You Know What Isn't Fair?
Through a friend's social media post this week I came into contact with this article on how atheists find meaning and purpose in life. This was actually always one of the questions I could never wrap my mind around when I thought Christian evangelism was the highest purpose/call one could pursue. And I didn't see how everyone else couldn't come to the same conclusion and seek that higher meaning which, in my opinion, was to love, serve, and recruit more lovers and servers for Jesus. (Side note: I highly recommend giving this article a read if you are a Christian.)
But you know what isn't fair (besides pretty much most things)...?
The hipster-culture, materialistic jump-up-and-down-in-the-smoke-and-lights, first-world Christians of today who think the rest of the world to be arrogant rejecters of Christ, and poor Christians to be lacking in faith and not living in the full potential of the "abundant life" available to them, and poor "unreached" peoples as desperately in need of hearing a prosperity gospel with the hope that they, too, can have all their material needs met in Christ if they just turn from sin and believe with their poor heathen hearts...what's not fair is that these Christians will continue to live just as they are, and if they are wrong and atheists are right, these (dare I say it?) oppressive Christians (one of whom I have indeed been) will never know it. They'll just continue to live in ignorance, and then die, and...well, that's it. There's nothing else.
But if they are right...then everyone else will suffer eternally for just trying to live life and be decent people.
It's not fair because it makes God seem pretty sadistic.
If God exists, or if Christian religion/theology has any merit at all, then God cannot be as/what most Christians claim [Him] to be.
Because it's just not fair.
But you know what isn't fair (besides pretty much most things)...?
The hipster-culture, materialistic jump-up-and-down-in-the-smoke-and-lights, first-world Christians of today who think the rest of the world to be arrogant rejecters of Christ, and poor Christians to be lacking in faith and not living in the full potential of the "abundant life" available to them, and poor "unreached" peoples as desperately in need of hearing a prosperity gospel with the hope that they, too, can have all their material needs met in Christ if they just turn from sin and believe with their poor heathen hearts...what's not fair is that these Christians will continue to live just as they are, and if they are wrong and atheists are right, these (dare I say it?) oppressive Christians (one of whom I have indeed been) will never know it. They'll just continue to live in ignorance, and then die, and...well, that's it. There's nothing else.
But if they are right...then everyone else will suffer eternally for just trying to live life and be decent people.
It's not fair because it makes God seem pretty sadistic.
If God exists, or if Christian religion/theology has any merit at all, then God cannot be as/what most Christians claim [Him] to be.
Because it's just not fair.
Melody, I understand your confusion. I clicked into the article you suggested... I don't, cannot, believe it. I do not claim to be saved or to be a 'christian' considering the definition of christian is to be Christlike which at this point I am not, yes I do strive to be like Him but I have a ways to go. There IS a higher purpose, that purpose is to endure this world of evil and come out saved. The prince of this world (Satan) has lead people astray and that is no fault of God's. Yes it clearly states in the Bible(KJV) that God would send them strong delusions, not because He is cruel or evil or unjust, but because people have lost their desire to be saved and serve Him. If you don't believe that there is a God of course I feel sorry for you, I will try and help you believe but if you are dead set to make believe that this whole planet, universe even and all that is in it just appeared after a huge explosion then I'm truly sorry because you are deceived.
ReplyDeleteThere is a God. His name is Jesus Christ and I dearly want to be filled with the Holy Ghost and go to heaven. I know alot of people assume that I am idiotic unrealistic and deceived.. Note that I won't retaliate in the same way. I cannot agree with you if you say that there is no God. There is and He is not a play thing, that's why it says when I was a child I spake as a child and I behaved as a child(I'm paraphrasing). It says that because you have to grow up and behave accordingly as an adult, not meaning shut out reality and live in a bubbly little fantasy, far from it, we must grow in truth and not meaning be serious and grave always but that with all seriousness taking into account your own soul in your day to day life. You cannot play church and go to heaven or say a few lines get a warm feeling in your heart and be a child of God. It's not a Sunday only thing. You could also go to church seven days a week and be wrong, there is one way. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. Yes you have to believe Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior of all, He died hanging on a cross for all people and their sins, how pray tell is that cruel? That is where the grace comes in, if you do not choose to serve Him with your all it is no fault on His part. First you have to repent at the alter of all your sins, not just words meaning you are going to leave that church building and not do those things that condemned you in the first place. You have to go down and be fully submerged in water being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ in the likeness of His death and then rise up out of the water in likeness of his resurrection. Yes they killed him and his fleshly form passed on as his spirit left his body but he rose again the third day. Then if you seek with your whole heart then yes you can be saved.
That is what is real.. That is what I believe.
Thank you for sharing. That is pretty much what I used to believe. I do not believe it in its entirety now. However...I did not say I do not believe in God. A majority of the time I still do. I just think that if God exists, God is a lot different than I always thought. I cannot easily capture the whole truth of God in my finite human mind; if so, then it defeats the definition of God being bigger than humanity.
DeleteHi Melody, You know, I believe there is so much more mystery in faith than I ever thought before and I am becoming more and more okay with that, with the not knowing and not understanding everything about faith. It's good to have questions. I don't think we'd be honest if we didn't. I believe Jesus can reveal Himself to people in so many ways. It doesn't have to be (and often is not) through sharing 'the 4 spiritual laws' or other man made means. But that's just me. God is so much bigger than we think, and I am starting to be okay with the mystery of things I don't understand.
ReplyDelete