dsaker@iuvax.UUCP (07/07/84)
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Many religious believers that I have encountered believe that failure to
believe in their religion is a sin and deserves punishment. Christians seem
most prone to this sort of belief, so I will carry out this discussion in
the context of Christian belief; but please keep in mind that much the same
arguments could be directed at other religions.
How can one justify a non-believer being punished on the basis of not
accepting the truth of God and Jesus Christ and so forth? It seems
indefensible to me. Let us consider why one should believe, and why lack
of belief should merit punishment. Also, to avoid having to talk about an
abstract he/she non-believer, let me use myself as an example of a
non-believer.
(1) Some would say that the truth of Christianity can be deduced from the
evidence around one.
First, I would object that the evidence I know of does not warrant the
conclusion that Christianity is true. It is possible that some people have
enough evidence to warrant that conclusion, but I do not.
But now let the first objection be dropped; let us assume that the truth of
Christianity can be deduced from the evidence around us. Now, I tell you
plainly that I cannot imagine a valid argument from the evidence to the
conclusion of Christianity's truth, nor am I able to perceive the validity of
the arguments to that conclusion that have been presented to me by the
Christians I have known. Clearly, I lack the intellect to understand the
arguments. Am I not to be pitied this lack of intellect rather than be
punished for it?
(2) What remains is the exhortation to believe, to have faith in Christianity.
But I tell you simply that I do not believe. This is not a decision I have
made; I haven't chosen not to believe. It is just a fact that when I
look at myself I find that I do not believe. (It is like the fact that I find
jackal cubs cute, but I do not find fully-grown jackals cute. I didn't choose
not to find fully-grown jackals cute. I simply don't find them cute.)
Am I to be punished for something I didn't choose?
Possibly, at this point, some Christians are saying that I should TRY
Christianity, that by not trying Christianity I am turning my back on god
and thereby deserving punishment. But Christianity is only one of many
religions. I am surrounded by paths, each with claims that it is the true
way and that I should follow it until I discover it's truth.
Imagine me in the desert, dying of thirst. Before me is a sign saying
"This is the way to water"; but all around me there are other signs saying
the same thing. Each sign points in a different direction. Is it any wonder
that I climb one sand dune; then, when I see no water, I take a new direction
and climb another; then another; until, finally, I am just confused? Maybe,
if I had just followed the first sign for another mile, I would have found
water. But then maybe it was the second sign I should have followed. Or
maybe I should ignore the signs, and follow my own hunches. Maybe there just
isn't any water in that desert.
Who would condemn me for turning my back on the third sign, which was, let us
say, the one that did lead to water? Who would say: "You had your choice.
You turned your back on the true way. You brought your agony on yourself.
You are to blame, and you deserve what you suffered."?
The situation is analogous to that with regard to religion. There are signs
pointing in all sorts of directions. How can I be (justifiably) condemned
for failing to cling to Christianity for that extra mile, when all I had seen
so far was desert?
So, it seems indefensible to me that I (and other non-believers) should be
punished on the basis of not believing. Saying that I have brought my
suffering upon myself by straying from the true path seems equally unjust,
for I never chose to follow a false path, I was always trying to find the
truth. So, if there are any of you out there who do feel that a
non-believer deserves to be punished for their lack of belief, how do you
justify that?
As a final note, let me point out that a non-believer does suffer for their
lack of belief. For a Christian, everything in life has its place; God is in
control; every hardship, every tragedy, is in His plan, is but a step towards
eventual total happiness. But for the non-believer there is the fear that
all is meaningless, empty, and the spectre of death hangs over themself and
all they love. Think back to the signs in the desert. The non-believer is
dying in the sand. Sure, if they had followed that third sign far enough,
they would have found the sweet water. But should they be left dying in the
sand because of their mistake? Is that just? Should they suffer like that
while someone else, of no greater virtue, but who just happened to follow the
right sign, drinks and bathes in the oasis? Is it just?
Daryel Akerlind
...ihnp4!inuxc!iuvax!dsakermangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (07/10/84)
As I read my Bible, it doesn't say that "Anyone who isn't a Christian now will die." In fact, I'm not really sure what its position is. The best reading I can come up with is that Christians are in, evrybody else will be dealt with some other way. Some will die; it is not clear who. Charley Wingate umcp-cs!mangoe