Burning Witches
So, another year, and another witch gets burnt.
What am I talking about? I’m referring to the witch burning that the Christian community does every time something comes around that they don’t like. Every time some book, movie, entertainer, or idea comes around that Christians believe will undermine the Bible’s authority (impossible), usurp God’s Sovereignty (again, impossible), or mock Salvation (yet again, impossible), we pool our efforts to make it as big an issue as we possibly can. Basically, we go on an old-fashioned Salem witch hunt.
Two years ago, the big witch hunt was Dan Brown’s book and subsequent movie deal for a story which portrayed Christ as human with a mortal lineage tied to Mary Magdalene. Last year, the evil being was disguised as the ultimate usurper of human authority over earth, Environmentalism (although this has been one of the churches favorite witches for over a decade). This year, as late as it may be, the newest witch on the scene is another book. This one is about a couple of children who set out to find and kill God.
“The Golden Compass” is a book written by Philip Pullman. There are lots of conflicting reports on his exact religious leanings, but it is believed that he is an atheist. Whether or not the book is written with a particular agenda in mind, I cannot say. However, why would I care? Do I expect an uneducated mechanic to write a book on quantum physics? Would it be incorrect to assume that a Chemist would likely write a book on Chemistry? Of course not. So then why would we not expect someone who does not believe in blasphemy, or even the existence of a divine to blaspheme, to write a book about the destruction of an idea or belief which he does not hold nor even find valid?
Why?
Because we need a witch to burn. We need something to be heard about. Let me put it bluntly; we need something to bitch about. The Church, and I say the Church because we are one Body no matter what your leaning, whether left, right, liberal or conservative, has managed, over the last few decades, to dig itself into such a rut that the only voice that we think can be heard is that of desperation. That shrill voice which screams, “DON’T DO IT”, or “BOYCOTT XYZ”. It’s this voice which has driven people away from us. It’s this voice that has made it difficult for the non-reactionary types to properly minister to those who want to listen. It is this voice which is the loudest.
What bothers me most is that it is this voice which gives these witches their power. Most, if not all of these things, I am fully convinced, would disappear with little to no recognition if we would just shut our mouths and let them pass on by. I had no clue who Dan Brown was until I read about some churches pushing for a boycott of the company planning to produce the movie adaptation of his book. “The Golden Compass” wasn’t even remotely on my radar until I saw some ridiculous Facebook group urging people to not support the movie. A simple Google search showed me that, just as I suspected, more than 60% of the results were links to articles and blog posts talking about the anti-religious themes and the groups opposing the movie. This movie, just like Dan Brown’s novels, will be successful because we have offered it success on a silver platter.
So, when are we going to stop hunting for witches to burn? It’s obvious that all of our rantings and ravings are doing nothing but giving these witches their power. The real dark magic lies in just how strong they become AFTER we make a fuss about them. When are we going to realize that the best way to beat these things is to stop acting like they are going to shake the foundations of our faith and simply give them the attention they deserve:
none.
There are plenty of ways to glorify God. Burning witches certainly isn’t one of them.
Pownce.com