Wedge Issues: Prophesies, signs, and the end of the world
Okay so I've been gone quite awhile, busy with the little one and the business and a million other things that have been going on. I've heard from a few of you in the past months and I must say I'm surprised that there are a number of people who actually care what I rant about. :)
Today is something I've had on my mind for awhile as a wedge issue but I haven't been so sure how to approach it. "The End of the World" (i'll get to the prophesies and signs in a moment). Now I know you may be thinking "why this?" when there is so much else going on in the world, elections, recessions, lots of other teeth grinding stupidity to rant about, and I agree: this may not be a real "wedge issue" in the classic sense. However, even though the Christian establishment isn't pushing this one on the public with some sort of political agenda, there are discussions of it among even mostly rational people both in the Christian community and the general public. I'm not going to get into the real loonies who have stated that doing nothing about global-warming is okay since Jesus is coming back "real soon now", we'll save them for another day.
I'm lumping prophesies and signs in with this because they seem to go hand and hand. On one hand everyone seems to be prophesying about the end of the world and on the other the same people who believe they see the virgin Mary on a piece of toast (a "sign") are apt to believe that someone actually knows the time and date of the end of the world.
A few months ago while my wife was pregnant I talked about a woman in my church who believed that God would change the sex of my baby. That the doctors would be proved wrong just so we could see his power .. or something. She believes that God works only in mysterious ways. People who believe in these prophesies and signs take that a step further: they not only miss God in their everyday lives (a crisis of faith) they also don't know what the Bible states about the end of the world (a crisis of knowledge) and thus follow blindly to what anyone tells them.
God doesn't want blind faith, let alone blind stumbling after anything. That isn't Christianity. You can't have a true faith in God unless you know what you believe! You can't be a Christian without knowing the Bible, and not just knowing the words but knowing the spirit of what the words say.
The sad thing is that its such basic stuff. I know that God didn't put the virgin Mary on a piece of toast. Why? Because God has this commandment about not making graven images, why would he make a graven image as a sign? I don't think that God breaks his own rules. On top of that Jesus was often asked for signs by the Pharisees. He told them that basically they'd missed all the signs he gave and he wasn't giving them anymore. In other words God does many things in everyday life, he wants people to have faith. Besides, just like the Pharisees I think that anyone who has already decided not to believe is going to rationalize any sign given.
When we're talking about the end of the world. Jesus said that no man knows the day or the hour. Google the end of the world you'll find thousands of people who claim to be Christians and claim to know the day and the hour! They cite the scriptures and everything! I don't understand how these people can rationalize that verse, its pretty plain.
I know most people reading this are smarter than that. The thing we normal people have to remember is to not worry about it. Its easy to get caught up in Revelation, wondering what it all means. Back in high school I was very excited about this stuff. Now I realize there is a fundamental truth: it really doesn't matter how the world ends. God will be in control of it, through a natural or a super-natural phenomenon. Either way we as Christians must continue to live our lives as Christians. Jesus talked about coming like a thief in the night, and that we should be ready. He didn't mean to hide in a bunker in fear, or to stop living our lives, or to destroy his creations (oops, I said I was saving that for later). He meant we must continue to live as we are called to live. We have no worries.
Today is something I've had on my mind for awhile as a wedge issue but I haven't been so sure how to approach it. "The End of the World" (i'll get to the prophesies and signs in a moment). Now I know you may be thinking "why this?" when there is so much else going on in the world, elections, recessions, lots of other teeth grinding stupidity to rant about, and I agree: this may not be a real "wedge issue" in the classic sense. However, even though the Christian establishment isn't pushing this one on the public with some sort of political agenda, there are discussions of it among even mostly rational people both in the Christian community and the general public. I'm not going to get into the real loonies who have stated that doing nothing about global-warming is okay since Jesus is coming back "real soon now", we'll save them for another day.
I'm lumping prophesies and signs in with this because they seem to go hand and hand. On one hand everyone seems to be prophesying about the end of the world and on the other the same people who believe they see the virgin Mary on a piece of toast (a "sign") are apt to believe that someone actually knows the time and date of the end of the world.
A few months ago while my wife was pregnant I talked about a woman in my church who believed that God would change the sex of my baby. That the doctors would be proved wrong just so we could see his power .. or something. She believes that God works only in mysterious ways. People who believe in these prophesies and signs take that a step further: they not only miss God in their everyday lives (a crisis of faith) they also don't know what the Bible states about the end of the world (a crisis of knowledge) and thus follow blindly to what anyone tells them.
God doesn't want blind faith, let alone blind stumbling after anything. That isn't Christianity. You can't have a true faith in God unless you know what you believe! You can't be a Christian without knowing the Bible, and not just knowing the words but knowing the spirit of what the words say.
The sad thing is that its such basic stuff. I know that God didn't put the virgin Mary on a piece of toast. Why? Because God has this commandment about not making graven images, why would he make a graven image as a sign? I don't think that God breaks his own rules. On top of that Jesus was often asked for signs by the Pharisees. He told them that basically they'd missed all the signs he gave and he wasn't giving them anymore. In other words God does many things in everyday life, he wants people to have faith. Besides, just like the Pharisees I think that anyone who has already decided not to believe is going to rationalize any sign given.
When we're talking about the end of the world. Jesus said that no man knows the day or the hour. Google the end of the world you'll find thousands of people who claim to be Christians and claim to know the day and the hour! They cite the scriptures and everything! I don't understand how these people can rationalize that verse, its pretty plain.
I know most people reading this are smarter than that. The thing we normal people have to remember is to not worry about it. Its easy to get caught up in Revelation, wondering what it all means. Back in high school I was very excited about this stuff. Now I realize there is a fundamental truth: it really doesn't matter how the world ends. God will be in control of it, through a natural or a super-natural phenomenon. Either way we as Christians must continue to live our lives as Christians. Jesus talked about coming like a thief in the night, and that we should be ready. He didn't mean to hide in a bunker in fear, or to stop living our lives, or to destroy his creations (oops, I said I was saving that for later). He meant we must continue to live as we are called to live. We have no worries.
Comments
I remember those days when we talk about this stuff. You have some valid points.
i know this is totally ludicrous, but when i think about all the people announcing particular dates for the end of the world, i always picture God seeing them post and saying, "Oh great, THANKS, now I have to cross that date off the list. Between now and the next century, I've only got four dates left for the Return, dangit, people!"
granted, as stated above, totally ludicrous scenario. but it still makes me chuckle.
So thank you!
Talking snakes? Virgins conceiving? People walking on water, dying and magically reviving days later?
I could go on and on about ridiculous events (bushes spontaneously combusting into flame ?) in the bible but I am obviously not going to sway you. Your ilk are basically brainwashed during childhood and it really is a sad story.
What's funny is you're going to try to contact a nonexistant entity telepathically later in the evening if you really are a Christian.
The fact that individuals as intelligent you believe in such nonsense makes me lose even more faith in humanity.
Have a good life.
Thanks for reading. Admittedly you're right. Christians have to believe in many things that sound ridiculous. That's why its called faith. Faith that God is a higher power and that by faith he can do anything, including causing virgins to conceive and snakes to talk.
However I think my blog proves I'm not brainwashed, as I say many things a "typical" Christian wouldn't say. I guess its easier to stereotype than it is to understand.
My blog is really aimed at Christians. I'm not really aiming to convert anyone I'm hoping to convince the typical Christian to stop acting like one and acting like Christ.
But I do want you to consider two questions. Not for my benefit but for your own.
1: Why do you care what I believe?
Don't dismiss it and say that you don't, you took the time to write two posts to me (I didn't publish the other since they said essentially the same thing). . You know you aren't going to convince me, so why waste your time.
2: What do I have to lose?
In my very first post I stated that people have the right to be wrong. That works both ways. If I'm wrong about Christianity, that's my right. And if I am wrong and its all a lie ... what have I lost exactly? I try to follow Christ's example, its hard to deny that he was a good person even if he wasn't the son of God.
Now I'm not going to say that people have to be Christians in order to be good people but what difference does it make if that choice is rooted in Christ or pink fairies?
Its obvious to me that your "pity" is really anger. I'm sorry you feel that way. I hope that you meet some true Christians in real life and change your mind. Even if you don't I hope that you live and let live anyway. Being angry isn't going to change anything