“It is no longer just a question of whether or not we believe in God but of how the God we believe is”.

This very accurate phrase will serve as the beginning of the journey in this new installment of the series that we have started on the Bible and mercy. It seems to me that this question is very necessary as a bridge before entering fully into the Old Testament.

As soon as we get to know the catechism, we know that we have been created in the image and likeness of God. But as soon as we know how human beings are, individually and as a group, we know that we are used to turning this phrase around and … we are capable of “creating a god” in our image and likeness that, sadly but obviously, is not at all the Christian God.

If we are unsupportive, spiteful and vengeful, “our god”, created in our image and likeness, will be just as unsupportive, spiteful and vengeful. And if this “our god” is like this, our religiosity and pseudo-spirituality will be like this too.

In addition, this religiosity will not only be like this, but in the face of any criticism regarding how it is, we can remain impassive in our error since we feel legitimized by “our god” . If “my god” is like that, why shouldn’t I be?

As we can see, from an initial error a dynamic has been created, we would say a loop, difficult to exit as it feeds itself back. For some, it will be of little use, then, if the Word of God, the doctrine of the Church and each of the Pope’s addresses are addressed to all Christians in a key of mercy. They will say that this is “laziness” pacifist or that progressivism has taken over the Church and the Pope. Whatever, as long as they remain faithful to the image that they have created of God, faithful to “their god” .

It is not, therefore, difficult to explain that from a religiosity built from “my god” , it is possible to sustain savagery such as the following that I will point out below:

– “If you behave badly, God will not love you” . That is the biggest lie that can be told to a child. Almighty God there is something that cannot: stop loving !!! God loves and loves and loves more and continues to love and does not stop loving. If God does not love, then He is not God.

– “If you do that God will punish you” . Another huge lie. With this, God has been made guilty of floods, earthquakes, diseases … even AIDS was considered a punishment from God. This “sadistic god” is not, nor does he resemble the least, the God of Jesus and his Church.

– “If you have done that you have no forgiveness from God” . One more lie. God always forgives the one who wants to be forgiven. I remember a cartoon that said that God’s office is to forgive. Always love and always forgive because his Mercy is infinite.

And we could continue with different modalities that revolve around the same … On the other hand, how everything is transformed if my faith, my religiosity and spirituality are built from the God rich in Mercy, from God who always loves and forgives , of God “madly” in love with his children.

Don’t give yourself a hoot. Take a good look at the websites, blogs and comments in general, how is the God they speak of, what Christianity is the one they perspire with, how they show mercy. Make no mistake, this idea that things of faith require being very rigorous is very unchristian. The Word of God says: “I want mercy and not sacrifice” (Hosea 6, 6 / Mt 9, 13). And Pope Francis has just said: “Clerical rigidity closes hearts , and he has done a lot of wrong “.

Do you know what the worst evil that stiffness has done? We have turned many of our estranged brothers, even mistaken ones, into enemies and, because of us, they have understood that “our god” was their enemy. It is very serious to use God, the things of God, as a stone against the contrary.

& nbsp;

Quique Fernández

Barcelona School of Biblical Animation

Miracle Sound Radio