Atheist runs up the path, looks over his shoulder, and sees bear closing in on him. He looks over his shoulder again, and the bear is even closer. He trips and falls to the ground.He rolls over to pick himself up but sees that the bear is right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw & raising his right paw to strike him. 
Atheist: OH MY GOD!
(TIME STOPS. BEAR FREEZES. FOREST GOES SILENT. A bright light shines upon the atheist and a voice comes out of the sky.)
Voice out of the sky: You deny my existence for all these years, teach others I don't exist and even credit creation to cosmic accident. Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?
Atheist: It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps you could make the BEAR a Christian?
Voice out of the sky: Very well, said the voice.
(Light goes out. The sounds of the forest resumes).
And the bear dropped his right paw, brought both paws together, bowed his head & spoke:
Bear: Lord bless this food, which I am about to receive from thy bounty, through Christ our Lord, Amen.
THE END.
(The fable you just read is from an email chain my Mom sent me this morning. Thanks Mom!)
MORAL OF THE STORY: Christian's aren't good people. There is no such thing as a good person. "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). Although as a Christian one might try to sin less as a way to show his/her love for God, inevitably we will fail. Even Paul, the author of the majority of the New Testament, a seemingly 'good' person towards the latter part of his life, admitted to struggling with his own sinful nature... "For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing." (Romans 7:19). The only difference between Christians and non-Christians is that Christians recognize their sinful nature and need for a Savior. Christians aren't sinless, they are just forgiven. It's never too late to start a relationship with Jesus. Regardless of what you've done in the past, you can come always come to Jesus....
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." Matthew 9:9-13
DISCLAIMER: I am not in any way suggesting/authorizing the Bear to eat the atheist. Even though we are forgiven as Christians and have assurance that we will go to heaven regardless of our deeds, we should still strive towards becoming like Christ, and in doing so love others as a means to help advance the gospel.
Thank you for your time.
Posts
As an Atheist, let me go over my thought processes here:
ReplyDelete1) If I mention God, Jesus, or any other series of deities, it will be in conjunction with a line of obscenity, rather than a call for help (since I wouldn't expect it anyway).
2) When God appears and hits the pause button here, I go one of 2 ways-
a)assume hallucination
b)get pissed off about the way he's running things.
I'm saying, really? The contradictory texts, the constantly shifting arbitrary rules, His conceitedness, constant demand for praise and recognition, while being mysteriously absent?
3) I think the point about sinning exposes an inherent flaw in Christian's perception of God.
While God is purported to be perfect, His ultimate creation, in His own image, is imperfect. In fact, you argue that the natural compulsion of this creation is inherently contradictory to the rules laid down by God. This points to either a flawed God (either inherently conflicted or created an imperfect copy) or malicious God that intentionally created a tormented being.
Food for thought.
As a Christian, let me go over my thought processes here:
ReplyDelete1)I've called for help. And it came. Maybe one day you'll call for help...and even though you're not expecting it, it will come.
2)I wish I had a pause button... but regarding:
a) It might be a hallucination, or maybe you're having a divine moment. What gets me most about this story is that in it, the atheist is having a divine moment, and has no respect for it. I think this is possibly true of many people. No, everyone has not had a personal revelation of God. However, many have had a glimpse into the divine, a moment that should have spurred them on to know more about God...but they let opportunities pass them by. For what? To be eaten by bears. To be consumed by life, when it doesn't have to be that way.
b) Could you run it better? I bet if free will was taken out of the equation...anyone could run this joint. However, when you want your creation to love you for YOU...concessions have to be made.
Really? The Bible says clearly that God is a jealous God. If you "fearfully and wonderfully" make something, and it pretends you don't exist but rather thinks that money, cars, and pretty women are the bees knees...??!! You'd be PO'd as well. And you might not appreciate it when someone calls your PO'dness conceit.
Where do you think we get all of our emotions? We are made in His likeness, so many of the things that we feel are a mirror of emotions that God feels. However, don't get it twisted...God did not clone Himself when He made Adam and Eve. Humans are lesser beings. We are made "a little lower than the angels." And even they, who are higher beings than us, make mistakes. There is only one perfect. Only one good. Because there is only one God. That's why Jesus is so hardcore. He's fully God, but yet fully man. Perfection wrapped up in imperfection (i.e. created flesh). By virtue of the NATURE of our creation (not being copies of God) we can only be LESS than God. Hence, we are imperfect. Adam and Eve were not perfect. They were innocent. God created man and said he was "good." Not perfect, not awesome, just "good." I could go WAY further with that line of thinking...but I digress.
God is not flawed, and I wouldn't say He is malicious either. However, we ARE made FOR Him. That may make people uncomfortable, but that is the Word. God did not create man for the sake of man (to make us shiny, happy people). Man is created for the sake of God; check Colossians 1: 16 & 17
16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
This is deep beyond the post. This is deep beyond a bear. Chessy...you started this...
That smiling bear makes me laugh.
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He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, (Titus 3:5)
I agree, Chessy, that God came for sinners, but He doesn't leave us in that helpless state. I would not argue perfection is attainable, but I would argue that we will not forever be tormented or controlled by our sinful nature.
We are free from the power of sin, and the Holy Spirit now works in us in a process to become holy.
Be encouraged:
2 Corinthians 5:17...Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Romans 6:22
But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
Some great thoughts all around. Alison, I like the smiling bear as well.
ReplyDeleteMichael, I'm not sure what you accomplish by getting angry at God or creation. Man is part of the creation that serves God as Krissy's explains. When Christians realize that their experiences, whether good or suffering, serve God's plan there is a perspective that he is in control and no need to be angry at the result. Particularly when it results in eternal life as Alison mentions.
Michael's comment about arbitrariness raises a core critique of theological voluntarism that deserves some attention. The argument is that God's commands are either arbitrary or reflect an objective standard of morality that would exist external to God. Since the arbitrary commands can be discarded and the objective ones can be independently verified; there is no need for particular attention to the commands of God.
Michael's critique seems to be that God's commands are arbitrary, which would only be a concern if absolute morals existed (otherwise who cares which arbitrary morals we use). The challenge is determining which absolute morals exist and which do not, in our earthly perspective this inquiry is a matter of persuasiveness.
God created man in his own image (Genesis 1:27) and has developed each person who has ever been conceived intentionally from birth. (Psalm 139:13-16). He knows each person to every detail from the hairs on your head down to your toes. (Matthew 10:24-33).
God sits outside of time and, with knowledge of every detail of every person ever to be created, creates a set of guidelines for Christians to follow to become closer to him. If someone does not desire to interact closely with Christ, God's commands will seem unnecessary. As Krissy notes, if you call on him he will come and he even comes with instructions on how to engage in a personal relationship with him.
That intimate knowledge and specific purpose gives God's absolute values meaning in a Christian's life. For that reason they are persuasive and meaningful in your life.
Loved this. It was great. May I have permission to use the photos of your bears for a You Tube that I'm putting together? Just email me at linda@lindaweaverclarke.com to let me know if it's okay. Thanks, Linda
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