Early morning solitary bicycle rides are wonderful for a few reasons. I love the cool quietness of the day and the beauty of the world waking up. But these rides also allow me moments of reflection and thought – some of my favorite activities. And it is during these times that I try to work through things. What-ifs and whys. Things we’d all like to know.
I also use the time to ponder how I can best approach explaining myself to others. What do I believe? Why do I believe it? How do I really feel? How do I get that across to people without being misunderstood (see my previous post on that)?
Yesterday morning was a morning for these thoughts. The sun has been coming up later each day, and a lot of my rides are in quiet country darkness now. Perhaps the deprivation of that darkness helps sharpen my focus and gets me thinking harder. I’m frustrated when I think people don’t understand where I’m coming from. This is especially true in my Christian faith. I hear incessant mischaracterizations, straw men, willful misunderstandings, and outright hostility.
I just want to ask why? G. K. Chesterson said, “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.” This seems like the approach I feel from a lot of people. And not that I want people to “try it out” first. It’s just that I want them to at least engage honestly with the best arguments and explanations for it (i.e., not point at Westboro Baptist church as the standard Christian model – that’s pure laziness). If they do that, then I can work with and understand their thoughtful conclusions.
So the question that came to mind yesterday morning was, “If the God I believe in does not exist, why is it so important that you oppose him?” And even more so, “If your desire is to let people live as they wish to live, why would you not allow me to do the same?”
Is it because my beliefs threaten you? Is it because you think it’s people like me that are responsible for all of the world’s ills? The racism? The homophobia? Hatred and conflict? Do you do it because you believe my views are dangerous and hurtful to others?
But are you really engaging my views?
Here’s what I’m thinking: If you believe that people are born a certain way sexually, can’t you also believe people are born a certain way spiritually? Even if we allow for the influence of culture on the kind of religion we may have, we must admit that the overwhelming majority – I would say nearly all – of humanity chooses a religion or nearly equivalent belief system. If we’re in India, we’re Hindu. Japan, Shinto or Buddhist. Saudi Arabia, Muslim, etc. We all seek a greater purpose and meaning in life. In other words, we are born as spiritual beings.
But if you believe it is people “like me” causing the world’s problems, I could as easily say that people “like me” bring most of the world’s good. If you point to countless examples of people you believe to be “like me” in your argument, you have a distinct disadvantage: I know exactly the person I am. You don’t. At best you can only guess, especially if you’re arguing against what you claim to be my religion without knowing me personally. So bring out the straw men.
But I can certainly help by clarifying. I believe in a religion that:
- Believes in the value of every human being as creations and image-bearers of God
- Opposes racism (and opposed slavery vociferously and did not rest until it was abolished)
- Values the most helpless of human life, from the tiniest to the eldest
- Believes in caring for the poor, the sick, the helpless, the lost
- Commands me to love all people as I love myself
There is no shortage of people who claim to believe what I believe but act in a way completely opposite of what I just said. You can even find people who will quote the book that describes the foundation of my beliefs in order to justify doing the opposite of the very things that are in that book. You may even be able to quote from that same book extensively yourself to make it say the opposite of what I just said. But I can show you clearly that what I just said is built on the foundation of orthodox Christian belief. I do this using context both internal to the text of the bible and historical in the setting of the events and actions described within. Those who do otherwise can easily pull snippets of text, but they will never confront it as a whole. And to engage with the best arguments of my belief should at least include not only the full context of the words, but also the myriad of examples throughout history of people doing the things I said I believe – caring for others deeply, opposing slavery, healing the sick – in many cases to the point of death themselves.
One thing can be said for humanity – we tend to favor that which makes us most comfortable. I could look in the mirror myself on this because as spiritual beings, most humans feel great comfort in religion. But we can’t deny that others find that same comfort in faking it and being filled with the bluster of one who feels morally superior. And yet others are quite comfortable doing whatever they want with their lives in any way they want. Religion certainly gets in the way of that, but they don’t need religion to be racists and bigots. And ironically, they can feel just as morally superior without it. History quite clearly demonstrates this. We could run the list of entire regimes who have killed and jailed homosexuals, people of color, and those of differing beliefs with not a speck of religious zeal behind their murderous ways.
And yet while all of humanity is messed up in one way or another, one must ask, which way is better? A mass of people who believes in doing whatever they wish (when even their most altruistic actions are self-motivated)? Or a group of people who believes in loving their neighbors?
Many who oppose my views are far too willing to overlook this. It is much easier to misrepresent my position than to engage with it. And yet at the base of my beliefs is that I love you – whether you’re gay, cheating on your wife, an abortionist…whatever. On the other hand, where is the compulsion for you to love me? If I want you to understand and perhaps come to my way of belief, it is because I want to share the love and joy that I have in God. What is the purpose behind your wanting me to come to yours? How could turning my back on “loving my neighbor as myself” be an improvement? Can I do that without some magical “god” to tell me? Perhaps. But I would not be compelled in any way by my beliefs…or lack of them. I could just as well tell you to “piss off” and it wouldn’t matter one bit. How would that help anyone?
Of course, it’s complicated. But at its base, if we leave behind the power plays that are so often at the root of “you” seeing things “my” way, and stand firmly on the core of what we believe, what is the result? If you are right, then neither of us have anything to worry about and it’s all just about the quality of the life we have here and now…which, by the way, for a lover of Christ is a rewarding lifetime filled with hope and love, even if in the end it led to the meaningless nothingness at death in which you believe. But if I am right, I would get the joy of life with the added bonus of an eternity in God’s very presence. Conversely then, what would my being right mean for you? [this is a philosophical argument known as “Pascal’s wager” if you would like to look into that]
As I’ve said, man is undeniably a spiritual being, so even the staunchest atheist or agnostic questions at one time or another in their lives what it means to die. We all have this feeling of something more than nothingness. We all know there is some overarching sense of spirit, of soul, of rightness (and wrongness) that governs us all. Some are far better than others at denying it, but it is there.
I’m not saying right now that you have to accept everything I’m saying. I’m not calling you to turn from your ways and accept that the God in whom I believe is the true way. I’m just saying “consider.” Come to your conclusions if you wish, but don’t do it holding up straw men (whatever they may be) that can easily be knocked down and dismissed so you can be satisfied that you’ll be alright in the end. Give this serious thought. It’s important. If you come to the conclusion that you are right, walk away knowing you have nothing to lose. But always think seriously so you understand that if you’re wrong, it could very well be everything that you have lost in the end.
If you’re going to oppose my God – if you’re going to engage in the debate – at least engage in the right debate, not a creation of your own mind that you can conveniently refute. I will always be ready to answer any questions you have. I promise to take you seriously, and, most of all, love you no matter what you believe in the end.
