Rather than accept, and marvel at, God’s unique manner of sustaining the human race – by using natural reproduction processes to generate new beings that will, eventually, replace the organisms, anti-theists are attempting to make individuals immortal.
Not EVERY individual. The expense would be prohibitive.
No, this will be for the favored ‘special little people’. TPTB will allow the minions of their party/affiliation/group to believe that they will be among the few favored to be granted that chance of ‘immortality’. By occasionally allowing access to these minions, they will ensure loyalty, strict adherence to dictates (or, even, suggestions) from above, they will gain a cohort of slavishly devoted disciples to their totalitarian cause, eager to stamp out dissent.
At times, I find myself strangely pitying those devotees of the Left. Their desperation and panic as they age is pitiable. I know, I know, I’m a weak sap to spare that pity on the pitiless.
But I keep hoping for a Damascus Moment, when they experience a vision that changes their life for the better.
Saul was set for life before his blinding vision. He was highly favored by the Romans for his vigilant persecution of the followers of Christ. All he had to do was to continue his path, and he would have lived a very long life in safety, security, and the respect of All the Right People.
But he didn’t. Instead, he had his eyes opened, and kept them open. He changed nearly every aspect of his life, and, in the process, made himself a target of those in power. His life was shorter, more painful, and lived as a fugitive from the authorities.
That he stayed the course was one of the most important miracles of the early church.
We’ve seen what happens when a Leftist ally makes even tentative moves towards independent thought, particularly when it’s towards Christianity.
They get attacked, 24/7, until they recant. They MAY be permitted to continue their identification with Christ, but it will be in a form stripped of all meaning. In Jane Fonda’s case, she moved from her earlier and heartfelt acceptance of Christianity, and, after a lot of criticism from her Radical friends, moved towards a form of Gnosticism.
I remember the furor that the Left raised when Jane first believed (she had, at that time, attended a born-again-type church). Jane’s beliefs began to shift towards what I would call Convenient Christianity. That form is modified to be in compliance with the politics of the Left. God, and Christ, become secondary to “personal understanding” of what the Bible means. The Convenient Christians keep the name, but morph the form to fit into their crowd.
The difficulty of living in the world is the incompatibility of the competing views of World and Faith/God and Mammon. Who is a believer to follow?
Christians treat their faith as the highest authority. Some point to Bible verses (often, a specific translation, such as KJV or NIV), others reference what their priests/pastors preached, still others are avid readers of theology, and use their reading to bolster their convictions.
Others start with their political/social views, and attempt to shoehorn their Christian faith into that framework. That effort is what is behind many of the New Age incursions into churches. Those are the ones that have twisted many churches – mostly the ones that are dying for lack of attendees (Have you noticed the change in how members of a church are labeled? They USED to be called ‘Believers’, and their fidelity in the face of criticism was something to see. Then they started being called ‘Participants’, as though they were simply going to an entertaining event. Now, they are called ‘Attendees’ – passive observers in a quaint form of pageantry.)
Pastors who are firmly wedded to their faith are few; most enjoy the fire and brimstone, when at the altar/lectern/podium/stage. But, actually taking some risks – speaking out about legislation that is opposed to Biblical beliefs, criticizing unGodly ways that many families – some even in their own church – are engaged in, and opposing the secular pull of the world on their flock – those actions are almost unknown.
Oh, sure, some will PREACH it, but then fail to ACT, where the consequences might affect their freedom or their ability to continue in their work. Those would be the Christians who ran away when the Romans started getting serious.
More common are the ‘Spiritual’ church people. They like the feeling that being a Christian gives them. They just don’t want to inconvenience themselves by actually living the Hard Christian Life.
Think of some of the popular shows in syndication and movies with New Age/Gnostic themes (I don’t judge this by the ratings, but by how often they are seen in syndicated format. My husband is a frequent viewer).
- Ghost Whisperer
- Medium
- Charmed
- Ghostbusters
- Avatar I and II
- The Matrix (all)
- Just about any Superhero movie – ordinary people who become extraordinary, not due to personal effort, but a semi-miraculous event
Gradually, we have changed from a Nation of Believers, to one in which the dominant ethos is, “It doesn’t matter WHAT you believe, as long as you Believe.”
No, it DOES matter what you believe. The CONTENT of that belief, and how you ACT on it, is the whole point.
Otherwise, Manson’s followers have the same validity as any other faith – which, of course, they do not.
Ironically, in their effort to smooth out the uncomfortable edges of the path their adherents might have to travel, many, if not most, churches have made their church into a bland shadow of their earlier fervor.
Not coincidentally, those are the same mainstream churches that are dying of self-inflicted wounds.
