The self-righteous have taken it upon themselves this week to indulge in a little rejoicing, and not a little bit more gloating, at the death of George Michael. They are particularly pleased that, in all likelihood, he has gone to Hell, what with him being gay and all. Because of his sexuality – and this is how their damaged minds work – some of these Christians have also decreed George must also have been a ‘paedophile’, a victim of AIDs and possessed by evil spirits. Incredibly, he still managed to fit in a singing career. He was, these true-believers say, an enemy of God and is now frying in Hell forever. Yippee!
Here’s how the Christ-like Steven Anderson puts it:
First of all, George Michael’s burning in Hell right now. He was a very wicked, God-hating sodomite reprobate, and he’s getting the punishment that he deserves right now… If you just look at the lyrics to one of his most famous songs, one of his biggest hits, you can just totally tell this is written by a paedophile… It’s clearly written by a sick pervert because that’s what these homosexuals are. They’re a bunch of paedophiles… Quit mourning the death of this filthy pervert. He’s rotting in Hell right now for being a God-hating homosexual reprobate.
George Michael was none of the things these Christians claim he was. His post-mortem was inconclusive, but even if he had died of an AIDs related illness it would not be a cause for celebration. He was not a paedophile nor demon-possessed, but Christians, having happily embraced today’s post-truth world, think it’s absolutely fine for them to say he was.
They see evil spirits and demons everywhere, particularly in people who don’t share their primitive views; homosexuality is caused by their malevolent presence, and so, apparently, are depression, eating disorders, insomnia, self-harming and sex before marriage. Little wonder, of course, when that first-century ignoramus they claim to follow regarded Satan’s little helpers as the source of sickness and disease (when it wasn’t sin itself that was doing it). It hardly matters there’s absolutely no evidence that such beings exist; Christians are more than happy to take on the demonisation of others themselves.
As for Hell itself, it isn’t real either, as I discuss here. George Michael isn’t there, nor is anyone else who’s died. But let’s humour all those fanatics gentle souls who have persuaded themselves that it does. What does the Bible say about it?
First, it doesn’t claim that individuals go to Hell after death. Rather, it sees Hell as a pit into which Satan and his minions will be thrown at the end of time (Revelation 20.10). No mention humans will go there with them. Instead, the whack-job who wrote Revelation suggests (20.7-9) that the unrighteous dead, once resurrected, will be consumed by the fire God is going to destroy the Earth with at the end of time. You might wonder why God would bother resurrecting bodies only to murder them again, but he’s God, and you know, mysterious ways and all that. Still, he doesn’t seem to have perpetual torment in mind, even so.
Second, Paul tells us that after they’ve died, the dead sleep until the final judgement (1 Thessalonians 4.15-17). So even if they are eventually to be consigned to Hell it certainly won’t be immediately after death. As the final judgement has yet to occur – and won’t ever – dead souls, including George’s, still slumber. (It’s possible of course that for the dead time ceases to exist and the period between death and judgement appears, from their perspective, instantaneous. But this is not what the Bible teaches. It’s not nearly as imaginative as that.)
Third, Jesus is made to imply (it’s all very vague) that those with whom he is displeased will, after death, simply be discarded – thrown on some sort of metaphorical rubbish tip (Matthew 23.33). In fact, he tells only one parable about the after-life (Luke 16.19-31) in which a resurrected rich man finds himself excluded from God’s presence Abraham’s bosom. Not, you’ll note, because he failed to accept Jesus as his personal saviour but because of his disregard for the poor. So, given his philanthropy, it doesn’t look as if George Michael will be spending his eternity in the Hell that Jesus imagined either.
All of those who threaten us with Hell, and who think George Michael is already there, don’t know, and probably don’t care, what God’s Word™ has to say about the place where they’d be happy to see the rest of us suffer everlasting torment. It hardly matters when it doesn’t exist, being a fantasy of primitive zealots, but it does make you wish those who delude themselves into thinking it does would shut the hell up about it. Yes, you Franklin, Stephen, Bob, Kim and Keith. You’re only showing yourselves up for the ignorant hypocrites you are.
rejectingjesus, 
There is absolutely no rejoicing in the Franklin Graham quote.
And the Anderson is simply speaking the cold hard truth.
You people go ape feces when a gay pedophile Catholic priest does this thing on alter boys.
But somehow George Michael, whose perverted lifestyle is a matter of public record, is off limits.
I don’t understand why atheists think that lying is serves the common good.
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SoM: There is absolutely no rejoicing in the Franklin Graham quote.
N: I don’t ‘quote’ Graham but he’s certainly exultant in his Facebook post.
SoM: And the (sic) Anderson is simply speaking the cold hard truth.
N: No, he doesn’t even get the theology right. The Bible does not say people go directly to Hell without passing Go – yet he claims they do. Anderson’s a self-aggrandising bully, nothing more.
SoM: You people go ape feces when a gay pedophile Catholic priest does this thing on alter (sic) boys.
N: What ‘thing’ are you referring to here? Are you suggesting consenting sex between adults is the same as priests’ abuse of altar boys? It isn’t and George Michael wasn’t a paedophile.
Who are the ‘you people’ you refer to? Are you saying society shouldn’t react to the rape of boys by priests? If not, why make the point?
SoM: But somehow George Michael, whose perverted lifestyle is a matter of public record, is off limits.
N: I repeat as you don’t seem to have grasped it, George Michael wasn’t a paedophile. And how can his ‘lifestyle’ that is ‘a matter of public record’ be, at the same time, ‘off-limits’? This is a non-sequitor on your part. What I say is that the Christian rejoicing at his death is hypocritical and uncharitable.
SoM: I don’t understand why atheists think that lying is serves the common good.
N: This doesn’t make sense, but hey ho –
SoM, you understand so very little anyway. That’s why we atheists leave it up to Christians like yourself, who are neither rational nor capable of putting an argument together, to make up the falsehoods.
Better luck next time.
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At the link you provided, there was no rejoicing on the part of Graham.
That you insist that there was, proves my point about you folks lying and hallucinating.
And how do you know that Michaels wasn’t a pedophile?
Didn’t you listen to the song lyrics quoted verbatim by Anderson?
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Reblogged this on Scotties Toy Box and commented:
Incredibly well written. I really agree with every part of this. I would like to add something about those who claim to have a loving God are the most destructive and vindictive people, but I feel the author has already made this very clear. Why do those who claim to speak for a god that is so powerful and yet can not speak for itself, have such hate and violence desires? Thank you. Hugs
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Scottie,
Christians aren’t in the business of making perverts feel good about themselves.
There is nothing hateful about that.
In fact, it is you who are full of hatred by attacking Christians with your lies.
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@SoM. Understand this is the last time I will address you, unless you do more than your normal pattern of insult and evasion. You know when you came to my blog I told you upfront I wouldn’t tolerate you insulting others on my blog and would block you if you did. You never came back. For that I guess I should thank you. I feel you sir are a troll! All you like to do is insult others and get a rise from them. Look at the comment you wrote. “perverts”. Now we could get into an argument which I feel would make you feel oh so good about yourself, but I find you less interesting than an insect, and your offering of information is far below that. Oh does that bother you to know you really are unimportant?
I have to admit I would be willing to tolerate you if you would present coherent information, if you would present your feelings and beliefs with out disdain and insult to others. But sadly that is not your style. You really don’t want to know what I really think of you, when I think of you at all. Mostly I don’t think of you.
Now as to your comment… Christians are the real perverts! You also are included if you support a god and a “holy book” that had such immoral writings in it, which believers are to follow. It starts out not only being wrong about science, but endorsing incest. Then after the flood it also endorses incest. Oh and just for good measure it also has sections endorsing the rape of little girls . Also This same holy book so many use to try to claim that marriage is between one woman and one man has so many different permutations of marriage it is silly. The only common to them is that the man can have as much as he wants of anything, woman, slaves, concubines, offspring… however the female has not such rights. The female can’t have multiple husbands, can’t have male sex slaves.. You get the point.
Now if you respond and I do hope you will. Remember the rules in which I will talk to you. Any discussion on topic is OK. Anything off topic is OK if it can be tied into the topic or start a new topic related in some way to the old one.
The one thing NOT allowed is personal insults, degrading comment toward others, and using our comments to attack others. You are welcome to use your mind for constructive debate, but not your anger or virtual thrashings for lashing out on others.
I look forward to talking to you if you can prove my opinion of you wrong and want to honestly debate the merits of a point of view.
If not in the words of ARK….Va te faire foutre.
OH and even you I will offer Hugs to as you may need them more than most. Hugs
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Scottie,
Your hatred for Christians is so profound as to be unimaginable.
You call me a troll because you find it too distasteful to have a civil conversation with someone you hate.
I am one of the many millions and millions of Christians who have simply had enough.
Enough of your anti-Christian hatred.
I don’t come to your blog because it’s freak show, a global gathering of village idiots.
But I do invite you to my blog.
I welcome everyone, even village idiots.
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Thanks, Scottie. I wish I knew the answers to your question but I don’t. These folks wilfully ignore Jesus’ command not to judge in order to express their own hateful prejudices.
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Neil,
You and Scottie judge Christians all the time.
In fact you are doing it right now in this very post.
Why is it okay for you to judge Christians but it isn’t okay for Christians to tell the truth about drug addicted, debauched and clearly immoral people.
George Michael is a case study in evil.
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I see SoM is up to his usual tricks – slinging shit and hoping some of it sticks. There’s no such thing as evil, SoM; that’s a word religious people use as the antithesis for good – which they somehow think they have in spades. Anyone reading this thread will be able to determine who the negative, nasty person is. HINT: It’s not one of the atheists. .
Odd that all I’ve been reading since George Michael’s death is all the good he did for others.
Oh and P.S. SoM – Stephen Anderson is a perverted, nasty zealot whose rhetoric is that of a deranged individual; only others of the same mindset sing his praises.
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Apologies, Carmen. I only just spotted your comment. I didn’t get a notification from WordPress when it arrived.
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I don’t claim not to judge, SoM. I don’t follow a savior who said ‘judge not that ye be not judged’. You do. Therefore, when you judge other people, calling them ‘liars’, ‘perverts’, ‘debauched’, ‘evil’ and the like, you should expect to be judged in return. That’s how it works – Jesus said so. So you see, I’m only doing the Lord’s work here.
If you have evidence – apart from some very ambiguous, symbolic lyrics in a solitary song – that George Michael was a paedophile, I suggest you present it to the authorities. If, like Steven Anderson, you haven’t got any then you would be well advised to stop making such scurrilous accusations. That, by the way, is how I know Michael (not ‘Michaels’ – can’t you even get that right?) was not a paedophile; there is absolutely no evidence he was and plenty he wasn’t.
Everything comes down to evidence in the end. You have none for all those fanciful things you believe on faith. That’s why it’s perfectly reasonable to call you out on them when, as Franklin Graham does, you use others’ misfortune to forward your own delusional agenda.
If you choose to respond S0M, make it polite or it won’t be appearing here.
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