A Response to Mark Morford... sort of
Monday, 27. July 2009, 01:35:21
The following article was fascinating:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2009/07/24/notes072409.DTL
Not surprisingly, there is a lot I disagree with in this article. Surprisingly enough to some, there are a couple of points I agree with. One of each:
Morford mocks people who believe that God might be interested in the "minute" details of their lives. Such people are ego-centric, insecure, etc., and imagine that God is interested in them because they need lots of self affirmation. Surely, God has better things to do than bother people about their moral choices, or he/she or it is of such a nature (some kind of transcendent principle) that such doings could not interest him/her/it in the least.
Sounds spiritual and profound, but is it true? From the Christian perspective, God is not only infinite and transcendent -- he is also personal. Being infinite, he has no trouble effortlessly keeping track of details, and being personal, he takes an interest even in the minutia of our daily lives. Maybe we had better be just a little bit careful?
By way of agreement, Morford nailed it when he observed that people like Mark Sanford tend to bring God into their lives as a tool for self improvement. In Sanford's case, it would have been much more impressive had he found religion before he went off the deep end and got caught. God is infinite and personal,but he is God. He does not exist to pick up after us, but we exist to serve and glorify him. The idea that God is our cosmic nurse or nanny is dangerously close to the idea that God is our servant, that instead of us being created for God, that God was created for us instead. That is the essence of idolatry, not Christianity.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2009/07/24/notes072409.DTL
Not surprisingly, there is a lot I disagree with in this article. Surprisingly enough to some, there are a couple of points I agree with. One of each:
Morford mocks people who believe that God might be interested in the "minute" details of their lives. Such people are ego-centric, insecure, etc., and imagine that God is interested in them because they need lots of self affirmation. Surely, God has better things to do than bother people about their moral choices, or he/she or it is of such a nature (some kind of transcendent principle) that such doings could not interest him/her/it in the least.
Sounds spiritual and profound, but is it true? From the Christian perspective, God is not only infinite and transcendent -- he is also personal. Being infinite, he has no trouble effortlessly keeping track of details, and being personal, he takes an interest even in the minutia of our daily lives. Maybe we had better be just a little bit careful?
By way of agreement, Morford nailed it when he observed that people like Mark Sanford tend to bring God into their lives as a tool for self improvement. In Sanford's case, it would have been much more impressive had he found religion before he went off the deep end and got caught. God is infinite and personal,but he is God. He does not exist to pick up after us, but we exist to serve and glorify him. The idea that God is our cosmic nurse or nanny is dangerously close to the idea that God is our servant, that instead of us being created for God, that God was created for us instead. That is the essence of idolatry, not Christianity.
WIDGETIZE