Saturday, October 04, 2003
People these days get excited when people make "truth claims" about God. It is this that causes hatred and wars. "Look at militant Islam," they say. "They believe that they have the truth about God. We must learn to leave religion to personal preference and not be arrogant about our claim to know the truth." And so it goes; you know the drill.
But persecution does not come because people are convinced too much about God, but because of too little. Jesus taught us to pray for our enemies and to good to those who use us badly. This did not mean He was against the use of force in government, for He knew the value of good order and the peace that comes from enforcing good laws.
Our protestations of love for God are hollow indeed if we do not love our neighbor, John wrote. Under Israel's law, the people of God were forbidden to persecute or mistreat the strangers that lived among them, for they had been strangers in Egypt, and they were never to forget it. For the sake of good order, those who lived among them could not seek to overthrow the laws established by God, but they could live at peace if they chose.
Common sense teaches that putting a viper into our shirt will have bad consequences; so will welcoming those among us who refuse to testify in our courts, live by our laws, and refuse to live at peace with their fellow Americans. If they want to live by the laws of the Quran, let them stay in their Muslim republics. It is not persecution to thwart those who wish you dead; it's survival.
But persecution does not come because people are convinced too much about God, but because of too little. Jesus taught us to pray for our enemies and to good to those who use us badly. This did not mean He was against the use of force in government, for He knew the value of good order and the peace that comes from enforcing good laws.
Our protestations of love for God are hollow indeed if we do not love our neighbor, John wrote. Under Israel's law, the people of God were forbidden to persecute or mistreat the strangers that lived among them, for they had been strangers in Egypt, and they were never to forget it. For the sake of good order, those who lived among them could not seek to overthrow the laws established by God, but they could live at peace if they chose.
Common sense teaches that putting a viper into our shirt will have bad consequences; so will welcoming those among us who refuse to testify in our courts, live by our laws, and refuse to live at peace with their fellow Americans. If they want to live by the laws of the Quran, let them stay in their Muslim republics. It is not persecution to thwart those who wish you dead; it's survival.
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No one can escape the results of his thinking. It is true that a person is free to reject the idea of God if he chooses, but he is not free to escape the results of his thought. The person whose thinking is based upon the idea of God will think very differently from the person who does not believe in God. So, a person cannot escape the results of his denial of God. This is the reason that Solomon said that the fear of the Lord is the beginning and the instruction of both wisdom and knowledge.
But there is more. It is also true that a person does not have to accept the Christian creed that Jesus is God. If he rejects it, however, he cannot escape the results of his thought. The idea that Jesus is God has had a profound effect on the thought, the morals, the philosophy of the Western World, and men must deal with the idea even if they reject it. There is no escape. The Apostle John knew this, for he wrote that Jesus is the "light that lights every man that comes into the world."
Similarly, a man may decide that he does not need to eat. He is free, of course, to believe that if he wishes. He is not free, however, to escape the consequences of his thought. More to follow. Please email me for comments, and I will post the best of them.
But there is more. It is also true that a person does not have to accept the Christian creed that Jesus is God. If he rejects it, however, he cannot escape the results of his thought. The idea that Jesus is God has had a profound effect on the thought, the morals, the philosophy of the Western World, and men must deal with the idea even if they reject it. There is no escape. The Apostle John knew this, for he wrote that Jesus is the "light that lights every man that comes into the world."
Similarly, a man may decide that he does not need to eat. He is free, of course, to believe that if he wishes. He is not free, however, to escape the consequences of his thought. More to follow. Please email me for comments, and I will post the best of them.
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This blog will be used for theological thoughts and opinions.
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