To Blame Monsters

Sunday, a small lizard sat in the middle of the church parking lot.  My thought, “Oh, little cutie, you will get squashed by a big car if you sit here!”  A little nudge and it moved a few inches.  Then it stopped.  I repeated my efforts.  It repeated its pathetic progression.  That is when I realized it was overheated.  It could not move farther.

I bumbled but finally caught the critter.  As I stood, a lady came up and asked, “What did you drop?”  I showed her the lizard.  Her hands shot out in resistance.  Her face lined in horror.  “I do not do bugs!”  She exclaimed.

I was confused by her miss-classification, so replied, “No, it’s a gecko.”

She backed away in terror, still with raised hands and head shaking.  She turned to flee, insisting she did not do bugs.

I looked at the lizard and saw only beauty.  It had settled on my hand, calmed by the reduction of heat.  Its spots glistened in the sunshine.  Its tail stripes draped across my palm.  How could anyone disapprove of such a wonderful animal?

Like the lady, too many Christians fear the world.  She calls non-mammals “bugs,” monsters that fill nightmares.  Some people add mammals too.  Phobias distort reality and produce overwhelming panic.  The fear is real.  The reason for fear is not.  Deep distress keeps them from examining God’s creation.

Some religious beliefs instill cultural phobias.  Logic distorts reality.  “Lizards are snakes with legs.  Snakes are evil.  Therefore, lizards are evil.”  However, snakes are not evil.  Evil is a thought or action that requires a choice to reject goodness.  God did not give any animal such a choice, only humans.  Animals must act as God made them to act.

The voice of the serpent in the biblical garden came from someone, but not the serpent.  That voice required an entity that had choice.  The animal did not loose arms and legs.  It’s DNA did not suddenly change to condemn all generations to follow.  That would be cruel of God, evil.  Instead, the one who spoke through the serpent was cursed to look like the innocent creature it occupied.  Follow that whisperer distorts a person spiritually.  We grow to think like him.  Then, he uses their arms, legs, and mouths to carry out his evil plans.

Religious phobias run deep in Christianity.  Anything that causes pain, suffering, or death must be “natural evils.”  Theology then sets blame.  “It happened because of sin” or “Satan did it.”  Our culture rejects blaming God.  Blame is bad.  Blame condemns.  God is too good to blame.  Such a perfect God cannot be responsible for creating bacteria that infect or cancer causing mutations.  We shift the blame and remove responsibility from God.

Christianity fears insulting God.  However, the Book of Job says such theologies insult God.  The Creator takes responsibility for creating everything, even the big bad scary things.  His “hedge” holds back problems.  He removes the barriers to let problems arise.  God is in control, and Satan must ask permission to cause trouble.  Illness and distress are not always punishment, but often a time of spiritual growth.

Being responsible is not the same as blamed.  God made the universe to function with natural laws to govern its existence.  Within those laws, randomness is allowed.  That means earthquakes, tsunamis, and tornados happen on a “living” planet.  Evolution requires randomness in DNA to produce variations and transform a species into something new.  Randomness gives humans the gift of free will.  God can use or tweak any part of creation, but generally, he lets randomness happen.  God retains responsibility for the bacteria that infects animals.  Humans have the responsibility to learn how to defend ourselves from infection.  That is the natural way.  Taking responsibility is God’s way.  No blame is required.

As I pondered our cultural aversion to things that frighten, I wanted to share my view of God’s good creation.  However, no children were around, not one person who cared.  I finally found a spot with shade to let the small lizard go.  Yet, it had found security.  I, the monster in its eyes, was now a place of safety, and it climbed my arm away from the grass. 

I think, humans are like this creature.  If we experience suffering, then we resist a repeat experience.  We cannot imagine how another change might possibly be good.  Fear forces us to run from beauty.  Panic distorts goodness into evil.  People cling to theologies that teach us God is not in control because that would mean He let us feel pain.  They reject Paul’s joy found through suffering.

But, as God knows what is truly good for us, I knew what was good for the lizard.  No food would be found on my arm.  The gecko would not be free living in a cage.  I forced the frightened animal from its clinging hold and the beautiful little lizard disappeared into the darkness, to recover.

Whom do you blame for the problems outside of your control?

[Lessons learned from Creation’s Parables: Genesis and Standard Science, Sung as One, by Jo Helen Cox.]

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Courts of Heaven

I have spent the better part of this week reading a book recommended highly by a trusted friend.  She raved about Operating in the Courts of Heaven by Robert Henderson.  She gave it five stars and said it was filled with God’s love.  She wanted us to share the same wonderful journey.  But that was not my experience.  I had to force myself to read the second chapter, and every chapter thereafter.

I have read badly written books.  Some were even enjoyable.  This was different.  I was angry.  While, Henderson’s style was tolerable, his apologetics were appalling.  Apologetics is a presentation of reasons to defend one’s faith or belief against objections.  Everything Henderson could do wrong, he did wrong, which included circular logic and jumps to conclusions.  From the very beginning, this put me in “critique mode.”  I wrote nineteen pages of objections and felt spiritually sick the entire time.

I am finally finished and am inflicting that irritation onto you.  Sorry about that.  But as the body of Christ, we need to be aware of these kinds of twists taken to build a theology.

Henderson’s basic premise sounds good.  I actually agree with the principle idea.  Intercessory prayer should not start on the battlefield screaming at Satan or demons.  Those guys don’t want to listen to God, why should they listen to a human.  Such prayers should start in the heavenly courts, where quiet humility and deep repentance are required.  The intercessor pleads the case to the Judge of judges and answers any objections Satan might propose.

That is where my agreement ends.  Henderson insists this is the only way to pray to get results.  Legalism is the key.  We must speak the language of heavenly lawyers.  We must be versed in how to answer questions meant to impede our progress.  Henderson sets up multiple courts and insists only those who have proper authority can enter, give testimony, or witness in them.  Otherwise, we fail.  Our loss means God does not have legal permission to act in our favor.  He cannot grant what He wants, even though He wants to act.

Legalism is irritating.  It is like intertwining rabbit trails that lead to ritualistic dead ends.  But what made me so mad?  He abused scripture.  Henderson quoted verses containing words he wanted to emphasize.  Out of context, he changed the verses’ meanings to fit his beliefs.  The worst, and there were many, were in paraphrase as he reversed the relationship between man and God.  Each time, Henderson bound God to the legal system he proposed and elevated the intercessor to a primary position.  The supremacy of the Creator was degraded to comply with the whims and frailties of creation, both human and demonic.  Henderson said God could not break His own laws, but the laws stated were those Henderson decreed.  Within this legalistic system, God needed our permission to act.  All the details were left to a hoard of busy angels.  God was not even permitted to give mercy without an intercessor pleading a case.  God just sat in judgment, aloof.  Yep, I got angry, repeatedly.

Henderson used some common but regularly misinterpreted verses.  All of these were to “prove” the existence of a war between heaven’s angels and an army of demons led by Satan, ruler of hell and earth (Daniel 10; Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 2:13-15).  However, none of these passages actually states these rulers and authorities, etc. were spiritual.  If the idea was not even implied, why must we believe it as truth?  The only biblical passage that relays that content is Ephesians 3:10, but in verse 6:12 Paul reverses that interpretation where the spiritual is separate.  He is not fighting a human in an arena (flesh and blood).  He fights faceless government, merciless religious dogma, and some spiritual stuff.  Colossians 2:8 even tells the reader to reject such stories.  Actually, not one biblical writer claims this massive war exists.  It is Judeo-Christian mythology, based on non-biblical spiritualism.

Spiritualism insists that forces and spirits (not just God’s Spirit) control our existence.  Some of these are good; some of these are evil.  A religion based on spiritualism, grows quickly into something very complex.  Every turn requires more rules and more fear of the unknown.

The Bible repeatedly and bluntly says to reject such teachings.  Yet, humans like to make up demigods.  These beliefs give God’s authority to things within creation and divide our devotion.  That is idolatry.  The Bible proclaims God is in complete control, even when everything seems to be out of control.  The Bible declares our Creator is intimate with every part of the universe, especially our lives, even when we do not feel His presence.  The sin within us finds that concept repellent instead of comforting.  We prefer a legalistic demigod that we control.

Another aspect of spiritualism is that it is esoteric by nature.  That means only a few people can discover, discern, and understand the secrets within religion.  Everyone else must follow blindly or go to hell.  Henderson believes that to understand what God wants we must find and read spiritual “books.”  At the dawn of time, God dictated to an angel the contents written for each person, church, city, and nation.  They contain God’s vision for our lives.  Without that knowledge, we cannot manifest our true destiny.  Most of these books are hidden in heaven.  Some are captured by demons.  Only a spiritual seer/prophet can find and read them for us.  Sorry, that is divination, fortunetelling, a practice bluntly rejected by God.

Instead, the biblical passages describe a person willing to take a message to the people.  God shows an image.  A question is asked and answered, no reading involved.  These books are not to store information in heaven that we must “battle to retrieve.”  They are metaphors of God’s knowledge.  Others are not even spiritual books.  In Psalm 40:6-8, David sees his devotion as aligning with Mosaic scrolls.  As in, “Wow, I see myself in scripture!  I delight in your will.  I have your law in my heart.”

Legalism kills our relationship with the Father.  Spiritualism dilutes our devotion.  Esoteric theology segregates people into casts.  God wants everyone to feel free to worship Him and know how to follow His ways.  Our Creator made His rules simple so that children can remember and adults can live them without fear.  Love is the key.  Everything else is burdensome religion.

My friend desperately wants what Henderson is selling, an effective way to guarantee God’s quick and favorable response.  This I find honorable.  However, Henderson’s way goes down a rabbit hole.

Fear

I heard a new teaching recently.  It says, “Fear is not an emotion; it is an attack from the enemy.”  I disagree.  Such theology burdens us with fear about fear.  Too few have enough faith to fight such a dogmatic demon.  Everyday fears will produce guilt until a person gives up, condemned by their own theology.

Followers quote 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (NKJV)  Since God did not give us a “spirit of fear,” fear could not be part of our soul, not part of our God-given nature.  It must not be natural.  They concluded with, “All fear comes from Satan.”

Part of the problem with this theology is it takes a passage out of context.  It emphasizes theology over what the writer said.  It emphasizes one word, “fear,” over the others used in translation: timidity, cowardice, and dread.  Paul did not deride the people for having justifiable fear.  Jail, torture, and death were their reality.  He saw fear as the obstruction of perseverance.  So, Paul prepared Timothy to preach the Gospel with knowledge; he probably would suffer.  Paul emphasized that God’s Spirit would help overcome fear with power, just like it did in his own life.

The other objectionable aspect of this reasoning is it does not accept that God made humans in the same way He made all the animals, out of dirt.  The natural evidence shows only one process was involved (evolution).  Genesis One and Two do not contradict the evidence.  We are the same, yet something is different.  We contain our animal instinct with a soul, and then God added our spirit, His Breath.  When we choose good over evil our spirit projects His image.  Fear is part of our selfish animalistic nature.  God wants us to grow beyond that nature.  When God’s Spirit baptizes a believer, He provides power to excel beyond our capabilities.

The Bible never declares Satan has enough power to create anything, even something as basic as fear.  If God made everything, then God made fear.  However, Satan takes advantage of our natural emotions.  He twists fear into a paralyzing force.  He laughs as WE build fear into a mountain of unfocused paranoia.  The frustration that comes with fear turns into anger, which we hold onto as if it were necessary.  Trust dissolves.  Love, mercy, and forgiveness become despicable.  Development falters.  We then inflict that burden onto the next generation as truth.

The Bible repeatedly says, “Do not fear.”  This encouragement always comes at the bleakest times, when rational fear is at its greatest.  Our Creator knows us intimately.  He does not condemn us because we fear.  He wants us to rely on His word as true, His power as great, and seek His willing help.  Even when terrible events occur, and they will, we can trust in Him.  God does not want our animal instinct to guide us any more then He wants us to listen to Satan.  He desires that we persevere to mirror His Image.  When we observe God’s presence in extreme times, it influences our day-to-day lives.  His peace becomes our normal.

To outsiders, such devotion seems foolish.  We should panic.  But knowledge of God’s ways calms our souls.  We learn to “not fear” the darkness and the unknown.  He lights our way through life’s large and small problems.

The Bible never says we must live a completely fearless life.  We simply learn to live beyond our natural emotions.  God’s power helps us accomplish great things despite our fears.  In doing so, we soon see molehills instead of mountains. 

That knowledge is worth passing onto the next generation.

P.S. While writing this blog, God emphasized several fears that have paralyzed me, past and present.  Writing a book was impossible, but I have a book published, with more on the way.  Writing a blog was impossible, yet here I am.  This month was marketing.  It is impossible for me to promote my book.  I just don’t know how.  However, with His help, I will learn marketing so that more people will read my writing.

That last paragraph sounds entirely to serene for my emotional status.  Frustration and panic have been common.  Fear of failure.  Fear of ineptitude.  Fear of fear.  Yes, Satan is in the mix, laughing.  My friends think I am being ridiculous, resistant, and maybe a bit crazy.  They know I can do this.  I do not.  I see each obstacle, too many boulders to count.  Yet, I will persevere to see the mountain moved and the way made smooth.  I will trust in my God’s power to get me through.

I am simply on the up-hill side of a learning curve.