Extremism

We hear a lot about extremism in the news media, and it always refers to a form of hard Islam. It is called extremism for good reason, and rightly so. That kind of religious mindset has resulted in the loss of many innocent lives, and their only ‘sin’ was to hold differing views from the man holding the sword, who is all too ready to use it to end life. In fact life itself is not seen as precious and is used as a bargaining chip as they pursue their own ends. This is their faith, and no one will move them from it being right. In fact, theirs is the ONLY right way to interpret and use their so called holy book, they say.

Can I be controversial? If not, stop reading now and go no further. I notice that there are some within the Christian Church who see themselves as the keepers of the true gospel, and who will discuss, debate and argue with anyone who might see things differently. Oh deaths do not happen, at least not physically. However, what do you call it when a young tender life is deterred from ever thinking about taking Christianity seriously? That could be considered as a worse death, because it is eternal.

We know about those who promote ‘aggressive atheism’ and we don’t like them or their attitude. In a similar way, the ‘aggressive christian’ would never see themselves as doing the wrong thing, and would not hold themselves responsible for souls being lost. But they are misguided, and souls are being lost. There may be a way to counter this kind of approach, and that is to stand between them and the souls they put at risk. The thing is, the true message is as simple as it is effective. Show love. Real love. Unconditional love. After all, wasn’t it love that took Jesus all the way to Golgotha to die for us on the cross? We may not have to die to prove our faith, but we can show love. We ALL must, and should show love.

All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other. John 13:35

Cause of Atheism?

"The greatest single cause for atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle". Brennan Manning. I have to confess that I have not heard of this guy, but what he says is true.


Trying to live your life in the best way, is not easy. It takes a lot of backbone at times, because you tend to find yourself at odds with what is accepted as 'normal' and mainstream. As the quote says, 'we deny Him by our lifestyle'. Oh, don't get me wrong, I certainly don't mean that we should live like Monks and Nuns, although these folks are commendable in their commitment. No, I mean living IN this society, but being noticeably different. 


I was brought up (and still attend) a church which in its early years was known by the things they did not do. Now, we have gotten away from that and have adopted a new philosophy of looking for, and emphasising, the positive side of Christianity. This is good as far as it goes, but I sometimes think we have thrown the baby out with the bathwater. Our churches are now full of good people who are no different than any others who are not church goers (and in some cases, worse).


We have started to accept and practice all those things which set us apart originally. I am reminded of the story of the man who asked his friend if he saw him as different in any way, hoping to show the difference to allow him to ask his friend to come to church with him. The other man thought for a moment and said, yes you are different, I can see it, you are a vegetarian aren't you? He had made a good impression, but not the one he wanted. 


The best judges of our lifestyle, and if it is Christ-like, are the non church goers. One thing that is never heard now is, 'I thought you were a Christian, and I didn't think you did that'! Now we do anything and almost everything those around us do, so where's the difference now?


Church leaders of all denominations are bemoaning the decline of membership and attendance. Maybe that's because there is so little difference between us all now, and whose fault is that? Answer: the same churches who lowered their standards in the first place. Maybe we need to get back to basics, and that's the stuff that makes us different, not the same. It is not an exaggeration then to say there is a short step from belief to atheism.