Thursday, February 5th, 2004
Why Jesus?
Originally, I wanted to say something tremendously important and earth-shattering with this first article. I considered how to shake the foundations of every individual who (through some unlikely coincidence) might find him/her self viewing these words. I pondered the meaning of faith and life, humanity and morality, even the origin of life and the foundations of the world…
I have nothing to say.
I don’t mean that I couldn’t say anything. Rather, I mean that pretty much everything I might say has already been said before. And said far more concisely, clearly and interestingly, I might add.
And that’s really the crux of the matter isn’t it. We tiny, brilliantly burning flashes of finitude in a seemingly infinite universe really just want to know if this brief, bleak existence is all we have. And if that is the case, how we can scar the very retina of the universe with this fleeting burst of light we’ve been given. How can we live even though we die?
And so, some would argue, religion evolved as a way to overcome this fear of obliteration. That nature - seeking a solution to this evolutionary deficiency - generated in us a concept of religion, a crutch of sorts to lean on until it could find a way to remove this weakness permanently.
Ironically, however, they never explain why the questioning fear evolved in the first place. They never provide a reasonable explanation why the question might have come into existence… nor, for that matter, why consciousness itself would have evolved.
We are given volumes of information on how religion supposedly evolved, but never why it evolved. And therein lies the primary weakness of atheism and materialistic philosophy. While it can provide us with answers (though not necessarily correct answers) to the question of “how”, it can never yield answers to the question of “why.” Indeed, many who adhere to the atheistic/materialistic worldview would render the why questions irrelevant - even meaningless. Yet again, they have no good answer for how or why such a concept/question exists in the (unexplainable) consciousness of a being evolved according to the will or laws of nature - in which there is no concept of why.
Make no mistake, if I were not a Christian - I would almost certainly be an atheist. While I will not claim expertise on all world religions, I think it is truthful to say that I have done a significant amount of research on the subject. And I can think of no other religion that makes any logical sense. Most are conglomerations of or descendants of still other religions that are based in animism and nature worship. In my reading, it seems that in the evolutionary mindset, these religions were the beginnings of religious behavior and mono-theism was a later, more sophisticated belief. While I disagree with evolutionary theory of religion and most of their assumptions, it seems that if evolution had evolved - it would have evolved in the way they describe. Animism and nature worship certainly appear to be the easiest way to explain horrible events and natural phenomenon. And scientific observation tells us that the world around us operates according to a set of ordered laws (which is terribly difficult to explainwhich could not be predicted from conflicting animistic gods or forces of nature warring randomly with each other and capriciously sending storms and natural disaster on humanity. And though many people see the Judeo-Christian God the same way, Scripture makes it very clear that is not the case.
Most of the remaining religions are just as lacking in consistency and evidence. Islam is an obvious reconstruction of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures and Faith. As is every cult religion associated with Christianity… they are inevitably (and usually obviously) based on misinterpretation (whether intentional or unintentional) of scripture. I won’t even comment much on Buddhism, because there are as many versions of it as there are petals on the lotus flower. Suffice it to say, I’ve never seen any convincing evidence of reincarnation. Deja vu just doesn’t cut it for me, nor does the occasional recollection of a person’s previous life flashbacks. Most modern “new age” labelled religions are just conglomerations of buddhism and mysticism.
But wait a minute, a critical reader will think, Christianity is just a descendant of Judaism, isn’t it? Yes! It is. But here’s the difference. Jesus actually fulfilled all the Jewish prophecies about Messiah! It isn’t just a descendant of Judaism… it is the fulfillment of Judaism! Remember, Jesus was a Jew, as were the disciples, as were almost all of the earliest believers. Modern Judaism has ignored the coming of its own messiah.
So, the good news is: we flashes of finitude were not created to be that way! God created us (in His image, the Scriptures tell us) to be with Him forever. That’s why we have this burning in our heart for something more, something greater than the pale reflection of reality around us. That is why we have these questions: what is our purpose? why do we have to suffer? why do I feel the need for love? They are questions that can only arise from being designed for something other (something more) than this. They are questions that point to the source of our creation - God. That longing for infinity, for purpose, for remembrance and love… that is the calling of God. The image of God etched within our souls calling out as “like calls to like”.
Our souls cry out to God, but we have been separated from him. Why? The Hebrew scriptures found in Genesis tell us it is because Adam (the first of all men) rebelled (sinned) against God and brought a curse on himself, his descendants and the whole world - the curse of death and separation from God. The solution for this separation came ultimately in the crucifixion (the Roman method of execution by torturing a man followed by nailing and suspending him from a wooden cross) of Jesus Christ who was somehow God in human flesh. Jesus physically died and was buried. But God the Father (God isn’t limited to being in one place at a time) raised Jesus from the dead. So, God took the punishment Adam brought on all of us and sufered it himself. All this, just so that separation no longer had to be there. All this, just so we (so you) could have a relationship with him!
In all my study of religions, I have never encountered a belief that God loved so much or so deeply as the Judeo-Christian God loves. Never have I encountered a religion or belief system that made such logical sense. God couldn’t just pretend like sin had never happened. That would be unjust. There was a penalty that had to be paid. So, God paid it for us. Never have I encountered a God who allows people to choose whether or not to accept Him as God. Some people love to throw around the idea that God enjoys throwing people into Hell for not believing or accepting Him. If that were the case… why Jesus? Why the sacrifice? No, every choice has consequences… accepting or rejecting God is no different than any other choice. Whatever else Hell is, it is the answer to the individual’s request to have nothing to do with God.
Contrary to popular belief, there are no other ways to God than Jesus Christ. If there were, again… why Jesus? Why the sacrifice and the suffering of God Himself? This is the truth. God has left you with the choice. What will you choose?
