Faith for Life’s Journey #4 – Deterrents to Faith Pt. 2

Post # 4 = Deterrents to Faith Pt. 2

In this post we continue from the last one pushing aside some common roadblocks to faith. We pick up with roadblock 3.

Roadblock #3 = The Dismissive Factor 

TYPICAL WORDING  “All faiths are basically the same, so don’t bother trying to persuade me of yours, any faith will do.”

PROBLEM: It is clear that many don’t want to think carefully about religion, because they don’t see the point. In their minds, one belief system is as good as any other. Plus they honestly are wearied by the arguments and disharmony associated with religious debate. So to them the question of faith is “six in one, a half dozen in the other.” Take your pick. This view effectively dismisses the whole issue of faith as something to take seriously. It is, thus, a roadblock to faith.

SOLUTION: While acknowledging that religious debate often produces more heat than light, and also acknowledging that some people desire harmony more than they do “being right”, still those who take this position can’t defend it intelligently. The simple fact is that the religions of the world are not at all the same. They differ from one another rather sharply in almost every meaningful category and life question. A study of each one will reveal only a few superficial similarities with large gaping chasms between them.

EXPLANATION: Many wrongly conclude that all religions boil down to the same basic principles: Believe in God sincerely, and do good to others. They note a few bland similarities between them and boil them down to “faith in the divine, and love for mankind.” All religions, they say, may be cased in different shells, but the inside is the same core of faith, hope, and love. Of course, if that were true, we could grab any faith off the rack we prefer and take it home with us. Choosing a faith would be the same as choosing a favorite outfit to wear or a favorite brand of ice cream to lick.

This view does not square with the facts. No one who actually takes the time to evaluate the different faiths and philosophies of life can conclude they are anywhere near the same. Their core is as different as their shells. The closer you look, the more you see the differences.

The world’s religions and faiths are extremely different at every level. Their concept of truth is different. Their concept of God is different. Their concept of right and wrong is different. How truth is determined is arrived at in opposite ways. What love for mankind even means is changeable. They worship entirely different gods with different attributes. They worship them in entirely different and sometimes contradictory ways.

The most important questions of life are answered by these faiths differently:

Where did humans come from?

What is man’s purpose?

Is man good or bad?

Is there a God?

Is God a He or a She or an It?

Is the universe itself alive and divine?

Should nature be worshipped?

Does God punish humans?

Is there such a thing as karma?

Does anyone need to get saved from God’s judgment?

If so what must a person do to get saved?

Is Jesus God Almightily or only a prophet or even a deceiver?

Is the truth to be searched for in one’s own heart, in nature, or out there in the universe somewhere?

How should I live to please God?

How can I find true happiness and peace?

What should I do with a guilty conscience?

What happens after death?

Is there a future resurrection of the body?

Are we reincarnated and come back to this planet?

Does God speak to us infallibly in Scripture? If so, which Scripture?

These are only some of the fundamental questions of life. They are all answered, not only differently, but in direct opposition to one another.

Just to elaborate a little bit  …  Hinduism believes in the actual existence of thousands, if not millions, of gods and their images. Judaism believes in only one God who has ever existed, and that God is a jealous God who does not sanction the worship of any images. That can’t both be right. Christianity believes Jesus is the eternal God come down as a true human being – fully God and fully man in one person. We say he is to be worshipped and feared as the eternal Judge. Islam vehemently denies Jesus is the eternal God or that he rose from the dead. They can’t both be right. Jews and Christians believe Mohammed was a false prophet. No Muslim would consider a person a true Muslim who clings to the cross and worships the resurrected Jesus. No true Mormon would chant “Hare Krishna.” No one in Jehovah’s Witnesses would say Jesus is equal with God. No Buddhist would deny Buddha was enlightened. The list of contradictory beliefs could go on.

Because religions do not even define God, truth, love, or worship the same, a stronger argument could be made that religions are all basically very different and only have superficial similarities. Why else do those who know their faith best, and who strongly adhere to their faith, try so ardently to persuade others about the correctness of their faith? They know the other faiths are in error (from their perspective) and need to be corrected.

So for someone to see these differences and conclude they don’t matter much, their eyes must be closed. Closing the eyes is not an intelligent or helpful position to take. If you open your eyes to the facts, this roadblock is removed.

If you claim to embrace all the world’s faiths, you have in essence embraced none of them. A faith like that becomes undefinable, unworkable, and meaningless.

Road Block #4 = The Confusion Factor

TYPICAL WORDING: “That’s your truth, not mine.”

PROBLEM: People in our Postmodern world advance the idea that truth can be whatever people want it to be. Whichever faith someone chooses is true, not necessarily for everyone, but for them. Truth, they believe, is relative to their choices. Truth is subjective to the person, not objective to everyone. So choosing a faith or discussing which is the right faith makes no sense to their worldview.

SOLUTION: This view is very confusing because truth is not relative but definitive. Truth by definition is not subjective but objective. And everyone knows this to be true. People intuitively know that if something is true, then it is true. And if something is not true, then it is not true. That logic is shared by all human cultures and every generation of man. Truth by definition is not interchangeable with falsehood. To assert otherwise is to throw everything into confusion. We all assume truth to be definitive in every conversation we have on any topic.

EXPLANATION: I have to admit that the idea that truth is relative, is very difficult to take seriously. Every fact of life proves it wrong daily. To be blunt, it is ludicrous to believe that truth changes for different people just because they want it to change. Reality cannot, and does not, so bend. Believing that truth bends to my wishes is the definition of fantasy. In a fantasy people dream and wish their dreams to come true. Reality is the opposite of fantasy. Reality is what actually happens. It is what exists. It is real; that’s why it is called reality. Reality remains reality despite all the wishing in the world. If everyone in the world simultaneously wished the Atlantic Ocean would be completely free of pollution, it would still have just as much pollution in it! If everyone wished winter to go away, the cold wind and ice would still be back the next year unimpeded. So people must bend their beliefs to fit reality – otherwise they will go literally insane.

Of course, no who claims that reality is subjective can live in accordance with his beliefs. Have you ever seen someone try? It would not be possible. In real life, anyone speaking or acting with this belief would be laughed at and dismissed outright – if not told to get serious counseling. Imagine two people arguing about the price of a car at the dealer. The buyer claims, “The price is only $2000;” the seller disagrees, “It is $20,000 – look at the sticker in the window!” “That’s your truth,” says the buyer. “Mine is $2000.” That kind of thinking won’t work anywhere is life. It’s insane!

Reality remains reality. Fantasy remains fantasy. And never the twain shall meet.

Beliefs may change; truth does not. You can believe something that is false, but you can’t make something that is false, true by believing in it. It either is true or it is not.

This is an unbendable rule in the realm of faith as well. For example, it cannot be simultaneously true that God exists and God does not exist. If God is a figment of the imagination, then He does not exist. It cannot be true simultaneously that the universe is eternal, and that it is not eternal. It cannot be true that there is a real place of eternal punishment – hell and there is no such thing as a place called hell.

At the bottom this view seems more of a tactic to avoid argument or disagreement about religion than something to take seriously. We all know that people can get very emotional when talking about religion. If everyone’s beliefs are considered true, even if they actually aren’t, then everyone can save face and live in harmony.

We live in an age of political correctness gone amuck. People are intimidated from saying things they know to be true if the truth offends someone. But political correctness has no place in the halls of learning, otherwise learning will be severely handicapped. It will put a straightjacket on the minds of all students. And that is not good. The human mind must be given room to follow the evidence where it leads and conclude things which are unpopular. Truth defines what is, from that which is not. It is too precious and too valuable to throw away just to make everyone feel good. If we did that, it would be the death of reason. If everything were true, nothing would be true. Truth itself would be lost to the mind, and so would love, goodness, joy, and everything else that depends on truth.

This view really should not be a deterrent to faith, but some have tried to use it to quash the faith debate. It actually is an emotional argument which cannot be defended. And who really tries to defend it anyway? Most just say it and dare others to make an objection. We need to object strenuously, and quickly remove this roadblock.

Road Block #5: The Prestige Factor 

TYPICAL SAYING: “Faith is for weak people who need a crutch and can’t handle life on their own.”

PROBLEM: Many have noticed that folks turn to religion or to God only when they get in trouble. This makes faith seem like a crutch to lean on when the going gets tough. They run for help when life gets difficult like the scared kid who runs behind Momma’s skirts when the big boys start pushing him around. So religion appears to some to be ignoble and even sissified. They think those who turn to faith look pathetic, and no one wants to look pathetic.

SOLUTION: Determining who are the winners and losers in life and who are the weak and the strong, is both premature and rather arbitrary. People who appear to be weak may actually be stronger than those who appear to be strong. And those appearing to be strong may just be full of hot air and prove to be utter failures. Time and testing will tell. Plus defining who is a winner or loser can’t be done arbitrarily. There has to be some standard for making that kind of a judgment.

EXPLANATION: It is common to hear people assert that religion is only for old people and the weak, particularly a religion which urges prayer or calls upon a Deliverer. “Now I lay me down to sleep …” sounds childish to rugged individualists. Their thinking goes something like this … “If you are strong and tough, you just deal with life as it comes to you. You don’t fret and then ask a god for a favor. You don’t get on your knees to beg for mercy in the midst of life’s struggles; you stand up like a man.” They consider it more noble to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, and make it or break it by themselves. As they see it, a strong person does not need a god, karma, Buddhist mantras, or lucky stars. They only need themselves.

This criticism of faith seems to have some validity especially because many of the people who get radically converted to a religion do so in the midst of a tragedy or time of great need. We have all seen someone hit a health crisis, lose a loved one, get fired at work, be dumped by a boyfriend, or flunk school – then, presto! They find religion. How convenient!.

Does turning to religion, though, show weakness or strength? What really is a loser or winner in life anyway, and who decides?

There are three considerations I hope will change your mind about the value of faith for life. Those who come to the right faith surely must be put into the category of winner, not loser. Think of faith, not as a crutch, but as armor or equipment. One who wears it or uses it becomes strong – stronger than those who don’t.

First, if the faith and religion a person turns to makes that person a better person – better even than the person who ridiculed the faith – who is the true loser? The loser is the one who does not avail himself of the winning help. Or, put another way, if recruiting someone on your team makes you a better team, and you win the championship because you have this super great player on your team, when you stand in the winner circle and hold up the trophy with the star player, are you then considered a winner or loser? Most would say it was a savvy move on your team’s part to recruit him. You assembled a winning team. So it can be with the right faith. Faith is the power which moves the life to greater heights – greater even than the person who rejects faith. The loser is the one who rejects help thinking he will do better, but in the end does not.

Second, defining winning and losing is rather tricky. If the person not wanting to rely on faith outside of himself, fails in life because the sum total of his life is displeasing to God, hasn’t he actually lost? In other words, if there is a God, won’t He determine the winners and losers? Isn’t He the final celestial umpire? If a person trusts in himself only, and then fails at life’s purpose, isn’t that losing? And if the person who gains faith in God is rewarded greatly, wouldn’t we say the person having faith got the better outcome? That is usually a pretty good definition of winning – when it is all over, if you stand in the winner’s circle, you are the winner. No one should brag about winning at half-time (this present life). In the end the believer just may win out over those who think themselves self-sufficient.

Third, those who reject faith as an unfair advantage for the weak usually have to define weakness in selective ways. For if they spoke of their own ignorance, their own inability to love others well, their own moral shortcomings, the failures in their marriage and family life, the unkindnesses they show to coworkers, their addictions, and their poor decisions, then they would have to admit what others have already admitted – they are also weak. At least the person pursing help through faith passes the sniff test for honest self-evaluation. The proud man who hides his shortcomings is neither strong nor honest.

To assume man is self-contained without need of help, not only can’t be proven, but ends up missing the value of the help God wants to give. The joke may be on those who do not avail themselves of what some greater power has made available for them. A hungry person who refuses food because he thinks others are weak for taking it, will find himself starving to death in his pride.