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Suleiman -> RE: I Attempt to Lead a Coworker to Christ (1/13/2008 5:18:30 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: KRANWEST
I wonder why it is that the lost sheep always move towards Buddhism, or some half-baked "Goddess" paganism. Somewhere, along the road, Christianity become the uncool kid among "world religions". Maybe the effort required to be a Christian is unappealing to the "thirty-minutes or less" generation, - a generation that would rather receive a neat and tidy clinical diagnosis like "bipolar" or ADHD, than deal with spiritual issues.
Well, I can only speak for myself, as a second generation pagan. So far, to my outsider's eyes, there are two sorts of christians out there - the first group are the ones who are truly devoted to their faith, live good lives, and actually take the time to acquire an understanding of their theology and what it means to them. I have great respect for these people and cherish the few I've met as friends and councilors. The second group, by far the majority, start coversations with questions like "Have you ever thought about embracing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ". I do not proselytize my faith, and I do not appreciate the attitude taken by those christians who insist on prying into my spiritual affairs. (Okay, there is a third group, the true majority, who do not think about their faith at all, but they are, for the most part, christian only in name and really don't count in my opinion - they do not take an active hand in their own spiritual lives.) Of course, I don't spend hours every day complaining about how my life is unhappy. I have faith in my household gods and earthly deities, and I also have faith in myself and my ability to serve as the captain of my own destiny - despite the setbacks I have experienced, I am willing to roll up my sleeves and work make things better, and when I am troubled, I pray for strength and guidance. I know from observation that this is not true of most Americans, for whom apathy is an endemic problem.
It may be that your friend has found solace in the teachings of Buddha, but more likely his half-hearted interest in that philosophy comes from spiritual apathy and intellectual malaise. It is easy in the modern age to mutter about karma (invariably mangling the concept beyond recognition as most americans do) and believe that enlightenment - thus happiness - comes by divesting oneself of worldly possessions and living on a mountaintop, without ever actually considering the philosophy or really learning anything about it. It requires no work, no introspection, and most importantly, no faith. In the end, the vast majority of people now just simply don't want to be bothered, and that repells them away from christianity simply because there are christians who insist on bothering them.
I appreciate your concern for your friend's welfare, and in fact (from the small thumbnail you've provided) agree that he's at a crisis point, but faith, in the end, is a personal thing. He mst come to it for himself, and I suspect he has much farther to fall before he truly reaches that particular crossroad.
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