience includes serving as associate pastor of Oakland Christian Church in Suffolk, Va., where she coordinated youth ministry and Christian education programming. She writes regularly on pastoral care and counseling, pastoral theology, and congregational conflict.
In the almost four years since this blog mail went live, we have received record numbers of comments and e-mails. We thanks for your interest and engagement with this topic. Nosotros are thankful that we have been able to proclaim a message of hope and love to so many who accept longed to hear it. We have kept the commenting for this web log active as long as possible, even though nosotros sometimes must disable comments on our older blog posts. Unfortunately, as we arroyo our fourth year, the commenting feature will no longer be available.
Although nosotros can no longer actively moderate and reply to comments on this article, we realize that the topic is important to many of our readers. If you would similar to discuss problems similar this in greater depth, we encourage y'all to connect with a congregation or pastor in your surface area. If you lot are uncomfortable discussing this topic with a pastor, consider speaking with a counselor.
If you lot have struggled with this question or others similar information technology, or if you or someone y'all know is considering suicide, know that resources are available. Text: 741741, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or visit www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Thank yous for your chat over these last years! One time again, remember the words of the article in a higher place: y'all are created in the image of God and through God's grace y'all are loved unconditionally.
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Source: https://www.pts.edu/blog/why-does-god-hate-me/
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