Over on Whatsoever Is Lovely, fellow blogger and fellow former Christian, Alice, authored a post in which she talks about being "Christlike". I think the gist of the topic can be encapsulated in the form of a good question that she raised, and that question was this:
"Can one be Christlike without even believing?" ~ Alice
In order to answer that question, we'd have to first assume a few things, one of which, that being "Christlike" is actually a good thing.
So, okay, I'm willing to do that for sake of discussion. Let's say that following Christ and imitating his behavior is definitely a good thing. Done.
But wait, there's still a snag. How do we know what "good" even is? In other words, how do we know if another's actions are even worthy of imitation? If it's the case that we have an innate, preexisting sense of what "good" is - let's say, that which seeks to promote well-being and avoid unnecessary harm is "good" - then we don't even need to imitate anyone; we can just choose to do and be "good".
On the other hand - and as best as I can tell, the only alternative - if we rely solely on and/or put our trust/faith in the individual we intend to imitate/follow, then we've necessarily surrendered any innate sense of right or wrong; we've surrendered our innate sense of reason, etc., and at the end of the day, we're essentially just playing an adult version of follow the leader.
At this point, notice how the individual we intend to imitate/follow can feasibly do or say anything he (or she) darned-well chooses, and yes, this is even if it's things that we'd likely all agree would be monumentally idiotic if any of us did or said those things.
Now, if we actually look at some of the things that "Christ" said and did, it definitely shows the harm in opting for option 2, above. For example, it's frequently pointed out how noble and inspiring it is to love one's own enemies, per the Luke passage in the Bible. We should strive to love our enemies. We should strive to do good to those who hate us. If someone pops you in the face? Turn the other cheek, according to "Christ".
Okay, really? What if our enemy's mission in life is to see to it that we and our families be killed? What if I'm standing in line and someone cuts in front of me, and when I call them out, he or she slaps my face? Do I offer them my other cheek?
As sane, reasonable people, we (should) know that ethics are situational, not absolute. We (should) also know that imitating someone who cannot or will not follow his or her own advice is a bad idea. And, well, the god of the Bible clearly cannot follow his own advice, nor can his son. In fact, if we're talking about "enemies", consider that biblegod's worst enemy seems to be the only individual who stays consistently within his character. But here is what I would like to know: Which Christian, if any, believes that God loves Satan? And if the idea of God loving Satan sounds preposterous, why then are we being asked to love our enemies? Does Jesus want me to "love" Satan, who's presumably my worst enemy???
In any case, to answer Alice's question, yes.....we can most certainly be "Christlike" without believing. But why would anyone need to be "Christlike", is the better question, especially when we can just choose to be good?
2 comments:
Equating Christlike with good is not exactly accurate, but it is what the person I was referring to meant. But we know one cannot see it until they see it, and then it's too late.
"but it is what the person I was referring to meant."
Understood. Admittedly, I haven't even watched the referenced video, so I wasn't in any way second-guessing your take on it. I really hope that that's not the way this post came across. I was more or less just making the observation that a talk on what one must do/not do to be "Christlike" can be one discussion, but then a talk on whether or not being "Christlike" is even an admirable thing can be an entirely different discussion, one that should probably happen first. I mean, if Christ is a jerk and/or if he gives out horrible or outdated advice, then whether or not we can be "Christlike" is sort of a moot point. I certainly wouldn't think it a noble thing to imitate such a person. I'm guessing you'd agree(??). I mean, we're talking about a character who threw a hissy-fit because a fruit tree wouldn't produce fruit in the off-season. Oh, boy = /
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