I’ve heard Christianity criticized for not being a
unity of nature religion. These critics
view it disparagingly as a religion that does not appreciate the rhythms and
processes of nature in which we are deified through identity with the cycle of
life. I fully accept the truth of what
they say but strongly disagree that this should be thought of as criticism
rather than a compliment. Christianity
holds that within nature are forces of love and hate, life and death, good and
evil. We should hold fast to the forces
of love, life, and goodness and eschew the forces of hate, death, and evil. Christianity views man as not being inherently
good with his only challenge to harmonize with his inner subconscious and thus
reach blessedness. Christianity holds
that such a transcendental view of self is essentially arrogant. For within the human heart lies both love and hate,
life and death, good and evil. Man
cannot overcome the forces of darkness alone, but requires the grace of a
loving God. The only mystery in Christianity is why God so
loved the world that he gave his only son to save humanity. Some criticize Christianity for fixating on
sin. This is a misunderstanding. Christians do not fixate on sin, but they do
frankly recognize it as an undeniable realty of human experience. The mystery of perception is that blindness
regarding one’s own sin (selfish pride, hypocrisy, arrogance, selfishness) is a
reigning condition only shattered by divine grace. The focus of Christianity is forward looking
focusing on life after salvation and celebrating the fruit of the spirit. A Christian finds it frankly difficult to
understand how considerate individuals could deny the preference of these
affirmations—of love, life, and goodness—or to deny our tendency to supplant
them with forces of darkness.
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