What Did You Expect?

"Everything happens for a reason," they like to tell you. A stupid statement, at its core. I mean, of course everything happens for a reason. It is an axiom that all effects must have a cause. But, I'm sure that's not what's in view. What is most often meant is that there is an intelligence behind all that occurs and, eventually, it will be a good thing. More and more it is intended to convey "Stuff happens and hopefully something good will come out of it."

Enter the new age. For more than a hundred years we've been working really hard to eliminate God by the careful application of science. "'God created'? Why would you think that? We have Evolution!" All well and good. Except that now we've moved from a theistic view to an atheistic view. So? Well, Christians hold that mankind is created in the image of God. This gives us intrinsic worth. That gives us overarching purpose. That gives us direction and guidance. But no. "We don't need all that. Who needs God? No intelligent person needs God anymore. In fact, the really smart people don't even believe in Him."

What's the upshot? There is no design. There is no purpose. There are no rules. Oh, you might see design, but just because it looks like design doesn't mean that it is. Try watching any nature show you wish and see if the narrator can avoid the word "design" in his or her description. Can't be done. But ... nope! ... no design. And you may generate a purpose. Your own purpose. Whatever purpose you may wish. But there is no overarching purpose. It's just what you make it. "And rules? Don't be silly. We have rules." But we have to ask why. If there is no design and purpose is just what you make it and there is no Lawgiver, on what do you base your rules? Now, to be fair, generally speaking atheists do have rules. They can be kind and caring, moral and well-behaved, generally nice people. What they cannot do is have a basis for all of this that can have any bearing on what you do. Like purpose, their rules are what they make them. They will likely suggest they apply to you. In fact, their self-made rules certainly apply to your non-existent God who fails to live up to them. They have a moral code, generally, but there can be no grounding for this morality beyond their own preferences. And many thinking atheists admit this.

Given this new paradigm, what would we expect to see? We would expect a world untethered. Christians are limited to God, His design, and His rules. Atheists, whether actual or merely practical¹, are not. So while Christians hold to a God-directed sexual morality where sex is moral in marriage and not in other relationships, our world has jettisoned that idea. We would expect that sexually transmitted diseases would soar, numbers of single-parent children would climb². While logic and science tells us that there is male and there is female, we now live in a world where there is ... not. There is so much more. There is super male and super female, male/female together, male bodies occupied by females and female bodies occupied by males, male or female bodies that are both male and female depending on how they feel at the moment -- literally dozens of possibilities ... so far³. All of history defines marriage as a family built on the basis of a female and a male united for mutual support and fit for procreation. We're well past that now. Marriage is whatever you make it. Two, three, whatever. Of course, it has to be approved by the new Marriage Lords. I mean, it is no longer "male and female", but so far they're holding the line on "two". And apparently for reasons without basis it must be "two humans". No animals or inanimate objections. But those are just arbitrary and can't long stand. This new paradigm, stripping off any "made in God's image" nonsense and, therefore, intrinsic value, would result in killing people deemed less valuable ... like babies. And purpose? Yes, that's there. The purpose of life is to "fulfill yourself", whatever that means to you. Maybe it means you are fulfilled by being a good person. Or maybe it means you're fulfilled by satisfying your urges. Whatever. In the absence of design and morality, it cannot be evaluated as good or bad. Oh, mind you, it will be, but there is no basis for it. As in the other things, then, without basis, it will eventually end up more or less random. The only commonality will be "Whatever you want ... as long as it doesn't tell me I'm wrong." In this, dear Christian, you will be outlawed, if not legally, at least culturally.

This is, indeed, what we see going on today. Based on Science as god, science is thrown out the window. Genetics, chromosomes, and all that don't count; if you think you're a girl trapped in a guy's body, you are. If you think you're a black person trapped in a white person's body, you're not. Don't be silly. Why? No one can say. Because we've pulled out the underpinnings and can't figure out where to stand anymore. "But we do know it's not where those hated Christians stand. That can't be right. We know that."

Oddly enough, Christians don't seem to understand this. We think, "This is right and that is wrong." We think, "We are made in God's image and, therefore, have value." We think that God knows what He is doing, so what He is doing is good. So when they reject God as Creator and God as authority and run down these rabbit trails, we're baffled. Don't be. "How can they do that?" we so often ask. How? By rejecting God. It is what you would logically expect. It is the result of spiritual blindness. It is the rational result of practically or consciously removing God. Don't expect a rebellious people to agree with the One against whom they are rebelling. Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is coming among you. But do remember that we have the answer to the problem and pray that God will open their hearts to it.
________

¹ A practial atheist is a person who says he or she believes in God but acts without regard to God.

² The article claims that "single moms account for precisely one-quarter of U.S. households. Single dads make up another 6 percent." That is, something around 1 in 3 households in the U.S. are single-parent households.

³ New York City protects 31 of them. Facebook offers 51 options.