Don't worry, I'm not being emo :P
I have been reading this AWESOME book by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears called "Doctrine: What Christians should believe". It basically lays down the foundations of our faith.
In its discussion about the Doctrine of Creation, the authors make some very sobering comments about how much your worldview is impacted by whether you believe there is a loving Creator or not.
In page 104 to 105, it says:
The Bible teaches that creation in general and human life in particular were made by God, belong to God, exist for God, are restless apart from God, and will return to God. If you do not believe in the doctrine of creation, you likely believe that you came from no one, you are alive on the earth for nothing, and that when you die you will go nowhere. The renowned atheistic philosopher Bertrand Russell summarizes this worldview:
"That Man is the product of causes which had no prevision of the end they were achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and his beliefs, are but the outcome of accidental collocations of atoms; that no fire, no heroism, no intensity of thought and feeling, can preserve an individual life beyond the grave; that all the labours of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness of human genius, are destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system, and the whole temple of Man's achievement must inevitably be buried beneath the debris of a universe in ruins - all these things, if not quite beyond dispute, are yet so nearly certain, that no philosophy which rejects them can hope to stand. Only within the scaffolding of these truths, only on the firm foundation of the unyielding despair, can the soul's habitation henceforth be safely built."
Indeed, the only logical option apart from the biblical doctrine of creation is "the firm foundation of the unyielding despair." Similarly, when Richard Dawkins was asked if his view of reality made him depressed, he replied, "I don't feel depressed about it. But if somebody does, that' s their problem. Maybe the logic is deeply pessimistic, the universe is bleak, cold and empty. But so what?"
Thank GOD that as Christians we have such a vibrant hope that is much more powerful than the atheists' unyielding despair. The thought that there are people out there who actually hold and cling to such dim views of life "shocks" me with a deep sadness.
What is even worse though are the atheists who have not travelled to the full extent of their atheistic conclusions to this end, or those who pretend that there's nothing wrong with it and do not face up with the tragic truth and the ultimate reality of an atheistic worldview: In a world without God, there is no purpose, there is no meaning, there is no life. There is only a "firm foundation of unyielding despair".
3 comments:
I've honestly never quite understood how it is that Christians find comfort or hope in the idea that they have a predetermined purpose and must live by rules and values forced upon them.
The quote is perhaps poorly worded, but I take it to mean that true self determinism, freedom and a set of morals that are worth anything, can only be built on a foundation free of pollution from baseless assumptions and rules.
That life has no intrinsic value makes it all the more rewarding and invigorating to forge your own path and do something meaningful to you, not to a book.
I can't even begin to imagine the claustrophobia of living in a certain way because of some threat of an unfavourable afterlife if you don't!
Hi D,
Thankyou for your response. It is always interesting and enlightening to hear of what other people think. Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinions. But it is better to base these opinions on correct understandings.
The greatest misconception of the Christian Faith is to think that it is a Rulebook.
It isn't.
It is in fact a Love Letter/Story. It is a story about a Father who was betrayed by his children (the human race), yet continued to pursue them for millenia despite their stubborn opposition to Him. We hated Him, yet He loved us. So much so that He sent His Son (Jesus) to die for us, so that those who accepted His Gift can receive a restored relationship with Him, no matter what they have ever done or can do to wrong Him.
(See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K48-Li7lIfA for a good compact summary of what the Gospel means).
We don't live in fear as you think. What is there to fear? The Price is paid; it is finished. Nothing we can ever think, say or do, can separate us from the Love of God, for those of us who have simply and humbly accepted His Gift of Jesus.
It sounds too good to be true. But it is true :)
We don't "follow the rules" as you suppose; we simply love Jesus. And when you LOVE someone, you just don't WANT to do anything that displeases them, and you WANT to do everything you can to give them joy. Just think about the person you love most in your life. Would you want to hurt them? No, of course not. Don't you want them to be happy? Of course you would want to!
I wish you well in your desire to adventure into the Sea of Life without any limitations, forging your own path. But from my own point of view, such a journey without a guide or a compass would only lead to a vast nothingness that gets you nowhere and gives you nothing. You simply get "lost at sea".
Music only sounds like music when it operates within the boundaries of its rules; it is only truly expressive, free and beautiful when it works within a certain framework. Without this framework, it simply becomes noise. So it is with Life.
Heh, but I don't think I'll convince you in a short reply, and possibly never. So may you continue to journey well in your life, forging your own path wherever you wish to go. But I hope and pray that someday, if you ever get lost, you will remember my words.
And please don't judge the Christian Way too quickly or with too much pride. The Bible is not a Rulebook. And it is not baseless as you suppose it is. We're not all stupid dumb sheep who don't think about what we believe ;) Have a good look into it first before you speak :)
With love and affection, hoping to give an answer to my Faith in a gentle and respectful manner,
Vincent
Another great blog and reply, Vincent!
You won't believe this but I've seen the Youtube clip you suggested long time ago, and was trying VERY hard to look for it for my students in class yesterday...! Isn't God amazing that He just helps you find what you're looking for according to His will and in His miraculous ways? :)
And so true that the Bible is a 'Love Letter/Story' like you said. And indeed, 'we simply love Jesus. And when you LOVE someone, you just don't WANT to do anything that displeases them, and you WANT to do everything you can to give them joy.' I shared the EXACT same words with my friends/when I led group discussions at my old church. Wow.
Anyways, I think I've replied enough of your blogs today. :) Will come back and write more next time.
Merry
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