Let's find out!
I remember reading "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. It had a chapter called "Nice People Or New Men?" which argued that Christianity is not about "niceness" but rather about being born again in Christ Jesus. Or at least, that is the way I remember it.
How often have you heard, "if Christians only were nicer," "if they weren't so judgemental," "if they didn't criticise lifestyle X and Y so much", in other words, if only they showed more tolerance to sin then people surely would start coming to church again!
If only it were true. In fact, it's exactly vice versa. Churches in the West go out of their way to be nice and inclusive, they preach fuzzy sermons about "love", they change hundred years old liturgy, they hardly ever mention sin any more, and the result of all this is that they are getting emptier than ever and that the whole of Western society is in the state of apostasy.
Is there something we don't know? Shouldn't Christians be kind and loving? Well, I guess it all started in the Victorian times (as usual:). There is a Victorian proverb which says, "it's better to be kind than to be right." But, is it really kindness if you sacrifice truth (being right) for the sake of not hurting feelings? Because that's what being nice is really all about: not hurting feelings.
Love in the Biblical sense is different. It's not so much about feelings, but rather about doing what is right and wishing your neighbour's well-being even if it sometimes means rebuking him.
I found a very good article on this topic, called paradoxically :
They Will Know Us By Our Love (and Hate Us For It):
The first is that the love which we are to show comes from God rather than from the world. We are to love as Christ loved us. Now the world certainly noticed the love of Christ, but it also executed him for it. The love of Jesus is not found in this world’s mealy-mouthed platitudes about niceness and sentimentalism. Rather, it is a perfect and uncompromising love which relentlessly pursues the true, objective good of the beloved no matter how much it must defy this world and its prince–all at the cost of his own life. Jesus’ love is one that overturned tables, defied merely cultural expectations, offended the state, and provoked the ire of false religion. It demands attention because it is different than the world’s faulty ideas of love.
As an agnostic and one who has been exposed to some Catholicism, I can appreciate your point of view. From my view, I respect the fact that churches are private organizations that can do what they want to a point. They don't have to marry queerdoes and transweirdos or support abortion if it is charity run hospital for example. I actually see the left more out of hand than ever. I miss the 1980s and 1990s and early 2000s since we never had these stupid discussions and everyone kind of did what they were going to do without being in anyone's face about it.
ReplyDelete1980s feel positively Victorian nowadays, don't they:) But really, even 10 years ago I couldn't imagine some things possible which are happening now...
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ReplyDeleteJesus never rebuked an individual but the corrupt establishment that oppressed people.
ReplyDeleteWell, he drove the merchants out of the Temple with a whip and preached quite a bit about Hell, and told people to go and sin no more which is more than could be said about some modern preachers:) But you are right about the establishment which hated him for this...
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