On Religious Indifference

Anthony_Joseph · Newbie Joined: Dec 21, 2005 Posts: 11 Status: **Offline**

On Religious Indifference

Perhaps the greatest temptation today, as it is certainly up there with the sensual and materialistic temptations, is the temptation to religious indifference. There is the man who actively and consistently opposes any sort of religious feeling or idea, and then there is the man who could not be bothered one way or the other. The latter seems to be in the more dire state. The active anti-religious at least is engaged in some form or another of contemplating religion and its implications, and he can be challenged by them; the other seems to be unaware that there are any implications at all.

This indifference is not limited to unbelievers. It affects, at an alarming proportion, many Christians as well. It often shows itself in an unwillingness to face tough questions on any matter concerning their faith. In my experience, many who are challenged with things that, as they admit, make some degree of sense, will fall back on the Essentials in order to avoid confronting this challenge. Of course, what is an Essential and what is not is part of the question. If a particular belief for which there is some evidence does not already fit into a man's philosophical and theological schema, he dismisses it as a non-Essential and therefore not worthy of any sort of wrestling. He gives himself two choices. Either this belief is false, which may be his honest opinion. But if there is a reason to believe it, even a convincing reason, he decides it's not important anyway. That is what must be guarded against.

The root of the problem is fear: the fear of being deceived now and the possibility of being deceived later. It is much more comfortable to assume one has already arrived. The challenge lies then in cultivating the virtuous courage needed to face challenges and wrestle with the issues. Indifference to this kind of honest challenge is not a virtue and may even be a sin. If there is a thing as obstinate, willful doubt, there may indeed be such a thing as obstinate, willful indifference.

There is a growing number of Christian university professors who teach a theology called Open Theism, with the core belief being that God does not know the future. When I was nearly convinced of Open Theism, there were some who opposed the theology, rightfully so, and engaged me to the best of their abilities. Though at the time I thought I was right, I nevertheless now admire the ones who challenged it as opposed to the ones who assumed it did not matter either way. Truth matters regardless of what it is, and every religious truth carries implications worthy of our consideration. If Open Theism does indeed turn out to be true, the implications are staggering; the biggest being that Christians have been wrong about the nature of God for two thousand years. It would affect our understanding of Creation (time, space, matter) and the eternality of God. Those are not things to take lightly.

Another part of the problem facing Christians is a minimalist attitude. They do not articulate it this way, but their attitude often takes the form of, "All I want is to know what it takes to go to heaven, that I am going to heaven. The rest is noise." Why it is not obvious to everyone that God is not honored by that pretended simplicity is a mystery to me. If salvation is the only thing that concerns the Christian, then it is a matter of selfishness. Not that salvation in any way is unimportant. I mean only that it is not the only end of the Christian life; obedience as sons is the other end, perhaps even the ultimate end, which of course presupposes salvation. Obeying the truth is an important part of our obedience as sons. However, and this is the painful part, in order to obey that truth, we must prayerfully seek it. We must not be lazy with the minds God has given us, and we must not let our emotions chain us from peering into certain, scary caves. The cave just may be a castle in disguise.

-Anthony Joseph

Anonymous · Guest

Anthony,

What a perceptive discussion. One twist I would like to offer is the question as to where religious indifference lies within the milestones of one's life. While there are many variables to one's belief or lack of belief, I have to wonder the impact of where one is in life as to their interest in religion.

While there are many young and devout believers in God and His Church, there are many too preoccupied with the trials of life to consider the subject or the impact upon their life in the hereafter. This is an over generalization, but when one is not concerned with their mortality, they may not be concerned with what will happen after that mortality.

Of course, over the course of life, things change, and the perceptions that one has of religion may change with it. Some are pulled closer, but others may face an event that drives them from their religion. Some are simply lost and don't know what to believe. Some are rebellious to what they perceive as the establishment enforced by their parents or elders. I suppose there are any number of causes that could be cited - but in the end, it is a bold step to reconcile that God does not exist or does not matter and that one will simply return to nothingness when they die.

Perhaps the indifference lies in the denial of one's mortality or that one's mortality does not matter. As one draws closer to the certainty of mortality, though, there may be a reconsideration. To draw from a cliche' "There are no athiests in foxholes." Still, because we do not know the hour - our death could be untimely - we remain indifferent at our own risk. To draw from a bumber sticker, "If you don't believe in God, you better be right."

Michael_J

Anonymous · Guest

Anthony,

You wrote: "The root of the problem is fear: the fear of being deceived now and the possibility of being deceived later."

There is another angle to fear which is related to another comment you made, ""All I want is to know what it takes to go to heaven, that I am going to heaven. The rest is noise." I think this attitude comes from the fear of hell. The sad side of this is that one is motivated only from the stand point of avoiding eternal damnation.

As you allude, that is totally missing the point. If we understand that God wishes us to join him in love, then we will be closer to Him, there will be no indifference. If our motivation is only to avoid punishment, then, what are we saying to God - better to be here than there, eh?

Thanks for your post - I think it is rather thought provoking.

Anonymous · Guest

Anthony,

You have touched my heart with your thoughts. I have been given much to think about and of that I will certainly do. I hope that this writing continues --- either your writing or that others will continue to challenge you. This is stretching my own levels of knowledge and understanding and I am very happy to be growing. I will be staying tuned for more. Blessngs, Cheryl