- Jan 28, 2003
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In another thread we are discussing the requirements to go to heaven. Several people have emphasized that yes, Christians must live moral lives if they expect to go to heaven, but that is not a problem for them. I am told that those who have become Christians just naturally become good people and naturally do the right thing. So there is no need to ask them what they need to do. They are Christians, and so they just naturally do the right thing. It's not a problem.
On the other hand, I am told us unbelievers are inherently evil, have a fallen nature, and are filled with vile thoughts and emotions.
I find this caricature of people to be quite misleading. We are all humans. We all experience the gamut of emotions, the anger, the joy, the fear, the love, the jealousy, the compassion, the lust, the respect, the hurt, the hope, and the confusion. All of us. And when one group claims that their inner person is better than other people, I think they are mistaken.
When I look at the outward goodness of people, I see nothing within Christians that makes them significantly better. In fact, I would think the opposite.
I have experienced both worlds. I was a Christian for many years. But I found myself bound by the thought of a God who knew and judged my every feeling of anger, jealousy, lust, or pride. And it became my duty to clean up every corner of my mind, and never to experience those feelings in God's presence. It was like trying to stop thinking about white bears. The harder I tried, the stronger those feelings became. Since abandoning the faith, I no longer see my inner self as an evil that needs to be put down. Rather I am what I am. And I am able to freely observe what goes on inside, and channel my thoughts in healthy ways.
Life is gray. And it is fine to live in that grayness, seeing multiple viewpoints and ways to deal with problems.
By contrast, the rigid laws of the Bible can be unhealthy. They distract from the reality of moral decisions.
I think it is best to see that we are the products of evolution. This process has made us such that our entire survival depends on cooperation with others. Obtaining that cooperation means channeling through some rough waters with a range of emotions, a range of different situations, and a range of advice. Evolution has designed us to chart the course in ways that cooperate with others.
The healthy person sees the totality of what he is up against, and finds a way to moral success. The unhealthy person is bogged down with fixed moral absolutes, with disdain for one's own inner self, and with disdain for the inner selves of others. I choose instead the way to emotional health, the way that is free.
On the other hand, I am told us unbelievers are inherently evil, have a fallen nature, and are filled with vile thoughts and emotions.
I find this caricature of people to be quite misleading. We are all humans. We all experience the gamut of emotions, the anger, the joy, the fear, the love, the jealousy, the compassion, the lust, the respect, the hurt, the hope, and the confusion. All of us. And when one group claims that their inner person is better than other people, I think they are mistaken.
When I look at the outward goodness of people, I see nothing within Christians that makes them significantly better. In fact, I would think the opposite.
I have experienced both worlds. I was a Christian for many years. But I found myself bound by the thought of a God who knew and judged my every feeling of anger, jealousy, lust, or pride. And it became my duty to clean up every corner of my mind, and never to experience those feelings in God's presence. It was like trying to stop thinking about white bears. The harder I tried, the stronger those feelings became. Since abandoning the faith, I no longer see my inner self as an evil that needs to be put down. Rather I am what I am. And I am able to freely observe what goes on inside, and channel my thoughts in healthy ways.
Life is gray. And it is fine to live in that grayness, seeing multiple viewpoints and ways to deal with problems.
By contrast, the rigid laws of the Bible can be unhealthy. They distract from the reality of moral decisions.
I think it is best to see that we are the products of evolution. This process has made us such that our entire survival depends on cooperation with others. Obtaining that cooperation means channeling through some rough waters with a range of emotions, a range of different situations, and a range of advice. Evolution has designed us to chart the course in ways that cooperate with others.
The healthy person sees the totality of what he is up against, and finds a way to moral success. The unhealthy person is bogged down with fixed moral absolutes, with disdain for one's own inner self, and with disdain for the inner selves of others. I choose instead the way to emotional health, the way that is free.