(Due to extreme busyness, I am running a previous post from last year. Thanks for stopping by.)God is popular these days.
.Oprah talks about him; He's explored and discussed on the Discovery Channel; movie stars displaying varying degrees of sanity invoke his name at will, and most winners of prestigious awards end up thanking him at some point, lifting their trophy to the ceiling as though the Almighty One they had ignored all year was winking down on their success.
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Yet, the news is filled with continual public arguments when anyone wants to actually include him in society. Try to have the Ten Commandments displayed in a public place. Ask to have the story of Creation displayed alongside the far-fetched tribal beliefs and evolutionary theories at zoos or museums and righteous indignation fills the city."Whose God are you talking about?" they cry.
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So how can the concept of God be so popular and UN-popular at the same time?
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The answer is easy. Humanity loves the concept of God, but trembles in horror at the reality of Him. We worship a god of our own making. The characteristics of Jehovah, as outlined in the Bible, don't always fit with who we'd like God to be. So we ignore that part. It can't be real. We must have misunderstood.
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The popular vision of God portrays Him as a fluffy little cupid who watches over us all, eventually overlooks whatever he doesn't like, and sweeps us all to Heaven to become angels. After all, that's what a LOVING God would do, and above all, our God must be loving. Only loving. Not righteous. Not holy. Not vengeful for any reason. And never intolerant.
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Tolerance is the Pop-god's platform, the mantra being "All paths lead to god." And that's absolutely correct. All those paths do lead to the same god, and eventually the same end. Because any god of human creation is not really God at all.
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I couldn't worship and fear a god I created. He would be as flawed as I am. He would not require enough of me. Besides, any god who would accept our confoluted idea of him isn't God at all. It's a human-concocted fantasy.
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Our mission during our short span on this earth is to discover just who this entity is, not to try to re-create him in our image. To fall short of this goal is the ultimate failure and can never be undone.
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More damaging than atheism is the concept that God can be re-defined at the whim of humanity. That God can be both defamed and claimed in the same breath--and doesn't mind at all. That God has no interest in right and wrong, except when it concerns those issues important to the human in question. That God's opinions change with society's opinions--He's a real cool dude!
.
Beware of the current popularity of God. The God of the Bible has never been more unpopular. Jesus was not popular with the rich and famous when he walked the earth, because he called them names and told them they were hypocrites. They were even willing to stoop to murder to stop him. Shut him up! He is messing with our idea of God!
.
Nothing has changed. Mankind continually re-invents gods of their liking and pretends we are all talking about the same God. We're not. The next time you hear someone talk about their "faith in God," don't accept their words at face value. Dig a little deeper and find out which one he is. There is a good chance you have never met their god and they have never known yours..
.
.
Yet, the news is filled with continual public arguments when anyone wants to actually include him in society. Try to have the Ten Commandments displayed in a public place. Ask to have the story of Creation displayed alongside the far-fetched tribal beliefs and evolutionary theories at zoos or museums and righteous indignation fills the city."Whose God are you talking about?" they cry.
.
So how can the concept of God be so popular and UN-popular at the same time?
.
The answer is easy. Humanity loves the concept of God, but trembles in horror at the reality of Him. We worship a god of our own making. The characteristics of Jehovah, as outlined in the Bible, don't always fit with who we'd like God to be. So we ignore that part. It can't be real. We must have misunderstood.
.
The popular vision of God portrays Him as a fluffy little cupid who watches over us all, eventually overlooks whatever he doesn't like, and sweeps us all to Heaven to become angels. After all, that's what a LOVING God would do, and above all, our God must be loving. Only loving. Not righteous. Not holy. Not vengeful for any reason. And never intolerant.
.
Tolerance is the Pop-god's platform, the mantra being "All paths lead to god." And that's absolutely correct. All those paths do lead to the same god, and eventually the same end. Because any god of human creation is not really God at all.
.
I couldn't worship and fear a god I created. He would be as flawed as I am. He would not require enough of me. Besides, any god who would accept our confoluted idea of him isn't God at all. It's a human-concocted fantasy.
.
Our mission during our short span on this earth is to discover just who this entity is, not to try to re-create him in our image. To fall short of this goal is the ultimate failure and can never be undone.
.
More damaging than atheism is the concept that God can be re-defined at the whim of humanity. That God can be both defamed and claimed in the same breath--and doesn't mind at all. That God has no interest in right and wrong, except when it concerns those issues important to the human in question. That God's opinions change with society's opinions--He's a real cool dude!
.
Beware of the current popularity of God. The God of the Bible has never been more unpopular. Jesus was not popular with the rich and famous when he walked the earth, because he called them names and told them they were hypocrites. They were even willing to stoop to murder to stop him. Shut him up! He is messing with our idea of God!
.
Nothing has changed. Mankind continually re-invents gods of their liking and pretends we are all talking about the same God. We're not. The next time you hear someone talk about their "faith in God," don't accept their words at face value. Dig a little deeper and find out which one he is. There is a good chance you have never met their god and they have never known yours..
.
1 comment:
A good, thought-provoking post, Lea Ann. I've always found it interesting how many people wear a cross without apparently understanding its implication. Along with angel pins it has become a popular jewelry item in the secular world. I don't find myself inclined to question or judge such people so much as to wonder if God will find ways of using the "popular spirituality" as a tool to reach out and eventually convict people that might not respond to other more religious approaches. Who knows? God works in strange and marvelous ways.
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