A friend recently gave me the Bill Maher movie Religulous to review so we could sit down and talk about it together. While I don't recommend the movie to the faint of heart, I found many parts of it fascinating. It was amazing to me how many people in the world view religion and particularly Christianity. Most people in the movie saw Christians as people who are so intensely focused on "the next life" that they are pretty useless for this life...people that are so focused upon "going to heaven when we die" that they have forgotten about the plans God has for them in this life.
I believe the Bible teaches that God designed us for good, that we were damaged by evil, but that Jesus restored us for something better...He wanted to use us to bring healing and reconciliation to the world! I also believe that what we do in this life has a direct effect on what we'll be doing in the next life. In other words, this life is a place where we become the kind of people who God can use in eternity where we'll be ruling and reigning with Him in an interactive relationship forever and ever. THIS LIFE MATTERS! God created me and blessed me so that He could use me to bring His blessing to the entire world!
I don't want to be "religulous". I want to be in an interactive relationship with God, serving Him and allowing Him to use me in any way he sees fit. I want to ask good questions and seek out truth. I don't think doubt is bad, because I see all truth as God's truth and I believe when I genuinely seek after truth, God reveals more and more of it to me.
Thanks Mr. Maher for getting me thinking. Thanks for challenging me to go deeper in my faith and really know WHY I believe WHAT I believe. I don't believe we do the world much good when Christians "check their brains at the door" and blindly follow...there are things we CAN know and need to seek out and live out if our faith is going to be real! I want that kind of "religion"...religion that follows after Christ with everything I've got...religion that serves those less fortunate than me with a burning passion...religion that is real and active and based in knowledge. Give me that kind of passion today Jesus!
