There’s a lot of irony in people’s beliefs and how they think those beliefs should shape their world view.
Irony in that most people get it wrong. They don’t think all the way through what their beliefs must mean. Two examples:
The Atheist
The atheist believes that there is no God. I think we can all safely agree on that. They believe that we are a result of a series of random biological events with no rhyme or reason behind them. As a result, we are here for no real reason. Our reason is therefore completely up to us to determine. Everyone does what makes them happy, and then they die. End of story.
If there is no reason for our existence, no soul dwelling in the body yearning for something more, and no Creator behind it all, then we are indeed free to do whatever we want. But most atheists don’t really believe that.
Here’s why: if you believe there is no God, and our existence is up to us to determine, then there can be absolutely no right or wrong. There just can’t. It would be right or wrong according to whom?
So the atheist that protests Bush invading Iraq and says he’s evil is wrong. There is no evil. He’s simply living according to his own world view, and it’s absolutely as valid as your own. Taken further, the person who thinks that Saddam Hussein was evil is also wrong. There is no evil. He’s simply living according to his own world view, which primarily involves having and abusing power, killing anyone who challenges it. His world view is absolutely as valid as your own.
Darwinism was all about survival of the fittest. That’s supposed to be why our ancestors developed the “fight-or-flight” response in their brain chemistry, and why men have the need to procreate with as many women as possible to spread their seed and continue their lineage. It’s supposed to be why nature lives by the premise of “eat or be eaten.”
So, technically, that would actually make Bush a better organism than ourselves. How could the most powerful, well-protected man in the world not be? Not only does he have the power to destroy anyone who tries to destroy him, but he has a virtual guarantee that his offspring will be raised in protection as well, perhaps rising to power just like he did and his father before him. He’s the current evolutionary pinnacle.
The atheist who believes in survival of the fittest shouldn’t be protesting war; they shouldn’t be opposed to hunting. They should all have guns and security systems and moats with alligators surrounding their homes that were constructed with concrete. The male atheist should have a harem, providing him with the greatest likelihood of producing offspring. The atheist should also technically never be a homosexual, because doing so most likely means that their seed doesn’t move to the next generation.
Absurd? Offensive? Wrong? If there is no God, then absolutely not. There is no wrong. That would just be my world view, and it would absolutely be as valid as your own.
The Christian
The Christian believes that there is a God, and that we were put on Earth for a reason. They believe that there is a soul, and that there are definitive rights and wrongs, which were determined by the being that created all of it.
That means that every single Christian should be an environmentalist. If God created all of this, and it is man’s obligation to watch over it, the Christian should fight vigorously to preserve the gift that was given to us.
That means that if a Christian works for a company that is even the slightest bit unethical, they should either try to change it or they should leave. Remaining there would be an implicit endorsement that the behavior is okay, and would technically make the Christian just as guilty as everyone else at the company.
That means that the Christian should have an intense desire to tell everyone they know about their faith. If they believe that there is a God, and that there is eternal salvation associated with having faith in Christ, then they are indeed sinning by choosing to not tell non-believers about it. It means that they don’t consider that person worthy of receiving eternal life, whether it’s said or not.
That means that the Christian should never judge another soul. If there is a moral code, and that moral code was created by God (which it must have been since he alone would possess the wisdom and knowledge to make a code that satisfied Himself,) then God alone has the power to judge someone else. It means that the Christian must look at the atheist and the homosexual without judgment. Taken further, it means that they must look at Saddam Hussein without judgment.
For the atheist, living their lives according to their beliefs is almost impossible. Likewise, for the Christian, living their lives like they really believe and fear the Lord is equally difficult. If the atheists of the world really did live their lives like they believed it, there would most likely be anarchy. If Christians lived their lives like they meant it, like Paul did in the Bible, then they would most likely end up dead like he did.
It’s ironic that I don’t live my live according to my beliefs either. What’s even more ironic than that is the fact that I just wrote a post on how people don’t think fully about what their beliefs really mean, and yet I most likely am just as (maybe even more) naive than most of the people who read this. And I bet if more than 12 people read this post, I’d probably find how from them just how naive I am. But by writing to me, and therefore attempting to demonstrate how wise they are, they would probably demonstrate how naive they are themselves. What a vicious cycle it is, trying to act like you know something.
That makes my head hurt. Maybe the answer is to remain silent and have people think you’re ignorant rather than speak (or write) and prove it. Or, put another way, just “Be still, and know that [He] is Lord.” Take your pick. It’s your world view, after all, and it’s absolutely as valid as mine. Right?
