A woman knocked on the door of my tuition student’s house this morning. She talked with my student’s mother. She spoke in gentle, well-polished English. “Surely it is not one of those door-to-door salesmen,” I thought.
Apparently the woman at the door was no stranger. She must’ve met my student’s mother, and maybe my student as well at some prior occasion. After an exchange of a few sentences, the mother said:
“I’m really not interested… We are all Buddhists. We do not want any Christian influence... My children are busy with their studies, my son is sitting for his SPM this year. I don’t want them to be disturbed… My husband told me to politely refuse you... I don’t want things that are not an issue to become an issue... Yeah, ultimately it’s my choice, isn’t it… No la, I don’t want…”
I was trying hard to eavesdrop as I was teaching my student Add Maths at the same time. My student quietly asked, “Do you mind if I ask what is your religion?”
“I’m Christian,” I said.
Awkward moment.
It doesn’t work. If the gospel is preached in a way that gives people options, we get nowhere. Give me an option, I’ll choose the one that I’m comfortable with. If any option I take is equally ok, then what’s wrong with my choice?
Yes, we have a freedom of choice. But sometimes, we emphasize too much on the freedom of choice, that we are too glad to give people options. We are already afraid enough to bring people to church. Even if they do come to church, we do not want to offend them. When we preach the gospel, we do not want to challenge people to a decision. We leave them with many options. In the end, we leave them with nothing.
I think there is weakness in the preaching of our gospel. The gospel’s main thrust should not be about the options that we have, although it is part and parcel of our response to the gospel. The main thrust of the message should be: There is one God. What are we going to do about it. Choosing not to believe Him does not make Him cease to exist.
The “what have you got to lose” package does not work either. Give me that package, and I’ll tell you what I got to lose. I got to wake up on Sunday mornings. I got to go to church. I don’t like singing. I have to sit through long, torturous talks. I’ve got to sign up with all their activities, or look like a snob. I’ve got to read a Bible, on top of all the other things I already have to read. I have to spend time with people I don’t like hanging around with. I have to give 10% of my money away. I have to change my lifestyle. What’s so great about getting a Christian religion?
Christianity is not a marketing strategy. It is a distribution of truth. We don’t market the truth as though it is “the best deal.” We distribute the truth because it is “the only deal”.
When Jesus preached the gospel, he gave people choices. But He did not make it sound as though any option is equally as acceptable. “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish,” He said.
Yes, you’re right, we have free will. Yes, we have an option. Here’s the option:
8 comments:
"There is ONE God. What are you going to do about it?
very thought-provoking... i am guilty of presenting 'another choice'...
and we have 'made Him too small in our eyes'... insulting His exceedingly wonderful power and His glory
"There is one God. What are we going to do about it. Choosing not to believe Him does not make Him cease to exist."
Very true. But what you are propagating is that there is only one way to believe in god (or worship god - however u choose to put it). And thats Christianity. Which means you are saying that to believe in God you must be Christian.
But why?
If people choose to be Christian, it is because they want to be Christian. It shouldn't be caused by this supposed taking away of their options so they don't really seem to have much choice except to BE Christian. Is it really so impossible to believe in God and NOT be a Christian?
Kim and anonymous, mainstream Christians believe that to CORRECTLY know and CORRECTLY worship THE CORRECT God (who created everything in the universe), we need to turn to His revealed word in the Bible and follow Jesus' example.
Every religion says a different thing. And in the case of Christianity and Islam and some others, they also say that theirs is the ONLY CORRECT interpretation.
Christians say YHWH wants to know us personally and only accepting Christ's payment for our sins will save us.
Muslims say that Allah is unknowable and you must do certain things to get to Paradise.
Buddhists and Hindus believe that there is no life after death in the Monotheistic sense, instead there is endless reincarnation into new lives. Buddhists aim for Nirvana of non-existence while Hindus aim to be reunited with their god of whom everything in existence is a part of.
And atheists believe there is NO supernatural or life after death.
These widely different views cannot each be correct at the same time. If there is an all-powerful God who has paid for us to enter Heaven, then there can't also be the infinite reincarnation system, nor can nonexistence of God be true. There must be only one truth, as the various claims are mutually exclusive.
But SOMEONE has to be right. So all things being equal, how do we know what to believe? How do we know what is right or wrong?
I am strongly in favour of a reasonable, logical approach to the problem. We live in a scientific, systematic era after all!
What I suggest is that we each weigh the claims and doctrines of the religions and philosophies available to see if they are logical and non-self-contradictory.
Study the physical and historical evidence, pro and con, for each belief system. For example, the Dead Sea Scrolls copy of Isaiah is more than 99% exactly the same as Isaiah in today's Bible, predicting details of Jesus' death 300 years before it happened. Is it believable and convincing? What does it say about the Bible's reliability and divine inspiration? http://scottthong.wordpress.com/2006/08/16/isaiah-in-the-dead-sea-scrolls/
Don't rely solely on how people have corrupted, twisted, misunderstood or abused the beliefs of a particular religion. There have been Roman Catholic Inquisitions, Muslim WTC attacks, Presidential assassination by a Buddhist monk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talduwe_Somarama). Instead, look at what the religion ITSELF preaches and judge by that.
In the end, we each make our own choice of what to believe is true. I hope that we can fully convincedm, without a doubt, that our personal choice is the correct one.
Kim and Anonymous:
To be "Christian" is not the way to God per se. Rather, the way to God gives rise to "Christianity".
Organized religion does not bring us to God. If organized religion does bring us to God, (and Christianity being one of them), therefore there is a logical possibility that there is more than 1 way to reach God.
Rather, faith in God gives rise to the vehicle through which we have a relationship with Him. If you believe in the True and Living God, then the vehicle is Christianity.
It is common to have a perspective that says: We pick the vehicle that best suits us to bring us to God. The problem is, different vehicles take us to different "gods". Different vehicles diverge, rather than converge. If we pick the vehicle first, then we may end up going to the place that we didn't want to go to.
Therefore, it is more logical to pick the destination before we pick the vehicle. If you believe that Jesus Christ is God, then the vehicle you must choose is Christianity.
Analogy. If you want a kangaroo, you go to Australia. You cannot go to Thailand, Finland, or Queensland and still want a kangaroo. You pick the animal first. The country in which it can be found comes logically.
If you believe that Jesus Christ is God, then you become a Christian. You cannot be a Buddhist, a Hindu, or a Muslim and still believe in Jesus Christ. You "pick" the God first. The "religion" in which He can be found comes logically.
So to answer your question, "Is it really so impossible to believe in God and NOT be a Christian?"
The simple answer is... Yes. It is very impossible.
If one believes in God and is not a Christian... Then he's believing in the wrong god.
You do believe that there is only one God. So, challenge for you is not to decide which is the correct religion. You have to decide for yourself who is God.
"Religion" comes naturally after that.
The important thing to remember is that Jesus wasn't Christian. He was Jewish, but that didn't stop him from doing things on the Sabbath, or putting men before the Sabbath or speaking out against the Jewish religious authorities of the day or wiping saliva and mud across a blind man's eyes: all things that were prohibited by his religion. One could say that Jesus was a "bad" Jew, one who didn't follow religious doctrine or dogma.
Christ had a personal relationship with God. Christ behaved and worshipped in a manner that his higher self directed, because he lived from the place of being one with his Creator. Without separation. God is the destination, I believe an unavoidable one. The length of the journey depends on how long we choose to live in separation from God. Religion is a vehicle and if your vehicle is getting you to your destination than you've chosen well. If not, be like Jesus and create your own. That is truly Christ like. Different religions seem contradictory to us because we are limited and finite. Fortunately God is Omnipotent and Everpresent and Unconditionally Loving. "He" doesn't care what car you show up in, "He's" just glad you're finally home.
"Jesus wasn't Christian"? Well, technically yes. Because the the word "Christian" means follower of Christ. Surely you can't be a follower of Christ if you are Christ Himself.
"If not, be like Jesus and create your own"? Slight problem here.
Christ did not "create His own vehicle" as opposed to Jewish faith. If the Jews practiced their faith correctly, Jesus' works wouldn't have come in conflict with the Jews at all. Christ was not above the law. He merely fulfilled it... the correct way.
Christ did not "create a new vehicle" with an anti-establishment sentiment, or with a will of His own that is apart from His Father's will. He showed us what should have been, and what should not have been.
As for us, we are in no position to "create our own vehicle." That is the most un-Christ-like thing to do. It is akin to rebellion.
"Different religions seem contradictory to us because we are limited and finite"? Big problem there.
As far as Christianity and different religions are concerned, they are contradictory and mutually exclusive. Assigning ourselves to a helpless estate from ever knowing God is irresponsible behaviour, if we have conceded that there is a Creator in the first place.
So who is God... really?
We actually can know.
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