Sheep and wolves

If you saw a pack of wolves masquerading as sheep would you conclude that sheep are ferocious?

Three things have happened in the last few days to inspire this post. First, over the weekend I was in a conversation with someone who obviously didn't care much for religion and she was going on and on about how many wars and how much killing has been done in the name of religion. Second, I am in the middle of a book titled, "A Peoples History of the United States." The book does not seem to make an argument either for or against religion in general but without giving many specific details it does point out that religion is used to influence public opinion in support of wars,  oppression of the poor and all kinds of evil. Third was last night while the T.V. was on and I heard Michelle Bachmann babbling about how she doesn't know what else God could do to get peoples attention in America because he's already sent hurricanes and earthquakes recently to punish us for immorality.

All three of the incidents above mainly focused on Christianity. It is a common argument challenging the truth of Christianity that people point out how much evil has been caused by different sects throughout the years. I wanted to write a blog about this because I can sympathize with that argument. I can understand why a person might see Michelle Bachman on T.V., read about the Salem witch trials or the Crusades and conclude that we might be better off without Christianity. However, I think the only way to come to this conclusion is to confuse the wolves with the sheep.

It is a testimony to the passiveness of a sheep that a wolf would want to disguise himself as one of them. Similarly, it is in evils best interest to be confused with that which is good. The fact that evil so often uses the name of Christ to disguise itself is more of a testimony to Christs goodness than to his supposed falseness. This is not meant to be a proof of Christianity, because it is not, but I want to make a point that if the words of Christ are true this is the way things would be. Here is an example:

Mathew 7:15-20, "Watch out for false prophets, they come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit will you recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them."

The next verse goes on to talk about how on judgement day many people who performed miracles, drove out demons and prophesied in Christs name will not get into heaven because they were never known by Christ. In other places in the gospels Jesus warns of false prophets and anti-christs that will deceive many people. Like I said, this is not a proof of Christianity, I'm just pointing out that from the beginning we have been warned of people doing evil under the cloak of the Christian religion. The fact that it happens should not be an intellectual roadblock to belief in God for anyone who takes the time to look into it.

The philosophy of Christ is refreshingly simple. It can be summed up with the words in Mathew 22:37-40, "Jesus replied, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments."

If you can understand loving your neighbor as yourself but are confused about how to love God, Mathew 25:34-40 says, "Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
   “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
   “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"


If you want to love God, love the poor. That is why Jesus said the second commandment was like the first. The poor are our neighbors. Does Christs message sound like what Michelle Bachmann is always babbling about on T.V.? Does it sound like someone trying to gain support for a war?


We know that the philosophy of Christ was about loving your neighbor as yourself and loving the least among us. How then can we blame Christianity when people call themselves followers of Christ while they fight wars against their neighbors, oppress the poor and commit all kinds of evil? The only rational conclusion is that they are using Christs name, like he warned us people would do, but are not followers of Christ at all.

If you see wolves in sheep's clothing and then conclude that sheep are ferocious and we'd be better off without them, you will still be left with the wolves.

What's good for efficiency is bad for the spirit

This is an idea I've been thinking about a little bit lately. It's meant to be more of a generalization than a hard fact. Of course is wouldn't be hard to think of exceptions to this idea but I think it makes a lot of sense in an abstract way.

Cooking dinner vs. eating out - I enjoy preparing good food and cooking. I'm not sure why but there is something special about getting a meal on the table that you had to first think about, prepare and cook. I think it has something to do with the fact that you own the meal whether it is good or bad. You decided what to prepare as a main dish and you decided what to serve as side dishes, it's yours of which you can be proud or ashamed. At a restaurant you look at a menu, place an order and receive your dinner. If it's good you credit the restaurant and if it's bad you blame the restaurant. You're detached from the food, it's quick, efficient and does not have a lasting effect on your spirit. Also, what makes a good home cooked meal so special is the chance for failure which may happen more often than at a restaurant. The bitterness of failure makes success taste sweeter.

Backpacking vs. car camping - When my girlfriend and I were hiking the other day she mentioned that one of her favorite parts about backpacking was the effort it took to reach your destination. We were on our way down a canyon to a place called Fossil Springs. She was right, there is something special about having everything you need strapped to your back and hiking four miles to get to the campground. Something spiritual is lost with the efficiency of roads when you drive right up to a beautiful area and unload your case of beer. The effort of backpacking allows for a more enriching camping experience.

Disposable packaging and litter - Disposable packaging is all about efficiency. Throw it in the microwave and throw it away, it's easy. No need to carry around things like coffee mugs or water bottles, just throw away the styrofoam and plastic everyday, it's easier. But when you're out in the the woods and you see an abandoned sleeping bag thrown in the bushes, random trash all over the place and a bush littered with toilet paper the pain in your heart makes you realize that efficiency is being paid for by the spirit.

Painting vs. photography - Have you ever been to an art museum and seen paintings from a couple hundred years ago that you can barely distinguish from reality? I can make an image of the same or higher quality and share it with my friends in less than a minute. Was something lost?

Reading a book vs. watching a movie - I don't think this needs an explanation. If you can't relate to it I'd recommend The Mystery of Capital by Hernando De Soto if you think you'd like non-fiction or The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien if you think fiction would be more enjoyable.

Volunteering vs. donating money - There is a huge spiritual difference between writing a check and getting personally involved in the lives of the people that you'd like to help.

"I number it among my blessings that my father had no car, while yet most of my friends had, and sometimes took me for a drive. This meant that all these distant objects could be visited just enough to clothe them with memories and not impossible desires, while yet they remained ordinarily as inaccessible as the moon. The deadly power of rushing about wherever I pleased had not been given me. I measured distances by the standard of man, walking on his two feet, not by the standard of the internal combustion engine. I had not been allowed to deflower the very idea of distance; In return I possessed "infinite riches" in what would have been to a motorist "a little room." The truest and most horrible claim made for modern transport is that it "annihilates space." It does. It annihilates one of the most glorious gifts we have been given. It is a vile inflation that lowers the value of distance, so that a modern boy travels a hundred miles with less sense of liberation and pilgrimage and adventure than his grandfather got from traveling ten. Of course if a man hates space and wants it annihilated that is another matter. Why not creep into his coffin at once? There is little enough space there." - C.S. Lewis