People want to feel reassured that they are correct…

In a recent conversation another old friend from church told me that he was so tired by age and various physical ailments that he was asking the Lord to take him home. I had not seen this gentleman for a number of years and he had no idea of any changes in my viewpoint. So he was speaking to me right from his heart believing I would understand his plight. But as he spoke I had an alternative idea in my head, one that had the potential of changing the flow of our reunion rapidly and dramatically.

Although I can relate in some measure to the idea of being ready for death, I was well aware that his foundational belief is fully persuaded that he has an eternity ahead for him in the presence of God. Therefore, with his emotional state so sincerely close to the surface as we talked, I was not prepared, standing in the lobby of our business, to suggest alternate possibilities to his Christ-centered worldview.

Pharmacist and former evangelical Christian, Jason Long, PhD, writes, “The Christian is interested in feeling comfortable with his beliefs, not in dispassionately evaluating them. People want to feel reassured that they are correct in their beliefs, especially when there is a lot of emotion, personality, history, and identity at stake. If the Christian were genuinely interested in the truth, he would analyze the argument critically and thoroughly to see if it adequately addressed the points of the skeptical objection. But he is not questioning; he is defending.” (The Malleability of the Human Mind, chapter 3 of The Christian Delusion Why Faith Fails, editor John W. Loftus, 2010)

When I was the angel at the top of the stairs…

Recently one of my old church friends posted this photo of “yours truly” on Facebook. Yes, I know… it is one of my better looks, right? And I would not have even known this classic shot was still around except another friend saw it and tagged it. So when I had the pleasure of this vivid reminder of my “hook, line, and sinker” days in Christendom, the following thoughts came to mind.

Is he laughing or crying? Hard to tell.

Well, there is no getting around it… that was me. And, to be quite candid, at the time I really liked playing that role. My job was to give the hapless humans their verdict from “the book!” There they stood, supposedly newly resurrected and awaiting judgment at the foot of the stairway to heaven. If they were “in” they got the angel’s welcome and the heavenly music played. However, if they were unrepentent and remained woeful sinners to the end… well, it was the flames of hellfire for them with the devil and his angels licking their chops.

If there really was such a trumped-up character as “the devil,” plays like this one would surely be his heartless concoction. But no… it is Christians who like these intimidation tactics that promote fear and anxiety in the minds gullible adults and defenseless kids. Believe or burn. Nice.

So, while part of me can look at this old screwy photo and laugh at my ridiculous expression and git-up… my real reaction is to simply shake my head and say, “never again!”