…is now in session! A few regular readers have commented that, if this is a weekly post devoted to establishing arguments in favor of creation (as opposed to evolution) – which it is, indeed – then the scarcity of scriptural references here is puzzling.
Point taken. My rebuttal: the primary audience for these sermonettes would most likely be people who believe in evolution, right? By definition, they probably have little use for scripture quotin.’ If the secondary audience is people who believe in creation, hopefully they get some points they can use having discussions with others who, as stated, might not be open to proofs the Bible provides.
But there’s another reason I don’t go in for a ton of the aforementioned scripture quotin’ side trips: when it comes to infinite chasms, well, I hate to be the one to say it, but there is one of those chasms between the religion outlined in the Bible and the real-world practice of that religion. If you read this blog on days that don’t begin in “Sun,” you might have read a recent I Hate Monday post about televangelists. These low-lifes steal from their gullible flocks and live lavish, opulent lifestyles, all while claiming to emulate Jesus, who owned nothing more than the clothes on his back. As I said in this space last week, unfortunately enough, one of the best arguments people make against Christianity is, well, Christians.
Fine, you say, but televangelists are an exception. They’re not even one tenth of 1 percent of the billions of Christians.
It goes far beyond just televangelists. The religion I call “Unchristianity” is everywhere. Here’s a glaring example: ask a thousand people to quote the first Bible passage they can think of and what do you think the majority will recite? Probably The Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name…” etc., etc. That prayer is recited word for word during services in many churches week after week, and at perhaps millions of dinner tables every day. Two observations:
1.) That prayer is recorded in the Bible in Matthew chapter 6, beginning in verse 9. In verse 7, however, Jesus said, “When praying, do not say the same things over and over again.” How do people miss that? Recited prayers are impersonal. Jesus’ model prayer was merely providing an example of an appropriate prayer, not the very words.
2.) Recited prayers become so meaningless that people don’t even realize what they’re saying. Ask the same 1,000 people, “That prayer you just cited beginning with ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name.’ What is the name that is to be hallowed?” I’ve asked that question and among the more common replies isn’t even a name: “the Lord,” people will answer.
My point: prominent atheists often base their arguments, not on scientific proofs of evolution, but in attacks on the antics of “Christians.” If I’m speaking to atheists here, I feel I have to distance myself to some degree from the people who so often give their own religion a bad name. Fortunately, there are plenty of points to reason upon without having to quote chapter and verse, especially to an unwilling audience. To those who would argue against the Bible based on the actions of so-called Christians, I invite you to think about this principle: the abuse of a thing does not negate its proper use. It’s a fitting maxim in this discussion. Imagine coming out of surgery and being told no morphine or Oxycontin or Oxycodone or other pain meds were available because those drugs are so often abused. If that happened to you, the errors and misdeeds of others would cause you to miss out on something very beneficial to your health. That same scenario can happen to those who view the Bible’s message through the lens of televangelists and other ordinary but nominal Christians whose actions grossly misrepresent the Bible’s true message.
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