I would like to share a secret that not many people know
about me.
I am imperfect and a sinner.
Okay, everyone that knows me even in passing actually knows
this poorly kept secret. The only thing
I can say in my defense is that I seem to be in good company with the rest of
the world. What is often apparent these
days though is that not everybody realizes that they too are imperfect
creatures made and sustained by a divine and perfect Creator. Not that this is a great credit to me, but I
am painfully aware of the many transgressions I make on a daily basis and how
often I fail to do what God wants. I am
not a very good Christian far too much of the time.
Sadly, in this day and age of post-Christian modernity, it
seems that those that still do believe in God and are thus trying to live their
lives accordingly are seen as superstitious rubes and fools by most people in
society. The biggest growing religious
affiliation group today is the “nones”; that is those folks having no religious
affiliation or belief. Far too many of
the remaining people that still “believe” in God have redefined him so that
their “god” agrees with their thoughts, beliefs and world view, rather than
conforming their own beliefs to what God has taught us. This is almost a new kind of atheism. “There is a god, BUT he thinks just like ME!”
Most people have subjected God to either agreeing with them
or simply denying his very existing altogether.
And why not? For most of us, It
is hard to live by God’s rules in this fallen world today. It is far easier for us to change what God
thinks so as to align with our own thoughts, or failing that, to simply no
longer acknowledge his very existence.
After all, if God doesn’t exist, then I can think and do as I see
fit. I am no longer constrained by an
informed conscience that is guided by a divine loving creator God. I am free!
I am not shackled by any authority greater than my own needs, wants, and
desires. My ego is now the supreme
authority over my actions in this great cosmic lie.
Bishop Robert Barron succinctly states,
“All of us sinners have, to one degree or another, bought
into the lie. At the heart of the lie—and we can see it in the Genesis
account—is the deification of the ego. I become the center of the universe, I
with my needs and my fears and my demands.
And when the puny ‘I’ is the center of the cosmos, the tie
that binds all things to one another is lost. The basic reality now becomes
rivalry, competition, violence, and mistrust.”
Indeed, if everyone does precisely what their own ego and
its desires dictate, of course we are going to run into conflict with our families,
friendships, and society. We no longer
are governed by God’s commandment to do unto others as we would have them do
unto us, or if we do treat others well, it often is because we expect something
in return. Nothing is ever done simply
out of a loving heart with no expectation of reciprocation these days. The result of all of this self-centeredness
untethered from a higher purpose (God) are broken relationships, broken families,
increased rates of drug use and suicide, meaningless and empty promiscuity,
abuse, and violence.
Yes, these things have always been with us as part of the
fallen human condition, but for all of our societal advances, we seem to have
an increase in these things rather than having mitigated them.
I have seen too many friends, acquaintances, and even family
members choose to go down this path of denying the existence of God, seemingly
so as to not have to justify their actions that God has clearly spoken out against. From supporting sexual conduct outside of
marriage to championing the redefinition of marriage itself to accommodate homosexual
marriage or plural marriage, I have witnessed the chaos and self-destruction
that inevitably comes when we intentionally turn our backs on God’s plan for
us. This is especially true when it
comes to those championing the killing of innocent newborns and then justifying
it under the more tender euphemism of “pro-choice”.
Our society has increasingly turned away from God and an
abiding belief in him and his desires for us to be happy and TRULY free by cooperating
with his plan for each of us. The results
have been disastrous and sorely evident throughout or “enlightened” society. From comparatively lesser problems like nearly
half of marriages ending in divorce, if one no longer acknowledges the
commitment, let alone the sacred nature of marriage, then any reason one
chooses can be a valid excuse for dumping your spouse.
Today, often times because people no longer understand or
respect the sacrament of marriage, many couples just choose to live together as
an unmarried couple. This “temporary”
arrangement without a true sense of commitment usually fosters insecurity and a
decidedly unharmonious life together often times. With few exceptions, I have not seen this
work out well for more than a few years at best.
I have also witnessed a good-hearted young woman agree to be
a surrogate mother for two “married” men and then suffer emotionally at giving
up the baby she carried for nine months.
Let alone that common sense and psychology used to tell us that children
do far better in a stable home with a married mother and father, now we can put
the best needs of the child aside because two men who can not procreate
together as per God’s design have selfishly decided that they want to “have a
child”.
Then there is the matter of abortion. God tells us that murder is wrong and a grave
sin. Pope Francis recently reiterated
unambiguously once again that abortion is murder, and yet this issue today is
one that is highly contentious in America.
Let that sink in for a moment. It
is a CONTENTIOUS ISSUE that tens of millions of Americans support killing an
unborn child. Over 62 million unborn
babies have been killed in the United States alone since the passing of Roe v.
Wade in 1973. Nothing can justify the
intentional taking of an innocent life, but the problem is especially egregious
when the deification of one’s ego justifies this act for matters of convenience
or financial reasons.
Now this is not to say that all atheists or agnostics are
bad people, anymore than it is to say that all self-professed Christians are
good people. Neither is obviously the
case. Personally, I have known and do
know many atheists that live very moral lives and actually care about others
for the sake of the others. Having once
been an atheist myself, I can understand what I consider to be the false religious
doctrines of atheism. Even here on my
own blog, some of my favorite interlocuters have been atheists such as John Myste,
Heathen Republican, and Jerry. All of
these gentlemen are obviously exceptionally bright and seemingly very good
people. They make the world a better
place for their parts in it.
Unfortunately, far more of the quasi-Christians, agnostics, and
atheists are only in this world for themselves.
Nothing greater is in control of their lives and actions than what their
egos tell them. Life is meaningless in
all things except to get whatever one can out of it. If others can help in that goal, then great,
otherwise to hell with most others. It
is a sad existence. I know. I once lived it too.
Regrettably, I forget where I came across this quotation,
but it seems particularly relevant to this topic regarding our human nature and
history as God’s creatures.
“It is a history of creatures attempting to make their
Creator into their own image and likeness. But the most the creature can do is
turn away from what truly is and live in a world of his own imagination.
If insanity is measured by the degree to which what one
believes corresponds to what truly is, the story of mankind’s revolt against
reality is really the story of mankind’s descent into insanity.
Sanity produces the opposite. When you see things as they
truly are (and live accordingly), good things result. Sanity invariably leads
to human flourishing, whereas its opposite alienates us from ourselves and from
all that is around us—to regression, human misery, and destruction.”
In Vatican II’s words, “when God is forgotten . . . the
creature itself grows unintelligible,” seem prophetic in retrospect.
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