Lindsay and I have a number of international friends, and while they tend to be bright (‘sent’ to American universities), they are often still polishing their English. This is very understandable, but it can lead to some humorous exchanges.
Last year on Valentine’s Day, one of Lindsay’s friends gave her a card by way of congratulating her on her three-year-old marriage. The message went as follows:
In Sympathy
There is so little
anyone can say
at a time like this…
but it may help to know
that thoughts of sympathy
are with you.
How perceptive, Lindsay said. Right... I responded. We had a good laugh over the card (especially Lindsay), but it makes a good transition to a slightly more serious topic, something I’m calling Unwanted Sympathy.
Lindsay wasn’t really looking for sympathy over her marriage (but don’t ask her about the card, OK?)—and a lot of people aren’t really looking for God to get his blood pressure up over their 'sad condition.'
A sentiment I sometimes encounter could be expressed like this: “You’re telling me that God cares about me—actually, if we get down to it, that God has a problem with me, and wants me to make some big changes and come ‘home’ to him. It’s nice that you feel that way, and it’s nice that God feels that way (assuming there is a God)—but why should I care? As a matter of fact, I don’t.”
The said person often acts as if this settles the issue. But it really doesn’t.
Of course, there’s a point in a person’s thought where doubts about God’s existence could render this whole discussion less urgent. If one thinks the universe is a brute fact, that people are machines made of matter, and that God is a myth for the credulous, then talking about Christ’s personality is beside the point.
Many people, however, do believe in ‘God.’ In which case the conversation can continue.
Let’s say that I am irritated at someone I know. For the sake of an example, let’s say the person is Paula at Ultrablog, and that I have two main complaints against her: 1) Her blog is predominantly purple, which is the official color of the Kansas Jayhawks’ arch-nemesis, K-State, and, 2) She talks way too much about her cats, which I find inappropriate and insulting because we have a canary.
So I have an enduring bitterness toward Paula for these reasons. Paula eventually hears about my accusations, and after five seconds of thoughtful silence, begins laughing. She doesn’t give a moment’s thought to my hostility from that point on. However, Paula’s refusal to discuss my concerns doesn’t alter the fact of my sullenness.
To make this picture really work, of course, we would need to up the ante. One party would need to be deeply injured, the other would need to be really unremorseful. Only then would the serious nature of the dilemma begin to sink in.
Suppose you and I have done something criminal, and that the injured party is ultimately God. We may laugh, or choose not to waste our time thinking about such an absurd problem. But if the antagonism between God and me is really there, the problem is far from silly. If God has something against me, this would have to be The Central Problem of my life, even if I never concerned myself about it.
Let’s say the North American continent was gradually sliding into a sink hole, but on principle there were several things I never concerned myself with: 1) gigantic sinkholes, and, 2) death by asphyxiation.
The issue, I think, is similar.
What’s my point? At the moment I’m not trying to argue for God’s existence. I’m simply attempting to show that if the biblical God is even possibly Real, his feelings toward us cannot be merely a laughing matter.
4 comments:
I have a friend right now who is making the exact argument you addressed in this post. We've talked about the issue for hours.
My friend is pretty sure God wouldn't like the way he's living his life, but he simply doesn't care. And, since he thinks he's happy with life, he doesn't see why he should care. As far as he's concerned, it's kind of silly to make a big fuss about it.
I think your sink hole illustration is a good refutation of his perspective. I'll have to share your argument with him.
First of all, I'm amused at your utter certainty that the sympathy card was merely a "misinterpretation" on the part of the givers, but hey...I'm sure you're right. Really.
And seriously? This post is quite insightful. I was recently called a "bigot" (me!) simply by virtue of being a Christian. Apparently, we are all bigots, because we don't accept all religions, no matter what they may be, as equally valid to ours. Um, does any person of ANY faith not feel that he/she is on the "true path?" This is a brick wall I'm running into more and more and more today, and it is sad.
Practical apologetics is a beast I'm still trying to figure out. Working theoretics down to a conversational level is a challenge...I'm glad if this post was at all helpful.
Belinda, believe it or not, I'm just now catching on. Lindsay is clearly paying you something for your comments here. I'm going to take a long, hard look at her credit card statement and follow the money trail... ;)
I think your "bigotry" point is worth making. If believing something with certainty makes a person bigoted, than everyone should be wearing labels.
HEY!!! I haven't talked about my cats in ages. Well, maybe a week. Did you see that poor birdie Tiki killed? I hope you didn't show you-know-who and give him nightmares.
Anyway, congrats on the adorable baby! I also think Aidan is a tres cool name.
Post a Comment