Let's assume for the sake of discussion that Jesus is in fact the Son of God, the "second person" of the Trinity, the logos through which all things were made, the unblemished lamb that was slain, the long-expected Messiah of Israel and the Lord of all. What would this Jesus want from us? Considering who he is and what he did for the human race, what kind of expectations would Jesus have?
Jesus said he is "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). Back when I still considered myself a theologian, I thought: "If Jesus is the 'truth' (which I find to be a misuse of the word truth since the word "truth" is defined in terms of propositions, not individual words, but whatever), then anyone who genuinely seeks the truth seeks Jesus, whether the truth seeker realizes it or not." Spoken like a true inclusivist, I know.
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I still think that way. IF Jesus is "the truth," then we who seek truth are seeking him. Of course, if something (anything) else is "the truth," then all genuine truthseekers are seeking that, whether they know it or not, like anyone trying to discover the secret identity of Batman is unknowingly searching for Adam West Bruce Wayne.
That said, we still must contend with what Jesus said when his disciple Thomas dared to doubt: "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). Is Jesus looking down on those who doubt instead of believing without having evidence to support that belief? At the very least, Jesus commends those who believe without requiring the same evidence as Thomas. After all, faith is "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1).
I can't help but wonder: if Jesus truly were all the things Christians believe him to be, is this really the best plan he could come up with to save humanity? We're talking about the Creator of the Cosmos, the only infinite, eternal being, the one self-existent entity through whom all things have their origin: daddy big boss, GOD. Would a being like this step back and demand that people believe in him because a preacher told them, or because it's what their parents believe, or because they read the story in an old book? Would a being like this really commend those who accept what they are told without ever questioning it? Would such a god demand belief based on ignorance while refusing to offer convincing evidence that he exists?
In every aspect of life, critical thinking is a necessity. Making decisions without checking the facts first is irresponsible in everything - everything except religious belief, apparently. If god is truly the omni-this and omni-that all-everything super-mega ultimate source of wisdom that Christians think he is, why does he demand that which, in any other context, would be irresponsible, silly, and potentially harmful?
Hunters shouldn't shoot at any moving thing until they are certain they are shooting at their intended target, rather than, say, another hunter. Surgeons shouldn't amputate a patient's limb until they're damn sure they know which limb needs to be amputated. Hell, let's get even more basic: you know the old saying, "look both ways before crossing the street." I don't have to say that this maxim exists because people shouldn't cross a street until they know that it's safe to cross.
God should understand logic better than anyone; he is, after all, the logos (John 1:1). Yet, according to many, many Christians, god expects us to be irresponsible when it comes to deciding which religion to follow or which deity to worship. For many, many Christians, doubt is seen as a bad thing - even a sin - which means they actually believe it's wrong to be responsible by arriving at one's beliefs by drawing inferences based on the best available evidence. Such Christians won't say it this way, though. They say we should "have faith." But what is faith but believing without seeing? Thus, I argue that faith is just as irresponsible when it comes to religion as it is for anything else. If god were truly the god Christians believe him to be, I think he'd consider it irresponsible too.
Dead-Logic.com
