A little background first. I grew up in a very religious household and went to the Church of the Nazarene for my entire childhood into highschool. I started questioning things around age 17, considered myself a Christian until 21, and it took until I was 23 before I could comfortably identify as a Humanist. I've lived around people like our commenter here for most of my life. I know the arguments, I know the tactics, I know the type.
It's the winter solstice today, which is the basis for damn near every winter holiday, including Christmas. I was debating whether or not to do a post relating to it, but I think this rant will have to suffice.
Here's my problem with our Facebook commentator above: A comment that on its face appears to be helpful, kind, and caring is in fact ignorant, hateful, and full of malice. And this type of comment is so typical that the commenter may not even realize what she's saying.
Let's break it down:
My pastor just had a great explanation for this...
This is not an original insight by our friend that she's about to go into. I know this because I used the same tactic on people when I was growing up. She's a messenger, you see. This isn't what she thinks, this is just what she was told. The effect is that any counter argument you have cannot be had with her. You'd have to go talk to her pastor. She can preach, but you can't argue. The Bible citations that follow use the same tactic.
"God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes." Ecclesiates 7:29. He says that humans are inately bad, evil, sinful, and children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3)
One of my biggest problems with the faith is summed up here. But I'll skip that argument until another time. Just keep this passage in mind.
However, Jesus came to change our sinful nature and give us a new heart (2 Cor. 5:17). We can trust Him because he is the ultimate source of love, truth, goodness
Here we go. You have a number of mutually contradictory assumptions here. I'm going to argue from the Christian mythology here, because those are the rules we're playing by today.
IF humans are inherently evil, AND IF Jesus is the ultimate source of good, THEN all humans born before Jesus were inherently evil, sinful, and wrathful.
This means one of three things:
In Christian mythology, that means the entire 4000 years of humanity before Jesus was filled with nothing but evil and sin. This is true in spite of the countless examples of virtue and love in the Old Testament. Every human born before Jesus, every hero in the OT, is condemned to hell for eternity.
OR
Humans can be good only through Jesus, or, prior to him, the Holy Spirit. So every human who does not follow Jesus, even those who openly reject him, is either entirely evil, or is only capable of love and kindness because of a God they do not follow. This appears to make following God irrelevant, as God manifests whether we want him to or not.
OR
Humans are capable of love and kindness independent of God and Jesus. Humans are not inherently evil. Therefore there is no need for humans to be saved, which undermines the central tenant of the religion.
Knowing this has made me realize how special it is when people really do care and show us goodness/kindness. :-)
This 'knowledge' is as real to this person as the screen you're reading this on. Maybe moreso. I cannot emphasize enough how deeply these beliefs run to people who have never been wholeheartedly religious.
And that's what makes this whole thing so insidious. Our friend doesn't realize that she's telling the original poster (who is spiritual/agnostic at best) that he's going to hell. She doesn't realize that she's calling him an evil, hateful person. She doesn't realize that she's telling him that none of the good things he does aren't because he's a good person. Only the bad things he does are wholly his own. Someone else gets credit for all of the good in his life, and all of the good he brings to other people's lives.
And she and others like her get away with saying this like this because they really are trying to help. And that comes through in her presentation. It's a nice thing to say, as long as you don't think about what isn't said.
So I'd like to respond with my own cited advice, from a different story.
My girlfriend just had a great explanation for this...
The Younger Children of Illuvatar woke with the first rising of the Sun and communed with the Elves, but the lies of the Dark King brought ruin to their race (17 SIL). Bummer, right? But the blood of Numenor carried the light of Manwae through the ages to give us strength (1 ALK). We can trust the descendants of the Line of Kings because they are the ultimate source of courage, virtue, and righteousness. Knowing this has made me realize how special it is when people stand up for what they believe in.
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