somewhere between silence & screaming

I hear these a lot, so I’m responding.  It’s the wee hours of the morning, so I’m not going to quote verse after verse right now.  I’ll probably add them in later though because I think they’re important.

some people need something to give them hope or to help them deal with life and inevitable death.  i don’t.

To me, this alludes that life is without purpose and coincidental.  To which I often hear, “I think we’re supposed to -insert do good things, help people, make the world better, live by our own moral code, etc., etc.” which I’ll get to momentarily.

bad things happen. or some people are given an advantage towards Christianity. that’s not just.

Forced obedience is not love.  That may not seem relevant, but to me its all about free will.  Yes, bad things happen, but I think those can usually be traced back to human sin.  Even natural disasters.  When we fell, so did the world that we were tasked to take care of (and fail miserably.)  When you think about bad things, trace them all the way back to a choice that someone made.  And consider what God intended life to be like when He created people.  He was in constant relationship with them in paradise.  Every need they had was met.  No one knew death or heartache or evil.  We the people brought that into the world with a wrong choice, and our sin/selfishness/pride/greed/etc spiraled out of control.  And now here we are in a mess, and we’re looking to blame it on God - the Creator we failed who desperately wants to redeem us and bring us back into relationship with him.

and yes, some people are born into Christian homes while others are born into different faiths. Some people are born into awesome families while others are born in tragic situations.  I’m not denying any of that. That comes down to the choices of their family members though.  And here’s what I believe about those who were born into Christian influences (like me):  we are without excuse, and we have a HUGE amount of responsibility to bear.  It is our job to take it to those who were not born into similar situations.  It is our job to go to the places that aren’t so easy and to help, to share the joy we have, to tell our story, and to be the hands and feet of Jesus.  If no one tells them, how will they know?  We are called to Go and make disciples of all nations.  That means different faiths, different socioeconomic situations, different governments, different ethnicity, places where the message is welcome and places where the message is hated.  We are called to a spirit of boldness, not timidity.  Our privilege does not make it easier.  Often times, it means we have more to give up.  But the responsibility to go is still there.

i don’t feel anything.

1)  Stop trying to test God.  You’re here to glorify Him; He’s not here to cater to you.  He cares deeply because he is relational in nature (as is evidenced by the community/relationship within the Trinity and the fact that God is love, which is relational) and because he wants to, not because he needs to.  2) Emotions are incredibly deceiving and don’t always (by a longshot) reflect reality.  How many times have you seen someone get emotional over a misunderstanding?  How many teens have you heard claim their parents don’t love or care about them? (Not to say there aren’t terrible parents out there, but i rarely hear of that situation).  And yet, just because you feel something doesn’t make it true.  Sometimes, I’ll talk to Josh while he’s in a different room and he won’t respond.  After a few minutes with no answer, I’ll call out, “Are you even listening?” and he almost always can relay exactly what I said back to me.  He’s listening, but I don’t necessarily feel like he is because my expectations aren’t met.  Which is the whole problem with making God revolve around the way you feel.  Praying doesn’t always feel magical.  The sky doesn’t open up, and you don’t always open your eyes, look to the heavens, and find clarity.  God sees a huge, eternal picture, and we see with tunnel vision.  Don’t pray once, and give up if your expectations aren’t met.  He’s much bigger than your feelings, plans, or expectations.

science disproves it.

oh, really?  by all means, please take your indisputable evidence, write a book, and enlighten the world.

science often backs up what we believe on faith.  I’ll definitely come back to this one when I have more time to link to what I’m referring to.

i live by my own moral code.  people should be good for the sake of being good, not so they’ll go to “heaven.”

Why?  If we were made by accident, live, and then rot in the ground, why in all of the world should we adhere to a moral code?  Shouldn’t the point be to live in whatever way brings us the most pleasure?  Shouldn’t that fleeting life be about self-indulgence, not generosity, kindness, etc.,  If there’s no basis, where does that internal moral code come from?  Even if you believe that morality deems from a social contract because we live socially, you’re still not adhering to your own moral code.  Your adhering to society’s moral code or government’s moral code.  Then you have to ask yourself where that came from.  Eventually, you’ll likely lead back to the value of human life.  But why would you view value human life if it started for no reason and results in nothings?  Pride means nothing when you’re six feet under.

the rules don’t make sense/aren’t necessary.

This baffles me.  It’s not even about rules.  No amount of following rules will restore you with God.  Jesus came, lived, died, and rose so that you could be free from the stress, uncertainty, and impossibility of rules. 

This comes back to what I was saying earlier.  Forced obedience isn’t love.  But love breeds obedience.  I don’t do good things so they’ll save me.  I’m saved so I do good things.  I don’t do what Jesus commanded so he’ll love me.  He loves me, even though I don’t deserve it and can’t earn it, so I do what he commands.  I believe He was able to save me because of his perfection and equality with God, and I believe his perfection and divinity make him the authority on life.  So why would I follow anyone else? 

In John 6, Jesus taught some really difficult things that caused some of his followers to stop following him.  Jesus asked his remaining Disciples if they wanted to leave too.  Simon Peter answer: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

That’s what it comes down to for me.

i don’t think people should talk about /share their religion.

“Hey, you know that thing your passionate about?  that person you’re in love with?  the guide that is the basis for all of your decisions?  the place you go for comfort, hope, and purpose?  the one that gives you such joy and peace? the very center of your life?  You really shouldn’t talk about it.”   That’s ridiculous. 

The funny thing about all of these comments above is they are rarely an original thought. Rather faith is written off due to a combination of hearsay, the feeling of intellectual superiority, and an unwillingness to actually read the Bible that so many are quick to call contradictory or fiction.

End Rant.  Verses to be added later.