I am a white (maybe), male, heterosexual, married (once), Protestant (baptist).
I actually believe the Bible is the inspired word of God.
I believe the world was created with purpose, and that all living creatures are created by God.
My world view stems from this belief in the reality of an omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent and holy God in whom there is no evil.
And all of the implications that flow from that are offensive to everyone I meet who does not believe what I believe.
I mean, they don't just disagree with me, they really are offended by the explicit statements made in the Bible, and the implicit meaning that those statements have for them, for everyone, including me.
Let's start with being created beings, designed by an omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, holy and good God. That means, explicitly and implicitly, that we do not belong to ourselves. We cannot act as if our life is something that just "appeared" and thus belongs to us because we possess it. Being a created creature, means that we belong to our creator. God made us and we are property - not independent. This is always where I need to remind myself that God is good and loving, so being property isn't a bad thing - even though a part of me really doesn't like the idea. Even though a part of me gets offended.
"Wataminit Brian!" you say. "How can YOU be offended? You're a believer, aren't you?!?"
Yes, I am. But I am human, and the part of everyone else that gets offended by this idea of being created property is also a part of me. So I feel the offense, too. just like you. I'll talk about where that feeling comes from in a bit.
As offensive as the idea of being a created creature who belongs to God might be, there is an idea that I find even more offensive. The idea that there is no God. No creative force or being at the creation point of the universe. The idea that this all "just happened", and that we are just the product of natural, cosmic, universal laws, forces and states of matter that have randomly interacted until we were produced offends (and upsets) me even more.
In that worldview I have no one to appeal to for answers. In fact, whatever answers I might think I can gain though observation, testing and replication (essentially scientific method) are useless. They will never tell me "why", or even really "how" I came to be in any satisfactory way. Process does not provide meaning - it only describes functions.
And without intentionality in the foundation of the universe, concepts like "justice" and "morality" are fictitious and useless. And they will never exist or be attainable for anyone. When the universe finally cools down, or contracts (depending on which model you want to have faith in) everything we have ever done as humanity will mean nothing.
But most folks aren't offended by a non-created, Godless existence. And that is because they don't think about living. They just chase whatever they want and justify whatever they do within a set of self-imposed limits that allow them to be comfortable. And that is not offensive because it implies that at any given moment any of us can do whatever we want and ultimately it will not matter, and we won't have to be responsible for the consequences. Such a reality should be meaningless.
But my faith says there is meaning. And if there is meaning there must be justice. And if there is justice there must be consequences. And if there are consequences there must be responsibility. And if there must be responsibility then it must be assigned. And if it must be assigned, it is impossible to believe that none of it will be assigned to you or to me. And who isn't offended by being told they are wrong and thus responsible.
Most of us actually think this is a real and logical way of looking at the world. Most of us believe that there must be some personal responsibility or civilization couldn't function. But again, we ignore the multiple examples of entire civilizations that lived outside the concept of personal responsibility. The Aztecs, the Mongol barbarians, Nazi Germany, Russia under Stalin, China under Mao, North Korea as it is today.
We just believe we are better than those examples. But my faith, based on what the Bible says, makes an air tight case for us being no better than any other civilization, no matter how barbaric they may seem to be. Because my faith teaches me that I am a sinner, as guilty of murder as I am of stealing, and I cannot pay the price for my transgressions.
That is an offensive concept because in our hearts we want control, we want to justify our choices, we want to have our pleasures and ignore other people's pain - but most of all - we do not want to admit that we are rebellious and wrong towards the One who gave us everything. And there is nothing we can do to make it right.
Nothing is more offensive to a human being than to be told they are powerless. This is why all of the world's religions are attractive in some way. Every single religion offers a way to either appease whatever negative powers may be assailing you, or curry favour with whatever positive deity may be in focus. Every single religion in the world tells you what you can do to make things right. Every single religion in the world gives you tasks, choices, rites, goals and instructions that you can do - even if they are difficult - to be made free. Except there is never an end to the tasks.
Only Christ tells us there is nothing we can do. Only the Bible teaches that we cannot save ourselves. Only the Bible makes clear that our shared predicament is inescapable by our own efforts.
And that offends everybody.
But I an OK with that because what Christ does offer is a solution. It's even more offensive than our problem, but it is unique, and it is effective.
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