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.

A Critique of American Spirituality

When it comes to dealing with issues of ultimate importance, a great bulk of American society consists of people who want to be pampered: they don't want to be challenged, and they can't handle truth claims. Many people will settle for any excuse, no matter how lame, to disengage their minds from certain issues (to read A Critique of Ten Reasons Given for Why People Do Not Want to Discuss the MEGAQUESTIONS, click here). Even many who are involved in a religion of some kind will use their involvement as an excuse to promptly disengage their minds from such issues. Whatever the case, many will often arrogantly claim that such things are not relevant to their lives, and perhaps convince themselves that they are "good enough" to qualify for some kind of eternal blessing. Many presume that they can simply rely upon their own personal judgment in determining what is acceptable before a God they do not know, and fool themselves into thinking that they are safe, when in fact they may not be. Many completely shut down their minds when confronted with the idea that they have a desperate need to be reconciled to a holy God who will enforce an eternal penalty for every evil thought, word, and deed. Many live as if they will be able to avoid any accountability for their lives by not thinking about it. On a spiritual level, America is largely a sea of mindlessness.

Why do we have this state of affairs? We can definitely find reasons for this in human terms. Mindlessness is often portrayed as an answer to the difficult issues in life. It allows one to concentrate on pursuing other things and in setting one's own agenda in the first place. It is an apparent, and only temporary, escape from those nagging questions. It also apparently allows people to avoid heated arguments.

These reasons, however, cannot justify mindlessness. They are only short-term fixes at best and do not solve anything in the long run. Although engaging our minds on matters of ultimate importance does not guarantee that we will have 100% agreement on all issues, a fear of disagreement is not a valid reason to refuse to even begin. Neither is a fear of heated arguments, for they are the result of faulty communication, not the subject matter. If important, beneficial, and ultimate truth exists, we have everything to gain by seeking it out, especially if short-term risks are insignificant in comparison.