Spirituality vs Atheism

I have recently been impressed by the efficacy of Google's AdWords machine. Initially my thought in adding this gizmo was, "hey, I'm using a free blog site provided globally through this marvelous invention (Internet), why not let it help me raise a few bucks for a worthy cause?" So, as I sat pondering my blank screen and considering what to paint on it today, I took a gander at some of the sites they think my blog represents well..... well! Let me make it as perfectly clear, for you dear reader, as I can. First, the things that I am not:

• I am neither an atheist, nor an agnostic
• I am neither promoting, nor discouraging any one's choice of religion
• I am neither encouraging, nor discouraging any scientific or religious dogma
• Neither I, nor my God as I understand that entity, require that I make a ritual of sitting in any particular seat at any particular meeting in order to carry on our mutually loving relationship.

I am:

• a biological being occupying space on this earth
• a being aware of the three basic facets of my makeup ie. body, mind, and spirit.
• a human being, who as such, enjoys some basic freedoms and rights in the society in which I live. I strive to live my life in such a way as to maintain those basic rights and freedoms and to help promote those same freedoms for others.

I was blessed to have parents who provided for my early education, both scholastically and within the teachings of a "good" religion. I learned about a loving Heavenly Father and His spiritual relationship to us all as His beloved children. I studied all of the scriptures and learned about many different prophets and guides, including Jesus, and Moses, and Abraham, etc. I understood, as a child, that Jesus' mission was to bring us a new law, the law to love one another and be kind to one another (in addition to all the "Thou shalt nots"). I took to heart the message that in as much as you have done it unto one of these, the least of my brethren, you have done it unto me. ----

After that, well, it just kinda lost me how earthly "justice systems" could condemn and destroy a perfectly good person. I failed to be able to justify intellectually, how a Loving God and a Vengeful God could co-exist as one omnipotent being. I failed to be able to justify intellectually, how certain adults, who had the responsibility of guiding young minds, could say or teach one set of rules for acceptable behavior, yet apparently live and behave by another. The catch phrases of "human fallibility", and the concept of "temptation", just didn't make sense to an innocent mind that was already cognizant enough to know that I, being tempted to do something "bad", had the ability to tell myself not to do it. ---- Hello, welcome to the darker side of Free Will.