Kindness in All Things

October 8, 2025

I was about sixteen when I began to realize there was something seriously wrong with the Bible itself. By that time, I had already developed a form of PTSD whenever I heard the name God. It’s sad to admit, but I would literally cringe at the sound of that name. This was also when I began studying the Bible more deeply. Many verses left my soul hurting. I realized that the God described in the Bible does not exist as written. And I know there are many, many people who feel, see, and know that something simply doesn’t make sense when it comes to the Bible.

One of the first stories that troubled me came from an early book of the Bible. It told of servants carrying a large gold idol. I never paid much attention to the details of the statue itself, or even why they were carrying it. What stood out to me was what happened when one of the men stumbled and fell. The statue dropped to the ground, and the story said that God struck the man dead. A minister once explained that it was because God had given strict instructions on how to carry the statue, and when the man didn’t follow them perfectly, he was killed.

There’s simply no way to justify that story about what God supposedly did. It was an unreasonable tale about a God who was supposed to be loving. Yes, the man may have died instantly — but we now understand that he could have suffered a brain bleed or a massive heart attack. In ignorance, those who witnessed his death blamed it on the anger of a hateful God.

From very early on, God was turned into a hateful bully in the writings of the Bible. Those words were not from any higher power. They were written by men who didn’t, or wouldn’t, try to understand. Men who lived in ignorance and shadows. Men who wanted control — over what they didn’t understand, and over others. Sadly, this has happened in most religious texts. As societies grew and changed, so did their beliefs — splitting off, creating new religions, new rules, and new requirements. Separated by land and culture, groups developed different ways of seeing the world.

Throughout history, leaders have shaped, promoted, or even banned religions to control people in the name of a higher power that doesn’t exist. Some religions appeared because someone claimed to have a vision or a new revelation. In the end, nearly every religion became a system of fear — a way to make people believe they needed to be controlled.

How did it all begin? I don’t believe anyone can truly comprehend how we came to be. Even if it were explained in detail, we don’t yet have the understanding to grasp it. What I do know is that we were not created by accident, nor by two rocks colliding in space. Earth, and all that exists here, was intentionally created. We were made with every aspect of divine love possible.

I no longer worry as much about how we began as I do about the path we’ve taken and where we’re heading. I’ve found answers to every question I’ve truly needed to ask. I don’t need to know exactly how we were made — because I know we were made with love. We’ve been given every tool we need to learn, grow, and gain wisdom about what it means to be human, and what it means to be spiritual. We are both.

There was never a forbidden “Tree of Knowledge.” There was never a serpent born from a devil or demon. The only devils and demons are the hate, racism, and greed created by mankind. Women were not the cause of humanity’s suffering. From our earliest beginnings, we were given the freedom to become whoever we chose to be. Along with that freedom came pride and ego — things we’ve had to understand, and learn how they affect everyone.

Humanity has also had to learn about greed, compassion, empathy, and all the emotions that make us human. But somewhere along the way, we became lost in the words of others, rather than trusting our own inner knowledge and intuition. We were, and still are, given divine understanding through experience — to learn the essence of life:

Be kind. Don’t judge. Don’t take more than you need.

These three simple truths are all that have ever been expected of us — nothing more, nothing less. The most important part is learning them on our own, without fear, threats, or stories that distort reality into something it never was.

Many ages ago, humanity began moving in circles. We destroyed what we didn’t understand and invented explanations to justify our actions. This happened everywhere on Earth. Over time, these actions snowballed into the state humanity finds itself in today. When people lived long lives, even hundreds of years, they still couldn’t find their way out of the shadows. So, it was decided — we would shorten our lifetimes to gain more perspectives, more experiences, and to face the consequences of our own actions more directly. Around this time, the story of Jesus was introduced to humanity as a savior.

Through man’s words, God became a demanding ruler — one who created endless laws that crushed individuality, learning, and the freedom to choose. Our right to freedom was misunderstood from the beginning. And again, men began criticizing what they didn’t like or didn’t understand. It was then that the old saying began to take on deeper meaning:

“Do as I say, not as I do.”

The story of Jesus gave mankind an escape. Right and wrong became sins. Men became sinners. Those who shouted the loudest about sin often committed the same things they condemned in others. The story of Jesus became a way to avoid responsibility — a story that said he died for our sins so that we could be saved. But there is nothing to be saved from. We are not born in sin. Sin is a man-made idea. We are not punished for mistakes, nor are we tormented for believing differently than religion incorrectly demands.

Yes, we must take responsibility for our actions, and yes, there comes a time when we judge ourselves. Often, the only fair way to do that is to experience what we’ve judged others for. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard Christians say, “I’m not perfect; the only perfect person was Jesus.” As if that excused everything. I’ve seen people knowingly harm others and justify it because they believe they’re “washed in the blood of Jesus.” The story was used by those in power to avoid taking responsibility for their own actions.

The truth is this: the powers that exist — whatever you wish to call them — want only the best for every soul on Earth and beyond. Every single person is loved, meant to be here, and meant to be treated with kindness. There is no special religion. No special skin color. No special culture. Each and every one of us is special.

Many of us have lived through different experiences, beliefs, and ways of life. Many more will continue to. We must stop destroying what we don’t understand and learn to approach all things with kindness. Hate breeds hate. Love from a kind heart does not destroy love.

Written by: Anita D Austin

10/08/2025

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Original work: aforeverlife.com