Intensity and Christian Belief
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Christians believe that a big final exam is coming. |
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By Merle Hertzler
I remember when I was studying for my Professional Engineering Exam. I needed to pass it for my job, and so I studied hard every night. There was little time for anything else. When the day of the 8-hour test came, I felt intense pressure all day. And then it was finally over. It was a great relief to have nothing pressing to do. So the next day I got into my Trans Am and started driving. I had nowhere to go. I just drove. When I got tired of driving, I turned around and drove home. I was free from all of the pressure. It felt great.
You have perhaps experienced similar pressure as you studied for an exam. Christian friend, I wonder--are you ready for your final? Robert M. Price explains:
Thus the old joke is no joke: Junior sees his grampa reading the Bible and religious tracts and he asks mom why. She says, "He's cramming for his finals!" Damn right! He'd better! [1]
It's no joke. If Christianity is true, than all of this life is a preparation for the next. Are you ready? The Bible says:
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Romans 14:10
for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
1Corinthians 3:13-15
Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
Hebrews 9:27
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
And so we find that, if the Bible is true, life takes on a whole new importance. One would be facing a final judgement in which he would receive the consequences of his actions in life.
The human mind can respond with intense attention when needed. We have been equipped to respond with a flurry of mental activity when a wild animal jumps out at us, for instance. In that moment of fear, our minds can apply themselves fully to dealing with the overwhelming need of the moment. But it is not good to have that intensity all of the time. Sometimes one needs to rest. Sometimes one needs to say, "Whatever."
Some will tell me that they are "saved" and they need not worry about this judgement. But the verses above indicate otherwise. They are all written to Christians, and they all indicate that "we"--Paul and his readers--will appear before judgement.
But what if life lasts forever? What if our eternal state depends on the decisions we make today? If every decision has eternal ramifications, how can any moment be lived at ease? The Bible seems to indicate that, based on its view of eternity, our life should be a life of intensity: For instance:
2 Peter 3:11-12
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
Luke 12:39-40
And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
And so we find that the Bible teaches eternity. It teaches that we should be looking for a day when the earth is dissolved, and we face eternity. And it warns us to expect that this could happen at any moment. But how is the mind supposed to survive such intensity? Do we not need to sometimes rest? But how can we rest when we are constantly faced with this important task?
The importance of eternity is so critical, that Paul counts everything else as if it were trash.
Phil. 3:8
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
If eternity is so important that everything else is trash, how can you enjoy the pleasures of this world? How can you relax? If you believe in eternity, are you not constantly concerned about what each moment means in light of eternity?
In the fundamentalist tract, This Was Your Life,[2] a man dies and is taken to the Judgement Seat where his entire life is displayed on a big screen before God. Talk about Big Brother watching! Imagine that every moment of every day is recorded and later displayed on screen in public. Could you relax if you knew that? The Bible indicates that the moments of your life will indeed be revealed at the final judgement.
Matthew 12:36-37
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
Luke 8:17
For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
Luke 12:2-3
For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
And so we find that there is a silent viewer of every bedroom encounter, of every private thought, and of every private conversation. And if we don't say nor do the right thing, it will be broadcast from the rooftops. Big Brother is watching!
Of course, the worst aspect of the Christian judgement is that some folks will supposedly be cast into hell forever. For instance:
Revelation 20:11-15
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works... And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Hell. Eternal hell. The mere thought of it should strike fear into the heart of anybody who believes in it. Even if you think you are "saved", what about your friends? How can you live at rest while believing they face unimaginable torture?
When I was a young Christian, I became involved in the Independent Baptist Church movement, as led by The Sword of the Lord. [3] The one thing that defined this movement for many was an intense belief in the reality of hell, and the need to warn people about it. And so I would go door-to-door on visitation night and on Saturdays, trying to warn people to flee from the wrath to come. Why do not all Christians do this? Why are they not terrified that their neighbors will end up in hell? I do not know. Imagine that your neighbor's house is on fire some evening and you know they are asleep in that house. What do you do? Do you sit back and watch TV, while in the background you see the house burning to the ground? Do you stand around and watch and do nothing? Of course not! You would scream to wake up the people inside. You would call the fire company. You would do anything you could to save your neighbor. Now according to the Bible, many unbelievers, will face a most horrible eternity. Does that not concern you? How can you be my friend and not have an overwhelming desire to save my soul? The Bible says you should be concerned about me:
2 Corinthians 5:11
Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;
Jude 1:23
And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Will you save me with fear, pulling me out of the fire? Do you persuade men, knowing the terror of the Lord? If not, how can you ignore these verses in the Bible? But if you do these things, then you must agree that your life is one of intensity.
Can you imagine living every day like a firefighter in the midst of a battle with a burning building? Imagine living every moment as though you were flying a fighter plane with an enemy missile locked in on your plane. Is not the stress of knowing that anything you do might lead to the doom of someone to unimaginable eternal torture a similar overwhelming stress? How can the human mind bear up under such constant stress? The mind can only take so much. It seems to me that it does not need the stress that belief in eternity brings. It was not designed for that.
I find it interesting that many Christians have an intense, morbid concern about death, and even a fear of death. Yes, it is true their religion teaches them that there is nothing to fear since they are "saved," but what if they are wrong? Yes, of course, Christians do not think they are wrong. But what if they are? Surely all Christians must think about that sometimes. Many Christians have forced the doubts out of their consciousness, but they cannot entirely rid themselves of such thoughts. It is these doubts that can torture the Christian. What if he did not properly accept salvation? What if he misread the Bible? What if the approach of his denomination is wrong? What if one really needs the Catholic sacraments, or to speak in tongues? What if another religion is right? Many Christians will never allow such questions to dwell in their conscious minds. But they cannot eliminate them entirely. As we have shown earlier, attempts to suppress thoughts often makes them stronger. [4] And so, just below the threshold of consciousness, there is often an intense fear that one might be wrong and might face eternal consequences for it.
The solution is not to suppress these thoughts, but to allow them in a rational setting. What happens to those who believe differently? When one thinks this through, one can see why there is no need for fear of death. [5] But until one does that, one can be crippled with an intense fear of death.
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Not all Christians take the Christian life as seriously as these verses recommend. Many have turned to Christian pop psychology and other sources, which present a mellower, more humanistic view of life. But it seems to me that such teachings ignore much of the Bible. These Christians draw much of their material from humanism and from secular research (and also, sadly, from pseudoscience). It seems to me that such philosophies succeed in proportion that they follow scientific knowledge and humanism. If that is indeed the source, why maintain a belief that is halfway? Why not latch on to humanism?
I conclude that the historic Christian beliefs can add intense mental stress that can ruin mental peace. Humanism allows us to take a more relaxed view of life, for we are here only for a short while, and need only make the most of this life.
Notes
Damnable Syllogism, 1997 This Was Your Life (Ontario, California: Chick Publications, 2002) Sword of the Lord Publishers Supressed Thoughts and Christian Belief, 2004 What happens to unbelievers?, 2002Copyright Ó Merle Hertzler 2004. All rights reserved.
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