Please, anything but God!

It is common in the discourses of intelligent people to hear them rave about the wonders of nature, the works of nature, what nature has done, created, proposed, to evoke it with an almost divine veneration. And there everyone marvels at this goddess nature so learned, so far-sighted. And one is struck to see to what extent we can be affected by an unimaginable blindness that obscures the understanding when we do everything to exclude God from the game. Thus, intelligent as we are, darkness overtakes us without our knowing it.

To describe the characteristics of nature is one thing; to attribute the origin of these characteristics to nature itself is another. Of all the nonsense that has been invented by believers of every kind, none can rival this. To regard the creature as its own creator! Yet language is prized these days; it is an article of 'faith' in certain circles, entirely acceptable, recommended, and highly celebrated.

The complexities, diversity, and spectacular beauty of nature are supposed to draw our attention to this Being of such infinite thought and generosity who is at its origin. Everything testifies to His greatness, His goodness, His extraordinary capacity and His infinite knowledge. But, we choose to consider the work as its own artisan, to worship the creature instead of the Creator. That said, nothing very new; and even if our generation likes to boast of having emancipated itself from the notion of a creator, it is only taking up the torch already lit by the ancient and pagan world.

Thus, the beloved Paul in his epistle to the Romans describes at length the propensity of human beings to neglect, oh no, worse still, to 'suppress', to 'unjustly hold captive', the truth about God when it has been made manifest to them, God having taken it upon himself to make it known. This is because, according to this passage, since the creation of the world, divine power and nature have been manifest and visible through His works. Humans are therefore inexcusable. Launching themselves into the pursuit of wisdom without God, they have been won over by folly, stupidity in short, their intelligence has been obscured, which has caused a progressive perversion and moral corruption. The text is eloquent:

“Rom 1:18-25 ESV 1The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it known to them. For from the creation of the world the invisible things of God are clearly seen, being understood by what has been made, even his eternal power and Godhead. Therefore they have no excuse: because, although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give thanks to him. But they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for images made like corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to uncleanness, so that that they themselves should dishonor their own bodies; who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen!

Thus our post-Christian worship of the creature/creation is not a sign of progress for humanity, as some would have us believe; but a return to a pre-Christian naturalistic idolatry, albeit infinitely more sophisticated and accompanied by high-flying philosophical concepts. The ancients worshipped objects, we a diffuse force that includes vegetation, trees, seas, splendid sunsets, animals, birds, et al, our nature god. Therefore the same fate is reserved for us.

Thus, while man clings desperately to his 'anything but God' philosophy, God allows him to sink deeper and deeper into corruption. The result is a society mired in moral misery where anything goes; if I can conceive of it, I demand the right to do it, and I demand that others approve of me in that choice. The most infamous acts are, in the eyes of those with 'a reprobate sense', perfectly normal and acceptable; any disagreement is simply bigotry and narrow-mindedness.

And in case you feel bad about being ridiculed in this way, it is worth reading the end of this passage which denounces those who, because of their reprobate sense, not only commit 'unworthy things' but even go so far as to approve of those who do them. Poor company indeed!
Shalom!