On Monday 2/3/2020, Rhett and Link released the most recent podcast episode in a series where they break down their spiritual journeys. I listened to it and would highly recommend anyone do the same. Though make sure you start with the first episode entitled “Our Lost Years” (you can find a link at the bottom of this post). Fair warning, this series of podcasts may shake your beliefs, but if you intend to make an informed decision about God then you owe it to yourself, and anyone you try to share the Gospel with, to listen to this. Yesterday, today is 2/4/2020, was Rhett’s story and Next Monday is Link’s story, which I look forward to.
I’m going to be straight with you all, my story is a lot like Rhett’s. I’ve asked the same questions and suffered through the same crises. I relate to Rhett’s story a lot, and in yesterday’s episode, Rhett presented the most respectful, rational, honest, and valid list of reasons I have ever heard to not be a Christian. I agree with him on every point, and yet, there are a few key differences between his story and mine that are why I remain a Chistian. No, I am not better than him because of this. My reasons are no more or less valid than his. They are just different. Whether my reasons for remaining a Christian are better than his reasons for leaving is a matter up for each person to decide for themselves, but this blog post is not about that. This blog post is going to be less a criticism of Rhett’s story and more of a criticism of modern Christianity in light of the very legitimate criticisms Rhett has brought to the table.
Let me start by posing this question to all of my Christian readers. Is it possible for a limited and flawed human being, to have a complete and flawless understanding of an unlimited and flawless God? I suspect that most would be inclined to answer “no”, if not, I’m not sure anything I have to say will mean anything to you. If you answered “no”, then that would mean that you recognize a difference between God as you understand Him and God as He actually is. This means that there will come a time when you stand before God and find that He is not exactly who you expected Him to be.
You may be more correct than others were, but you will still be faced with the fact that you were wrong to some extent. I have no way of knowing how this will be resolved, but I imagine God will know whether you truly desire Him as your Lord or if you prefer the idol of your limited and faulty understanding.
Let me pose you another question. What then makes you any different then the non-Christians who will find themselves standing before a God they do not know? If your answer is that you accepted Jesus and your Lord and Savior and they didn’t, read my first question again but this time replace the word God with the name Jesus. He remains the only way to life, the only truth, but suddenly humanity is on a more level playing field; there is truly not one who is fully correct and fully faultless, whether you are a Chistian or not.
These questions reveal a lot. However, I want to focus on the point that there is no one with a complete and faultless understanding of God; you and I, and everyone else, is wrong about God to some extent, unless there is no God, in which case only the atheists are right. Pair this with my first blog post in the “Exploring 50 reasons to be an atheist” series, my “The Value of Meaning” post, and every point Rhett makes, and suddenly it becomes clear that certainty in anything is not a luxury allotted to human beings.
Therefore, let us stop requiring Christians to assert that they are 100% certain in what they believe. Jesus, did not require 100% certainty of any of His disciples prior to entering a relationship with them. In fact, Jesus seemed less concerned with the certainty of his disciples and more concerned with their confidence. Furthermore, He was well aware that neither certainty nor confidence are a binary thing but each exists on a spectrum, hence His regular referral to “little faith” or mustard seed size faith; faith being synonymous with confidence, as it is the confidence in what we hope for (Hebrews 11:1).
It is not a sin nor is it wrong in any way to have little faith/confidence. So let us stop acting like it is. From personal experience, I’m not even sure “big” faith is something we are all meant to have. Lately I’ve gotten the feeling that the main reason God has not been obvious with me about His existence is because of the burden He has placed on my heart for all of the people who wrestle with the fact that they lack certainty. If I never had to wrestle with lacking solid evidence then I might not have been able to truly hear and understand where the atheists and agnostics are coming from.
Much like Rhett, I have exchanged my attempts to be certain for my desire to have hope. However, unlike Rhett, in spite of all of the Holy Bible’s flaws, I still find that its narrative, brings a more appealing Hope than I have found anywhere else. Granted, my take on the Holy Bible is not widely agreed upon, as you will learn should you follow my blog. There are many understandings of Christianity that present a hope that I do not find appealing, some even, like some mentioned by Rhett, that I find appalling. So I cannot blame people for rejecting Christianity. Furthermore, I still have yet to address the 475 contradictions in the Bible.This blog is mutually my effort to seek a greater Hope than what I have, and an effort to offer the hope I have to anyone who needs it. So we will see how my stance changes as I take that journey.
As you can imagine, researching 475 contradictions takes a lot of time and effort, and presently I can only give what little freetime I have toward conducting it. If you have found my blog to be valuable, please consider buying me more time to work on this by supporting me on Patreon (follow the link at the top of the page). If things start picking up I may even be able to start offering additional rewards to those who choose to support me. Regardless of if you can give or not, thank you for supporting me by reading, sharing, and providing pushback/feedback.
The Earbiscuts Youtube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYCgz-MiNE4
I love Rhett and Link, but I do not listen to ear biscuits, so I have not heard their story. I intend to listen to it at work when I can. I'm sad to hear they walked away from the faith, but everyone must make their own decision. As for what you brought up about uncertainty, I agree - there is an issue with doubt in the church. All too often "faith" is interpreted as "lack of doubt", which is self-destructive. Doubt is a natural part of any belief system, especially a dynamic one where you are supposed to grow, so this position ends up alienating anyone who is trying to grow and learn.
ReplyDeleteAs for Rhett's concerns (and yours) about human inability to fully understand God, this is an old concern that I think was best articulated by Immanuel Kant. It is a valid concern, namely, "how can we be certain what God is like if we are so far beneath Him?" The Christian answer - in fact, the answer of all Abrahamic religions - is "revelation". Yes, God is bigger than we are, and much bigger than we could ever hope to understand. There are many things we will never know about Him, and we must be humble when talking about Him. However, as the all-powerful being, He has the prerogative to tell us important things about Himself, and we have a duty to study, learn and follow His revelation. God is certainly more than what He has shown us, but He is also not less. Once you have come to this conclusion, the issue then becomes which revelation among the competing religions is the most reasonable, reliable and accurate. This is still a difficult question and is why religious debates happen every day, but it is still a far easier question than trying to comprehend the infinite God. Revelation is why I feel a thinking person can be confident that they have at least a few important nuggets about God's character, nature, and role in history.