Booman Tribune ~ A Progressive Community

God's Apprentice

by Syniel
Fri Jul 22nd, 2005 at 02:18:25 PM EST

On the way back home from clothes shopping I passed a billboard that said "Being God's Apprentice, You'll never be fired."

I don't think they thought that line out very well,

but I loved it, anyway.

It's great because it's indicative of the fundamentalist movement in America in general. Maybe it's indicative of fundamentalism everywhere but since I'm only familiar with our particular form of extremism I'll leave it at that. Anyway, it shows a basic contradiction of thought that if people bother to peel back a bit of the religious wrapping they'll get to some great gifts of truth.

Take this statement that I'm prattling on about, for example;

Being God's apprentice, you'll never be fired."

An apprentice is someone who is learning under a master's tutelage. OK, so far so good. Now.. unwrap the present a bit and what's underneath?

Put into context, an apprentice studies under a master's guidence with the aim to become a journeyman, with all the rights the master has to be able to grow from being a fledgling to being a tradesman or artisan in her own right. Many go on to become masters themselves... See where this is going?

This is US Christian fundamentalism in a nutshell. Christianity has so much history and so much thought put into it and so much internal contradiction that to actually get into studying it in depth is a wild ride and a garaunteed growth experience. However, in fundamentalism, God's promise that we all have a choice means that you get to choose to follow God with blind faith and go to heaven, or follow your own path with rational/empirical curiousity and go to hell.

Here's a disclaimer.. I'm not a Christian at all, so I guess I get to peel back whatever layers or wrapping I wish and I'll spend my time in hell in good compnay with non-Christian and Christian people who do choose to pull back the curtain on Oz.

(I'm not sure if this should count as a diary but I just felt like ranting and flapping my gums. Hope that's OK!)

God's Apprentice | 3 comments (3 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: God's Apprentice (none / 0)

I'm a little confused - the first time you give the quote as "...you'll be fired." and the second time as "...you'll never be fired." I'm assuming from the context it's the latter.

Bad choice of analogy on their part, for just the reasons you state: as long as you keep it on a superficial level and consider the immediate instant, yeah, what a swell God, he'll never reject you. But when you play it out over time, his love smothers and stunts your growth. Of course, 99% of people seeing the message on the billboard are not going to give it the degree of thought you did.

"Money ruined Democracy. Washington is lost. We only have the grassroots left." - Bill Moyers

by Knoxville Progressive (green_planet_2000 (at) yahoo (dot) com) on Fri Jul 22nd, 2005 at 04:28:37 PM EST

Re: God's Apprentice (none / 0)

You were right, it was the "never be fired"

And 2.. people not giving things a bit of thought was the point, really ^_^

Hermaphrodite with attitude!

by Syniel (s y n i e l *dontspammeeeeeeDx*@gmail.com) on Fri Jul 22nd, 2005 at 10:00:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: God's Apprentice (none / 0)

Really that was just a "snicker moment" i just had to get down somewhere . Maybe i need my own blog !

Anyway, thanks for the reply.. i was beginnign to feel neglected (laughs)

Hermaphrodite with attitude!

by Syniel (s y n i e l *dontspammeeeeeeDx*@gmail.com) on Fri Jul 22nd, 2005 at 10:02:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

God's Apprentice | 3 comments (3 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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