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Showing posts with label #sin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #sin. Show all posts
Sunday, February 13, 2022
Ward Preacher Podcast Ep 164 - Remember Lot's Wife
This week, our Come Follow Me curriculum brings us to Genesis 18-23. We discuss Sodom and Gomorrah and the sacrifice of Isaac. Study with me!
Sunday, May 17, 2020
Ward Preacher Podcast Ep 73 - You are not your sins
This week, our Come Follow Me curriculum brings us to Mosiah 25-28. We discuss how scriptures strengthen the church, how unbelievers bind people to their sins, and Alma the Younger. Study with me!
Anchor.fm:
Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/user-961318159/ward-preacher-podcast-ep-73-you-are-not-your-sins
Youtube:
Anchor.fm:
Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/user-961318159/ward-preacher-podcast-ep-73-you-are-not-your-sins
Youtube:
Sunday, May 3, 2020
Ward Preacher Podcast ep 71 - Abinadi the Judgmental
This week our Come Follow Me curriculum brings us to Mosiah 11-17. We discuss the reign of King Noah, the coming of Abinadi, and what God is allowed to say to us. Study with me!
Anchor.fm:
Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/user-961318159/ward-preacher-podcast-ep-71-abinadi-the-judgmental
Youtube:
Anchor.fm:
Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/user-961318159/ward-preacher-podcast-ep-71-abinadi-the-judgmental
Youtube:
Sunday, April 19, 2020
Ward Preacher Podcast Ep 69 - The number of sins
This week, the Come Follow Me curriculum brings us to Mosiah 4-6, wrapping up the teachings of King Benjamin. We discuss how to beg wisely, the number of sins, and the difference of covenants. Study with me!
Anchor.fm:
Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/user-961318159/ward-preacher-podcast-ep-69-the-number-of-sins
Youtube:
Anchor.fm:
Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/user-961318159/ward-preacher-podcast-ep-69-the-number-of-sins
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Sunday, March 8, 2020
Ward Preacher Podcast Ep 63 - Why Prophets Care So Much About Marriage
This week's Come Follow Me curriculum is in Jacob 1-4. We discuss whether prophets can be punished for the sins of the people, and why leaders care so much about marriage and chastity. Study with me!
Anchor.fm:
https://anchor.fm/brett-jensen/episodes/Why-Prophets-Care-So-Much-About-Marriage-ebbu93
Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/user-961318159/ward-preacher-podcast-ep-63-why-prophets-care-so-much-about-marriage
Youtube:
Anchor.fm:
https://anchor.fm/brett-jensen/episodes/Why-Prophets-Care-So-Much-About-Marriage-ebbu93
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https://soundcloud.com/user-961318159/ward-preacher-podcast-ep-63-why-prophets-care-so-much-about-marriage
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Sunday, February 9, 2020
Ward Preacher Podcast Ep 59 - The Side Effects of Knowledge
This week we study 2 Nephi 6-10 in our Come Follow Me curriculum. If the ignorant are saved, is ignorance better? Why learning is a two-edged sword... and a series of warnings. Study with me!
Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/user-961318159/ward-preacher-podcast-ep-59-the-side-effects-of-knowledge
Youtube:
Soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/user-961318159/ward-preacher-podcast-ep-59-the-side-effects-of-knowledge
Youtube:
Monday, December 5, 2016
The Demon Within
The story:
“Get dressed Sasha!” I shouted as I rushed in the front door and leapt toward the stairs. “We have to go now!”
There she stood in her doorway in her nightgown. She was squinting her eyes and gripping the sides of her arms. Clearly, I had woken her.
“Daddy?” she whispered wearily.
“Get dressed now!” I commanded. “We have to go!”
“Go where?” she asked as she closed her door to change.
“Just hurry!” I snapped. I impatiently whirled back toward the staircase, anticipating our descent. I knew I shouldn’t feel frustrated with her… she didn’t know the danger… Still… I had little tolerance for being made to wait.
After another minute, Sasha’s door swung open and she emerged. Maybe it was the shadows or my own exhaustion, but for a moment she looked much older than 12. She looked like her mother. I coughed in an attempt to reset my perception as she pulled her long dark hair out from the back of the sweatshirt she had clearly just pulled over her head.
“Where are we going?” she murmured softly. I cleared my throat.
“Away,” I said coldly as I turned to the staircase. I rushed down the steps toward the door that I realized I had forgot to close. I waited for Sasha and closed the large door behind her as she stumbled out in the direction of the Chevy Malibu I had parked in the driveway. She opened the passenger door and flopped onto the seat before fastening her seatbelt. I looked back toward the door of the house… our house… only now I wasn’t sure it could be our house anymore… I closed my eyes and began moving toward the car.
I looked through the windshield to confirm that my daughter was still in the vehicle, half expecting her to be leaning on her window trying to fall asleep again… after all… it was about 3 in the morning. To my surprise, she was wide awake. Her mouth was open, and she stared at me as though I were some kind of monster from a horror movie. I spun around, checking to see if there were something behind me, but I saw only the lights outside the garage that illuminated the area around the car. That’s when I realized that she hadn’t actually seen me in the light until that moment. She hadn’t seen the blood all over my clothing in the dark of our house. I was going to have to explain. I was going to have to explain everything.
“Where’s mom?” demanded Sasha in a very serious tone. “What happened to you? What is going on?”
“I’ll explain once we’re on the freeway,” I said as calmly as I could.
“No!” said Sasha. “Tell me now!” Something about the brazenness of her response made me snap at her again.
“Shut up Sasha!” I thundered. “I said I will tell you when we’re on the freeway!” I instantly regretted my tone as she cowered in her seat as far from me as she could, but I couldn’t think of anything to say. We had to get away. I started the car and backed out of the driveway. I took a deep breath, put the car in drive, and depressed the gas pedal.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you Sasha,” I said softly. “I owe you an explanation.” I turned toward her. Her wide eyes were red, and tears streamed down her cheeks. I cleared my throat in a weak attempt to assuage my guilt, or at least to diminish it, but it didn’t work.
“Where’s mom?” whispered Sasha.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“How can you not know?” she said angrily. “You took her with you!”
“I know,” I replied. “And we arrived at the hotel on Friday night, just like we told you. Yesterday started normally. We saw that dumb movie about vampires or demons or whatever, and we had dinner together. We had an argument on the way back to the hotel, and decided to go to bed.”
“I remember being tired and frustrated, and just sitting on the couch in the hotel room… I don’t know when I fell asleep, but I woke up on that couch, and it was still dark… I wanted to know if your mother was still mad at me, but I tripped on the way to the room…”
I took a deep breath and briefly checked the mirror to ensure we were not being followed. Satisfied with the darkness on the road behind us, I continued my explanation.
“It was a dead body,” I said.
“Mom?!” whimpered Sasha as fresh tears poured out of her eyes.
“No,” I said. “One of the hotel workers… it was a man who had been helping with our luggage earlier. It was scary… he wasn’t just stabbed… it was like a monster had done it… a demon…” I squeezed the steering wheel as I remembered the shock.
“I looked toward the bed,” I continued. “Your mom was there, but… but she wasn’t normal… It was like she was possessed by something… Her eyes seemed to glow and she spoke, but there was something off about her voice…”
“What do you mean?” asked Sasha in shock.
“I don’t know,” I replied as I struggled to find a way to describe it. “It was like she was speaking, but without moving her mouth the right way for the words she said… I don’t know…”
“What did she say?” whispered Sasha in shock and horror.
“She threatened to kill you Sasha,” I said. “She said that we could never escape, and that she would destroy both of us… that she would destroy our family!”
We drove for several more minutes in complete silence.
“We have to call the police,” said Sasha at last.
“No!” I shouted. I squeezed the steering wheel as I struggled to maintain composure. I lowered my voice as I continued.
“They can’t protect us from a demon…” I said.
“Daddy do you really think that mom was possessed… that she was some kind of demon?” Sasha asked.
“I…” I started. “I don’t know.”
“Where are we going?” she asked. There was something off about her voice. I turned to look at her, and for a split second, she looked like her mother. Her eyes seemed to glow, and a feeling of shock rushed over me, as though I had stepped into a shower before the hot water had gone through the pipes, subjecting me to a paralyzing icy blast. I jerked the steering wheel and braked hard. Sasha screamed as our seatbelts locked and the vehicle skidded to a halt at the shoulder of the road.
“Daddy!” she said. “You’re scaring me!”
“Sorry,” I said. “I’m just… it’s been…” I took a deep breath and we started driving again.
“I’m just a bit tired,” I said weakly.
“Where are we going?” she asked again.
“We need to go somewhere she can’t get us,” I said resolutely. I checked the rear view mirror and saw a pair of headlights behind us. I accelerated slightly, hoping to increase the distance between the Malibu and any potential danger.
“So we’re running away?” she asked softly. I furrowed my brow. Had she not understood what I was saying? Had she not realized how I was motivated to keep her safe?
“Yes we’re running away!” I said.
“I didn’t bring extra clothes,” she said in a frustrated voice. “I didn’t bring anything… all of our stuff… we left it all…” Of course we left it all! Did she think that it would be better to get mauled by a monster if she had a different outfit? Did she think that running for our lives would be more fun if she had a tablet and WIFI?
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “We’ll get more stuff…”
“If we’re on the run, how are we going to pay for it?” asked Sasha. I didn’t know the answer to her question, but I needed Sasha to understand how dangerous our predicament was.
“We’ll deal with it when you’re safe, not before!” I said sternly. She cowered back into her seat and sobbed. It shouldn’t have, but it made me angry. I should have been able to understand that it would be difficult for a 12-year-old girl to have to leave everything she had, but she needed to understand it was just as hard for me. I had to leave everything I had, and to flee from the woman I had loved! Why couldn’t she see it from my perspective?
I looked back into the rear-view mirror, but the headlights I had seen earlier were closer now. I pressed the gas pedal and accelerated to 80, then 90 miles per hour. The headlights seemed to diminish in the mirror, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
The way the dashes in the lanes whisked toward us at a regular interval had a hypnotic effect, and in spite of all I had been through, my eyelids grew heavy over the next few minutes. I rolled the window down just a bit, and the cold air rushed inside.
“It’s cold outside daddy,” whispered Sasha. I wanted to tell her to deal with it, but I bit my tongue and rolled up the window.
I yawned as I checked the rear view mirror. The headlights had reappeared. I looked at my speedometer and confirmed that I was still going 90 miles per hour. I clenched my teeth as I accelerated to 100. The light of the headlight behind us diminished, and I returned my attention to the road.
After several more minutes of driving, my eyelids again grew heavy. I rubbed the back of my neck as though I could massage vitality or caffeine into myself by doing so. The steady hum of the engine and the way that my perspective of the dingy lines on the road seemed to point to a distant spot on the horizon made me yawn again.
“How much further?” said Sasha. Her voice sounded off. I whirled toward her, and her eyes were glowing with unnatural light. I slammed on the brakes. Sasha reached toward the wheel, but I slapped her hands back as we skidded to a halt.
Desperately, I struggled to free myself from my seatbelt, but with some kind of odd power, she prevented it from unhooking.
“What’s wrong Daddy?” she said in an eerie tone. Though her mouth was moving, it didn’t seem to fit the words she was saying. I reached into my pocket desperate to find my pocket knife. I needed to cut myself free of my seatbelt.
Sasha slowly began reaching her hands toward me and gave a shriek that seemed to pierce my head and dulled my senses. Somehow, my fingers wrapped around the handle of the folded blade, and pulled it out of the pocket of my blood-stained jeans. Sasha’s cold clammy fingers reached my face, and the horror of her unnatural touch startled me such that the knife fell down at my feet. I pushed Sasha back and reached down to retrieve my knife. The sharp slicing pain of the edge against the tips of my fingers stunned me for a moment, but I managed to grab the handle and attack the seatbelt with a quick sawing motion.
Reacting to my attempt to escape, Sasha grabbed her door and began shaking it back and forth. Another stunning shriek escaped her mouth as the car rocked back and forth.
Ignoring the throbbing pain in my lacerated fingers, I gripped the handle of the lock-back knife tighter. The fabric of the belt had frayed as I sliced through it, and although the eerie screaming, the glowing eyes, and the shaking vehicle had horrified me, seeing my progress with the belt gave me a new kind of focus. I clenched my teeth as I sawed back and forth, frantically slicing it apart.
It was close now… so close… The sound of the knife tearing back and forth through the belt seemed to drown out the shrieking… See-saw-see-saw-see-saw… The fibers of fabric burst outward like I was freeing them from the prison of their weaving. I ignored the burning feeling of the muscles in my arms as I pulled the steel back and forth faster and faster…. See-saw-see-saw-see-saw… There was only a bundle of threads left. The pain, exhaustion, and weariness had completely left me as the knife finally tore through the belt. I laughed with weary relief as I pulled the belt that had trapped me loose.
Suddenly something made me freeze.
I turned over to where Sasha had been sitting. The passenger seat was empty, and the door had been flung open. I stopped and listened for some sign of Sasha. The cold air that had flooded the car made my breath puff out in small clouds as I thought about where she might have gone, and for what purpose.
She had trapped me in the car, why run away? Why? I realized at once that my horror and panic had prevented me from asking that question since escaping the hotel. Why? Why had my wife been possessed? Why had she killed that man in the hotel? Why did she threaten me and Sasha? How did Sasha become possessed? Why had any of this happened?
A tapping on my window made me gasp and jump. My window had fogged up with my breath, and all I could see was the light of a flashlight creating a soft yellow glow. Probably the police. Maybe Sasha had been right… As supernatural as my experiences had been, perhaps it would have been wiser to involve law enforcement from the beginning. I cautiously pushed the door open, allowing the flashlight beam to shine on me.
“What the?!” shouted a male voice.
“That’s my daddy!” came a familiar young feminine voice. It was Sasha. Not demonic possessed Sasha, just normal Sasha. I smiled with relief.
“What is he?” gasped the man. What did he mean, I wondered.
“He tried to kill me!” cried Sasha. Tried to kill her!?!?! That was a lie! I was trying to protect her. I wanted to keep her safe. The officer lowered his flashlight and drew his handgun, pointing it at me.
“What’s going on!?” I demanded. As the words left my lips, I could hear an unnatural echo. I looked down at my hands, and to my horror, they were not the hands of a man… they were the claws of a monster. I whirled toward the rearview mirror, and angled it toward me. Like the headlights of a vehicle following, my eyes had an otherworldly glow. This sight… this honest look in the mirror… it brought everything I had done back to my recollection.
I had become angry as I quarreled with my wife about something that now seemed trivial. The shouting had prompted the hotel worker to ask us not to disturb their other guests. In a rage, I had brutally attacked him.
My wife gave me a look of shock and horror, and went to call the police. I couldn’t let her do that… so I… stopped her. And then I went to sit and think about what to do. Somehow, part of my mind had created the idea that it had been my wife who had become monstrous… it was her fault that the man was dead. I had come up with excuses for being angry with Sasha in the car. It had never been my daughter that trapped me… I had trapped myself. Her cold hands on my face was never a demonic attempt to stop me, it was to push me away and escape herself.
The demonic threat that I had perceived from my wife… that she would destroy me and my family… it had come from an actual demon… and it did destroy me, and my family… but it took too long to realize that the demon was not possessing others… The demon had been within me from the beginning. My anger, pride, and selfishness had fed it, and when it emerged, I had been powerless to stop it. The worst problems in my life might have been prevented, if I had had an honest look in the mirror sooner.
“Get dressed Sasha!” I shouted as I rushed in the front door and leapt toward the stairs. “We have to go now!”
There she stood in her doorway in her nightgown. She was squinting her eyes and gripping the sides of her arms. Clearly, I had woken her.
“Daddy?” she whispered wearily.
“Get dressed now!” I commanded. “We have to go!”
“Go where?” she asked as she closed her door to change.
“Just hurry!” I snapped. I impatiently whirled back toward the staircase, anticipating our descent. I knew I shouldn’t feel frustrated with her… she didn’t know the danger… Still… I had little tolerance for being made to wait.
After another minute, Sasha’s door swung open and she emerged. Maybe it was the shadows or my own exhaustion, but for a moment she looked much older than 12. She looked like her mother. I coughed in an attempt to reset my perception as she pulled her long dark hair out from the back of the sweatshirt she had clearly just pulled over her head.
“Where are we going?” she murmured softly. I cleared my throat.
“Away,” I said coldly as I turned to the staircase. I rushed down the steps toward the door that I realized I had forgot to close. I waited for Sasha and closed the large door behind her as she stumbled out in the direction of the Chevy Malibu I had parked in the driveway. She opened the passenger door and flopped onto the seat before fastening her seatbelt. I looked back toward the door of the house… our house… only now I wasn’t sure it could be our house anymore… I closed my eyes and began moving toward the car.
I looked through the windshield to confirm that my daughter was still in the vehicle, half expecting her to be leaning on her window trying to fall asleep again… after all… it was about 3 in the morning. To my surprise, she was wide awake. Her mouth was open, and she stared at me as though I were some kind of monster from a horror movie. I spun around, checking to see if there were something behind me, but I saw only the lights outside the garage that illuminated the area around the car. That’s when I realized that she hadn’t actually seen me in the light until that moment. She hadn’t seen the blood all over my clothing in the dark of our house. I was going to have to explain. I was going to have to explain everything.
“Where’s mom?” demanded Sasha in a very serious tone. “What happened to you? What is going on?”
“I’ll explain once we’re on the freeway,” I said as calmly as I could.
“No!” said Sasha. “Tell me now!” Something about the brazenness of her response made me snap at her again.
“Shut up Sasha!” I thundered. “I said I will tell you when we’re on the freeway!” I instantly regretted my tone as she cowered in her seat as far from me as she could, but I couldn’t think of anything to say. We had to get away. I started the car and backed out of the driveway. I took a deep breath, put the car in drive, and depressed the gas pedal.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you Sasha,” I said softly. “I owe you an explanation.” I turned toward her. Her wide eyes were red, and tears streamed down her cheeks. I cleared my throat in a weak attempt to assuage my guilt, or at least to diminish it, but it didn’t work.
“Where’s mom?” whispered Sasha.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“How can you not know?” she said angrily. “You took her with you!”
“I know,” I replied. “And we arrived at the hotel on Friday night, just like we told you. Yesterday started normally. We saw that dumb movie about vampires or demons or whatever, and we had dinner together. We had an argument on the way back to the hotel, and decided to go to bed.”
“I remember being tired and frustrated, and just sitting on the couch in the hotel room… I don’t know when I fell asleep, but I woke up on that couch, and it was still dark… I wanted to know if your mother was still mad at me, but I tripped on the way to the room…”
I took a deep breath and briefly checked the mirror to ensure we were not being followed. Satisfied with the darkness on the road behind us, I continued my explanation.
“It was a dead body,” I said.
“Mom?!” whimpered Sasha as fresh tears poured out of her eyes.
“No,” I said. “One of the hotel workers… it was a man who had been helping with our luggage earlier. It was scary… he wasn’t just stabbed… it was like a monster had done it… a demon…” I squeezed the steering wheel as I remembered the shock.
“I looked toward the bed,” I continued. “Your mom was there, but… but she wasn’t normal… It was like she was possessed by something… Her eyes seemed to glow and she spoke, but there was something off about her voice…”
“What do you mean?” asked Sasha in shock.
“I don’t know,” I replied as I struggled to find a way to describe it. “It was like she was speaking, but without moving her mouth the right way for the words she said… I don’t know…”
“What did she say?” whispered Sasha in shock and horror.
“She threatened to kill you Sasha,” I said. “She said that we could never escape, and that she would destroy both of us… that she would destroy our family!”
We drove for several more minutes in complete silence.
“We have to call the police,” said Sasha at last.
“No!” I shouted. I squeezed the steering wheel as I struggled to maintain composure. I lowered my voice as I continued.
“They can’t protect us from a demon…” I said.
“Daddy do you really think that mom was possessed… that she was some kind of demon?” Sasha asked.
“I…” I started. “I don’t know.”
“Where are we going?” she asked. There was something off about her voice. I turned to look at her, and for a split second, she looked like her mother. Her eyes seemed to glow, and a feeling of shock rushed over me, as though I had stepped into a shower before the hot water had gone through the pipes, subjecting me to a paralyzing icy blast. I jerked the steering wheel and braked hard. Sasha screamed as our seatbelts locked and the vehicle skidded to a halt at the shoulder of the road.
“Daddy!” she said. “You’re scaring me!”
“Sorry,” I said. “I’m just… it’s been…” I took a deep breath and we started driving again.
“I’m just a bit tired,” I said weakly.
“Where are we going?” she asked again.
“We need to go somewhere she can’t get us,” I said resolutely. I checked the rear view mirror and saw a pair of headlights behind us. I accelerated slightly, hoping to increase the distance between the Malibu and any potential danger.
“So we’re running away?” she asked softly. I furrowed my brow. Had she not understood what I was saying? Had she not realized how I was motivated to keep her safe?
“Yes we’re running away!” I said.
“I didn’t bring extra clothes,” she said in a frustrated voice. “I didn’t bring anything… all of our stuff… we left it all…” Of course we left it all! Did she think that it would be better to get mauled by a monster if she had a different outfit? Did she think that running for our lives would be more fun if she had a tablet and WIFI?
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “We’ll get more stuff…”
“If we’re on the run, how are we going to pay for it?” asked Sasha. I didn’t know the answer to her question, but I needed Sasha to understand how dangerous our predicament was.
“We’ll deal with it when you’re safe, not before!” I said sternly. She cowered back into her seat and sobbed. It shouldn’t have, but it made me angry. I should have been able to understand that it would be difficult for a 12-year-old girl to have to leave everything she had, but she needed to understand it was just as hard for me. I had to leave everything I had, and to flee from the woman I had loved! Why couldn’t she see it from my perspective?
I looked back into the rear-view mirror, but the headlights I had seen earlier were closer now. I pressed the gas pedal and accelerated to 80, then 90 miles per hour. The headlights seemed to diminish in the mirror, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
The way the dashes in the lanes whisked toward us at a regular interval had a hypnotic effect, and in spite of all I had been through, my eyelids grew heavy over the next few minutes. I rolled the window down just a bit, and the cold air rushed inside.
“It’s cold outside daddy,” whispered Sasha. I wanted to tell her to deal with it, but I bit my tongue and rolled up the window.
I yawned as I checked the rear view mirror. The headlights had reappeared. I looked at my speedometer and confirmed that I was still going 90 miles per hour. I clenched my teeth as I accelerated to 100. The light of the headlight behind us diminished, and I returned my attention to the road.
After several more minutes of driving, my eyelids again grew heavy. I rubbed the back of my neck as though I could massage vitality or caffeine into myself by doing so. The steady hum of the engine and the way that my perspective of the dingy lines on the road seemed to point to a distant spot on the horizon made me yawn again.
“How much further?” said Sasha. Her voice sounded off. I whirled toward her, and her eyes were glowing with unnatural light. I slammed on the brakes. Sasha reached toward the wheel, but I slapped her hands back as we skidded to a halt.
Desperately, I struggled to free myself from my seatbelt, but with some kind of odd power, she prevented it from unhooking.
“What’s wrong Daddy?” she said in an eerie tone. Though her mouth was moving, it didn’t seem to fit the words she was saying. I reached into my pocket desperate to find my pocket knife. I needed to cut myself free of my seatbelt.
Sasha slowly began reaching her hands toward me and gave a shriek that seemed to pierce my head and dulled my senses. Somehow, my fingers wrapped around the handle of the folded blade, and pulled it out of the pocket of my blood-stained jeans. Sasha’s cold clammy fingers reached my face, and the horror of her unnatural touch startled me such that the knife fell down at my feet. I pushed Sasha back and reached down to retrieve my knife. The sharp slicing pain of the edge against the tips of my fingers stunned me for a moment, but I managed to grab the handle and attack the seatbelt with a quick sawing motion.
Reacting to my attempt to escape, Sasha grabbed her door and began shaking it back and forth. Another stunning shriek escaped her mouth as the car rocked back and forth.
Ignoring the throbbing pain in my lacerated fingers, I gripped the handle of the lock-back knife tighter. The fabric of the belt had frayed as I sliced through it, and although the eerie screaming, the glowing eyes, and the shaking vehicle had horrified me, seeing my progress with the belt gave me a new kind of focus. I clenched my teeth as I sawed back and forth, frantically slicing it apart.
It was close now… so close… The sound of the knife tearing back and forth through the belt seemed to drown out the shrieking… See-saw-see-saw-see-saw… The fibers of fabric burst outward like I was freeing them from the prison of their weaving. I ignored the burning feeling of the muscles in my arms as I pulled the steel back and forth faster and faster…. See-saw-see-saw-see-saw… There was only a bundle of threads left. The pain, exhaustion, and weariness had completely left me as the knife finally tore through the belt. I laughed with weary relief as I pulled the belt that had trapped me loose.
Suddenly something made me freeze.
I turned over to where Sasha had been sitting. The passenger seat was empty, and the door had been flung open. I stopped and listened for some sign of Sasha. The cold air that had flooded the car made my breath puff out in small clouds as I thought about where she might have gone, and for what purpose.
She had trapped me in the car, why run away? Why? I realized at once that my horror and panic had prevented me from asking that question since escaping the hotel. Why? Why had my wife been possessed? Why had she killed that man in the hotel? Why did she threaten me and Sasha? How did Sasha become possessed? Why had any of this happened?
A tapping on my window made me gasp and jump. My window had fogged up with my breath, and all I could see was the light of a flashlight creating a soft yellow glow. Probably the police. Maybe Sasha had been right… As supernatural as my experiences had been, perhaps it would have been wiser to involve law enforcement from the beginning. I cautiously pushed the door open, allowing the flashlight beam to shine on me.
“What the?!” shouted a male voice.
“That’s my daddy!” came a familiar young feminine voice. It was Sasha. Not demonic possessed Sasha, just normal Sasha. I smiled with relief.
“What is he?” gasped the man. What did he mean, I wondered.
“He tried to kill me!” cried Sasha. Tried to kill her!?!?! That was a lie! I was trying to protect her. I wanted to keep her safe. The officer lowered his flashlight and drew his handgun, pointing it at me.
“What’s going on!?” I demanded. As the words left my lips, I could hear an unnatural echo. I looked down at my hands, and to my horror, they were not the hands of a man… they were the claws of a monster. I whirled toward the rearview mirror, and angled it toward me. Like the headlights of a vehicle following, my eyes had an otherworldly glow. This sight… this honest look in the mirror… it brought everything I had done back to my recollection.
I had become angry as I quarreled with my wife about something that now seemed trivial. The shouting had prompted the hotel worker to ask us not to disturb their other guests. In a rage, I had brutally attacked him.
My wife gave me a look of shock and horror, and went to call the police. I couldn’t let her do that… so I… stopped her. And then I went to sit and think about what to do. Somehow, part of my mind had created the idea that it had been my wife who had become monstrous… it was her fault that the man was dead. I had come up with excuses for being angry with Sasha in the car. It had never been my daughter that trapped me… I had trapped myself. Her cold hands on my face was never a demonic attempt to stop me, it was to push me away and escape herself.
The demonic threat that I had perceived from my wife… that she would destroy me and my family… it had come from an actual demon… and it did destroy me, and my family… but it took too long to realize that the demon was not possessing others… The demon had been within me from the beginning. My anger, pride, and selfishness had fed it, and when it emerged, I had been powerless to stop it. The worst problems in my life might have been prevented, if I had had an honest look in the mirror sooner.
The idea:
There is a demon inside everyone. The impulse to be selfish, and to indulge in impulse rather than exercise restraint, has gone by many names. The book of Proverbs in the Bible calls those who give into these lusts "fools." King Benjamin calls it "the natural man." Jesus himself taught the importance of "losing" oneself in order to find salvation... of denying oneself and taking up the cross (Matthew 16:24-26).
Whatever the concept, the idea is the same. There is a demon that is within each person that persuades them to do evil. It hides in darkness, and assures us that it does not exist. Frequently, it does this by distracting us with the faults of others (real or manufactured). It whispers that our selfish actions are justified... that someone else is the source of our problems... that being provoked justifies lashing out... that seductive apparel or behavior justifies lust... that desirable attention justifies degrading apparel and behavior... that the intolerance of others justifies our intolerance for them... or that because we want to be tolerated, we should accept practices that are dishonest and cruel.
At some point, nearly everyone attempts to have an honest look in the mirror. The realization that you might be responsible for many of your problems is uncomfortable at best. At worst, the horror that a demon exists within you can cause a kind of mental paralysis... the fear that because you have made mistakes you cannot change, or are not worthy of help. The demon will augment these worries and doubts. The demon will tell you that you cannot change, and that no one can help you... and just as before... the demon can be very convincing.
While some guilt can be a healthy consequence of immoral and unethical behaviors and attitudes, recognizing that there is a demon within should prompt additional introspection. Why?
Why is there a demon? What does he want? Why is he within you?
Also... if it is true that nothing can be done to remove the demon... that you are beyond hope or help... then why was it so important that he deny his existence? Really, if you were stuck with a demon, what would it matter if you knew its existence before your honest look in the mirror?
An honest look in the mirror reveals the demon is a liar.
The demon is trying to control you. He is using your impulses and your nature to manipulate you. He needs you... but you do not need him.
That is not to say it is an easy thing to get rid of him. He is not only persuasive, but tenacious. You will need help to get rid of him. Serious introspection can help you to recognize the problem... it will not solve it... but without it, who would try to solve a problem they do not believe exists?
The honest look in the mirror reveals:
- That there is a demon within you
- That he is a liar
- That you need help to get rid of him
The real solution lies in the power of Jesus Christ. Casting out evil spirits is something in which he proved to be expert... even succeeding where others had failed (Matthew 17:14-21). His ability to change people for the better extended in more ways than healing physical sickness, disability, or even the symptoms of mental illness... He has power to remove the demon inside you.
The proof of this power can be seen in the lives of Saul of Tarsus, who became the Apostle Paul... in Alma the Younger, who went from trying to destroy the church of God to spending his life building it... in parents who sacrifice sleep, substance, and selfishness to better the lives of the children... in the lives of Christians who have had the faith to repent, and walk in the footsteps of Christ.
Ultimately, each individual must have an honest look in the mirror... the sooner, the better. Don't pretend there is no demon within... there is. Don't pretend you are stuck with him... you don't have to be. Don't pretend that you can ignore him or that he will go away on his own... turn to Jesus...
Jesus has the power to make bad men good, and good men better. Jesus has the power to save us all.
Monday, March 4, 2013
With all the love in my heart, you're going to go to hell...
"Judge not that ye be not judged." (Matthew 7:1)
The passage about judgement is often quoted. Some use the passage to persuade others to express Christian love and fellowship toward others. Some use the passage ironically to condemn those that they believe are guilty of judgement.
Regardless of the purpose, the use of the passage has increased in society over the past several decades. People are in generally more concerned with how people view one another than ever before.
I have had several individuals express particular concern over a certain demographic is treated. Many people are worried about the feelings of individuals that struggle with a particular problem, and are worried that they are frequently and wrongfully judged. Of course the group to which I am referring are those that struggle with smoking.
I know of people that are very kind, generous, God fearing, and virtuous, but that struggle with the terrible habit of smoking. Many of these people go out of their way to try to keep the odor of tobacco away from those of us who find it distasteful. These individuals can be sensitive to the disapproving looks of others. There are some of these who feel ostracized even when they are honestly putting forth effort to stop this expensive and unhealthy habit.
For members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, there is on top of the negative odor, a spiritual aspect to the the practice, as it is prohibited by divine commandments called the word of wisdom. For people in the LDS church, the smell of cigarettes is the smell of sinful behavior. There are some who find the look of disgust on the faces of others to be a sign of judgment. Of course, every person who gives such looks of disgust are themselves guilty of sins, even if they are not detectable by scent. A good Christian should not assume that more obvious sins are the same as more obvious condemnation.
On the other side of the coin is the person who is accused of being judgemental when in fact, they may be making no spiritual assessment at all. I have had close friendships with individuals who used cigarettes, but not even my friendship can remove the foul odor that lingers on the breath and clothing of those that smoke. My belief that smokers are good people can't remove the expression of repulsion from my face.
There are those that do not find the odor of cigarettes to be distasteful. In such a case, imagine an individual that has explosive diarrhea leaking out of their clothing... how should a Christian express love and a spirit of inclusion to such a person who is extremely repulsive? Even if the Christian is able to purge their thoughts of any judgmental thoughts such as that person should control them self better or that person is not appropriately caring for their bodies, what if they are unable to force a smile and give the sensation that the person who smells like an outhouse is truly welcome?
Back to the cigarettes, is a person being judgmental if they avoid coming into a home that is filled with smoke? Are they being judgmental if they avoid letting their children go to such a home because of concerns about second-hand smoke?
What is the right approach to tell someone that their behavior or status makes you uncomfortable without giving the impression that you are saying "with all the love in my heart, you're going to go to hell" ?
Christ spent his time among publicans and sinners, much to the disapproval of the Pharisees. Of course, when asked about his company, he responded as follows:
"And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Matthew 9:11-13)
From this passage we get the implication that he was not simply "hanging out" with people, but he was asking them to change their behavior, or to call sinners to repentance.
Additionally, Christ did not seem ashamed to tell people that they were wrong, or even worse off than others. Consider the following:
"... Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him." (Matthew 21:31-32)
Deriving appropriate behavior exclusively from Christ may be more challenging than it initially appears. Jesus Christ will actually be the judge of all people, and he will have all the appropriate knowledge and authority to accurately threaten people with hellfire and damnation. The rest of us are not always entitled to the same degree of perception. Perhaps this is the purpose that Christ emphasized loving neighbor as self, turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, and demonstrating discipleship through love.
That having been said, disciples are not to tolerate sin. Joshua's armies in the Old Testament were not successful against the people of Ai until Achan and all his household were killed and their remains burned because they had kept some of the spoils of Jericho. (Joshua 7) The spirit of forgiveness seemed lessened in the New Testament case of Ananias and Sapphira when they misrepresented their income and did not give as much of their substance to the apostles as they should have. (Acts 5)
Ultimately, the concept of judgment is complicated. Christians have an obligation to be benevolent and welcoming, but also an obligation to stand for truth and righteousness. I suggest that the exact way to act in every case cannot be boiled down to a formula. To one person or group it may be appropriate to say repent or be destroyed. To another it is appropriate to say God is merciful and he will forgive. An individual effort must be made to stand against wrongdoing, just as individual effort must be made to welcome, forgive, and express love to those that may be guilty of wrongdoing. In such efforts, following the conscience is the best way to determine the approach that expresses love toward fellow children of God and encourages repentance of unacceptable behavior.
In the end, God wants all people to love one another and to repent of wrongdoing. It is possible to hate the sin and love the sinner, because it is what he does. The message for the person who is quick to judgement is to be more loving. The message for the person who accepts any behavior to be inclusive is to stand up for what is right. The message for the person who feels upset because other people are judging them is to try not to take all reactions personally, and to try to follow their conscience in efforts to improve themselves. God does not judge so that he can condemn mankind to hell... he's trying to save us all.
The passage about judgement is often quoted. Some use the passage to persuade others to express Christian love and fellowship toward others. Some use the passage ironically to condemn those that they believe are guilty of judgement.
Regardless of the purpose, the use of the passage has increased in society over the past several decades. People are in generally more concerned with how people view one another than ever before.
I have had several individuals express particular concern over a certain demographic is treated. Many people are worried about the feelings of individuals that struggle with a particular problem, and are worried that they are frequently and wrongfully judged. Of course the group to which I am referring are those that struggle with smoking.
I know of people that are very kind, generous, God fearing, and virtuous, but that struggle with the terrible habit of smoking. Many of these people go out of their way to try to keep the odor of tobacco away from those of us who find it distasteful. These individuals can be sensitive to the disapproving looks of others. There are some of these who feel ostracized even when they are honestly putting forth effort to stop this expensive and unhealthy habit.
For members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, there is on top of the negative odor, a spiritual aspect to the the practice, as it is prohibited by divine commandments called the word of wisdom. For people in the LDS church, the smell of cigarettes is the smell of sinful behavior. There are some who find the look of disgust on the faces of others to be a sign of judgment. Of course, every person who gives such looks of disgust are themselves guilty of sins, even if they are not detectable by scent. A good Christian should not assume that more obvious sins are the same as more obvious condemnation.
On the other side of the coin is the person who is accused of being judgemental when in fact, they may be making no spiritual assessment at all. I have had close friendships with individuals who used cigarettes, but not even my friendship can remove the foul odor that lingers on the breath and clothing of those that smoke. My belief that smokers are good people can't remove the expression of repulsion from my face.
There are those that do not find the odor of cigarettes to be distasteful. In such a case, imagine an individual that has explosive diarrhea leaking out of their clothing... how should a Christian express love and a spirit of inclusion to such a person who is extremely repulsive? Even if the Christian is able to purge their thoughts of any judgmental thoughts such as that person should control them self better or that person is not appropriately caring for their bodies, what if they are unable to force a smile and give the sensation that the person who smells like an outhouse is truly welcome?
Back to the cigarettes, is a person being judgmental if they avoid coming into a home that is filled with smoke? Are they being judgmental if they avoid letting their children go to such a home because of concerns about second-hand smoke?
What is the right approach to tell someone that their behavior or status makes you uncomfortable without giving the impression that you are saying "with all the love in my heart, you're going to go to hell" ?
Christ spent his time among publicans and sinners, much to the disapproval of the Pharisees. Of course, when asked about his company, he responded as follows:
"And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." (Matthew 9:11-13)
From this passage we get the implication that he was not simply "hanging out" with people, but he was asking them to change their behavior, or to call sinners to repentance.
Additionally, Christ did not seem ashamed to tell people that they were wrong, or even worse off than others. Consider the following:
"... Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him." (Matthew 21:31-32)
Deriving appropriate behavior exclusively from Christ may be more challenging than it initially appears. Jesus Christ will actually be the judge of all people, and he will have all the appropriate knowledge and authority to accurately threaten people with hellfire and damnation. The rest of us are not always entitled to the same degree of perception. Perhaps this is the purpose that Christ emphasized loving neighbor as self, turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, and demonstrating discipleship through love.
That having been said, disciples are not to tolerate sin. Joshua's armies in the Old Testament were not successful against the people of Ai until Achan and all his household were killed and their remains burned because they had kept some of the spoils of Jericho. (Joshua 7) The spirit of forgiveness seemed lessened in the New Testament case of Ananias and Sapphira when they misrepresented their income and did not give as much of their substance to the apostles as they should have. (Acts 5)
Ultimately, the concept of judgment is complicated. Christians have an obligation to be benevolent and welcoming, but also an obligation to stand for truth and righteousness. I suggest that the exact way to act in every case cannot be boiled down to a formula. To one person or group it may be appropriate to say repent or be destroyed. To another it is appropriate to say God is merciful and he will forgive. An individual effort must be made to stand against wrongdoing, just as individual effort must be made to welcome, forgive, and express love to those that may be guilty of wrongdoing. In such efforts, following the conscience is the best way to determine the approach that expresses love toward fellow children of God and encourages repentance of unacceptable behavior.
In the end, God wants all people to love one another and to repent of wrongdoing. It is possible to hate the sin and love the sinner, because it is what he does. The message for the person who is quick to judgement is to be more loving. The message for the person who accepts any behavior to be inclusive is to stand up for what is right. The message for the person who feels upset because other people are judging them is to try not to take all reactions personally, and to try to follow their conscience in efforts to improve themselves. God does not judge so that he can condemn mankind to hell... he's trying to save us all.
Monday, October 8, 2012
The Ethical Dilemmas of Godlessness
I recently saw an argument presented by a group of self-proclaimed atheists indicating persuading citizens to decry the practices of some political representatives to argue about the laws of God, and that they should instead embrace "reason."
The effort to separate God from good is not a new effort. Evaluating ethics by asking whether something is good because God commands it, or was it already good with its goodness providing the reason for God's command is a frequent technique used to promote the idea that it is possible to be good without believing in God.
Atheist or agnostic persons can do good. Some individuals in these categories would even argue that atheistic moral philosophy is superior to religious philosophy because it can be questioned and examined more openly, whereas, a religious individual cannot or should not question God.
It is also easy to look at violent historic conflicts between subscribers of differing religious philosophies and conclude that these systems of ethics proved to be unethical entirely. In modern times, though witchcraft is not exactly mainstream, the Salem witch trials famously demonstrated how even well-meaning religious individuals may be mislead by faith-based moral judgement. Refuge from violence between Catholics and Protestants or Protestants and other Protestants represented the cause of many individuals that colonized the American continent.
Unfortunately, taking God out of ethical questions does not resolve them. Removing religion does not expose a universal law for making moral choices. Those that argue for reason proceed to argue about the conclusions derived from their use of reason.
There have been many attempts to create universal and general systems for making moral choices. A common rule that is found in many religions is the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This rule, or derivations of it, exist in a large number of religions. Christ himself taught "therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." (Matthew 7:12)
The problem with trusting only in the law has been highlighted by several philosophers. One weakness is the inconsistency of desires between individuals. If one individual enjoys a particular act, and another person finds the act unpleasant, then an unpleasant act can be forced on one is moral by the Golden Rule. Inversely, the pleasant act withheld from the other is moral by the same rule. This is similar to the generalization philosophy. This philosophy takes an act and then hypothetically asks if all individuals were able to do the act to all persons, including the person considering the act, and then assesses if the result would be desirable. The problem is that there is never a unanimous agreement on what is desirable.
Another weakness in the Golden Rule can be found in administering justice. For example, imagine a criminal duly convicted of crime is sentenced to imprisonment. The criminal then appeals to the judge using the Golden Rule asking if he would want someone else to imprison him. If there are exceptions to the Golden Rule, such as the punishment of criminals who have violated it, by what rule are punishments determined to be moral or immoral?
Other individuals base their actions on happiness. They try and do things that generate happiness. Another way of stating this philosophy is that there is no reason for life except the purpose we give it.
The flaw with this philosophy is the same flaw that atheists find in religion. "Happiness" is not a measurable or representative of empirical evidence. Consider the happiness that a middle-class individual might feel from obtaining one hundred dollars. Consider the unhappiness of a wealthy individual that has millions of dollars when they lose one hundred dollars. In theory, the happiness of the individual that obtains the money would be greater than the unhappiness of the wealthy individual, therefore, stealing is a moral decision in this scenario.
More complicated ethical situations arise when society is forced to "measure" happiness from individuals that make choices that are commonly viewed as immoral. What if the amount of happiness that a serial killer gets from murdering someone exceeds the unhappiness of the victim and their family... does the choice become moral? Has any attempt been made to measure the happiness of serial killers or child molesters or other violent criminals? If we examine the levels of dopamine released during particular acts, does that decide what is right and wrong?
In the end, there is only one philosophy that provides moral guidance without God: cultural relativism. The idea that society decides what is right and wrong to suit its needs and provide for the general welfare of its members cannot be attacked by individual examples, because a society could always redefine right and wrong. The flaw in this philosophy is the lack of consistency. For example, in the 1700s and early 1800s, slavery was an acceptable practice in society. Because the culture embraced it, according to cultural relativism, it was moral behavior. Only after slavery was abolished did the practice become immoral for honest subscribers of this philosophy.
Ultimately, while saying that God follows a law that determines what is good or moral may appear to allow those that reject God to be moral, it does not reveal the law. People still argue about a variety of practices as to whether they are good or evil.
The advantage of having an all-knowing God that identifies what is right and what is wrong should be clear. "God says so" suddenly becomes a valid reason. With a law that no philosopher has ever been able to define guiding right and wrong, pursuing the will of a perfect being that is able to define it makes sense. Even if the will of God is bound by law, understanding the law requires access to God.
The emphasis of many atheists with whom I have spoken is rarely on moral philosophy however. In my experience, preference is given to scientific evidence that highlights evolution and an expanding universe. Ideas presented in the Bible that point to a seven-day creation, or a planet-wide flood that destroyed all land-based animal life that was not preserved in a single ark with Noah seem particularly vulnerable to those that only embrace secular guidance.
Viewing mankind as no more than an advanced form of animal life makes sense in a biology class, but has serious and frequently under-examined ethical repercussions. Survival of the fittest is the only real guide in the natural world. Anything that increases fitness or even decreases the fitness of competitors is desirable without ethical consideration. In this train of thought, right and wrong are not as relevant as getting caught. A person that murders another, but is not detected or not convicted has not acted immorally in the survival of the fittest mindset. If there is no life after this where justice will be administered to the sinful, there is no real reason to avoid practices that are considered sinful, particularly if some form of personal fitness or satisfaction is obtained from these practices.
Embracing God means embracing a universal right and wrong. It is an expression of confidence that choices in this life have consequences in the next life. It gives purpose to concepts that everyone deep in their hearts know to be truly valuable such as benevolence, virtue, honesty, loyalty, and mercy. It gives reason to avoid vices such as pride, envy, wrath, lust, sloth, greed, or gluttony, as these sins may have permanent negative consequences.
More than just defining it, God represents the ability to become good. In the end, there is no person, entity, force, or philosophy that has the power to make bad men good and good men better like God.
While there are those that have done awful things in the name of religion or serving God, I believe that the quest to find the truth about God will in the end lead men to the same place. Ultimately, everyone will have an opportunity to find that strait and narrow path that leads to God, and they will see that choices made in this life have consequences that extend into the next. Good and evil are not abstract concepts, they are universal and general. Separating God from goodness is not necessary since in the end good will triumph over evil because of God.
The effort to separate God from good is not a new effort. Evaluating ethics by asking whether something is good because God commands it, or was it already good with its goodness providing the reason for God's command is a frequent technique used to promote the idea that it is possible to be good without believing in God.
Atheist or agnostic persons can do good. Some individuals in these categories would even argue that atheistic moral philosophy is superior to religious philosophy because it can be questioned and examined more openly, whereas, a religious individual cannot or should not question God.
It is also easy to look at violent historic conflicts between subscribers of differing religious philosophies and conclude that these systems of ethics proved to be unethical entirely. In modern times, though witchcraft is not exactly mainstream, the Salem witch trials famously demonstrated how even well-meaning religious individuals may be mislead by faith-based moral judgement. Refuge from violence between Catholics and Protestants or Protestants and other Protestants represented the cause of many individuals that colonized the American continent.
Unfortunately, taking God out of ethical questions does not resolve them. Removing religion does not expose a universal law for making moral choices. Those that argue for reason proceed to argue about the conclusions derived from their use of reason.
There have been many attempts to create universal and general systems for making moral choices. A common rule that is found in many religions is the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This rule, or derivations of it, exist in a large number of religions. Christ himself taught "therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." (Matthew 7:12)
The problem with trusting only in the law has been highlighted by several philosophers. One weakness is the inconsistency of desires between individuals. If one individual enjoys a particular act, and another person finds the act unpleasant, then an unpleasant act can be forced on one is moral by the Golden Rule. Inversely, the pleasant act withheld from the other is moral by the same rule. This is similar to the generalization philosophy. This philosophy takes an act and then hypothetically asks if all individuals were able to do the act to all persons, including the person considering the act, and then assesses if the result would be desirable. The problem is that there is never a unanimous agreement on what is desirable.
Another weakness in the Golden Rule can be found in administering justice. For example, imagine a criminal duly convicted of crime is sentenced to imprisonment. The criminal then appeals to the judge using the Golden Rule asking if he would want someone else to imprison him. If there are exceptions to the Golden Rule, such as the punishment of criminals who have violated it, by what rule are punishments determined to be moral or immoral?
Other individuals base their actions on happiness. They try and do things that generate happiness. Another way of stating this philosophy is that there is no reason for life except the purpose we give it.
The flaw with this philosophy is the same flaw that atheists find in religion. "Happiness" is not a measurable or representative of empirical evidence. Consider the happiness that a middle-class individual might feel from obtaining one hundred dollars. Consider the unhappiness of a wealthy individual that has millions of dollars when they lose one hundred dollars. In theory, the happiness of the individual that obtains the money would be greater than the unhappiness of the wealthy individual, therefore, stealing is a moral decision in this scenario.
More complicated ethical situations arise when society is forced to "measure" happiness from individuals that make choices that are commonly viewed as immoral. What if the amount of happiness that a serial killer gets from murdering someone exceeds the unhappiness of the victim and their family... does the choice become moral? Has any attempt been made to measure the happiness of serial killers or child molesters or other violent criminals? If we examine the levels of dopamine released during particular acts, does that decide what is right and wrong?
In the end, there is only one philosophy that provides moral guidance without God: cultural relativism. The idea that society decides what is right and wrong to suit its needs and provide for the general welfare of its members cannot be attacked by individual examples, because a society could always redefine right and wrong. The flaw in this philosophy is the lack of consistency. For example, in the 1700s and early 1800s, slavery was an acceptable practice in society. Because the culture embraced it, according to cultural relativism, it was moral behavior. Only after slavery was abolished did the practice become immoral for honest subscribers of this philosophy.
Ultimately, while saying that God follows a law that determines what is good or moral may appear to allow those that reject God to be moral, it does not reveal the law. People still argue about a variety of practices as to whether they are good or evil.
The advantage of having an all-knowing God that identifies what is right and what is wrong should be clear. "God says so" suddenly becomes a valid reason. With a law that no philosopher has ever been able to define guiding right and wrong, pursuing the will of a perfect being that is able to define it makes sense. Even if the will of God is bound by law, understanding the law requires access to God.
The emphasis of many atheists with whom I have spoken is rarely on moral philosophy however. In my experience, preference is given to scientific evidence that highlights evolution and an expanding universe. Ideas presented in the Bible that point to a seven-day creation, or a planet-wide flood that destroyed all land-based animal life that was not preserved in a single ark with Noah seem particularly vulnerable to those that only embrace secular guidance.
Viewing mankind as no more than an advanced form of animal life makes sense in a biology class, but has serious and frequently under-examined ethical repercussions. Survival of the fittest is the only real guide in the natural world. Anything that increases fitness or even decreases the fitness of competitors is desirable without ethical consideration. In this train of thought, right and wrong are not as relevant as getting caught. A person that murders another, but is not detected or not convicted has not acted immorally in the survival of the fittest mindset. If there is no life after this where justice will be administered to the sinful, there is no real reason to avoid practices that are considered sinful, particularly if some form of personal fitness or satisfaction is obtained from these practices.
Embracing God means embracing a universal right and wrong. It is an expression of confidence that choices in this life have consequences in the next life. It gives purpose to concepts that everyone deep in their hearts know to be truly valuable such as benevolence, virtue, honesty, loyalty, and mercy. It gives reason to avoid vices such as pride, envy, wrath, lust, sloth, greed, or gluttony, as these sins may have permanent negative consequences.
More than just defining it, God represents the ability to become good. In the end, there is no person, entity, force, or philosophy that has the power to make bad men good and good men better like God.
While there are those that have done awful things in the name of religion or serving God, I believe that the quest to find the truth about God will in the end lead men to the same place. Ultimately, everyone will have an opportunity to find that strait and narrow path that leads to God, and they will see that choices made in this life have consequences that extend into the next. Good and evil are not abstract concepts, they are universal and general. Separating God from goodness is not necessary since in the end good will triumph over evil because of God.
Friday, November 18, 2011
I'm Christian, unless you're a child molester
Recently, I have seen several people share a link to a blog post titled "I'm Christian, unless you're gay."
(http://www.danoah.com/2011/11/im-christian-unless-youre-gay.html)
I finally read the post. While the author makes an attempt to tackle a difficult issue, and promotes kindness toward others (both laudable acts), in the end, Christianity was oversimplified and misrepresented.
One of the first examples used is that of Westboro Baptist Church, the group that has become famous for outrageous protests. The vast majority of Christians with whom I associate find this behavior distasteful at best. Protesting at the funerals of soldiers or hypocritically condemning corporations whose products they use (http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/312445) is a poor representation of Christianity. Fortunately, the author quickly moves from this topic.
The author makes reference to a personal friend who feels lonely and avoided because he is a homosexual. He points out that many Christians will actively reject, ignore, avoid, and worse any that do not believe the way that they do, even to the point of courageously admitting that he once did himself because of his Christian beliefs.
The author asserts that these judgements are based on self-righteousness and that they do not represent the true roots of religion. He says that Jesus taught "love one another" and "he that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her ("Her" being a woman who cheated on her man)." Christ did say both of these things.
Finally after examining the teachings of several other faiths, the final conclusion made is that they all focus on love. Not love unless a person is homosexual, but just love. The author's point is that "The greatest spiritual leaders in history have all preached love for others as the basis for all happiness, and never did they accompany such mandates with a list of unlovable actions or deeds."
After oversimplifying religion, the author then proceeds to discuss sin. He points out that regardless of where you live or how strongly you believe, someone else somewhere believes that you are wrong. Ultimately the claim is as follows:
"It doesn’t matter if you or I think anything is a sin. It doesn’t matter if homosexuality is a sin or not. In fact, it doesn’t matter if anything anybody else does is a sin or not.
Because sin is a very personal thing! It always has been and it always will be!
And it has nothing to do with love."
This point is certainly popular. It is politically correct. As of right now, the post has been shared more than 32,000 times. Notwithstanding the popularity of this concept, it is wrong.
To the secular observer, Christianity might be reduced to a philosophical concept of love. It is a common misconception. Christ certainly preached love, forgiveness, kindness, and humility. None of these concepts represent the core of Christianity however. The true root is Christ himself. He is never wrong. He is the way the truth and the life. He is the only way men can reach their potential. Sometimes accepting Christ means learning to love others. Sometimes it means recognizing and avoiding evil.
Sin is not a personal thing at all. It is universal. It is general. It is determined by God himself. While there may be those that disagree on what the will of God is, or how to interpret the words of prophets, the beliefs of men do not shape right and wrong. The tail does not wag the dog. In the end, every person will be judged on their actions by Jesus Christ.
A fair point is to say that Christians should not demean or hate those that are guilty of sin. An unfair point is to say that Christians should not consider politically correct activity to be sin.
"I'm Christian, unless you're gay" is really not all that different from "I'm Christian, unless you're a child molester."
Of course there are those who will say that homosexuality is nothing like child molestation. While it may be said these acts are different, in the end, they are both sin... as is adultery, as is murder, as is theft, as is bearing false witness, as taking the name of God in vain. Christ taught that all of these people should be treated with kindness on an individual basis. This says nothing about the responsibility of society as a whole, or even important judgements to be made on an individual basis.
It would be foolish for society to simply forgive child molesters and serial murderers and let them wander free. That does not mean a Christian society should strive to draw and quarter those that are guilty of these crimes, but just punishment is appropriate.
On an individual basis, the stance of Christianity is to forgive, even those guilty of crimes so awful as child molestation. This does not mean that Christians should hire them as babysitters for their kids. We should not feel forced into accepting the incorrect choices of others in the name of kindness. Avoiding those that openly propagate wrong is not always unjustly cruel, even if it is perceived as such.
It is possible to love the sinner and hate the sin, but finding the line that divides mercy and acceptance of sin is not easy. How does a person express kindness and simultaneously make it understood that they cannot condone wrongdoing? That is the real question.
Certainly there are many Christians that do not have it right. I can think of many occasions where I personally have failed either by being cruel to a person I deemed sinful, or by failing to stand for what is right in an effort to fit in with the politically correct.
Christians are not perfect... but our master is. When he comes again to save us, it will not be to save us in our sins... it will be to save us from our sins. He will not come to save those that demand acceptance, but those that plead for forgiveness. He will not come with love in the form of a blanket pardon; he will come with fire and fury and he will destroy those that have maligned and abused his disciples - and he will be right in all that he does.
Christians must strive to remember that we are not Christ. We do not know all things. We are all guilty of sin. We need forgiveness for our shortcomings as much as the homosexual and the child molester because sin of any kind should be avoided. Promoting good and rejecting evil should be done carefully... standing for what is good does not have to mean being cruel... and fighting against sin does not have to mean bullying.
Declaring "I'm Christian, unless you're gay" is obviously wrong... but not just when it comes to being unkind. It is also wrong to cast off Christianity in the name of accepting a lifestyle that is immoral. A Christian should never accept relativistic concepts of good and evil. A Christian believes there is one truth, one way, and one Lord for all people, and his name is Jesus Christ.
(http://www.danoah.com/2011/11/im-christian-unless-youre-gay.html)
I finally read the post. While the author makes an attempt to tackle a difficult issue, and promotes kindness toward others (both laudable acts), in the end, Christianity was oversimplified and misrepresented.
One of the first examples used is that of Westboro Baptist Church, the group that has become famous for outrageous protests. The vast majority of Christians with whom I associate find this behavior distasteful at best. Protesting at the funerals of soldiers or hypocritically condemning corporations whose products they use (http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/312445) is a poor representation of Christianity. Fortunately, the author quickly moves from this topic.
The author makes reference to a personal friend who feels lonely and avoided because he is a homosexual. He points out that many Christians will actively reject, ignore, avoid, and worse any that do not believe the way that they do, even to the point of courageously admitting that he once did himself because of his Christian beliefs.
The author asserts that these judgements are based on self-righteousness and that they do not represent the true roots of religion. He says that Jesus taught "love one another" and "he that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her ("Her" being a woman who cheated on her man)." Christ did say both of these things.
Finally after examining the teachings of several other faiths, the final conclusion made is that they all focus on love. Not love unless a person is homosexual, but just love. The author's point is that "The greatest spiritual leaders in history have all preached love for others as the basis for all happiness, and never did they accompany such mandates with a list of unlovable actions or deeds."
After oversimplifying religion, the author then proceeds to discuss sin. He points out that regardless of where you live or how strongly you believe, someone else somewhere believes that you are wrong. Ultimately the claim is as follows:
"It doesn’t matter if you or I think anything is a sin. It doesn’t matter if homosexuality is a sin or not. In fact, it doesn’t matter if anything anybody else does is a sin or not.
Because sin is a very personal thing! It always has been and it always will be!
And it has nothing to do with love."
This point is certainly popular. It is politically correct. As of right now, the post has been shared more than 32,000 times. Notwithstanding the popularity of this concept, it is wrong.
To the secular observer, Christianity might be reduced to a philosophical concept of love. It is a common misconception. Christ certainly preached love, forgiveness, kindness, and humility. None of these concepts represent the core of Christianity however. The true root is Christ himself. He is never wrong. He is the way the truth and the life. He is the only way men can reach their potential. Sometimes accepting Christ means learning to love others. Sometimes it means recognizing and avoiding evil.
Sin is not a personal thing at all. It is universal. It is general. It is determined by God himself. While there may be those that disagree on what the will of God is, or how to interpret the words of prophets, the beliefs of men do not shape right and wrong. The tail does not wag the dog. In the end, every person will be judged on their actions by Jesus Christ.
A fair point is to say that Christians should not demean or hate those that are guilty of sin. An unfair point is to say that Christians should not consider politically correct activity to be sin.
"I'm Christian, unless you're gay" is really not all that different from "I'm Christian, unless you're a child molester."
Of course there are those who will say that homosexuality is nothing like child molestation. While it may be said these acts are different, in the end, they are both sin... as is adultery, as is murder, as is theft, as is bearing false witness, as taking the name of God in vain. Christ taught that all of these people should be treated with kindness on an individual basis. This says nothing about the responsibility of society as a whole, or even important judgements to be made on an individual basis.
It would be foolish for society to simply forgive child molesters and serial murderers and let them wander free. That does not mean a Christian society should strive to draw and quarter those that are guilty of these crimes, but just punishment is appropriate.
On an individual basis, the stance of Christianity is to forgive, even those guilty of crimes so awful as child molestation. This does not mean that Christians should hire them as babysitters for their kids. We should not feel forced into accepting the incorrect choices of others in the name of kindness. Avoiding those that openly propagate wrong is not always unjustly cruel, even if it is perceived as such.
It is possible to love the sinner and hate the sin, but finding the line that divides mercy and acceptance of sin is not easy. How does a person express kindness and simultaneously make it understood that they cannot condone wrongdoing? That is the real question.
Certainly there are many Christians that do not have it right. I can think of many occasions where I personally have failed either by being cruel to a person I deemed sinful, or by failing to stand for what is right in an effort to fit in with the politically correct.
Christians are not perfect... but our master is. When he comes again to save us, it will not be to save us in our sins... it will be to save us from our sins. He will not come to save those that demand acceptance, but those that plead for forgiveness. He will not come with love in the form of a blanket pardon; he will come with fire and fury and he will destroy those that have maligned and abused his disciples - and he will be right in all that he does.
Christians must strive to remember that we are not Christ. We do not know all things. We are all guilty of sin. We need forgiveness for our shortcomings as much as the homosexual and the child molester because sin of any kind should be avoided. Promoting good and rejecting evil should be done carefully... standing for what is good does not have to mean being cruel... and fighting against sin does not have to mean bullying.
Declaring "I'm Christian, unless you're gay" is obviously wrong... but not just when it comes to being unkind. It is also wrong to cast off Christianity in the name of accepting a lifestyle that is immoral. A Christian should never accept relativistic concepts of good and evil. A Christian believes there is one truth, one way, and one Lord for all people, and his name is Jesus Christ.
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