To Go or Not to Go

In my experience I find that some of the most awkward and at times tormenting situations are those in which I'm invited to attend what would otherwise be an occasion to celebrate, yet because of an accompanying condition I'm forced to pause and reconsider if not outright boycott the event. "Why?", you may ask. Well, here's why. When the event involves some kind of worship or acknowledgment of a false god, or a clear misrepresentation of the true and living God, or making a mockery out of what God has clearly prescribed in His word, it would be a violation of my conscience to be a party to what takes place. "You're taking your religion far too seriously--lighten up!", you may say. So am I supposed to sacrifice my conscience in order to join in on the celebration?

"How can you be so narrow-minded?", you may ask. "Just because you believe that things should be done in certain ways, it doesn't mean that other ways aren't equally valid", you may say. Perhaps no one has pointed out to you that if what the Scriptures say is true, we do not have many ways to God, and if we think we can decide for ourselves what would be acceptable to Him, we are seriously in error. We're also tragically mistaken if we think we can have a positive relationship with God without being specific about acknowledging who He is and what He has revealed about Himself in His word. Praying to some kind of vague "higher power" simply doesn't cut it.

"How can you say all these things when so many 'Christians' are so much more open-minded than you?", you may ask. Yes, a great many people who call themselves "Christians" do indeed appear to be much more flexible than yours truly regarding various religious ceremonies. You'll probably never hear people refer to them as "narrow-minded", "self-righteous", "bigoted", "anti-social", etc. No, such terms are generally reserved for folks like me who have the audacity to think that what we believe is actually relevant to how we live our lives. Evidently, this is a radical concept to not a few of my fellow countrymen.

"Alright, it looks like you're a fossil which is hopelessly stuck in a bygone era, and you don't seem to realize that the world has moved on", you may say. Perhaps much of the world has "moved on" and no longer values objective truth, and would prefer that folks like me would just go away. Nevertheless, if what I say is true, the world would only be temporarily sticking its proverbial head in the sand, soon to discover that truth has a way of catching up to it.

"So what if you're right?", you may ask. If you really understood what I've been saying, however, you would know that the implications go far beyond simply being a matter of having a correct answer to a question. If I'm right, or more precisely, if what the Scriptures say is true, then having a wrong idea of who God is and what is acceptable to Him merits condemnation that is everlasting, and the result of this condemnation awaits all those who ignore the warnings of Scripture until its too late for them.