I sent this text to a Christian friend of mine today: "I had a thought, wondered what your take on it would be. I hope, for the sake of humanity, that the God of the Bible isn't real." The following is our brief exchange:
Chris Chin: The trouble with that thought, upon initial reflection, is that, if He is real, then the highest good and justice will be made manifest for all creation, including humanity at the consummation of time.
Bud: Highest good & justice according to whom, though? If the God of the Bible (GotB) is real, then, based on his actions in the Bible, he could easily be a narcissistic, jealous, greedy, hateful, malicious being who says he's good "just cuz" he said so. Most people will end up in hell if GotB is real. I hope that doesn't happen. I also am offended at how apathetic most Christians are about that fact.
Chris Chin: I don't know how to respond to the first block other than to say, I think I understand why you think as you do, and that I disagree. The second block is confusing to me: it seems to me that the Bible instructs a Christian to live/operate with an exclusivist mindset while being ambiguous on how inclusive God will be. There is no telling who will or won't be there. I know a former teacher of mine who used to say, "I think we will be surprised by who is in heaven." And while there are no doubt apathetic Christians, I don't feel that that describes most Christians accurately. Those who are apathetic (I hope) are so because of a difficulty processing the magnitude of the event. To dwell on the idea that everyone you meet might end up dying eternally is an impossible fact to consistently dwell on, particularly with how metaphorically big the world has gotten (the number of people we all have access to).
Bud: Of course you disagree. You look at the actions of GotB as described in the Bible and you think what he does is justified because he's God and he's "holy" and thus couldn't do anything wrong. Granted, I am referring more to the "fundy" or exclusivists of Christianity when I talk about the apathy. But, even considering them alone, the number is both staggering and egregious.
"... the highest good and justice will be made manifest..." I have no idea what this means or what it would look like.
Chris Chin: You're right in part (referring to what I see in God's actions). It seems to me like there is a narrative to history, and that the acts of violence committed by God are either explicitly or implicitly explained as heart wrenching but necessary parts of that story. Does that make sense? Maybe that's what you meant by your explanation of my view. About the highest good and justice, all that I know is that justice (biblically) is about a return to wholeness or rightness, a fixing of something that's been broken. I think creation will be 'fixed'. Every apocalyptic description of heaven in the Bible is, in my opinion, a metaphorical description. Personally, I don't believe that anyone in hell will want to be in heaven, at least not in a heaven where 'self' is the lowest priority. I'm not certain of that, but I really hope it's true. And yes, I know what you mean by the fundy types. Christians without compassion are not, I don't think, Christians at all.
Impromptu Theological Texting
Impromptu Theological Texting
Posted by , Published at 8:35 AM and have
