Friday, May 25, 2007

Myth, Mystic or Master?

As suggested by my blog title, some of my random thoughts find their way into the world of publishing (thank God for blogging). I decided to take a detour from my chronicles (just this once) and post something that I had written as a response to a dissertation that had disparaged Christianity. I realize that the beauty of free-will is that it really does work that way! We are, each one of us, free to choose who or what we choose to believe in.

For over two thousand years people have tried to dismiss Christ and Christianity as myths. People who have no business interpreting the scriptures have attempted to do so with impunity, in a vain attempt to expose the "fallacies" and "inconsistencies" of the Bible. Amazingly, try as they might, the so called "myth" lives on. The fundamental social construct of civilized society is built on the principles of the Bible. The ideas behind a society built on mutual respect, freedom, safety and so on, are taken directly from the scriptures. Indeed the greatest nation on earth (to the displeasure of many) was founded on the principles of Biblical freedom, and their founding documents emphasize many of these values. "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created..." It is interesting to note that societies that have been built on the tenets of socialism or communism have not fared quite so well.

Smarter and more accomplished men than many of these 'critics of Christianity' continue their unveiled attempts to debunk the efficacy of the Scriptures, but truth is not subjective. The fact that a colorblind man perceives blue as green does not make his perception a reality. For those who would quote the well worn cliche that suggests that perception is reality, I suggest that you try experimenting with that principle by jumping off the roof of a ten story building while perceiving it to be the first floor. Science does not dispute the facts of a historical Jesus, it simply tries to rob Him of His Deity. But for all those that continue to debate the Deity of Christ, suggesting that He ranks as a great teacher with the likes of Muhammed, Bhudda and other such religious icons, there is no middle ground here.

If you take the position that there is a God, then it would be misguided to magnanimously allow that Jesus existed, and yet contend that He can comfortably co-exist alongside other religions, since each one leads to the same God. Jesus is either who He said He is or He is not. If He is not God, as He claimed to be, then He would truly be an egotistical, megalomaniac. For, who would classify as a good man, someone claiming to be God, who was not? It is not overstating the fact to say that He cannot simply be a good man. He is either God or He is a charlatan of the highest order. Fortunately, He has not left room for controversy in that argument. Jesus Christ is Lord, whether we accept it or not. While generation after generation contends with religion, the truth silently speaks for itself.

For every charlatan that is fleecing the flock, there are genuine, godly beleivers making a difference around the world. When confronted by the Cross of Christ, each one of us is faced with a decision that has more far reaching consequences than we can ever comprehend in the limitations of our cognitive reasoning.

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