Several months ago I was invited to a group on facebook called "I bet I can find 1,000,000 Christians" or something like that. When I went on the group page to check it out, I saw a discussion board titled "God doesn't exist". I was a little interested to see what people were saying so I started reading some of the posts on it. I was in complete disagreement on almost everything said and actually felt somewhat offended at the things people were saying about my God. So I jumped into the argument and quickly found out that I was very outnumbered. In fact, there were very few Christians on there at all. Most of the argument was between atheists arguing on the many ways that "God doesn't exist". Of course, I never have had any desire to be an atheist; but watching them argue about every detail like that turned me even more against it. But then I started thinking....isn't this what Christians do. Like the atheists were arguing the many ways God doesn't exist, Christians argue the many ways God does exist. Although there is nothing wrong with debating the details of Christianity, it seems to me like a lot of this debating is just pulling Christians farther away from each other and pushing others away from Christianity. Actually, one lady told me that this was what made her decide to no longer be a Christian. She said that she used to be a Christian but she hated the pressure, and she hated the constant disagreement in the church. So I started thinking some more....
As some of you know I attend a Presbyterian church with my family on Sunday, but on Wednesday nights I go to a Baptist church. To some people that seems very strange, but to me its not. I enjoy taking things from both sides and forming my own beliefs. Sometimes, it seems to me like different denominations are almost like different religions. We all have our different ways of worship, different ways of preaching, different ways of baptism, and just flat out different ways in general. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it seems like we are just getting away from what Christianity is all about. Its about us all coming together and living our life for the one true God. Actually, He tells us in his word that we will not be complete until we do so. "...to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to be whole measure of the fullness of Christ." Ephesians 4:12-13 We, throughout all different churches, are to be brought together and united as one through Christ.
So here are the two points I am trying to make in this blog:
#1. From my minor experience, I learned that it is very difficult and nearly impossible to win an argument against atheists or evolutionists. The reason for this is because they have science and facts on their side. And what do we have? We have faith. The word faith is completely meaningless to an atheist. As a result, every argument went in circles because they threw the fact that there are certain molecules in a specific arrangement that somehow proves that there was never a creation story right in my face; and back at them I threw faith and hope. His answer meant nothing to me, and mine nothing to him. But do I feel like i wasted my time? Absolutely not. I learned a lot about myself and what I believe. I thought about things I had never really thought about before, and I felt challenged to prove myself. Although it became discouraging when a group of people declared that I had won the "f***ing idiot of the day award", there were a few people who gave me encouragement. One guy in particular who disagreed with everything I said actually encouraged me the most. He said, "Elizabeth, I don't know what it is, but for some reason I have a soft spot for you. Maybe it's the fact that your so young, yet so eager to defend your faith. Although I disagree with what you have said, I have no doubt that you are a good person. So I wish the best of luck to you." I was those kind of things that made me begin to think of myself and what kind of a person I am. What I found out is that if I have something I firmly believe in, then I will defend it and not give in to what other people say. Really, I just love a good argument.
#2. The whole human race is divided. Whether its your gender, the color of your skin, or your religion, everywhere you look there is division. I think that Christianity is supposed to be something that stands against that. Something that knocks down the wall between us; but its not. Instead we are creating more divisions. I long for the day when all Christians, whether Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, or whatever denomination will come together in unity and worship Jesus Christ. When He died on the cross for us, he tore the veil, crushing all separation, and now we are sewing it back together. Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not saying that there should not be any denominations, if there weren't then I think there would be more argument. I am only saying that every once in a while we should push aside the minor details and focus on what really matters. Christ Jesus the Lamb.
~*Elizabeth
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
"Iron Mixed with Clay"
Posted by Elizabeth at 3:22 PM
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2 comments:
Elizabeth, once again good blog. I actually read it and then went to do something else but I couldn't get it out of my head. It moves me because it talks about things that I've dealt with a lot, especially lately. I almost feel like I could write a whole blog in response, but I'll try to keep this short.
I think you're very brave for getting in on that discussion because, as you found out, people can be pretty hostile towards Christians sometimes. And sadly, many Christians are hostile right back. I think we have to understand that we're not going to win anybody over by beating them in an argument. No one is going to be a Christian that way. But also, I think it's important for us to at least explain how we feel so that people who may be on the fence can see that there really is something to Jesus that should be taken seriously.
The problem is that we feel like the only way we can validate the idea of God to skeptics is to be able to explain him in an argument. This is not true, and it will get us into arguments we can't win because God doesn't fit inside our little circle of reason. In fact, he made that circle.
I heard a great quote by an theologian/poet/writer who lived 100 years ago named G.K. Chesterton. He said, "It is the mathematician, not the poet who goes mad. While the mathematician tries to build a bridge across the infinite, the poet swims in the sea." I think that's a great way to put it because, while it is important to have some understanding of God, we have to know that we're never going to fit him inside our heads. And so the way we approach our faith is to sort of just swim in it. We just trust God and love people like Jesus tells us to. You know, live out our faith, and I think God will work through that and help us grow. THEN I think the world will take notice and think that there is some substance to this faith.
Anyways, I really liked this blog a lot. It looks like whoever started that 1 million Christians group may have found as many atheists. Speaking of which, I don't think I could ever find a more meaningless thing to believe. But that's another subject entirely. Where did you get the title from, by the way?
Thanks for the comment Matt!
Actually one of the points you made I meant to talk a little bit about in my blog, but I forgot. That was about how you said people can be hostile to Christians and in return a lot of Christians are hostile to them. I noticed that most of the Christians in the discussion were doing that. They were letting what people said get to them and they got so angry and out of control that you really couln't tell who was Christian and who wasn't. I think that is the completly wrong way to handle the situation because it was turning even MORE people away from Christianity.
The title came from Daniel 2:43. It talks about how we are like a mixture. It says we are so disunited that we mix as well as iron and clay. Since a lot of my blog was about unity, i decided to use that as my title.
thanks again!
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