Did Jesus really rise from death?

Yes.

It’s the best explanation for the basic historical facts. As Greg Koukl explains in this video, it’s the most probable explanation for all the events that happened historically.

Link for mobile users: m.youtube.com/watch?v=dob0Xg1fZdk 

1. Jesus died on a cross. No chance he just fainted considering the historical practice of crucifixion.
2. The tomb which Jesus was laid in was and still is empty. If it wasn’t for this the story would have never began. The tomb itself was guarded. There was motive for the opposition to disprove this fact and there was no motive for the disciples to steal it.
3. The early disciples each experienced an encounter with the risen Christ. This couldn’t be just a vision or just a hallucination; it happened at the same time in front of crowds and the stories aligned.

So Koukl concludes, if you have a dead Jesus, and empty tomb, and witnesses to a resurrection – if you have all these historical facts – then the logical answer is the simple answer: Jesus rose from death.

If someone rose from death, wouldn’t they be worth paying attention to?

Why is this 3 minute video so good?

Watch the entire video and then continue reading. It’s worth the watch!

So why is this video so compelling? Why is it so moving?

Let me tell you another story. I’m stealing this story from someone else, as all great story-tellers do:

“When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’

“Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’

Jesus, the King, said this of himself and he wasn’t talking about sheep.

In this video, the little girl and her dad gave what they had to others. They cared for others; even those who steal. And watching this video illuminated Jesus’ words so much to me! The little boy that they helped ended up being the Doctor who could save life. The boy is like the King in the story, as told by Jesus’ own words.

This video would be good if it was illuminating Jesus’ words. But it is great because it illuminates Jesus’ work.

No metaphor of Jesus’ work is perfect – but this video is close! Like the video, we have a [financial/spiritual] debt that has to be paid. Like the video, we do not have enough funds to pay for this debt. Like the video, without the debt paid death is imminent. That’s why this video is so powerful; this video pulls on so many threads of the greatest story in the world.

Just like the video, it is heartbreaking facing the amount of debt that has to be paid. Like the video, we can try to do extravagant actions to gain enough funds, or enough moral righteousness. And like the video, we are shocked when we discover our debt can be paid.

And like the video, a conditional payment had to be met. But unlike the video, in the story of Jesus, no payment is required by us.  Jesus said:

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus did not die on the cross for those who have lived perfect lives of giving to others in need. I honestly do not give much to the poor. Do you? Sure here and there I give some money, but I really don’t think I give enough. The good news is that Jesus doesn’t heal the perfect, he heals the sick.

I am so glad that Jesus did this for me. Watching this video illuminated what Jesus did for me. That’s why Jesus had to die. He died to cancel the debt and he rose to give us eternal life. This video is all about that. I love it! I love how Jesus is so generous with his grace and I’m so glad I can receive it as a free gift. Now out of this, of course, is my reaction that I ought to do that more. And I plan to. It’s funny how this video kind of shows this necessary relationship too. When you receive a gift so great, the necessary future moral decision to make is to give to others. This is such a good video. It pulls on so many threads of the fabric of the story of God.

What do you think?

It doesn’t matter that you believe in tolerance

I get it, you like tolerance.

You like the whole “let’s be friends no matter who you are” perspective. You may call it acceptance, or perhaps open-minded. Perhaps you think it’s a perspective without a name; something personal to you that can’t be described in one word. You just want people loved and accepted without the unnecessary arguments about religion. Aren’t all religions pretty much the same anyways?

You say to yourself that people who believe there is only one way to heaven, to God, or to happiness are limited in their perspective.  You desire that all people have an open mind.

I get you. I get what you’re saying.

Some people would be so arrogant as to put your views in a box. They might call it relativism or post-modernism. And that’s not fair. How can they use inadequate human language based on their own subjective views to delegate to you a role which they’ve predetermined you must fulfil. That’s not a role for you. You don’t have a name for your beliefs. Who gave them the right to judge?

And all this doesn’t matter to me.

What matters to me is that you believe in Jesus. It’s important that you call Jesus, from the inside of your heart of hearts, your Saviour and your Lord. I get that there’s a bunch of baggage tied to Christianity. I get that religion is obstructive, intolerant, and narrow. I generally agree with you on many of these issues. But they’re secondary issues. They don’t matter.

When Jesus is your Lord, it means that his life is primary over your iPhone, your school, and even your life. His life > your life. To say Jesus is your Lord is to say that you will try to be like him because he is the ultimate authority figure and leader of your life. Above parents even, above your perspective… even above the government. That’s letting God be God.

Jesus as saviour is Jesus as rescuer. He is the one who is the protagonist in the superman movie. And here’s the crazy part, you must accept that in the film of your life you are the one needing saving. It’s the imperfections you can’t get past; the desire for human approval, the trap of immediate gratification. That’s you. That’s me. That’s everyone. You’re stuck in the muck we all stumbled in and Jesus makes you unstuck. I want you to believe that.

We could go on and on arguing philosophical terms that we both don’t really understand, or we could just believe that Jesus is Lord and Saviour.

Belief is a funny thing. It’s not something you need to do as a modernist, a post-modernist, or a pre-Socratic. It’s something that’s existed through every wave of human philosophy.

Perhaps our beliefs do influence our philosophical views. But that’s mote. It’s secondary to Jesus. Everything is secondary to Jesus. Jesus transcends the temporary beliefs with eternal treasure… I’m just trying to share the wealth. Call on Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Live your life in light of that. That’s all I’m asking.

If you say yes. Then start living. If you say no, not now, or maybe later… can I ask you a simply question? Do you know why you’ve made that decision? Think about it. I think it’s a fair question to think about. I wouldn’t mind discussing it with you either. I promise the conversation won’t turn into a heated argument. You see I try to live me life with this perspective: Jesus is primary, everything else is secondary.

What do you say?

Who is Jesus? True and False Quiz

A dozen questions all about Jesus. Go through them one by one and at the end you can check your score.

1. Jesus ignored talking about deep issues of what someone was struggling with family problems
2. Jesus only hung out with good people
3. Jesus kept to himself and avoided groups of people
4. Jesus spent his whole time on earth in the presence of other people
5. Jesus spent the majority of his life on earth teaching
6. Jesus avoided giving compliments and encouraging words to others, due the fact that no one was as good as Jesus
7. Jesus wanted a lot of followers and a religion based around himself, so he often told others about how awesome he was.
8. Jesus avoided controversy and would only speak in towns where his opinion would be popular
9. When facing a challenge by someone educated, Jesus simply responded to them with “repent and believe in the gospel!”
10. Jesus thought people with mental, physical, and emotional illness were gross and stayed away from them
11. Jesus would only eat with people who could benefit himself
12. Jesus only befriended the poor and despised the rich
13. Jesus demonstrated one who had authority, and did not submit to a higher authority
14. Jesus avoided loving others where alcohol was near by because he needed to appear holy to others
15. Jesus never cooked a meal for others. He would ask second class citizens to make food for him.

Ready?

Are you ready for the answers?

Insert white space here.

And here.

Here are the answers to the True (T) and False (F) quiz:

1. F. Jesus was a friend. Not a superficial friend. A friend.
2. F. Jesus thought that everyone was bad. Mark 10:18. He was called a friend of sinners.
3. F. Jesus would get up early in the morning and pray. We know this because the disciples interrupted him a number of times.
4. F. Jesus hung out with people a lot, but not all the time. He with a perfect introvert and a perfect extrovert.
5. F. You know before Jesus preached and healed, he was chillin’ for 30 years as the son of a carpenter. He likely swung a hammer for a living.
6. F. Obvious one. Jesus encourage the faith in others by publicly acknowledging it. There’s also “take courage” or “don’t be afraid.” Hang out with Jesus much? You’ll get encouraged.
7. F. Jesus deserved a lot more respect than he got. And he asked for less respect than he deserved. Humbly, he thought of others before himself.
8. F. Jesus got into some heated debates. There were times when he would leave an area because of how much they disagreed, but ultimately, Jesus did get into debate.
9. F. Jesus had many conversations with Lawyers, Sadducees, and sceptics. That was a normal day for him.
10. F. Jesus got up close and personal with those you and I would walk on the other side of street.
11. F. Again, Jesus ate with sinners. He ate with people like you and me. How could we ever benefit the one who created the world?
12. F. Jesus loved the poor. And Jesus loved the rich. Do you realize that the tax collectors were like the 1%?
13. F. Jesus did have authority, and he taught like he did, but he also submitted to God as a model for us to follow.
14. T! Jesus turned water into grape fruit juice. Am I right? Wait a second…
15. F. Jesus served a meal for 5000. That’s a lot of dishes.

All of these could have multiple references to back them up. It would take a ton of time to prove each one in exhaustion. But anyone who knows the Jesus that is historically recorded in the earliest documents we have will recognize the attributes of Jesus I’ve listed here.

Wait. Wait. Wait. Don’t tell me this is just a cerebral list for you. We ought to walk in the way he walked. So go through the list again, consider how you can apply his example, then start applying!

Peace

Should you fear God?

Yes. And no. It’s more complicated than simply placing the Creator of the Universe in your list of top 5 fears.

Jesus, in conversation with his followers, said the following:

“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Luke 12:4-7 ESV)

Notice something weird here? In one sentence, Jesus says “fear him…” yet in another he says “Fear not…” I told you this was a bit complicated.

When we think about fear, we don’t think about it in the same way Jesus’ audience would have thought of it. We think of being afraid, whereas those in the Jewish tradition think of fear as a reverence and respect. When God shows up in the Bible, people are often afraid at first, but then God reveals his character and they are told not to fear. A quick scan of all the different times “fear” is used in the Old Testament will help you learn more of this.

When Jesus says “fear God”, he is contrasting that with fearing people. You may be afraid of people at times – I know it’s a daily struggle for me. Fearing people means falling under their influence on the actions you take in your own life. It’s changing your computer screen off of reddit.com as soon as your boss walks in the room. It’s participating in a rumour filled conversation despite your inner feeling that you shouldn’t talk about others behind their back.

It’s called peer pressure when your a kid and people pleasing when your an adult. It’s the fear of people and Jesus wants you to have nothing to do with it. Rather, look to God. Don’t look for acceptance in people but look for acceptance in God. Don’t try to please everyone’s wish for you but instead look for what God has for your life. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t love your neighbour – I’m saying that your ultimate authority should come from God.

And when your ultimate authority is God, like Jesus says, that’s not something to fear. Think how God cares for you. Think how God loves you. Think of the gospel. The gospel is Jesus exchanging his perfect life for our imperfect one. We receive the righteousness, the awesome prestige of Jesus’ value, in exchange for our foolishness and flaws.

In day to day life, we should be applying this lack of fear of people, and increasing our trust and faith in God. When people look at you, they may think negative things, they may think “he comes late to work,” or “she isn’t as pretty as so-and-so,” or “he’s all about himself.” People can be mean. Here’s the mind-blow. When God looks at you, He doesn’t see inadequency, He sees awesomeness because He sees Jesus.

That’s an advantage to living life as a Christian – you have Jesus the Son of God in you. Yes, you still struggle, but you get the assurance that God will always love as He love His children. Next time your walking into a stressful fearful situation, it’s a good thought to lean on.

Is Jesus the only way to God?

Jesus is controversial. Really though. He’s got some beef with those inclusive-loving, everybody-goes-to-heaven lovey-dovey people out there. Here’s a couple quotes from Jesus.

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. – from Matthew 7

I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – from John 14

Not exactly your people pleasing Universalist. 

There are three appropriate reactions to these views.

1. Jesus is a lunatic
2. Jesus is a liar
3. Jesus is Lord

In order to determine which to arrive at, we should look at exclusivity itself. It’s not popular and that unpopularity needs to be combated with some cold, hard reason. A Christian using reason isn’t exactly blasphemy; Jesus used logic all the time.

Is an exclusive way allowable?

People in our culture get a little bit peeved at the idea of someone saying “my religion has the exclusive way to heaven.” Despite the fact that many religions do this, it comes across as arrogant and perhaps a defensive mechanism against some inferiority complex. People will proclaim that religion ought not share their exclusive views. They will say one of two things, either all religions are the same or there is no way to know what’s true. Often, they pull on an old Indian parable of some blind men and an elephant.

A bunch of blind men all touching different parts of the same elephant, or God, will each get different perspectives of the exact same elephant. The one touching the trunk will think of the elephant as a snake, the one by a leg – the trunk of a tree, the one by the side – a wall, and so on… 

The problem with this explanation is that the very point that it is trying to demonstrate commits suicide on itself as soon as the story begins. The point is “no one can have a view of the elephant or God that is correct” and then goes about explaining how different parts of the elephant (or God) look. It’s a story that tries saying “hey, you can’t be exclusive in your understanding of God” and then goes about providing an exclusive prospective of God. Even the person who says “God cannot be known by anyone” is providing a statement that is objective and excludes many religious adherents. Can you justify the exclusion of the exclusive? Can your tolerance of others spread to those who have intolerant views?

An exclusive way is allowable because we are all exclusive in our perspectives on God.

Is an exclusive way knowable?

I have some sympathy for people struggling with this question and in my last post before this one I struggled with the question on a personal level. Here’s a question for us though – what do we really know? A famous philosopher named Zhuangzi came up with the problem of the butterfly dream: how do we know we are not butterflies dreaming we are humans? In a dream, any scientific method and logical proofs are stuck within the dream; we have no way of truly proving we are not butterflies dreaming we are human. So even to say “I exist” we take a leap of faith.

I think it’s okay to do that… to take a leap of faith. We do it everyday. When I sit down in my chair I have faith that the chair can support my weight (but if I keep eating at Bomber more and more I may start to lose that faith). Faith is cool. It’s everyday’s reality. Don’t be scared of faith. But don’t be scared of reason either.

Let us reason together, how do we come to know what is true? Perhaps the media, perhaps science/reason, perhaps a holy book. I think it’s smart for us to come to a conclusion to this question. We must make a decision. The media and science may disagree – which do you go with? So have you arrived at a destination? What is your source of truth? Now that you know that, I must now again ask us to be reasonable. Let’s say you choose a holy book – why do you know that holy book to be the best source of truth? You can’t say it is because of the holy book saying so, that’s circular logic. Same with science/reason, you cannot prove that science/reason is the best source of truth without using circular logic. I hate to break the news to you, but there is no way to arrive at the best source from which to receive truth without taking a step of faith. Embrace it. Don’t be scared of faith. But don’t be scared of reason either.

Jesus is the only way to God

How did I come to the conclusion that Jesus is the only way to God? I already identified above that taking a leap of faith is necessary in most life decisions, and this is no exception. However, when we look at this question, and look at Christianity, I see four quick reasons that reinforce the idea that Jesus really is the only way to God.

1. Jesus’ outrageous claims deserve outrageous attention. If a country was looking for mass murderer and then someone walked into a police station saying “I’m that guy” wouldn’t it make sense to assess that guy instead of going through each member of the population alphabetically? Jesus said he was God, therefore it makes sense to assess him first.
2. Jesus’ way to God is testable. Within Jesus’ Christianity, faith in him is absolutely and admittedly useless unless Jesus historically rose from death (see 1 Corinthians 15). Disprove the resurrection and you disprove Christianity. The problem is that the evidence points to the resurrection being true – unmistakeably true (see the Resurrection of the Son of God, by NT Wright).
3. Jesus champions the most inclusive view of getting to God. Unlike other religions with their rituals, moral practices, and high levels of spirituality needed to enter their version of God/nirvana/etc.., Christianity has the most inclusive way. It’s open for all through faith alone. Faith is incredibly simple. We already established that you do it everyday. Christianity is having faith that Jesus is your Lord and Saviour; the God over all and the forgiver of your sins.
4. Jesus’ way is humbling. People don’t like those arrogant exclusive religions. That’s cool. Religious deeds, based on human effort and moral practice, when achieved, only make one more likely to look down their nose at lesser spiritual people. However, Christianity at its core is about humans saying we have no significance through our own efforts, moral practice, or religious rituals – it is through Jesus and Jesus alone. Christianity’s view on this is unique – and it leads to humility rather than smug arrogance.

In closing, know that we are all exclusive so we must allow exclusive perspective. Know that we all take faith leaps and cannot have anything fully proven. And know that Jesus’ way is humbling, testable, inclusive, and outrageous. Jesus said he was God – it makes sense to consider how to respond to that. Is he your Lord? Or is he a liar or lunatic?

It’s you who has to take the leap of faith.

Different religions for different people?

Imagine you’re the leader of a major world religion. You believe in being humble, kind, and compassionate. However, you know there’s a TON of other religions out there. So you say something like this:

That’s a nice thing to say right? Its humble and shows respect for other religions. “To each their own” right?

No. It doesn’t work like that. Hear me out on this.

When you say something like “there is no one religion appropriate for every type of people” you have just made a religious statement that applies to every type of person! I’ll repeat that again so you don’t miss it, if you say something like “there is no one religion the fits all people” you yourself go against the statement by making every person adhere to your [religious] beliefs.

Its false humility. It seems nice at first but its a religious statement that needs to have higher authority than any other religion (not less) in order to be true. Jesus Christ would be very offended by this statement, not cheerfully impressed. Yes, the statement that was meant to be respectful is actually offensive to Jesus. John, in the first century, recorded this conversation with Jesus:

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

I don’t think Jesus could be any clearer. One way: Jesus. Jesus is the only bridge that crosses the gap between you and God.

So my point is this, these so called tolerant, respectful, and humble phrases are actually arrogant, and self-righteous because they support their own words and not the words within other religions. It is not different than saying “my religion is better than yours”.

Now that you’ve read this far… let me entice you with another thought:

The Dalai Lama, and all other major religious leaders, have two things in common. 1. None of them claim to be God. 2. When they die, they stay in the grave.

1. Jesus is completely unlike these other leaders. Jesus claimed to be God (which is why religious leaders don’t like him… no one can match that authority!). This is a significant difference because it means that Jesus IS the TOP authority on ALL matters… or he was a liar or a lunatic… God, liar, or lunatic… those are your options.

He proved his Godhood by raising from death. Mohammah, the second greatest religious leader of all time, is dead. You can go to his tomb. In fact, do it yearly and you’re 1/5 Muslim. Jesus, who was publicly murdered, rose again and the tomb is empty! Jesus’ tomb is historically recorded –  Joseph of Arimathea donated it. And  it was guarded by the top soldiers of the day, but the tomb is empty! (Not to mention all the eye-witness testimonies.)

Now I’ll ask you this question, who do you think has the authority to speak on religious matters? The God-man who defeated death itself, or a “humble” moral man who has over 2 million followers on twitter?

Follow Jesus. He’s your leader.

But don’t do it on twitter. Real life works better.

Why Start With Christianity? (part 4)

Has Jesus at the Centre

Who do you say Jesus is? Homeboy? Hero? Heuritic? Or perhaps a Lunicate, perhaps a Liar, or even Lord? Everyone does something with Jesus, and every major religion post Jesus’ resurrection has tried to include Jesus into their theology. There’s just something about him. But only Christianity puts him at the very center. Muslims put Jesus as a prophet, but not Lord (God). Many people say Jesus is a great moral teacher, but then you are saying he said some awfully insane things because Jesus didn’t teach he was just a good moralistic. He taught he was God. Here is a video that explores this concept:

So, who do you say Jesus is? A liar, lunatic, or Lord?

Why Start With Christianity? (part 2)

Canadian Hockey is not a faithful God. I have nothing against hockey, and I am genuinely disappointed with the third period. But I would suggest you put your ultimate hope for joy, inner peace, and satisfaction in something else. Not sure what or whom? Well I would suggest Jesus, and this is the second reason you should start your spiritual search with Christianity.

Salvation Is Free 

Unlike any other religion, and especially unlike Islam, you don’t have to work your butt off to receive new life/get to heaven. All other religions have you trying to get to God, only Christianity has God coming to you (in the person of Jesus Christ). God is the active pursuer of individuals, because this is what love is. Love pursues. And the Christian God – and only God – is love. This means that it doesn’t start with you trying to save yourself. Its you, being just the way you are, receiving the gift of new life.  This is so that no one can boast. Click this to read how early Christians describe this free gift.

It is a gift. Free. And it is this grace that is so power, not how much you do on your own.

Should Lebron be who you want him to be?

Watch this commercial (Nike will pay me 10% of profits if you do):

Back story (skip this if you follow basketball): Lebron James grew up in Akron, near Cleveland. Got drafted by Cleveland and played there for 7 seasons. This summer was the end of his contract, he decided to play with two all-stars: Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh instead of staying with Cleveland or going to a team with less skilled players. The media and many people, including Michael Jordan, attacked Lebron’s decision as weak. He shouldn’t need other players to win a championship. He’s ruined his legacy.

The Commercial

This is one of the clearest examples of post-modernism I’ve ever seen. Who is Lebron James? It never answers the question, it shows a bunch of options and leaves you with a sense that you should accept Lebron as a multi-faceted person and player. Lebron simply asks you the question, and never defines himself.

Do you call him the villian? 

Do you call him the comedian?

Lebron never gives you the answer one way or another – this is post-modernism; allowing all thoughts and paths to knowledge to be acceptable. But think about Lebron James, put yourself in his shoes. Care about a celebrity for one second! What do you think he wants to be known as? Do you think he wants to be called a bad role model, traitor, or villian?

Ofacoarse not – the dude wants to be the King. King James.

Like the commercial shows, there are many things you can call Lebron James, but I’m arguing that Lebron only wants to be called one central thing – the King. Everything else is offensive to him. And calling him a traitor or bad model may be okay in your own eyes, but to him that’s going to be ridiculous. At that point you no longer become a fan of Lebron James, but rather someone who is against him!

We Do The Same Thing To God

We call God different things, and we are okay with it. Would you say it’s okay for Muslims and Christians to have completely different views about God? In our post-modern age many think this is okay. Just like Lebron James, it’s like we can give him any identity that we want. Ultimately, it’s subjective. But what does God say about himself? God cannot be okay with so many different identities being said to him. How dare you try to tell God who he is. How dare you try to tell Lebron James who he is. You’re no longer a fan at this point, you reject the King at this point! The question remains, and I’ll ask you:

Should God be who you want him to be???

How can Jesus be both God and man?

If God is eternal, than how can he enter the temporal, and take the form of Jesus? Christians believe Jesus is fully God and fully man. How does this work?

An analogy:

A tuning fork makes no sound when it is inside of a vacuum. It has all the same potential energy, but it has a different form in a vacuum. However, when you bring a tuning fork in our world, it makes sound. The hidden manifests audible sound…

God is not visible. He is eternal, and has consistent potential power. However, when God enters into the world, it manifests a visible Jesus.

— (adapted from William Lane Craig)

Jesus, as a man, did not walk around with superman qualities hidden under his dress shirt. Rather, he set aside his godly rights, and became humble. I’ll just let the Bible speak for itself on this one:

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11 ESV)

“There is no right or wrong… but my way is right so listen to me.”

The study of religion. Who would have known a class with such a boring title could provide such a debate!

My professor today was introducing us to the word religion. Within this talk, he discussed three points which I’ll try to re-communicate as clear as possible. Please comment with your thoughts on this subject! My professor’s first point:

1. Morality, right/wrong, and good/bad is all based on your social setting. Good is relative to where you grew up, therefore you can’t say one religion is right or wrong just because it doesn’t agree with you. This is a fallacy; religion and culture are the same, and religious decelerations of right and wrong are subjective to the individual social group and their experiences.

Is there such a thing as right and wrong?

The First Challenge.

A young man in the back challenged point #1. He said “what if my brother was killed by someone from another culture? Should I say this is ok since the killer has a differently cultured morality than me?”

The professor changed the question away from the young man’s brother to another person. He said that in Sikhism in Ontario there was an “honour” killing a few months ago. Additionally, some Hindus believe that when the Husband dies the wife should die also and is sometimes burned alive or kills themself in India.

Legality is what makes  some things acceptable and some not. In Ontario that’s against the Law, and at one time in India that was legal. Again, this “right” or “wrong” that we call morality is culturally constructed.

I found these responses unconvincing. But I’m not smart enough, fast enough, or a good enough communicator to respond at that point. I was still sorting this out. The professor went on to his 2nd and 3rd points.

2. We must ask questions about why people believe what they do. For example, people in Haiti who survived and climbed out of the rubbled after weeks said that they prayed and were rescued by God. The Professor would ask them where was God in the rest of the 300,000 lives that were lost in the earthquake.

3. We shouldn’t generalize religions or world views, because there are so many different individual exceptions.

The Second Challenge

I was still stuck on his first point about subjective morality. So I put up my hand and said something like the following:

“What if someone’s culture doesn’t agree that making generalizations is wrong? For example, I have friends who throughout high school and to this day make generalizations about black people, Jewish people, and white people. They would say this is easier and usually accurate. I’m just confused… how can you say that there is no right or wrong and then say the things that happened in Haiti were wrong?”

Professor: “But I didn’t say the things that happened in Haiti were wrong, I just said we should ask questions” and then he repeated the example in number 2.

Me: “Ok but what about my cultured opinion about generalization? Don’t get me wrong I definitely agree generalizing is bad to do, and is not right nor good. But what if that is my culture, how can you say I’m wrong?”

Professor: “Because we are in a classroom talking about religion. It’s my rules when we are in this course. I decide what is allowed or not. Generalizing is not allowed.”

Confused Conclusion

After challenge one it seemed that the professor was saying morality is based on the culture and the culture decides, but the government has final say. Does this mean that having power allows you decide morality? Also, the logical conclusion of this is the acceptance of Hitler and his government. You can no longer say Hitler is wrong. This personally pisses me off. I don’t care who’s in charge, Hitler’s power does not allow him to do immoral things.

"No one man should have all that power" - Kanye

After challenge two it seemed that simply having power is all that matters. There is no right or wrong (morally) in the world, it only matters what an individual professor decides is right or wrong. The logical conclusion of this is that a professor could teach the morals Buddhism to his class, and tell them to agree because it’s his class. A professor could teach the morals of Hinduism, Christianity, Atheism. All that matters is power, not whether something is actually right or wrong.

If the professor is right about morality, then there is no hope.

Power does dangerous things. Show me power in this world and I’ll show you corruption. It’s clear in Old Testament of the Bible, and clear in government throughout history that trusting politician and government is a dangerous thing to do. You can’t rely on them to decide what is right and wrong. This is every thing from the killing of Jewish people to the invasion of Iraq. This is right and wrong we are talking about.

I think Canada does as good of a job doing this as they can, but what if I disagree with the war in Afghanistan? What if I think Sharia Law should be taught in public schools? Ultimately, allowing flawed, imperfect humans to decide what is right and wrong in society is going to be flawed and imperfect. Obama offered Hope, is the world and American really that much different now?

Religion  is a terrible thing because it gives people power.

Religious groups say they have truth, and then they think they are better, and then conflict/wars happen. Truth about morality is dangerous. Is Sharia Law better than a democracy? The only way to get out of this whole mess is to have a truth that humbles you. Then we could be able to get along rather then saying “there is no right or wrong… but my way is right and I’m the boss so listen to me”.

If your biggest truth claim isn’t about you being right but about you being wrong. If your truth claim is about how you have done bad and you needed someone else to rescue you. If your truth claim is about a man who died on the cross for you, and not about something you did, or the power you achieved. What if the God you followed turned the power of this world upside down, and desired for servant hood and giving to others? What if the powerful God of the Universe came to be weak, serve, and give of his own life.

Well then that would change everything… wouldn’t it.

Jesus, the Son of Man, said to his followers: “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”