take no thought for tomorrow
The day before Good Friday, I started into a conversation with some co-workers about the Easter holidays, which got us into a discussion about religion. One man, a Kenyan, argued how Christianity has lead some Kenyans to "take no thought for tomorrow" and not work as hard as they would otherwise. He said they did this because of Christian teachings about letting God watch out for you, so they should not worry much about the future.
I agreed that this could certainly be one interpretation and consequence of the teachings in Matthew 6:34 (oh, I so had to look it up). At this point in the conversation, a man with strong religious leanings came in, and the Kenyan repeated the idea to him. Mr. Religion took offense to the idea, and started to defend Christianity, saying that plenty of Christians are hard-working and contribute to society. Which is certainly true, and I acknowledged that.
"However," I argued, "you can see how that scripture could lead some to be less concerned about their own futures and the future of the earth, right?"
He couldn't see it, and insisted that the scripture shouldn't be interpreted that way, and that many don't interpret it that way.
"Right, many don't. But some do. Can you see how it is possible to interpret it that way?" I asked.
"No," he said, "give me an example."
"The Kenyans he referred to are an example. And I am another. I personally am an example of someone who cared less about the future. When I was a religious person, I thought much less about my future, I cared much less about social justice issues, and I didn't care at all about the environment. And that was a direct result of being religious, in my case. Not all Mormons think that way, no. It's not a necessary conclusion to the teachings, but it is one possible iteration. And it does come from the religious teachings. I thought that way because I truly thought that Jesus would come again and fix everything. I really thought the second coming of Jesus would be a grand deux ex machina to all the world's problems. So why worry about fixing everything ourselves, when everything is so hard to fix? Just let God take care of it in due time."
I was complacent as a believing Mormon; I don't like that version of me. I used to think that the only way to solve the earth's problems would be through God's intervention. If a person said such a thing to me now, I'd look at her like she's crazy. Now I take a humanist approach, that we as humans must solve our own problems. There's no god to help us, nor do we need one. Which means we as humans must step up to the task of making our lives better, creating knowledge, and understanding the nature of the universe and everything in it.
9 comments:
If there is ever to be a first coming, second coming, or if the 12th Imam is going to appear. Then isn't up to humans first to make the world ready for that/those events to transpire?
Just a thought...
This is a great post. I would have loved to have been in on that conversation and added my own two cents. I agree with what you said about not really liking that old LDS version of me. Ugh.
You nailed it. I've thought, for many years, that religion serves as an easy receptacle for individual and collective responsibilities - I would have said "cheap," except for Mormons there's a direct cost of 10%.
I totally agree that humans "must step up to the task of making our lives better, creating knowledge, and understanding the nature of the universe and everything in it."
Religion tries to break down the collective experience into little fiefdoms of "it's in God's hands" or "let's just pray and make it all better." So sad that the humanism is lost in the translation.
az- That is something I thought of as a Mormon. We should act to make it happen. Again, that's one interpretation. But one of the "prophesied" things to happen before the 2nd coming is the world is getting worse and worse. This, in me, and I think in others, created a complacent attitude to the injustices going on. You can't really fight them anyway, 'cause they're supposed to happen, and they will inevitably happen, so why try hard if Jesus will be here soon anyway. See? I don't think I consciously thought that, but I did think that.
sml- I would love to have more conversations with you in on them!
sid- Yes! Those are just the attitudes I'm talking about. Saying it's in God's hands is, granted, a way of coping with things that are just too big. But it is also a cop out with things would really could try to tackle.
I have relatives who stood behind the Iraq war even after admitting that it was started on false pretenses because "someothing has to start the events of the Second Coming in motion. If it hadn't been that it would have been something else."
bel- Yikes. I know the attitude all too well. People felt the same about 9/11. "This is the beginning of the end!"
Humanism is doomed to fail, because humans are stupid, greedy, and immoral, no matter what they tell themselves. Are YOU willing to give up all extraneous possessions to make the world a better place? `cause most of it is a lot worse off than 99% of Americans. Christianity may or may not be a bunch of crap, and certainly most of those who claim it don't live up to the name, but at least it calls human nature for what it is.
anon- It seems you have an odd and incorrect view of humanism. I generally delete comments that are so rudely written. But I want to respond anyway.
I agree that humans _can be_ stupid, greedy, and immoral. Hence many of the world's problems (eg, not Satan). Humans _can_ also be unselfish, hard-working, and good. I don't believe humans are either inherently good or bad; they are inherently very intelligent animals with the capibility to ask themselves "Am I good? Is this action moral? Why do I exist? What is my purpose in life?"
I have no doubt, nor did my post assert that, Christians are bad people. Christianity creates one way of many of approaching the world and the questions above. It's simply not for me. I became a better person outside of Christianity; I did not say that would be true of everyone or that everyone should abandon it. But I do not fault my friends who decide to accept that paradigm.
As for possessions and the rest of the world: I am not ignorant of the world. I have lived abroad in one of the poorest countries in the world, lived very simply (and live more simply than the average American), and saw poverty, malnutrition, and other deprivations at every turn. I just don't think that's because the Fall or Satan's temptations, etc. It's more about environment, politics, economics, social problems (including parts of religion), human foibles, etc. In this way, I am a humanist and not a Christian. I will not attribute social ills to the supernatural, nor will I hope that a supernatural being will fix them all. Humans are responsible both for the problems and the solutions.
I believe that the point is bing missed here. It's not that Christians adopt a lackadasical attitude to life, but rather we acknowledge that we are dependent on someone greater (the creator God)in everything that we do. We recognise that we can do nothing in our own strength but that we are indeed reliant on Him for guidance, wisdom and understanding. Anyone who believes that he/she is self-made and self-sufficient are arrogant and have reached a very dangerous stage and should humble themselves before God. Humans are responsible for the problems and solutions in this world yes, and most times its as a result of us not following the principles setout for us to follow in the Bible...only GOD can help us.
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