Dominicrussell's Blog

I once had a friend who had an extraordinary gift. He could say something completely ridiculas in such a way that not only did you accept it but you acted on his acceptance. Once I asked him to help with the washing up. He said he couldn’t because dish clothes go right through him. “Oh right” I said, then thought about it and realised that it was the most ridiculas excuse I had ever heard. Unfortunately he is not alone in this gift and the general public do seem to take things on face value. Utterly Butterly advertise that their butter is from “free range cows” I must point out that all cows are free range and you can not battery farm a cow. I met a couple who owned a company which sells organic free range hay, again you can not battery farm grass.

These might be innocent advertising stunts but they illuminate something interesting in the world that the Lord is contesting with the enemy for. Humanism, secularism and atheism are not playing fair, but would you expect them too? As Christians we are often confronted with questions that are hard to answer, and if we find those answers we find the answers either unpleasant or untenable. For example we might be asked why a child has a horrible illness if there is a God? To answer this question on the terms demanded by a secularist, that is without reference to eternal life, God or anything supernatural is impossible and the conclusion of humanism is that there is no God. Lets analyse this, first this does prove that there is no god but it does not prove that there is no God (note the use of capitals). This universe is free from limited gods who are happy to sit by whilst little girls suffer from illness, it is free from gods who don’t provide eternal life and it is free from impersonal forces who capriciously play with human lives. The effect of ruling out the supernatural and then demanding that it proves itself is a paradox of the worst kind. We must ask the question if terrible things happen in the world and we allow the existence of the supernatural does God exist? My first point is that we see unaccountable good in the strangest places which flies in the face of socialisation theory and all psychological knowledge. We see the family of senior Nazi’s rescuing Jews during the holocaust, we see people moved to donate money to victims of natural disaster around the world and we see ordinary people doing extra ordinary things in terrible situations. The question is why? If we are merely animals who have evolved the capacity to use technology and all our actions can be explained by our society, genetic inheritance and our environment why do we show kindness to strangers we have never met and will never meet again, why do people save those who are being persecuted and why do people resist an all mighty state that has them hospitalised if they refuse to not believe in God. If there is no God and we have to analyse this behaviour according to “Science, experience and logic” we come across incipid conclusions, it makes us feel better… Or perverse conclusions such as, I remember reading the report, women who are ‘bimbos’ ensnaring rich men being ‘more inteligent’ than women who try to make it on their own. Starting with the premis that we are evolutionary creatures who are interested in the promotion of our genetics via our children it is logical that a woman who seduces older rich men rather than make her own money is living a better life, but despite the logic it is wrong! A woman who tarts herself out is degrading herself and that is not appropriate. Men and women are not there merely to procreate but rather to love each other and raise families in an atmosphere of love FOR ITS OWN SAKE. Humanists will burn love, the family, society and the virtues on the alter of the godless religion.
Christians live in a world which is dominated by philosophies from which they are alienated. We are called not to think like a Humanist whose logic, premis’ and reasoning rule out God but rather we are called to think like a Christian. This is similar to the way a soldier who is drawn from the civilian population has got to change his mind and think in a different way. As Timothy writes, “No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.” 2 Timothy 2:4 (New International Version).
So as Christians we need to think like Christians and accept the terrible truth that there is a personal God, with an absolute rule, objective values and, worst of all, he wants us to know him as he knows us. And the cost…he has already paid.