Objection!
Objectors
will reply that it
is unfair to say they
love so little it is obvious that they believe little.
They
will say that they are just not hypocrites like those who put on an
extravagant show of religious fervour. Objectors will say that these
people are being over emotional. They may also say that different
people express their religion differently.
They
will also object that they don't want to be like the “Holy Spirit
People” either the absolute fanatics of the past or the ones today
who are less dangerous only because they are less successful.
“Just
look” I almost hear objectors say “how their leaders use all the
old tricks of deception to make money out of the gullible”. “Just
look at how they peddle the Holy Spirit as an easy path to being
'healthy, wealthy and wise'. We on the other hand are not shirking
doing the hard yards to remove evil from our lives and grow in
virtue.”
“And
talking about zeal”, the objector will say: “what about all the
wars and persecutions that have come from religious zeal – is that
the sort of behaviour you want!”
Objection
Discussed
“That
the sacred name of Religion has been too often prostituted to the
most detestable purposes; that the furious bigots and bloody
persecutors and self-interested hypocrites of all qualities and
dimensions ... have falsely called themselves Christians … none
will more readily admit than they who best understand the nature and
are most concerned for the honour of Christianity. We are ready to
acknowledge also without dispute, that the religious affections, and
the doctrine of divine assistances, have at all times been more or
less disgraced by the false pretences and extravagant conduct of wild
fanatics and brain-sick enthusiasts. All this however, is only as it
happens in other instances, wherein the depravity of man perverts the
bounty of God. Why is it only here to be made an argument … ? ”
As
the saying goes: “The best things when corrupted become the worst”.
Even science has been used for evil, do we then throw out all
scientific achievement?
Look
again at the French Revolution: they did throw out
religion on these grounds. Look what they got instead: terrible
crimes all in the name of “Liberty”. So do we ban liberty next?
Then we will have to ban “patriotism” too because of the crimes
done in its name. Then reason, speech and every other human faculty
will have to be banned: they have all been put to evil use at some
time.
Many
bad people have pretended to be wise and /or honest. Do we then say
there is no such thing as a wise or honest person? No. So why let the
objector get away with claiming that because there are evil people
who pretend be Christians that there is no such thing as a Christian?
Remember what Jesus said in his parable of the weeds: “ 'Sir,
didn't you sow good seed in your field, where did the weeds come
from?' 'An enemy did this' he replied”.
Also
the objector to religious “enthusiasm” is often just being
xenophobic – poking fun at people who speak with a particular
religious jargon that sounds strange, or poking fun at their
different or working class culture. Be careful of intellectual or
social pride! Remember Jesus talked about his truth being hid from
the wise and revealed to the simple. These people who are so easy to
poke fun at because they are of a different social class or
sub-culture in our society may be living more moral and godly lives
than the objector. The objectors need to grow up and learn to see
past cultural and class appearances to what lies beneath.
