Too Afraid NOT to Believe?
I know the Lost phenomenon is long past... that television show that gathered a cult following. However, I've been re-watching the entire show... largely in hopes of finally understanding it... well, and making it past season 3. I'm not sure I understand it any better now than the first time around, but I have made a few observations.
Take the character, Desmond, for example. He is taken into the service of the Dharma Initiative to type in a series of numbers into an ancient computer every 108 minutes. He fully believes that, due to a strange accident long ago, typing these numbers saves the world. When Jack, Locke, and Kate find Desmond, living in the underground hatch with his ancient computer, everything seems to unravel. Jack challenges Desmond--"How do you know the numbers do anything?"
It's a fair question... I would wonder after years of typing numbers if I had been duped or become the victim of a psychology experiment. Desmond cannot prove the world will end if the numbers are not entered every 108 minutes... nor can he prove the world will not end... well, unless he chose not to enter them. All he has to go on is an introductory film that describes the electromagnetic properties of the site. Desmond's life is dedicated to faithfully pushing a button every 108 minutes without proof that it actually does anything at all. Though he admits his doubts to Jack, he refuses to not believe and he frantically tries to fix the damaged computer with just a few minutes before he must enter the numbers again. Jack is determined not to be fooled by the entire scheme... Locke on the other hand is determined to believe implicitly.
I wonder if we often approach our faith in the same way that Desmond thought of his assignment to "save the world" every 108 minutes from an unconfirmed danger. I wonder if we go through life, doubting; questioning whether the whole Christian thing is just made up--a grand scheme or cruel psychology experiment--but we're too scared NOT to believe... not to push the button every 108 minutes... just in case it really is true.
What if that's not the way it's supposed to be? What if God didn't ask us to just push a button every 108 minutes to "save our lives" from an unconfirmed danger? What if there's more to following Jesus than having our fears and doubts, but being too afraid NOT to go along with it, just in case the whole hell thing turns out to be true?
In the show Lost, there are many unknowns, but the survivors quickly adopt the theory that the button must be pushed every 108 minutes. Suddenly their lives become oriented around pushing a button... whether they believe it does anything or not. I wonder if we've done the same thing... there are a lot of unknowns in life. We've got more doubt than confidence that this heaven and hell thing is real. But we faithfully go to church, do good deeds, and pay lip service to Jesus so we can get out of hell and/or go to heave... not because we implicitly believe there's something to it, but because we are too scared not to believe, just in case part or all of it is true.
St. Paul ran into a similar group of people at the Areopagus (Acts 17). The men of Athens had an alter to every god they had heard of... including one "to the unknown god." Did they have an alter to an unknown god because somehow they knew there was a real deity out there? One that was different from their other, man-made deities. Or did they have their doubts, but were too scared NOT to have an alter to that unknown god? Like an insurance plan... just in case.
So, how do you see your faith? Is it something that is real and true? Is God someone that you know exists and loves you radically? Or are you going along with it because you're too scared not to? Do you have an alter to the unknown god in your life so you can cover all the bases or do you believe Yaweh really exists... really loves... really wants to know you... really cares for you... really is building the Kingdom of Heaven... and really wants to save you from eternity in Hell. So, today I have to answer the question for myself: do I push a button every 108 minutes just because I'm too scared not to? Or do I really understand and believe.
Understanding and believing is not without its fear and doubt... but believing and living in response to what you do know is far different than living in fear of what you don't know.
Take the character, Desmond, for example. He is taken into the service of the Dharma Initiative to type in a series of numbers into an ancient computer every 108 minutes. He fully believes that, due to a strange accident long ago, typing these numbers saves the world. When Jack, Locke, and Kate find Desmond, living in the underground hatch with his ancient computer, everything seems to unravel. Jack challenges Desmond--"How do you know the numbers do anything?"
It's a fair question... I would wonder after years of typing numbers if I had been duped or become the victim of a psychology experiment. Desmond cannot prove the world will end if the numbers are not entered every 108 minutes... nor can he prove the world will not end... well, unless he chose not to enter them. All he has to go on is an introductory film that describes the electromagnetic properties of the site. Desmond's life is dedicated to faithfully pushing a button every 108 minutes without proof that it actually does anything at all. Though he admits his doubts to Jack, he refuses to not believe and he frantically tries to fix the damaged computer with just a few minutes before he must enter the numbers again. Jack is determined not to be fooled by the entire scheme... Locke on the other hand is determined to believe implicitly.
I wonder if we often approach our faith in the same way that Desmond thought of his assignment to "save the world" every 108 minutes from an unconfirmed danger. I wonder if we go through life, doubting; questioning whether the whole Christian thing is just made up--a grand scheme or cruel psychology experiment--but we're too scared NOT to believe... not to push the button every 108 minutes... just in case it really is true.
What if that's not the way it's supposed to be? What if God didn't ask us to just push a button every 108 minutes to "save our lives" from an unconfirmed danger? What if there's more to following Jesus than having our fears and doubts, but being too afraid NOT to go along with it, just in case the whole hell thing turns out to be true?
In the show Lost, there are many unknowns, but the survivors quickly adopt the theory that the button must be pushed every 108 minutes. Suddenly their lives become oriented around pushing a button... whether they believe it does anything or not. I wonder if we've done the same thing... there are a lot of unknowns in life. We've got more doubt than confidence that this heaven and hell thing is real. But we faithfully go to church, do good deeds, and pay lip service to Jesus so we can get out of hell and/or go to heave... not because we implicitly believe there's something to it, but because we are too scared not to believe, just in case part or all of it is true.
St. Paul ran into a similar group of people at the Areopagus (Acts 17). The men of Athens had an alter to every god they had heard of... including one "to the unknown god." Did they have an alter to an unknown god because somehow they knew there was a real deity out there? One that was different from their other, man-made deities. Or did they have their doubts, but were too scared NOT to have an alter to that unknown god? Like an insurance plan... just in case.
So, how do you see your faith? Is it something that is real and true? Is God someone that you know exists and loves you radically? Or are you going along with it because you're too scared not to? Do you have an alter to the unknown god in your life so you can cover all the bases or do you believe Yaweh really exists... really loves... really wants to know you... really cares for you... really is building the Kingdom of Heaven... and really wants to save you from eternity in Hell. So, today I have to answer the question for myself: do I push a button every 108 minutes just because I'm too scared not to? Or do I really understand and believe.
Understanding and believing is not without its fear and doubt... but believing and living in response to what you do know is far different than living in fear of what you don't know.
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