First off... The Kid. He was 17 years old at the time of this conversation, and he's a good kid for the most part - he just has the unfortunate luck of being surrounded by a group of friends who make being an atheist the popular choice. His whole family is regularly involved in the church, but The Kid is an atheist, and his atheism exists entirely because he has decided that he's an atheist.
Here's a late-night discussion between me and The Kid:
Me: So let's just be point blank about it... You don't believe in God, right?
The Kid: Right.
Me: Any particular reason why not?
The Kid: Well, it just doesn't make sense to me.
Me: OK. I can see that. I can understand that it's a pretty big thing to take in. So let me ask you this, then... Do you believe in the scientific theory of the Big Bang?
The Kid: Yeah.
Me: OK, good. So which makes more sense to you, then? That the universe and everything in it came from absolutely nothing, or that there was a Creator behind it all?
The Kid: Well, I don't believe in God, so I guess it has to be that it came from nothing.
Me: Really? You sound a little hesitant there. It really makes more sense to you that everything came from nothing than that there would be a Creator?
The Kid: Well... I guess not...
Me: So you agree that it's pretty logical to assume that God made the Universe?
The Kid: ...yeah, I guess so.
Me: So does that change your mind about God at all?
The Kid: No.
Me: Wait, wait, wait... You just said that you believe that it makes more sense for God to have created the universe than not, and yet you still don't believe in God? Why not?
The Kid: Because I just don't.
Me: You do realize that, by your own definitions, your beliefs don't make any sense, right?
The Kid: That's OK, they're my beliefs.
Me: Well, you definitely have a point there.
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The less I tell you about The Girl, the better. But we did have the following conversation.
The Girl: It makes me so mad that you always know you're right.
Me: Well... Yeah. I mean, I can see that. I know arrogance is definitely one of my weaknesses. I'm really trying to work on it. I'm sorry.
The Girl: No, no, that's not what I mean. I mean, yes, you are arrogant. But that's not what I'm talking about. I hate it when you know you're right.
Me: Uhhh... You mean... like... when I'm actually right?
The Girl: Yeah.
Me: And... and when these moments come up that I know that I'm right because I actually happen to be right... do you know that I'm right?
The Girl: Yeah.
Me: So... Let me see if I'm getting this... If I'm right... and we both know I'm right... you're mad at me?
The Girl: Yeah.
Me: ...why?
The Girl: Because it means I'm wrong. That's why I hate hearing you talk about God. If you're right about God, which you probably are, then I'm wrong, and that means I have to change a lot of things.
Me: But you already think that I'm probably right about God?
The Girl: Yeah.
Me: And yet you're choosing to believe things that you already know are probably wrong?
The Girl: Yeah.
Me: Why?
The Girl: Because I don't want to have to change anything. And I also don't want you to be right.
Me: Well... That's a valid reason, I guess...
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I didn't put these up out of a spirit of mockery, but to point out the fact that sometimes people are operating with a dangerously misguided understanding of reality that hinges not on the evidence for reality itself but, instead, their own personal preferences.
Consider this quote from Robert Jastow's God and the Astronomers:
There is a kind of religion in science; it is the religion of a person who believes there is order and harmony in the Universe. Every event can be explained in a rational way as the product of some previous event; every effect must have its cause; there is no First Cause... This religious faith of the scientist is violated by the discovery that the world had a beginning under conditions in which the known laws of physics are not valid, and as a product of forces or circumstances we cannot discover. When that happens the scientist has lost control. If he really examined the implications, he would be traumatized.
The "traumatizing implications" here are that the evidence of the beginning of the physical universe coming completely out of nothing strongly points to the possibility - even probability - of a Creator. If a scientist is truly open to all possibilities in the search for Truth, then the possibility of God must be acknowledged as feasible. But if the question is approached from a position of believing that God isn't a possible answer in the first place, no amount of evidence will change that scientist's mind.
(Incidentally... From about 300 years before the birth of Christ to roughly 100 years ago, the standard accepted scientific model was the Aristotelian view that the universe is infinite and eternal, without beginning, simply existing forever. So for something over 2,000 years, science stood in judgment of the Abrahamic religions' belief that the universe was in fact a created thing, temporal and with a beginning. The widespread acceptance of the theory of the Big Bang as the standard of universal origin was a step closer to a scientific agreement with the Bible, not a step away as so many people seem to believe.)
It's easy to point out that a non-theistic worldview is challenged by the evidences for the existence of God, but I don't think that all that many atheists read my stuff. (If I'm wrong, hi! I'm glad you're here. God Loves you, even if you don't think He exists!) But the problem I'm specifically wondering about is how we address fellow Christians whose belief systems are leading them down dangerous paths.
For example... Consider Romans 14 and Paul's thoughts about "the weak and the strong." In my journey through Christendom, I have at times definitely been the person whose faith allows him to eat anything. I understand that it is my responsibility to use discretion through Love for my brothers and sisters to avoid placing any stumbling block in their path, but the entire point of that chapter is actually that it is the responsibility of the weaker brother or sister to not judge the stronger.
So why have we come to a point in our churches today where we exclusively cater to the weak? Why do we allow them to remain weak, instead of encouraging them to grow stronger?
If we're going to claim that our faith is based on the Bible, we've got to actually follow the Bible in order for that to be true.
And there are just some things we're doing these days that really don't make any sense.
Since when did Christianity become the religion of teetotalers? Doesn't Jesus make water into wine? (John 2:1-11) Doesn't Jesus, in fact, drink? And drink enough that the Pharisees accuse Him of being a drunkard? (Luke 7:18-35) Doesn't the Bible actually encourage people to drink a bit when they're down in the dumps? (Proverbs 31:6-7)
So why is there this largely unspoken yet very real disapproval of Christians responsibly enjoying alcoholic beverages?
Or what about dress codes at church? Since when was dressing nice a requirement? Doesn't James specifically say that it's wrong to treat people differently because of what they wear? (James 2:1-13) Don't Peter and Paul specifically say that we shouldn't try to impress people with our clothes? (I Peter 3:3, I Timothy 2:9) Doesn't Jesus pretty explicitly tell us to not worry about our clothes? (Matthew 6:25-34)
Those are the easy ones.
What about the way the modern church at large treats homosexuals? When are we gonna start Loving them as we Love ourselves?
What about the way guys like Joel Osteen promote the idea that God wants you to be comfortable with your money instead of reminding us that we're actually called to use it more on others than we do on ourselves?
When are we going to actually start calling each other out on our sins - in grace, truth, and Love, of course - instead of hiding behind the idea that we don't want to appear judgmental? There is an enormous difference between judging someone as a bad person and telling someone that they are doing a bad thing.
I have been working on this post all day. Normally, I get something started or I pick up on an idea that I've already got written down, and within two hours, I'm finished. Not this one. I've been going all day. I've passed the 10 hour mark. There are so many things that I just want to understand, so many things that we do that just don't make any sense. I just want to see us stop.
I'll be honest, there are times when I feel like I'm putting something up just to put something up. This is one of them. It's not that I'm trying to fill space, it's just that I am so confused by what Christianity has become, especially when I look at what it is meant to be, that I don't even know how to begin to address it.
Love God, Love Others. That's it.
My brain is tired. So is my butt.
Maybe next week I'll make some sense.
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