But the good thing about slogging through a book like that is that it gets you thinking! The more I thought about Bertrand Russell's book, the more I disagreed with him.
- Atrocities? Sure, religion was used by evil people to gain power, but the biggest atrocities were committed by ferociously unfaithful people like Stalin, Mao, Attila the Hun. So people can be bad, both Christians and others.
- No proof of God? Sure, but there is lots of evidence. So in the end it all boils down to a personal decision.
- Finally, how could faith block fulfillment? Would you say Mother Teresa or Martin Luther led pointless lives? That they suffered for no reason and died having made no difference?
I choose to believe because it is a smart choice. Look, I'm a skeptic too. Either God is there or he isn't. If he's there and I brush him off, he's told me the outcome and it ain't pretty. If he isn't there but I devote my life to him, no big loss - since the Christian life is a pretty good one. So I play it smart!
I choose to believe because it makes sense. I'm a big fan of books on history, philosophy and science. (Wynn Anne makes fun of how boring my books are!) But the more I read, the more sure I am that Christian faith is right. Archaeology shows the Biblical stories to be consistent with history. Philosophers have no world view that is as complete as ours. And science keeps on "discovering" things like 'the world began in a flash of light.' That was known thousands of years ago!
I choose to believe because it works. My life is better when I rely on faith to guide choices and to give meaning. Christ tells me to give; when I do, I am rewarded with an irreplacable feeling of joy. Christ tells me to love; when I do, I am loved back. I am richer for my faith.
When I act faithfully, God makes himself visible. I try to think, speak and act faithfully. I'm not very good at it, but I keep trying. And every time I go out on a limb in faith, even if I am disappointed with the outcome, I come away with renewed, stronger faith. At those times, God is very real. I've been at it for 35 years, and I don't intend to quit.
How about you?
We should also differentiate which namely Christians have committed atrocities! Does any board between Western and Eastern Christianity exist for you?)
ReplyDelete1. I agree that many Christians have committed atrocities; perhaps the same proportion as non-Christians. My point is not that Christians are better than others; they are not. The point of the Christian faith is to to admit our brokenness and to seek healing from our creator.
Delete2. I would not presume to name Christians who have committed atrocities. I only named a few non-Christians in my post to illustrate my point, and the ones I chose to name are very widely accepted as monsters. I expect you could find widely condemned Christians in the Crusades, the Inquisition or the Reformation, but it is certainly not my role to judge.
3. I do not see a lot of difference in the sinfulness of Orthodox, Roman and Protestant Christians. I myself am Protestant, but I have many Catholic friends and a few Orthodox friends. We all accept the basic tenets of the creeds, and differ on what I consider minor issues. But people are people, we are all broken and sinful, and the best of us are humble enough to constantly acknowledge our limits.