This isn’t gender specific… letting you know up front.
I just got done tying myself in knots on one of those philosophy discussions. It got me thinking….
Generally whenever I read or hear something, especially if that something is full of complicated terms and construction of thought, I try to cut through to what is really being said ( presented). That will sometimes take me some time, but I don’t mind appearing stupid in the process if I think it will get me what I want: understanding.
It is sort of my mission in life, I do believe… at least, I seem unable to escape the process. I do often question anymore whether it is worth it. Because the proof of something is always in how it works out. A lot of talk often clouds things up and complicates everything in a singularly undermining manner.
You end up really missing it while you wade through all the unraveling of the words and thought processes. Not always, but sometimes. And I am a person for cautious consideration of what is set on the table.
But I guess what I am trying to say is that there are times we have the answer, we know we have the answer, and we ought to get on with living it out in real daily actual life. There are people that you can argue with all day and it won’t make any difference what you say. The arena is what you live.
That is where the argument is weighed out.
And what if you get the perfectly formed argument? The elusive perfect philosophical construction of “How things are”? It would still have to be applied. It is useless in abstract form only.
That is the argument I hear against Christianity alot: people like what they think Jesus says, and who they think He was….. but they don’t see it as a viable religion for them because of the examples of Christianity.[us]
I don’t agree with the line of thinking, but I see that it is a hurdle to overcome in presenting the gospel; there are parts of it that seem true.
Oh well, that is some of what I was thinking. I spend much of my time thinking, but sometimes I believe it is wasted. It doesn’t get my wash done, it doesn’t dust the furniture, it doesn’t even teach the kids….. it sometimes leaves me cobbled.
Some of what inspired this was a discussion on the problem of evil. I started realizing that, for man, it is more a problem of suffering. We don’t mind the evil so much, but we sure get bent out of shape about the suffering [this is not a bad thing, ok?]
We start to set our own standards of acceptable on it. How can we really do this? By what criteria can we figure out what suffering is good, acceptable, or unacceptable?
We can’t. We have no capacity for that. Yet, people extrapolate that into judging whether they think God is Ok or Not based on their idea of how much suffering is allowed in their view. By them. As if.
It seems really ‘out there’ to think about God having the Will to send His Only Begotten Son to suffer in those terms, don’t you think?
If there is no good reason for suffering…. then this would not make sense.
Except that there is suffering. It is there and not going away, and something needs to be done about it… it gets unbearable so something has got to be done.
And then Jesus suffering for us starts to make a little sense even to those who don’t like the thought. Because we need something, don’t we?
Well, I will cut this short…it is only a few fragmented cogitations after all. When the pain gets bad enough we all start looking for something to relieve it. Something to cure us, preferably.
And what I am finding out is that building the things that work into your life is what engines the reality of this thing. Jesus said it another way: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
or like Paul put it: “Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.”
Well it makes sense to me…..
I like it when you said,
“…people like what they think Jesus says, and who they think He was….. but they don’t see it as a viable religion for them because of the examples of Christianity.[us]”
I agree with that wholeheartedly. I heard another quote one time (don’t know who said it) that goes along with this.
“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their mouth, but deny him with their lives… that is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelieveable.”
It does seem true that -for whatever reason- we have been holding ourselves very loosely to the levels of integrity necessary. The observing world outside our fellowship groups give no such leeway.
I believe the truth of Christ is so powerful that if it is taken seriously it cannot help but have undeniable impact.
That was already proven with the early Church.
But -as with them- it will cost us to exemplify what we say we believe. No exceptions.
Perhaps that is what allows us to put off living real Christian life, we think we have unlimited lines of credit in the matter.
But whom do we owe, and whom will we pay, and when will the grace period end?
But I would stop short of blaming faulty Christians, even hypocritical ones, for atheism. I wouldn’t say that there are no examples of true faith and discipleship,either. That is where I cannot agree with the line of thinking.
Because Jesus Christ may be known personally, there is no real excuse for blaming bad Christian examples for one’s refusal of Christ’s person.
Because everyone stands on his own merit. And the merit of Christ, Himself, is unassailable.