I just started reading Stephen Charnock’s “The Existence and Attributes of God”, a about 2000 page long, 350 year old discourse on several topic, about, you guessed it, the existence and attributes of God.
I wanted to quote a few passages here, knowing that they will not be able to give justice to the matter, but nevertheless.
“What a folly is it then in any to contradict or doubt of this truth [that there is a God], which all the periods of time have not been able to wear out; which all the wars and quarrels of men with their own consciences have not been able to destroy; which ignorance and debauchery, its two greatest enemies, cannot weaken; which all the falsehoods and errors which have reigned in one or other part of the world, have not been able to banish; which lives in the consents of men in spite of all their wishes to the contrary, and hath grown stronger, and shone clearer, by the improvements of natural reason!”
This is just the conclusion of a several page long argument (one of many) about the existence of a God (not necessarily the Christian one at this point). The idea of God permeates people and always will. If it really were just man-made, why is the idea still so prevalent? Why don’t we just get rid of it if it limits us so much? Yeah, right, religion controls people. Christianity is certainly not among those, at least not in its roots and true meaning, unless it did a really horrible job. Early Christians, who chose Christ over wild orgies with temple prostitutes and civil freedom, were persecuted, tortured, and killed. Not so much control there if you ask me….
“What is it for which such men rack their wits, to form notions that there is no God? Is it not that they would indulge some vicious habit, which hath gained the possession of their soul, which they know “cannot be favored by that holy God,” whose notion they would raze out? Is it not for some brutish affection, as degenerative of human nature, as derogatory to the glory of God; a lust as unmanly as sinful? The terrors of God are the effects of guilt; and therefore men would wear out the apprehensions of a Deity, that they might be brutish without control. They would fain believe there were no God, that they might not be men, but beasts. How great a folly is it to take so much pains in vain, for a slavery and torment; to cast off that which they call a yoke, for that which really is one! There is more pains and toughness of soul requisite to shake off the apprehensions of God, than to believe that he is, and cleave constantly to him. What a madness is it in any to take so much pains to be less than a man, by razing out the apprehensions of God, when, with less pains, he may be more than an earthly man, by cherishing the notions of God, and walking answerable thereunto?”
It seems easier to just say there is no God so one can do all the things that could not be favored by Him. It was, and sometimes still is, certainly that way for me. However, it is indeed easier to walk with God and cleave to Him; what so many would think a restriction, shackles, slavery, is really the greatest freedom man can have! It’s pretty similar to the Matrix. Everyone is -from birth- blind to God. We have no idea. I had no idea. But you have a choice: Take the red pill to see the truth or the blue pill and live your life in ignorance. The analogy breaks down at some level, like all, and I have nothing to boast about, it’s by God I can say this now and see clearly. This offer is for all. Think about it.
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