Sunday School 2012: The God Question

A new topic and a new series for the first Sunday School class of 2012. Is there a God? Is there objective proof? One of the atheists' arguments against God that was mentioned was that “religion is an opiate for the masses.” Humankind needs to be kept in line and we’ll believe anything an authority figure tells us. Religion is crowd control.

There were others and it was a fascinating discussion (come to Sunday School next week and see for yourself). Science. Freud. The God Particle. The experience of God. One truth versus many. Tepid Christians. Violence born of religion.

I’m particularly sensitive to the “opiate for the masses” remark, though, because both of my husbands were fond of saying it. Why church? Why God? Fear of death. Fear of the afterlife. And though both were atheists, I never could quite express to them how I felt about God—I believed that they both experienced God whether or not they were aware of that fact (they’re both with God now, or reincarnated as squirrels).

Here’s an example, in my book, of God. Last week when I was driving home from church, at the off ramp from the interstate, I saw this very old toothless man with a beagle dog and a sign, begging for food. I don’t know why—because I really wasn’t in a very good mood—but the sight of the two of them together suddenly filled me with an unaccountable joy and I smiled.

And the old man saw me smiling and making motions for him to come over quick so I could give him some money before the light changed. He hobbled over like a crab on skinny uneven legs, and we both laughed with each other as I put a bill in his hand. “Smiles are worth a lot more than money, aren’t they?” he said.

I agreed.