Reason to Raise a Question

Every once in a while I come across people who are prepared to excuse their bad choices on the simple fact that they cannot help themselves.  The argumentation runs like this:

I have an urge or a desire for _____

I am a good person

A Good person cannot have bad urges

Therefore, whatever I want is a good thing and I should go for it.

Let us consider each of these statements that lead to the conclusion, as well as some of their variations.

I have an urge or desire for ___

There is no question that we have urges and desires.  These are driven from a variety of sources, but typically from perceived or real lacks/hungers that often times may be quite legitimate.  A person who is hungry may have a sudden urge to see a cake as he walks past a bakery.  A person who is short on cash may have a desire to take a twenty dollar bill he sees on the floor.  Some of these urges may be able to be fulfilled in a socially honorable way, and some may not.  For those of us who accept that there is a God and that He is a judge, we must consider, whether or not an urge may be proper in society, is it proper under the oversight of a God of judgment. 

If we are truly honest with ourselves, often times the perception of a hunger or desire may be misinterpreted as we look at a potential object for its fulfillment.  We may look at the cake feeling hungry, and feel that might be a good way to fill it.  But what is that we are really hungering for?  How does this cake fulfill it?  Can we not agree that sometimes a person feeling anxious sometimes will use cake as an excuse, claiming to be hungry, when actually what they are hunger for is comfort?  We should at least question whether the urge we are feeling is a true urge or whether it is a cover for a deeper hunger/urge that might be very different.

We can certainly agree that part of our current experience as humans is to hunger: for friendship, love, food, warmth, peace, happiness, or for any number of other things.  It is likely that we can all agree that we can have legitimate hunger but find illegitimate ways to fill it.  The aforementioned cake will not serve a diabetic as a good or safe choice to fill his hunger.  But this leads to the discussion of the next assertion.

I am a good person.

Most of us as human beings like to give ourselves the benefit of the doubt.  We have a tendency to pick and choose systems of ethics which make ourselves look good, ignore the things in the system that are unflattering, and then favorably compare ourselves to others who seem despicable in order to convince ourselves that we really are in the upper 50% on the great bell curve of goodness in life. 

“After all, I have not murdered anybody.”

“I let people do what they want, and don’t judge others.”

“I give to charity regularly.”

“I used to go to church as a kid.”

The list goes on.  We pick and choose according to what we think is important, and “wonder of wonders” we find that we are good!

This is a notion to which that Christians are certainly not immune.  We conveniently forget that we have a God who saves us from our depravity which had doomed us to Hell.  We conveniently forget that we tend to live with 1 John 1:9 as our most frequently used verse.  

The question of human goodness, however, abundantly disproven by both scripture and experience.  It has been said “The most scientifically proven doctrine of the Bible is the doctrine of human depravity.”  Our own experience shows that people fully versed in the  scriptures are capable of great wrong.  The Bible itself tells us that our hearts are desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9).  Paul writes that if we were capable of being good enough to attain heaven on our own, there would have been no need for Christ to die (Galatians 2:21).   This premise is therefore, quite false.

A Good person cannot have bad urges

It follows then, in the mind of such folks that if you believe that are good, and that your goodness is proven, then when you have an urge or a desire, it must be okay.  Most people in our culture float in a medium of ethical and moral neutrality, so such issues as goodness or badness of the urges are not really in question.  

For such, the only real question is “Is it convenient?”  Most will go into a cost/benefits analysis on the question of fulfilling the urge rather than considering “Is this right or wrong.”  Their own personal answer to the question of whether or not they are good or bad has rendered moot the question of good or bad urges or choices.  It is beyond questioning.  

The question for them is, “How much will cost me in economically, or socially, or legally if I fulfill this urge?”

Christians are not immune to thinking which leads to the same kinds of choices.  Some will claim the verse 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” as a statement of carte blanche that what we now think and feel surely cannot be influenced by depravity.

We further these ideas when we teach people that “God made you and he makes no mistakes.”  This is poor doctrine.  It is not livable and excuses many into making horrible decisions.  “It feels right, so it must be right.”

 I have heard Christians argue that they no longer have illegitimate hungers, and that any desire is okay with God.  Therefore, its okay to go out and get it.  I have also personally known Christians who imitate the culture we live in and simply go straight to “costs/benefits” analysis.  They may not question “Is this the right thing to do.”

We must also return to the item discussed under premise one: Is this urge I am feeling the real urge or is there something driving it down below?  Consider the stereotypical middle aged male, who suddenly feels the urge to make a major purchase of a sports car.  He makes the purchase without even consulting his wife.  He wanted it, he feels he’s earned it, so he gets it.  After all, he has always wanted to have a hobby car.  He’s a good guy.  He’s got the money (i.e. its a somewhat affordable payment). 

Was the urge really about fulfilling a lifelong dream?  Or was it about his struggles with aging and respect?  Was it about finding a new hobby, or was it about control?  

We certainly have great reason to question this premise.  We can agree that sometimes the presenting urge is much more complicated than we may realize on the surface.

Therefore, whatever I want is a good thing and I should go for it.

A person who, for whatever reason, is convinced that he is morally good (not bankrupt) and that there is no wrong, or he can do no wrong is capable of the worst sorts of evils.  A person who believes that what he wants is beyond question will tend to act on those which are in his power and are not inconvenient.  He will seek to fulfill those hungers and desires by the means that are at his disposal.  If the cost can be minimized, deferred or ignored and their is a benefit to be reaped, he will act on that urge.

People who do great evils often do so knowing that there is a potential cost to be paid, or an ethical system they are violating.  They may know its wrong to kidnap and murder, but they do so in the belief that they can get away with it, or hope they won’t.  Even people with a defective internal moral guide know that society will punish them for the wrong they commit, so they conceal the act.  A child who torments animals will hide the actions from his parents.  A man who misuses small children hides the actions from his neighbors.  A religious fanatic who believes a god will excuse his murders will still hide his plans from his neighbors.  All the while, they are convinced of an unassailable rightness of their actions or motivations.  They may not perceive it that way, or state it that way.  But fundamentally, at the least they will understand their own superiority justifies the choices which are made in those situations.  

I would suggest that, by contrast, we should offer an argument like this: 

Old Argument

I have an urge or a desire for _____

I am a good person

A Good person cannot have bad urges

Therefore, whatever I want is a good thing and I should go for it.

New Argument

I experience an urge or a hunger that may be real or a presenting hunger that masks a different need

I have reason, by experience and Scripture, to show that I am not a good person, but rather am moral and ethically bankrupt

My urges and desires may be founded on things that come from my moral and ethical bankruptcy, and are not beyond question.

Therefore, when I have a desire/hunger I should exercise caution on how I go about or whether I ought to fulfill it.

My next Blog entry will address why refuting the “Old Argument” is so important in light of an important cultural change taking place in the Western World.

Mr. Williams and the Only Answer to Suicide

What do we do with suicide?

The recent suicide of Robin Williams has brought this question again to our cultural conscience.  He came to a place in his life, struggling with substance abuse, financial and interpersonal problems, where he suddenly believed that there was no hope.  He apparently used a belt to end his life by hanging.

We have thrown lots of money and research at this problem.  There are no shortage of help lines and psychiatrists.  There are therapeutic drugs and retreats.  Yet we still have people committing suicide.  Worse yet, given the lauding the Mr. Williams has received, many have raised concerns that this may spawn a wave of copy cats, all of whom may end their lives saying, “Maybe now they will appreciate me” or some such.

Does it mean that a person has automatically gone to Hell?

Some people have dealt with the problem by decreeing that the suicide always goes straight to Hell.  Certainly, if a person really does believe that there is a Hell, and can be convinced that there is an automatic “Go straight to Hell, do not pass go” after suicide, such an idea could be a powerful deterrent.  At the very least, when someone is considering suicide, its fair game to raise the question: “Are you sure that this act will end your suffering?”  After all many cultures do believe, not to mention the tradition of our own, that there is a place of suffering in the after life.  We can and should ask, “Yes, its bad for you right now, but what makes you believe that what comes after isn’t worse?”  

But is it true that Suicide is an automatic ticket to Hell?

Isn’t it a form of murder?

While we can argue that it is a form of murder, the Bible never seems to use the act this way.  Murder is an act of hate (1 John 3:15) in the Bible, whereas the primary motivation for Suicide seems to be despair, though as we shall see, perhaps not always (see below)..  Its root cause is different.

The scriptures are less clear than we might like.  We moderns want a “spelled out” systematic theology for everything.  In scripture, there are no itineraries for suicide.  There are no classifications, or splitting of hairs.  No formal denunciations, despite the fact that there were several high profile examples of them.

Many cultures in the ancient middle east did consider suicide, at times, to be a noble option. Curiously, the Bible makes no statements for or against it, but does show examples of people who did it, most notably Saul and his armor bearer, and Judas.  There was a traitor general named Zimri, who got caught in a seige, and there was also Ahithophel, who hung himself.  For Saul, Zimri and Ahithophel, these suicides were primarily motivated by the fact that they could see a horrible end coming for themselves soon that might very well involve torment.  For Judas, it was a crushing psychological remorse.  Yet there is no statement associated with these acts that shows what came next for them, nor is there even a denunciation.  For Ahithophel, one almost gets the feel that it was as natural an act as setting his affairs in order!  Its really hard to say.  

For Saul, the scripture shows that Saul compared suicide as preferable to capture and torture.  I certainly hope I am never faced with a difficult choice of suicide or torture! We also have Samuel’s statement in 1 Samuel 18:29:  “The LORD will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines (NIV).” 

Some assumptions must be made then, as to what Samuel meant here.  Did he mean “With me in the grave?” Unlikely, but possible, especially given that Saul would not be buried right away.  Did he mean “Hades in general,” as a holding place for the dead?  Many Bible commentators think that there were two compartments in Hades, one for the righteous and one for the unrighteous dead.  So if they were in different compartments, presumably with Samuel in the righteous side, both could still have been “together in the realm of the dead,” yet experiencing very different levels of (dis)comfort!!

I am inclined, though I would not want anyone to base their destiny on my inclination, that Samuel meant that they would be in the abode of the righteous dead.  Saul did many wrong things, yet he had been a bearer of the Spirit of God and a man of faith for a period of time.  The question of what happened to Saul argue against the notion that we can have clarity on the eternal destiny of suicides, but should make us cautious about any declarations regarding the final resting place of a suicide.

We also have the early church history.  There are a number of accounts of Christians who chose suicide for themselves rather than be slowly tortured to death by the Romans.  Even in the immediate post apostolic period, we have records of Christians cornered on roof tops of buildings and choosing to jump to their deaths rather than be slowly tormented to death by demon enraged Roman persecutors.  

Thirdly, its my belief that a person who is truly saved can never lose his salvation.  This despite the fact that he continues to sin even until the day he/she dies.  Since there is no sin that can cause a person to lose that, it follows that suicide cannot cause a person to lose their salvation.  One can, quite fairly respond that suicide is evidence that they never really believed in God anyway.  But that is a rabbit trail for a different day.  The root cause of and dealing with suicide needs a different, clearer way, and these facts make claiming that suicide an automatic ticket to Hell a dubious proposition. 

People often commit suicide because they have no hope

Where is the hope?  Our world is not a hope producing world.  It promises much but it renders little in return.  It keeps us chained to itself by tantalizing our hungers but only gives enough to keep you wanting more and more.  We have a void in our lives, and we cannot find anything here in this world-system that can fill that void.  Since the vast majority of times a person commits suicide have to do with despair, then this is where we should look for an answer to the problem.  Let’s leave behind the question of suicide as an alternative to torture.

Robin Williams is a by-product of the secularist world view that he espoused.  As far as the evidence shows, he seemed to be fairly hostile to Christianity.  He sought refuge through pleasurable experiences with drugs, and by the accolades he received from his audiences and peers.  Certainly he also enjoyed his family, and loved his children.  Loving your children and enjoying their love is good and right. Enjoying the applause of others for a job well done is not wrong.  But they do not make a firm foundation for life.  Mr. Williams’ own life shows that even the love of others can be taken from you, and replaced with despair producing rejection.  He also apparently felt guilt over experiencing the pleasures of drugs, which ended up by contrast killing his close friend John Belushi.  Mr. Williams was facing the loss of many things he had worked hard for, decreasing demand for his talents, and continuous running battle with addiction (along with the spiritual element that drugs introduce into the life).  He came to a place where, as Gandalf, in the Lord of the Rings, would say,  “He could see the end beyond all doubt,” and it was a bad end indeed.  

Did he HAVE to have a bad end?  No.  But depression, despondency and despair warp our view of reality. Having had suicidal thoughts in my past, I am aware of the emotion of despair and the warped view of reality that comes with it.  For Mr. Williams, he "saw" a bad end.  And so, he gave up.

But...There is always reason for hope.  

Jesus Christ is the Reason for Hope

Jesus Christ was sent as an act of the Holy Trinity to be the living statement that God has not discarded mankind.  Jesus Christ, as an act of love, took despair producing Sin and crucified it on the cross.  Jesus’s cross shows us that even things that look like they are an end really are not.  If he can overcome the cross, than through Him we can overcome the difficult, despair producing things we face.  

Jesus’ resurrection shows us that there is an afterlife, with the reward of friendship with God forever and ever.  It shows us that there really is a “happily ever after.”  The resurrection shows us that our hard work, done for God, in life, will always have its reward. Jesus freely offers us meaningfulness that goes beyond the grave.  There is always a reason to go on, and to persevere in the now.  Paul observed: “To me, to live, Christ; to die, gain.”  By that, he meant that continuing to live allows him to experience the power of Christ, and growing Christlikeness this side of glory.  Becoming like Jesus is a great reason to live.

Psalm 139 tells us that God has written our days in his book, before one of them came to be.  He always has a plan, and is using our circumstances for our good…we just have trust him that he knows best; hard as that can be some days.  Is He good? Yes.  All the time? Yes.  That means I need to trust him in my circumstances even when my view of reality, distorted by despair, says something different.

Persevere.  It produces Godliness (2 peter 1:6).

Persevere.  It brings a reward: “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12, NIV).”