random rants: the culture is bending us

my husband alerted me to a troubling statistic last night: very few Americans (even among people who claim Christianity!) believe the Bible to be literal. i looked this up online, and found a gallup poll from 2005-7.  according to gallup, the almost half of Americans think the Bible is from God, but not literal; and quite a few believe it's just a collection of fables and myths, and about 1/3 believe that the Bible is literal. crazily enough, within the group who call themselves 'protestant Christians,' only 41% believe the Bible is literal! * granted, this poll was of a small sample of 1,000 people, but it's still not good news.
Christians over time are listening to the rest of the world saying: 'Jonah and the whale? that couldn't happen! what a crazy story!' and 'God had the Israelites kill other people?? that's terrible! God doesn't make any sense if He tells you to be peaceful but told the Israelites to kill!'
but dismissing parts of the Bible as figurative or throwing other parts out is a problem. the Bible presents itself as literal, and as God's true story. if you dismiss whatever you want to fit your desires, then you are creating your own religion. in your mind then, the Bible has no authority over you, except as a nice book of guidelines and stories. if you allow yourself to pick and choose what's literal and what's not, you are saying that YOU have authority over the Bible, because the Bible presents itself as literal and 'God-breathed' (2 Timothy 3:16).
how can people who call themselves Christian be satisfied claiming a belief that they themselves have picked apart?! it reminds me of religions that 'civilized' people scoff at: those where the human creates a god and then worships it. it doesn't make sense! and it is the same thing when a human reads God's word and then chooses what he likes and what he dislikes; he is creating his own god to worship.
"[The carpenter] cut down cedars, 
       or perhaps took a cypress or oak...
It is man's fuel for burning;
       some of it he takes and warms himself,
       he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
But he also fashions a god and worships it;
       he makes an idol and bows down to it...
He prays to it and says,
       'Save me; you are my god.'
No one stops to think,
       no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
'Half of it I used for fuel;
       I even baked bread over its coals,
       I roasted meat and I ate...
       Shall I bow down to a block of wood?'
He feeds on ashes, a deluded heart misleads him;
       he cannot save himself, or say,
       'Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?'"
Isaiah 44:14a, 15, 17b, 19-20
yes, there are things in the Bible that are difficult to figure out, but remember: God is beyond our understanding! even so, He never changes, He is always good, He is infinite, He is God and you are not.

it reminds me of another example of society infiltrating Christian thought: scholars and scientists have adopted the unproven THEORY of evolution as FACT. that paradox itself should raise red flags. Americans are like sheep when it comes to believing 'modern science' and textbooks and 'scientific studies' and whatever the media says (i'm not above this gullibility either). generally we believe 'science' and then look to see if the Bible fits.
when you really get down to it, 'science' is just the study of the world around us. it is always done by humans, who usually have an agenda/bias, who often make mistakes in their experiments and have to retract their findings, and who are always limited by their finite human minds. how is it that people in the church put this above the Bible?!

here are a couple of examples of problems with the THEORY of evolution: 

first of all, the scientists who present it as fact often use circular reasoning. here's an example: ask them 'what time period did that bone come from?' and they'll say, 'well, we found it in this particular strata of earth, so it's ____ old.' later, when you run across a diagram of the strata of the earth, ask, 'how do you know how old each strata of the earth is?' their very serious answer will be, 'well, look at the bones inside. those species were alive during ____ age.' 

secondly, carbon dating (or any elemental dating): the farther back in time you go, the less reliable it is. as in, some bones have been tested multiple times and the result can vary by so-called 'millions' of years!!! how is that reliable? the scientists then present what they guess to be the age, based on where it was found or what type of animal it was (that whole strata thing again)...

and thirdly, the idea that since we are more similar to certain animals, we must be related. but that is not good reasoning. just because we function similarly or look alike doesn't make us ancestrally related! when it comes to intelligence, we're close to dolphins and pigs, but the scientists don't label us in the same group because we don't look alike. ridiculous. if looks were the rule, some of us wouldn't even be categorized in our own families! 

it's like scientists are grasping at straws, trying to force the world to fit into this evolution thing, so they don't have to look dumb for believing it in the first place. 

some arguments i have: we all have dna, so that means there are certain things that are going to be similar because dna always acts the same, no matter what creature it's in. and if everything is continually evolving, where are all the in-between creatures? they can't find them in the fossils (hence, the 'missing links') and they don't exist now either!

don't be fooled. Colossians 2:8 says this,

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of the world rather than on Christ." 

another way the fallacy in society has seeped into our pews is on the subject of homosexuality. i talked more in depth about this in a prior post: post about how the media steers our thinking but i'd like to mention it again, because it's tragic and it's not stopping. it seems each day there's a new story of someone 'coming out' and on each show there's that 'token gay person' these days. 

and even after our presidential inauguration, the media couldn't help but focus on who in the presentations were gay. 

this makes it seem 'normal' to us, and even 'right.' if the government believes it and is making laws about it, it couldn't be wrong, could it?? don't forget slavery was well-accepted by the law and by common people, not that long ago.

Satan knows how to convince us that we need to change our beliefs. he uses the people we look up to, he uses cunning phrases that make us feel bad enough to question our beliefs. celebrities are experimenting with homosexuality, movies are applauding it, laws are being changed to make it a 'hate crime' to even say homosexuality could be wrong, scientists are reporting that they're 'looking for a gay gene' (note: they never found one, but that wasn't reported)... 

the bottom line is this: the Bible says that the act of homosexuality is wrong. it is a sin. homosexuality is not genetic; it's a choice. and if you have been practicing homosexuality, or have even believed that you were born that way, you can TURN, just like any human being can turn from ANY sin!

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

notice the next verse (11):

"And that is what some of you WERE. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

your temptation may be homosexuality, just like someone else's temptation is pedophilia. it may seem overpowering. but GOD has the power to overcome it. don't let the world give you the excuse to continue living in sin. remember, the world is working on 'hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of the world' (Colossians 2:8). and the world is presently given over to Satan's corruption, so it is twisted by his lies. (Ephesians 2:2...)

the only way for any of us to overcome our sins, our temptations, is to believe in Jesus as our Savior, and to accept Him as ruler of our life.

and that brings me to one more example of how the world has infiltrated our thinking: new age religion has made a big step into Americans' lives, without most even knowing. we absorb the following self-god philosophies on tv and at our workplaces and on facebook without even batting an eye:
'no one can tell me what to do'
'i make my own path in life'
'no one has power over me.
'i deserve the best'
and a weird ad i recently saw for a phone (i think): 'i am unlimited'
these quotes sound normal, right? to most people, they sound encouraging or empowering...
but what do they really mean? all these phrases are really claims that 'i am god.'
think about it: the above sentences claim omnipotence (all-powerfulness), omniscience (all-knowingness), praiseworthiness, perfection... and what is a god by definition? - all of these things.
now to any readers who do not believe in Jesus, i have this to say: whether you like it or not, you have a god. you may think you are free from that 'archaic' notion of worship, but you're not. the question is, do you worship THE God, or do you worship YOURSELF? do you do what you want to do, or do you answer to God's authority?
when i was little, i heard it explained this way: there is a throne in your heart. either you are on it as king of your life, or you get off and let God be King of your life. there is only room for one on the throne, and, as my pastor once said, 'God will not share the throne with you.'
you might say, 'no, there are other religions with other gods.' but i say this: any religion that focuses on things that we humans have to do to get a better afterlife or to have a more enjoyable reincarnation or anything of the sort is still focused on HUMAN ACTIVITY. and when you, human, are relying on yourself to get to whatever better end, you are claiming omnipotence, omniscience, praiseworthiness, perfection... you are worshipping yourself. the difference with Christianity is that God did everything. Jesus came to earth to save us, not by anything we did. our job is to simply accept a gift being handed to us and to relinquish that throne in our heart to His Godship.
i wrote more about this subject of worship on another post: glory post
more than just believing self-god phrases, we have opened ourselves to the practice of 'emptying our minds' and 'clearing our heads' and doing yoga with 'calming' meditation... sounds nice, relaxing. but the truth has been twisted. when you 'open your mind' and 'look for guidance or self-realization,' you are opening yourself to Satan. if God is not the focus, Satan will step in.
here's a story Jesus told, illustrating the danger of simply being empty, without God on the throne filling you with His Spirit:
"'When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.'"
Matthew 12:43-45

so, Christians, i say: TEST EVERYTHING! don't believe everything you hear! think through it and as your guide, use God's word and His prompting as you live in prayer! do not be fooled!!! and do not be pushed into changing beliefs because you are afraid to be different, or afraid of going to jail...

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. 

Let nothing move you. 

Always give yourselves fully 

to the work of the Lord, 

because you know that 

your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

1 Corinthians 15:58

* http://www.gallup.com/poll/27682/OneThird-Americans-Believe-Bible-Literally-True.aspx
* http://www.christianpost.com/news/in-us-3-in-10-say-they-take-the-bible-literally-52070/

do you know what you believe?

the other day, my husband and i talked briefly to someone about God, finding out what he believes... and from what i've heard in other conversations, i think what he said is the trend of what Americans believe these days.

his main points were 'i don't believe there is a heaven or a hell,' 'if i do more good than bad, then i should be ok when i die,' and 'i don't think any religion is better than any other.'

my first reaction: if there's no heaven or hell, then why would you be concerned about 'being ok' when you die? and what does it even mean to 'be ok when you die?'

one big problem in the US, i think, is that no one really thinks through what they believe about this stuff! and sadly, i think it partly comes from not having to think about it. human beings usually just do what they have to do to get by, and generally speaking, we Americans live a leisurely life (as evidenced in part by our huge waistlines). we are not faced with death or persecution or basic survival every day.
we hide death, we don't talk about death, we smear creams on our faces to 'erase' wrinkles and hide our age, we have ridiculous sayings like 'don't ever ask a woman her age' because for some reason that would be RUDE wouldn't it?!, we don't allow people to see the bodies of their loved ones, we beautify our caskets with puffy pillows and bring bazillion flowers to funerals, we hide the elderly in dysfunctional nursing homes, we tell half-truths to children about death like 'mommy will always be in your heart,' all our celebrities look ridiculously young due to surgeries and makeup and airbrushing...
if we were faced with death or persecution more, i believe we'd spend more time thinking about what we believe about death and what happens after death. but most Americans feel very satisfied to put it off till later. and when they are confronted with the thought, they carelessly say what they've heard others say.
and what's the easiest thing to say? that there's no heaven or hell anyway. that really lets them off the hook. because if there's no heaven or hell, then they don't need to change anything about their life! it's a great answer that allows them to continue how they are!
the problem is that somewhere deep down, they know in their very soul that it DOES matter and that there IS a heaven and hell. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "[God] has also set eternity in the hearts of men." there is something built into each of us that KNOWS our souls will exist forever. that's why we are concerned with being good in this life and being ok when we die.
we get disturbed and depressed if we think our life has no meaning.
we desire to be the best we can be.
we want our life to matter even after we die.
we spend our years thinking of how to best use this life on earth and how to fulfill our purpose.
the same people that flippantly say, 'there's no heaven or hell,' later say to someone who lost a loved one, 'they're in a better place.'
we find out that we need that 'better place' to exist in order to be comforted. when we really are faced with death, we need there to be more to life than just meaninglessly living and dying.
Americans, it's time to wake up and think NOW about eternity! you are not guaranteed tomorrow! you might say, 'yeah i know it's possible that i could die tomorrow,' but do you even believe that??! it seems that you don't, because you're still living like you're invincible, putting off till tomorrow to decide what you believe. you need to know NOW what would happen to you if you died tonight!
a lot of people have heard the Bible verse, John 3:16, which says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." this is the basis of true Christian belief. we do not rely on our own goodness or our own works to get to God, but we rely on Jesus, who is God's own Son who came to earth to save us by dying for us. the next verses, which are WAY less known, explain in more detail:

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, 

but to save the world through Him. 

Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, 

but whoever does not believe 

stands condemned already 

because he has not believed in the name 

of God's one and only Son. 

This is the verdict: 

Light has come into the world, 

but men loved darkness instead of light 

because their deeds were evil. 

Everyone who does evil hates the light, 

and will not come into the light 

for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 

But whoever lives by the truth 

comes into the light, 

so that it may be seen plainly 

that what he has done has been done through God."

John 3:17-21

all of these words are Jesus speaking. He was talking to a religious leader, Nicodemus. now this guy could boast of doing good deeds all his life, if there ever was anyone. he was of the highest Jewish order, someone who could honestly say that he'd been following every law since he was little. but Jesus basically told him that if he thought he was ok in God's sight, then he had another thought coming. as another 'good' Bible man, Paul, said later, "I consider them (good deeds and credentials) rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ -- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith." Philippians 3:8b-9

God tells us through the Bible that, to 'be ok when you die,' your works aren't going to cut it. only belief in Christ, to save you from the bad you did, will bring you to heaven.

another reaction from me: you may say you don't think any religion can be right, or claim to be correct while others are wrong, but you yourself think you are right and that others are wrong. that seems mighty hypocritical...

Americans like to pretend that we can include everyone and that we don't think anyone needs punishment or can be judged.
one of America's favorite phrases is, 'don't judge ME!' used as license to act however they want.
to get votes, our politicians step around EVERY moral issue to the point that they are totally ineffective and seem to not believe anything!
lawmakers are trying to remove references to God in schools and on tv and radio and any public place, claiming 'not everyone believes in God!' but in the next breath, they claim that 'Mother Earth' should be respected and cared for. uh... hello? you still believe in some bigger 'entity.' you just called it 'mother earth' because you don't want to answer to a true God!
BUT, when it comes down to it, we ALL believe there is a right and a wrong. ask any married woman how she'd feel if she came home to find her man in bed with another woman. ask any kid how he'd feel if someone murdered his family. ask any man how he'd feel if someone lied and cheated to get his job and have him fired.
we KNOW there are right and wrong.
and ultimately, if you are concerned with 'doing more good than bad' by the end of your life, you know there is a 'good' and a 'bad.' where do you think that knowledge comes from? it's deeper than something you inherited in your DNA. we have an innate sense of right and wrong; you don't have to teach a kid the meaning of 'unfair,' or how to deliberately disobey. Romans 1:20 explains that we see who God is loud and clear even just by looking at how His creation works, "so that men are without excuse." 
recently the media has pinned a lot of wrongdoing on 'mental illness' in order to avoid discussion about good vs evil because that leads to discussion of God vs Satan. so instead of people who have made bad choices, we have killers who are 'mentally ill.' i mean, they must be, in order to do something that bad, right?!?! no. they are people who CHOSE evil. that's why we want them to be accountable. if someone is truly mentally ill, we wouldn't want to lock them up in jail, we'd be feeling badly for them. most Americans don't feel too bad for Adam Lanza or James Holmes or, to make my point, Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer or Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalin. we want justice. we want 'good' to win and 'bad' to lose. our tv shows and movies are based on that premise, from Law & Order to Disney movies...
basically, your own idea of 'doing more right than wrong' so that you can 'be ok when you die' means that you believe in some sort of absolute 'rightness' and 'wrongness' that will somehow be judged at the end of your life.
the thing about Christianity is this: it is not a religion based on rules and regulations used to 'reach God.' Christianity is believing in a God who reaches out to you! 
He sent His Son to you.
He provided the 'goodness' that you could never measure up to.
there's no big scale at the end of your life where your good deeds are measured against your bad deeds, leaving you wondering all your life if you made it or failed. you can know the outcome today if you put your trust in Jesus!
any good works done as a Christian are done out of thankfulness and out of the desire to please this wonderful God who saved us, not to somehow ensure our own salvation!

there IS a heaven and a hell. and Jesus clearly stated that there is salvation or condemnation for each person, based on whether or not you believe in Him. (remember John 3:16-21)

is your heart searching for that reassurance of where you will go when you die?
don't put it off any longer! think about it now! research it! read John, or Romans, or 1 John... ask God to lead you to the right spot.

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' 
declares the Lord, 
'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 
plans to give you a hope and a future. 
Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, 
and I will listen to you.
You will seek Me and find Me 
when you seek Me with all your heart.
I will be found by you,' 
declares the Lord, 
'and will bring you back from captivity.'"
Jeremiah 29:11-14a