Is God Responsible for your Crimes?

There is a specific component in religious scripture that is especially confusing to me. 1 John 1:5 really digs into the origin of my skepticism; ‘This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.’ 

I do not completely understand this concept: a theistic leader, who’s character and teachings are based on scripture that coordinates what is good or bad, is separate in full from darkness. You would think all religious teaching would be more clear, and not busy with translation. 

My apologies in advance, but this brings up a sort of interrogation of questions: is it fair to face the complete penalty of sin when the one who leads you sits on a throne, free from fault, while you felt your path was on par with their teachings? Is this just? Would you say it is rational to feel those who create good deserve praise, but even more so, those who continuously manufacture evil, unwittingly or not, by the easily misinterpreted and mis-translated and traditionally limiting scripture instilled in their image, must face responsibility? Why not follow the law, and stick to it: meaning you love everyone, no matter how disconnected you feel they are from your way of life. There are obvious caveats— nobody is telling you to hunker down and befriend a puppy abuser. 

If you use the name of your God to justify good deeds, but act as if an ocean separates you and the ‘Lord’ when you let another fall due to your judgment of their faults, you are a branch of wickedness, an agent of evil, in the eyes of your fellow human. Does it make sense to give glory when you assist those you feel deserving, but build a barrier of acceptance, by bricks of earthly judgment, to rationalize how you turn your back on those needing support?

Coming from my own origins, I have always felt if you choose to love in the name of Christ, or whomever you follow, to empathize as he does, then your hate, prejuidice and your abandonment of those in need also falls into his hands. It just doesn’t make sense to me to say that good actions are a representation of God, but bad actions were symptoms of temptation, free will, or a transgression of the law. 

If you have chosen the path of a proclaimed all-loving savior that sits high on a podium in your heart, so high that your courage, strength and love is based on the character of this one, how dare you spread your love so thin that it may only sit in the chalice of who you deem worthy and feel connected to. This is wrong because it is inconsistent, and sickening. It is easy not to fail when you are a sheep following the shepherd, though your decision to detour from the path, based on your own constructs, translations, and interpretations, is an act of depravity. Ironically, as I write right now, I am using biblical scripture to help frame this exploration (#hehe #oops). 

It is an interesting and compelling point of view that failure is innate if moral obligation is directed by scripture. Regardless of belief in objective morality, individuality is a constant we must feed to feel alive and is needed to adapt to the changing conditions of our life and world. This is the primary force that pressures the word of your God to be subject to change based on judgments decided by a community, political party, country, world region, time-period and denomination. The obligations set by these variables sprout a thirst to be welcomed, loved, and correct, which will force earthly interpretation that directs who or what we choose to love— producing actions opposing the scripture that many claim to follow.

It is easy to say these failures are produced by free will, or decisions we claim to regret—fine, but the continuation of these short comings do not go unnoticed, not by those around you, not by the soul within you. Maybe the comfort in promised absolute eternity, despite failings or evil deviations from teachings, may allow this mindful continuation in opposing your God and your own species. When you produce good or if you create or succumb to evil, all actions were your choice and are therefore a representation of your faith and predictors of future action.

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. James 2:10 is extraordinary. However you scale the severity of your sins, if you follow (in this case) Christ, you are responsible equally and in full. If your heart is based on the word of God, and if your conscious or unwitting action based on scripture leads to disaster and suffering for others, is God responsible for your crimes?