by Brittany Lytle

Created on: April 27, 2009

God exists for those who need him.

The concept of God was created by man, so in a sense he does exist if only for the reasons that men needed him.

Understandably, many people cannot fathom that death is a dead end, a brick wall tightly sealing our alley. This is one instance where such people would look for a continuum and God is there to remove the bricks and allow them passage onto "eternity boulevard". He "exists" to make living less frightening because it no longer seems so short.

God exists to forgive mistakes. Guilt is extremely hard to live with, and people often say that a "weight is lifted" by God. Whenever a Christian sins, he must ask God for forgiveness so they remain on good terms. Perhaps it's just easier to ask forgiveness of someone unseen rather than apologize to another human or take responsibility and face the consequences of the dirty deed.

He exists as a crutch. In times of trouble, who do people cry out to? "God, help them." "God, bless them." "God, love them." "God, save them!" When the burdens of life become overwhelming, people look to the cosmos for aid. Most find that the aid comes from another person, but call this a "God send" when it could be deemed a simple act of kindness. If that help does not come or plans fall through, "God has a plan" and he'll pull through in some way.

Controlling the masses is another benefit behind the creation of a monotheistic religion headed by an all-knowing, all-seeing, and all-powerful God. Claiming to hear the voice of God and record it, men took down rules to live by. The rules are taken by the church and expanded upon or "modernized". Things have changed since the Bible was written and rather than spending time fussing about braided hair or wearing pants, the church has moved on to other things.

When I attended a Wesleyan church, it was considered a sin to listen to the Beatles ... in 1997. I was raised in that church and never received any information about other religions or other ideas. I was frightened to death that I might make a mistake and spend an eternity in hell, so I distanced myself from people that the church deemed "unclean".

I can remember a Sunday school lesson about sinners in which we were asked whether or not we would associate with people depicted on tiny cue cards. I said yes to all of them and was reprimanded, especially for saying yes to a tattooed and pierced man. After that lesson I became judgemental of others and picked who could be around me and how I was supposed to act around them.

I was afraid to ask "why". I was being completely controlled by the church.

If the church controls the masses and a majority of the country is Christian, the government can begin to realize how to manipulate the people controlled by the church, even when church and state are kept separate.

So yes, God exists. He exists for the needy, the weak, the sheep, and the power-hungry.

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