Narcissistic or Theocissistic

Well, it finally happened. I was totally bewildered, not in an amazing way, by a post made by a high school friend on her Facebook page.

Other than happy birthday and congratulations, I do not respond to what others post. Mostly I don’t even read their contributions to public social media. So when I read those few words, I was taken aback by the reality of it. So I am choosing to keep my few comments to this blog post. 

My friend pasted a paragraph attributed to “Brainstatic.”

“I don’t care what the Founding Fathers would have wanted, I don’t care if Jesus was a hippie or not, I don’t care what Marx prescribed. I can’t take living in a world where we’re all servants of long-dead men. You know what happens if you make a law the Founding Fathers wouldn’t like? Nothing, they’re dead and they’re never coming back. I’m genuinely envious of countries that can just make whatever laws they want without worrying about how 18^th century agrarian nobleman would have seen it. Stop arguing that Jesus loved the poor too, what he loved or didn’t love is irrelevant, he doesn’t get a say in any of this. We would have a country that isn’t shackled to these ghosts if we collectively wanted to.”

I think I understand the logic of that line of thinking. And from that perspective, it is a reasonable conclusion. If I started from the writer’s starting point, I would also agree with them. But, I do not begin where they begin. I do not choose to rely solely on my self-acquired observation of what would make my life easier. Instead, I trust life has meaning, purpose, direction, and destination.

I do not see humanity as fundamentally “good.” I see us being divinely blessed with the potential to be extraordinarily good. Each human can make their particular place on this globe a better place or a worse place, but we cannot make it a good place. Humans always make their decisions on one premise; I want more of what makes me feel good and less of what makes me feel bad. We seek to maximize our pleasure and minimize our pain.

If I am my own god then it is true that it doesn’t matter what Jesus loved or didn’t love for me today. Therefore, eliminate God and his goodness; your fate rests in what good humans can generate. It is undoubtedly helpful not to listen to the “ghost” of our forefathers and even the teachings of Jesus.

For me, to believe in absolute authority, God is sometimes tricky. There are just so many unexplained, seemingly contradicting, and absent details. Likewise, to say confidently that the Bible is the only revelation of God and is His voice is just as complex in my own reasoning. However, I do believe very strongly in both of those assertions. One reason is that there is no better explanation for where we came from, why we are here, and why we behave the way we do. Nor is there a hope offered for today that extends into tomorrow.

But the most profoundly solid ground I stand today is that I have met this God. Say what you will about superstitions! I know the God who revealed Himself in the Bible is real because I have met him. He has changed me completely and is still making changes. He pronounced humanity as “good” when he created us, and I want that “good” to return in me, on me, and through me. And I believe he wants that too.

Narcissistic or Theocissistic (I invented this word just for this writing). The first word leads to a slow, painful death. The second word leads to death of self and a slow transformation back to the original Garden of Eden “good.”

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. Galatians 5:22-23 (Christian Standard Bible)

Photo – A spalted maple platter.