The Church Vs. Secularism

A long debated topic. How much of our lives should we dedicate to God?

Today, I want to put on paper what I think of God's Church...and its implications in the daily lives of the populace at large, mainly Christians.

John Calvin. Do you know who he is?

John Calvin is often known as the Father of the Reformation. Heavily influenced by the teachings of Martin Luther, Calvin was slated for the church at an early age by his father. Ironically though, one of the most venerated men in Protestant history is the son of a Catholic Priest.

Calvin's most notable works are the Calvinist beliefs of predestination and total depravity.

Predestination - The Calvinistic doctrine of predestination is a doctrine of Calvinism which deals with the question of the control God exercises over the world. In the words of the Westminster Confession of Faith, God "freely and unchangeably ordained whatsoever comes to pass."[1] The second use of the word "predestination" applies this to the salvation, and refers to the belief that God appointed the eternal destiny of some to salvation by grace, while leaving the remainder to receive eternal damnation for all their sins, even their original sin.

Total Depravity - Total depravity (also called total inability and total corruption) is a theological doctrine that derives from the Augustinian concept of original sin. It is the teaching that, as a consequence of the Fall of Man, every person born into the world is enslaved to the service of sin and, apart from the efficacious or prevenient grace of God, is utterly unable to choose to follow God or choose to accept salvation as it is freely offered.

Those exerpts are both from Wikipedia, and I've linked the full page as well for your convenience. I believe that both doctrines are correct. That people are predestined to become Christians, to be saved or not, because we have an omnipotent God, and that we, as humans, are incapable of good or noble deed.

John Calvin, was a great theologian, and his teachings were sound. However, if you read the story in wikipedia about his life (link above) particularly in his dealings with the Christians of Geneva, Switzerland, there is a cause of alarm.

Read this as well, a news article about recent development in England regarding the stance of the Church vs. Secular beliefs. Now, what do you think?

The question remains, as Christians, do we have a place for secularism, which is the worldly pursuits of most people on this earth? For one, I disagree with John Calvin's approach in his government of Geneva. No one, but Christians, should have to answer to the churches' laws and sacraments. John Calvin's mistake was to apply Christianity to the everyday law of society, forcing the entire population of a city to bend to Christian Will. That is wrong.

I say this because as a Malaysian Christian, I know what its like to be on the other side of the curtain. Yes, we are praying for Christian leadership in this country, but do we really want a Christian government? I believe that Christianity has no place in the lives of non-Christians. Case study, in Malaysia, we Christians are forced to play second fiddle to those of the Muslim faith. Is it right? Many times, we as Christians would say no, we should not be forced to live by rules made by another religion. Therefore, though, isn't it proud of us, and hypocritical to say that if we lived in a Christian nation, that we would agree with Christian laws being enforced on society, not only on Christians by the church? What makes us as Christians any better than the Muslims then? We will not be a society dominated by religious zealotry. The doctrine of predestination and total depravity clearly states that as human beings we are already predestined to be saved, or condemned to hell, and that as humans, we are incapable of righteous thought and action. Therefore, isn't it unreasonable to ask a person, who doesn't have the Holy Spirit to conform to laws that are meant only for the people of God? The Bible clearly states that we should never throw pearls before swine. How foolish is it then, to throw away the words of Christ unto deaf ears and forcing human beings like animals to bend to the laws of God? People aren't animals. Saved or not, we are all made in the image of God and are above the beasts of the field, therefore, to force non-believers to conform to Christian beliefs is wrong. In the news article, I therefore stand against those who oppose the UK government promoting the use of condoms to reduce the spread of STDs and teenage pregnancy. The church may think its wrong, but this is a secular world. We need to come to terms with that. The Bible isn't for everyone.

A warning, against extremism. We as Christians are called to be the salt of the earth. Thats a very good analogy of the Christian life. How much salt do you use when you cook? Just a pinch or 2 in a whole pot right? In the same way, the Bible already says that as Christians, we will always be few in number and surrounded by non-believers. John Calvin, was an extremist. Often, we have these romantic views about living and dying by the word of God, but we must have caution. John Calvin banned everyday things like dancing, and even formed a religious police arm to ensure that these rules are enforced. I have nothing against following the teachings of the Bible, but who does he think he is, banning something that the Bible says nothing about? This isn't a legalistic debate, but if the Bible is silent on so many things, why then must we impose these rules upon ourselves and our fellow man? Who are we to make laws when God doesn't say a word? Recently, I had a heated debate with someone dear about kissing in the Christian context. To me, if a couple agrees not to kiss due to personal issues, like one partner not being ready or wanting to exercise restraint, then I can respect that. If however you drag the Bible into this, and say that God says it, then I will put my foot down. God doesn't say anything about kissing. Do NOT put words in His mouth. The same way the Christians of the Middle ages justified the crusades saying that God wills it and that the Holy Land should not be in the hands of non-believers, we today can use the name of the Lord to justify OUR plans. Remember that the revealed word of God is subjective, and if you have no theological backing, you MUST always be cautious. Therefore, I disagree with John Calvin's blatant extremism. He literally turned Geneva into a Christian version of today's Iran.

As Christians we need to address this issue, if we are to move forward. Many times, we scare away the masses by being religious zealots. We cannot bring people to God if we keep scaring them away. The Truth of the Lord will defend itself in God's time. It doesn't NEED us to go around trying to be Super Christians. Just because we believe that we speak the Truth, and that we speak the Word of God, doesn't mean that what we're saying is any less scary. No one wants to live in a world full of Rules and THOU SHALT NOTS, not even me. If we choose to live by Christian laws, it is only out of a pure heart and VOLUNTARILY. We should never force others to bend to our own personal convictions. Trust and prayer are important then. If you think a friend is walking down the path of sin, pray and not fight. God will speak to him, and if he is to be saved he will be, not by your hand, but by the Grace of the Lord alone.