Devo 24
8/31/00
"The Real Thing"
Welcome back boys and girls, men and women, cats and dogs, and whoever may be reading this. For those of you just now starting up the fall semester of school, I hope it is going well, and that you will remain diligent in your studies throughout the semester...after all, it's only about 15 weeks...no longer than your summer, and that flew by right? I hope all of your summers went well and that despite being out of school you learned a lot...I did. This being the first devo of the new school year, I want to remind you all that if for any reason, you don't want to get these devos anymore, all you need to do is to 'reply' to this email and put the word 'unsubscribe' in the subject line and I'll take you off the list
Do you know what I like about Christianity? I like it because it is real. I'm sure you're nodding your head in agreement; I don't think you'd expect a Christian to say any less. I agree with that, but let me tell what I'm really saying, I'm not saying that I believe it because I think it is true (which I do) but because it is real, that is, makes sense.
I've been reading a book lately that is an overview of many of the most prominent religious movements in America. Among the one's I've read about are Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian Science, Masons, and a couple others. And what really strikes me most about all these other beliefs is that they are all a bunch of pomp and ceremony designed to make the believer feel good about him/herself. Christian Science was built up around the idea that sickness and disease could be driven away given the right state of mind. Masons support many philanthropic organizations in an effort to be conciliatory to as many different belief systems as possible. A common idea threading through all of these beliefs is that our prosperity and happiness on this earth are a result of our own strivings. You'll notice in these beliefs that acceptance into "heaven" (however they happen to define it), or rather the degree of fulfillment and happiness one can attain after death (none of them really believe in a place of eternal torture and torment--the closest I've seen so far are the Jehovah's Witnesses who believe in the annihilation of the soul) are dependent upon the amount of work you put into it on the earth. New Age philosophy is much of the same, talking about the oneness of everything and of the peace and tranquility that comes as one becomes more in tune with the whole of nature.
It all sounds nice doesn't it. You all know the traditional Christmas wish don't you? "Peace on Earth, goodwill towards men". If peace could be achieved on this earth, I think this would be a pretty cool place to live in--I'm tired of locking my keys in my car! If the world was at peace and man felt goodwill towards each other, I wouldn't have to lock my car anymore. But alas, this isn't the case. Despite all the utopian dreams of these various beliefs, that peaceful society still seems hopelessly out of reach. Despite all the high sounding philosophies of these belief systems, and all the millions who believe in them, world peace has yet to be achieved. The violent images that flash across the newscast each night, just don't ring true with the promises of peace and happiness. At one time one would like to believe that if we all try hard enough a utopia can be reached yet deep down we all know that this is likely to never be the case; and the newspapers and newscasts of every day confirm this. Something about these various religions just doesn't ring true with my experiences in this world.
This is what I like about Christianity; it's real. It doesn't give us any false illusions that if we all hold its teachings hard enough that everything will be peachy. No, Jesus Himself told us that if we follow Him, we will be persecuted. He told us that the world would hate us for following Him. He said He came not to bring peace, but the sword. He taught us that following Christ would be a daily effort, and the better we became at dealing with these struggles, the harder they would become. No promise of peace on this Earth was given.
So far this seems a pretty crummy reason for wanting to follow Christ, and you're right, it does sound bleak. But doesn't this fit more with what we see on TV: good things happening to bad people, drunk drivers walking from the scene of an accident while a mom and her child are taken to the morgue, convicted criminals being released from prison because a lawyer said something that wasn't politically correct--it doesn't make sense. The other religions say, 'try harder', 'if you believe in yourself, you can make anything happen'. Jesus says 'come to me and I will give you rest.' Jesus tells us that the battle for peace on this earth is not ours, but His. He alone will bring peace to this earth and goodwill towards all mankind--and He shows us how in the Bible. The Bible doesn't feed us all some mumbo-jumbo that the only reason we suffer is because a few unenlightened individuals can't think of themselves as part of a global community. The New Agers would like us to think that evil is just as necessary as good, that they are balanced and equal, and in the final reckoning, the same.
Where's the sense in that? If I suddenly found my family murdered, the last thing I want to think is that this is some meaningless occurrence, some cosmic balancing of Yin and Yang. And I certainly don't want to hear that demanding justice is cruel of me, that these murderers were merely the victims of unfortunate upbringings--too many video games, blame popular culture, not these poor victims of society who were so oppressed and suppressed that their emotions could only be expressed in violence. Suddenly the murderers are people to be pitied and I'm the bad guy for demanding a life for a life. What's more, in most, if not all of these religions that I looked at, there really is no substantive consequences for living an evil life. For a New Ager, a bad life means a few more reincarnations than others. For Jehovah's Witnesses, there is the Annihilation of the soul, but even that is better than eternal torment, and besides, this seems reserved for only the most evil people. Mormons have a three-fold division of the afterlife, each a paradise in comparison to our current world, with the provision that some punishment might have to be endured if you've been especially bad, but even this punishment is not eternal. Where's the justice in this? I don't want to die and find out that all the pains and struggles I've endured to live a moral life have been for nothing. If I can life a morally perfect life and reach the same level of afterlife happiness that serial-murder/junkie/immoral person does, what's the point of even trying? Only in Christianity does justice exist.
Now, there are some distinctions in Christianity I haven't made, and I'll only mention them briefly here (with the hope to expand on them in the future). First, revenge, and justice will be dealt out by God, not myself. Second, living morally isn't the point, nor will it get me to heaven. Accepting Christ's sacrifice on my behalf and allowing Him to work His will through my life humbly and obediently will. Do you notice the emphasis here that it is God who will do these things? And really, it is the only solution that makes sense. For centuries, philosophers and teachers have been saying that the power and ability to live in peace lies within ourselves. And for centuries man has consistently proven this wrong. It doesn't matter how great the philosopher or how revered his teachings, in the final analysis, they have failed to produce any lasting mark in the social behavior of mankind. If anything, this should show us that the power does not lie in ourselves. And if not there, then in something beyond us, beyond the natural. And yet something personal, if it is concerned with human interactions. Not some impersonal all-pervading force that is just as much present in a leech as it is in a saint
What all this comes down to is this: While a self-affirming religion teaching that my happiness in life depends on how I perceive it and ends in eternal bliss sounds nice and easy, it just doesn't make sense. If ever one of these other religions ever sounded appealing, let me put it this way: It they are right, and I (as a Christian) am wrong, then the worst that will happen to me is that I will cease to exist, or likely inhabit some lower level of eternal bliss. BUT, if they are wrong, and I am right, then they aren't facing a little slap on the wrists when they die, they are facing an eternity of torment. Sure, the Christian life can be a big struggle at times, but in the end the rewards are far greater than even the greatest rewards of these other religions.
Well, that's all this week. Until next time