People of faith have been persecuted throughout the years. They have been criticized for not having original thought and being irrational. I have noticed a common trait in the people who like to argue that there is no God and exalt their ability to reason. There is an arrogance and pride in being self-sufficient and having no need of God.
The exaltation of human reason is one I understand well. Before I became a Christian, I was the same way. I took pride in the fact that I was not a “robot” following some religion. I smugly looked down on others and patted myself on the back for my ability to think my way to greatness.
But when it really came down to it, and I was honest with myself, I realized that I was putting my faith in myself, as if there was nothing bigger than humanity. I thought to myself, “What if the Christians are right? What would I say to God as to why I rejected Him?” I would have no excuse because I was told many times about this God who loved me so much that He sent His son to die for me.
It dawned on me that for me to think that there was nothing bigger than myself was sadly limiting. There I was looking down on people who I thought were not thinking clearly and were blindly following God. I felt as though I was free from all restriction that religion would place on me. But was I really? From where did I get this world view?
Once I opened up my heart enough to trust God to fulfill every need, I was able to see clearly. It was if a curtain was raised, and I was able to see how faulty my thinking was. I can empathize with people who display that same kind of faulty thinking. Sometimes I even come into contact with very argumentative people who try to go out of their way to prove that God doesn't exist. This just shows me that they have been wounded in some way, and I pray that they will allow God to love them fully and give them the peace that they need.
God has been so good to me, and I wouldn't trade my relationship with Him for the world. Yes, the world may criticize Christians out of its lack of understanding of what Christianity really is. Their skewed view from the outside leads them to label Christians as lacking depth. To them, Christianity is silly and pointless. That is exactly what the Word of God says.
“For the story and message of the cross is sheer absurdity and folly to those who are perishing and on their way to perdition, but to us who are being saved it is the [manifestation of] the power of God.” 1 Cor 1:18.
“If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. 4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.” 2 Cor 4:3-4.
“And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don't know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus.” 2 Thess 1:7-8.
“Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming. 9 This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. 10 He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. 11 So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. 12 Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth.” 2 Thess 2:8-12.
So here I was thinking that to be a Christian was foolishness and shallow, but in reality my life was so empty without God. People who criticize people of faith act as if they are not influenced by anyone. Just as I did, they boast in their ability to reason clearly, uninfluenced by outside sources. But if they ever stopped to think about where they got their line of thinking, they would realize that they have been a “robot” themselves, programmed to think the way they were trained to think.
We're ALL being influenced by outside sources, religions, advertising, mass-media, each other. Someone who believes in God and Christ is just as much influenced as anybody else. In your preamble you claim the truth to be that nonbelievers have their minds controlled by secular humanism. You can believe that to be the truth if you like, but what about the truths of nonbelievers and other faiths. Do you presume to declare you know the truth and everyone who disagrees is wrong? I don't know what the truth is, neither do you.