Monday, February 27, 2006
Battling Alternative Spiritualities
Jollyblooger had an interesting post last week reviewing a book about Wicca. David concluded the post this way
For one, if alternative spiritualites are as or more attractive than Christianity, we aren't doing Christianity right. Seriously, if a high school football team can stay in the game against an NFL club, the NFL club just ain't trying. The attractiveness of alternative spiritualities says a lot more about us than it does about them.
Secondly, I don't recall Christ spending a lot of time arguing with practioners of alternative spirtualities, and they were present when He was here. Christ pretty much just cast out the demons. Paul obviously preached far more apologetically in Athens than in Jerusalem, but when I read those sermons, I don't think it was the depth of Paul's knowledge of greco-roman mythology that made his case for him.
Most alternative spirtualities make consiracy theories look rational. David's post says this about Wicca
I don't really disagree with David on this in general, but particularly in the case of Wicca, the appeal, I think, is almost completely emotional. I'm not sure study is the right reaction.
Related Tags: Wicca, Jollyblogger, apologetics, alternative spiritualities, arguement, Christianity
But I thought it was helpful to point out just how pervasive these alternative spiritualities are. Here I am sitting by a seemingly random person on an airplane (although there is no such thing as randomness in God's universe) who believes just what this book on Wicca was talking about and who has even swallowed some of the Da Vinci Code stuff. This is just one more illustration of why we need to be on top of these things.For some reason that conclusion brought up some random thoughts on my part.
For one, if alternative spiritualites are as or more attractive than Christianity, we aren't doing Christianity right. Seriously, if a high school football team can stay in the game against an NFL club, the NFL club just ain't trying. The attractiveness of alternative spiritualities says a lot more about us than it does about them.
Secondly, I don't recall Christ spending a lot of time arguing with practioners of alternative spirtualities, and they were present when He was here. Christ pretty much just cast out the demons. Paul obviously preached far more apologetically in Athens than in Jerusalem, but when I read those sermons, I don't think it was the depth of Paul's knowledge of greco-roman mythology that made his case for him.
Most alternative spirtualities make consiracy theories look rational. David's post says this about Wicca
As to exactly what Wicca is, Sanders says it is a religion that defies description. Any practitioner can add or subtract to his or her beliefs. One practitioner told an interviewer "if you ask three witches to describe their beliefs, you'll probably get about four answers."Can rational discussion be made with the wholly irrational?
I don't really disagree with David on this in general, but particularly in the case of Wicca, the appeal, I think, is almost completely emotional. I'm not sure study is the right reaction.
Related Tags: Wicca, Jollyblogger, apologetics, alternative spiritualities, arguement, Christianity
