Personally
I think Hemant Metha considers himself “The Friendly Atheist”
because he smiles while he mocks and ridicules Christians. Or perhaps
it's because he's friendly toward those who share his world-view. Who
knows? It's certainly not because he's safe to be around if you aren't of like mind.
Regardless,
it would seem a better fit and more accurate nomenclature if his blog
was called, “The Joy of Treating Others With Derision and Disdain.”
His regular readers stop at almost nothing in a supercilious
free for all of playground bullying and puerile humour.
Jesus
describes the atheist mind-set displayed on Hemant's blog, and then
goes on to lay out how it is to be and will be in His Kingdom.
As
recorded in Matthew Chapter Five, Jesus said, “Here’s
another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth
for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I
propose: ‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand
there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the
shirt off your back, gift-wrap your best coat and make a present of
it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to
practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live
generously. “You’re
familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its
unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that.
I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best
in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond
with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your
true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives
His best - the sun to warm and the rain to nourish - to everyone,
regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is
love the lovable (Hemant), do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do
that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a
medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that (especially those who
think that doing so makes them good without God). “In
a word, what I’m saying is,Grow up. You’re kingdom
subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live
generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward
you.”
Yes,
I guess Hemant is friendly – toward those who show him kindness
first. As for the rest of us? You'd better duck because you can count
on any disagreement with the atheist world-view as being said to stem
from personal hatred or a phobia of some sort.
As usual you don't consider religious and cultural background. Metha comes from a Jain family. You'll have to google Jain, it's an Indian religion that is peaceful and teaches to avoid any suffering. Those guys are closer to the Jesus of the sermon on the mount than any evangelical fanatic can imagine. They sweep the space before their feet to avoid the taking of insect life. But they don't have anything resembling a deity, nor a creator. So they're born atheists, although they teach tolerance and avoid self-righteousness. Always regard the other viewpoints.
ReplyDeleteYour above ranting is based on deep ignorance.