A Foolish Faith?

Why do I so strongly want God to be real?

Because without God we would be alone. With only our limited power. At the mercy of greater human powers and the elements. With no hope beyond death.

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The atheist is free from God. Free to do anything he wants. But he is also vulnerable. Vulnerable to the merciless quirks of a universe governed by chance. His success lasts no longer than his luck – and when it runs out his paradise crumbles. Death is ultimately his final sentence.

But why the God of the Bible? Why Jehovah and Jesus? Why would I accept Jehovah's seemingly harsh nature in the Old Testament even if it makes me uncomfortable? Why would I accept what Jesus teaches about Hell?

Because of their mercy and long-suffering. Jehovah gave his people protection and prosperity. Jesus taught us to love our enemies and be good to those who hate us. Divine judgment is only for those who will never accept Jehovah as God and Jesus as his son even after they come to know them, because they prefer their fantasies. Mercy is for the humble heart that knows it is sinful, that it is creation and not Creator, and whose deepest desire is for redemption and transformation.

Why would I think the accounts in the Bible any less legendary in nature than Greek or Chinese or Norse mythology?

The sincerity of the authors? The authenticity of the Apostles' letters albeit the bizarre claims therein? The admission by their enemies and the unbelievers of Jesus' existence despite their skepticism of his claims? The testimony of writers who claimed to be eyewitnesses and companions of Jesus, well within an area they knew it could be verified? The closeness of the testimony to the time of the events they talk about? The witness of those who followed after them in the following centuries and millenniums even unto death?

If so, could miracles really happen? Could Jesus truly have worked wonders and rose from the dead, even if people who heard it were skeptical, and even if we do not see such things happen today? I would not rule out the possibility.

The world of skyscrapers and iPhones insists the answer is no. If we lived in a world where such tech did not exist, however, perhaps our perspective would change. Technological advancements change nothing concerning God's existence – we have only fooled ourselves into thinking so.

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Finally, as an independent testimony should not the Biblical documents be understood on their own terms rather than doctored up and re-interpreted to fit one consensus or another? Should not God be allowed his own voice no matter how radical or politically incorrect? Perhaps if we would let the radical nature and politically-incorrectness in, we would understand something about ourselves and the world we never could before.

Perhaps, as the Bible claims, we would understand how much better it is to be slaves of Christ than kings of this world. Because God's slaves are better off than royalty by the world's standards, and have a treasure far greater than any rich man could hope for. The treasure Jesus brought when he gave up his rights, when he emptied himself and made himself nothing, taking on the form of a servant, making the ultimate sacrifice, which in the end caused him to be exalted above every other name.