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wingedbeastRecently, I got into a conversation, in Youtube comments, about the movie The Encounter. I expressed a few of my objections. The conversation went back and forth, with some attempts to defend the movie, ending on the notion that the movie, despite its flaws, could still do some good. How? Well, God could use it to do good.
I hear that sentiment a lot, and always in in defense of works or arguments that are morally and/or intellectually... "problematic" would be a polite word.
If I had to make a semi-educated guess on the matter, I'd say the sentiment originated with Calvinism, but spread throughout Christian evangelists and apologists. It's dressed in the clothing of respect for and trust in God, a virtue for most Christian subcultures. That clothing drapes over a refusal to take a critical look at one's self or one's religious culture.
"Is the morality on display tribal in nature, self serving, even outright bigotry? Are the ideas on display inaccurate or repeatedly already debunked or even outright lies? Is this testimony actually testifying that our faith leads to deliberate ignorance, hatred, and evil?" These are all questions that have to be asked.
"Why even worry about such questions?" responds the sentiment. "We are but flawed humans and our creations will always be flawed. So, don't even bother with those flaws, those beams in our own eyes, for we can never be without them. Instead, focus on how an omnipotent and omniscient deity can, as he chooses, use these to address the motes in the eyes of others."
The point of this particular series is to improve the conversation where believers attempt to convince/convert non-believers. Part of that has to mean improving the conversation *among* believers, particularly within one's own sub-culture, where group-think can be at its most tempting and most insidious. Whether as just an individual or as a culture, take more responsibility for what you put out in the world, the arguments, the artworks, the ideas, etc.
Don't just hand God the incomplete job and say that he's powerful enough to make up for your refusal to do some essential jobs.
I hear that sentiment a lot, and always in in defense of works or arguments that are morally and/or intellectually... "problematic" would be a polite word.
If I had to make a semi-educated guess on the matter, I'd say the sentiment originated with Calvinism, but spread throughout Christian evangelists and apologists. It's dressed in the clothing of respect for and trust in God, a virtue for most Christian subcultures. That clothing drapes over a refusal to take a critical look at one's self or one's religious culture.
"Is the morality on display tribal in nature, self serving, even outright bigotry? Are the ideas on display inaccurate or repeatedly already debunked or even outright lies? Is this testimony actually testifying that our faith leads to deliberate ignorance, hatred, and evil?" These are all questions that have to be asked.
"Why even worry about such questions?" responds the sentiment. "We are but flawed humans and our creations will always be flawed. So, don't even bother with those flaws, those beams in our own eyes, for we can never be without them. Instead, focus on how an omnipotent and omniscient deity can, as he chooses, use these to address the motes in the eyes of others."
The point of this particular series is to improve the conversation where believers attempt to convince/convert non-believers. Part of that has to mean improving the conversation *among* believers, particularly within one's own sub-culture, where group-think can be at its most tempting and most insidious. Whether as just an individual or as a culture, take more responsibility for what you put out in the world, the arguments, the artworks, the ideas, etc.
Don't just hand God the incomplete job and say that he's powerful enough to make up for your refusal to do some essential jobs.
