Theology 101
I read an entry today (I can't remember where--I was bloghopping) in which the author was lamenting her disillusionment with the Divine. She denounced whatever higher power existed in the universe for allowing bad things to happen in the world and in her life, and for "his/her/its" failure to answer her prayers. It intrigued me that someone could be so astute and so clueless at the same time.
I say astute because she recognizes that there is a Power beyond herself, and it is real enough to her that she will honestly pray to it. I say clueless because while she believes in a Supreme Being, she thinks she can approach Him on her own terms. Here's the thing, and pay attention, people... If God were obligated to do whatever you say, then you would be God. I don't think many people grasp the disparity between Creator and created.
To them, God is a fairytale--a bedtime story that parents tell their children (and adults recall to themselves) so that they can sleep at night without having to face the alternative: that their existence is utterly without meaning, and there is no overarching force for good in the universe. Everyone goes to heaven when they die, just like Santa visits every home on Christmas Eve. It is our popular mythology, and people are content to accept it blindly and without investigation.
One question derails the whole thing: how do you know that? How do you know that God is loving and fair and won't let anyone go to hell? How do you know that He is responsible for making sure nothing bad ever happens, especially to you? How do you know these things? And behind a puzzled expression is a cosmic understanding based solely on preconceived ideas and superstition.
Here's a clue: everything you need to know is in the Bible. Some things about God are intended to be a mystery, but a great many are not. In the Bible, we are given a detailed account of who God is, who He expects us to be, and how to reach Him. There is no reason to wonder. I'll give you the Reader's Digest version...
Yes, God is loving and fair, but He is also holy (morally perfect). So holy, in fact, that He can not tolerate sin (moral imperfection) in any form, in any degree. Because He loves us, He affords us the perquisite of free will. Being endowed with this "right to choose" we have consistently chosen moral imperfection. This is a big problem for God, who intended for us to be in relationship with Him, but now can not have anything to do with our sinful selves. To satisfy the requirement of His own holiness, He came to earth as a human (Jesus Christ) and bore the punishment (crucifixion and hell) for our wrongdoing. Because He didn't deserve it, it can then be applied to every one of us who did. That is why we can say, literally, He died for you. But God will not violate our right to choose, even to save us from damnation. We have to choose to accept His sacrifice on our behalf. And to maintain the restored relationship now available to us, we have to choose every day to put aside our self-seeking agenda and seek Him instead.
That is when God answers prayers in the affirmative--when we pray according to His agenda and not our own. It requires humility to admit you are not the dominant being in the universe, and to submit to the One who is. But many today continue to snap their fingers at the cosmic bellhop and believe themselves to be gods.
Many people believe that God will answer any and all of their prayers because He is a loving being. But because He is loving, He won't answer our prayers--at least with answers we want. And we they don't get the answers they want, they assume that God does not exist.
Posted by: Nelly on September 5, 2004 01:04 AMThat was beautifully written. And very true.
Posted by: Jennifer on September 12, 2004 07:49 AM