Live Words: Defending God

There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if sustaining frame of existence, were something weak and helpless. These people walk by a widow deformed by leprosy begging for a few paise, walk by children dressed in rags living in the street, and they think, "Business as usual." But if they perceive a slight against God, it is a different story. They faces go red, their chests heave mightily, they sputter angry words. The degree of their indignation is astonishing. Their resolve is frightening.

These people fail to realize that it is on the inside that God must be defended, not on the outside. They should direct their anger at themselves. For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open ground of the public arena but the small clearing of each heart. Meanwhile, the lot of widows and homeless children is very hard, and it is to their defence, not God's, that the self-righteous should rush.

                                                                        ~by Yann Martel

Comments

[jazzact13]

--There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if sustaining frame of existence, were something weak and helpless.--

Umm, no. We defend God because we love God, and think that blatant or accidental misrepresentations of Him and His character are harmful to those who listen to those things.

-- These people walk by a widow deformed by leprosy begging for a few paise, walk by children dressed in rags living in the street, and they think, "Business as usual." --

Really? I suppose you have proof of that, or is that just rhetoric meant to denigrate those you're trying to mock?

--But if they perceive a slight against God, it is a different story. They faces go red, their chests heave mightily, they sputter angry words. The degree of their indignation is astonishing. Their resolve is frightening.--

One does not like having someone one loves being spoken ill or falsely of.

--These people fail to realize that it is on the inside that God must be defended, not on the outside.--

Oh, so what we teach and think about God is of absolutely no importance? That's funny, coming from someone who is in this topic trying to do what you're condemning others for doing.

--Meanwhile, the lot of widows and homeless children is very hard, and it is to their defence, not God's, that the self-righteous should rush.--

I can think of more then a few people and ministries who are 1. Preaching the true Gospel and not Faith House's watered-down PC version, and 2. Doing works of charity and helping those in need. Sorry, but your appeal to us to kindly shut up doesn't hold water, for how can you do right when your beliefs are wrong?

[Sam]

I have to agree with some of the things that Jazzact13 is saying. To sit quiet and not defend the God you love when you feel that He is under attack is just unnatural. I am sure that there are individuals out there that are just defending themselves, but it is not our place as humans to make that judgment. God knows their hearts. The one sentence I totally disagree with is the one saying "how can you do right when your beliefs are wrong?" I actually do not see a correlation between how correct one's beliefs are with doing righteous acts. If one were to believe that God were a woman, I don't think that it would be an impedance to doing good in the world.

[jazzact13]

Hell, Sam,

I'm glad that much of what I wrote seemed good to you. Yes, I would agree sometimes our motives can be questioned, but I would ask that the content of what I say or write be dealt with over a speculative motive that I may or may not have.

In regards to the question of how we can know what is right to do if our beliefs are wrong, I'll try to explain myself as best I can.

Extreme examples are pretty easy to come up with; for example, how many Palestinian suicide bombers do what they do sincerely believing that what do is right and pleases their god? I would dare say that for many of them if they could be interviewed they minute before they committed their act, they would say something like that they are sacrificing themselves to help their people and make their world a better place and bring glory to their god.

To repeat, this is an extreme example, but it does well in showing what I mean. Likely we would think there is something good in, for example, the ideas of self-sacrifice and wanting to help others and in doing God's will, but that there is definitely something wrong with the way they have gone about it (though again not all people would think that, which is a further complication).

So, the person's beliefs have influenced what they consider right and wrong actions.

So, what about an example that is less extreme? Let's take the example of Faith House, and it's seeming idea that one can be a Muslim or in Judaism or even an agnostic and still be a part of "God's song", as I think it was put in another thread. What, for example, does that do to evangelistic and missions works? What does it do to the Great Commission? Should Christians be concerned about telling people in those religions or non-religions about Christ, and giving them the opportunity to repent and follow Him? Have the Christians who have are now trying to take the Gospel to people in those religions wasting their times and their lives, and even working at things that some would consider counter-productive?

The example could be expounted on further, no doubt, but for now, maybe that's enough. I don't want to ramble too much.