Co-workers are always interesting. We have all heard our fair share of complaints about people that other people work with. "Suzie keeps such a disgusting cubicle" or "John is so annoying with his endless questions, how is he keeping this job?" or "can you believe Jeff? He got a raise, and for what? He is the laziest person..." We all know crazy co-workers with habits or beliefs different than our own who either grate on our nerves or leave us scratching our heads thinking "Did that really just happen?" I myself have worked with some very interesting people. Maybe one day I will tell you all about each character, but today I want to talk about one man whose name I will change for his sake: Carl (this is all true except for the name change).
While we were working together, Carl approached me with a loaded question about God. He asked about the history of mythology "christ-like" stories that existed in mythologies before the time of Christ. I answered him with more specifics than he gave me about the stories, such as Isis, Horace, Dionysis, etc... Anyway, the details don't matter too much except to say that the myths of these stories contain "virgin birth" and resurrection. My response was three-fold.
1) the reality is that some of these stories were changed to be more messianic immediately after the time of Christ to protect the Roman state religion (which was directly adapted from Greek mythology and was common practice along with the speaking of the Greek language) as well as during the Romanization of Christianity and acculturation of it as the Roman empire spread. Basically they took the Christian stories and melded them with local religion to accomodate all parties. This resulted in a Horace who was virgin born, a dionysis and hercules who resurrected, etc... (Originally Dionysis and hercules died and their spirits went to live among the gods for their valiant heroism and demi-god heritage, but later there are some resurrection stories)
2) keep in mind the historocity of the stories. The Greek, Roman, and Egyptions myths are stories without any valid historical references or supporting contexts. Even the followers of those state religions believed them only to be myth. Jesus however, is undeniably a historical figure and though many people hate to admit it, there is too much proof of his resurrection to deny it as a historical event. The number of eye-witnesses, the multitudes of changed lives who lived and boldy stood and died for what they saw. For more about this historocity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, check out the work of Gary Habermas.
3) I am not a pluralist by any stretch of the imagination. I believe that faith in the sinless life, vicarious substitutionary death, and glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ for our redemption from sin (not just its penalty!) is the only way to God. However, I also believe that the innate belief of spiritual things by all people, including the people who first wrote these myths and then those who followed them, points the fact that there is indeed a God. Of course there is so much more ground to be covered to testify that that God is the God of the Bible, but the apologetic argument and proof uncannily exist.
Well as it turns out Carl really like the logic of my response. He said "too many Christians hide behind faith to cover up their ignorance, but you seem to have at least thought through this."
Carl is not a Christian, he does not call himself a Christian, but he believes that he believes in God and Christ. Rather, not that he has faith, but that he knows undoubtedly and therefore cannot have faith as faith has the implication and possibilty of doubt. Please follow with me and don't yet jump to conclusions.
About ten years ago, Carl left his parents christian "religion" and identified as an atheist. Then, in a set of strange circumstances was brought to a south-american shaman. basically a cult witch doctor. This WD put together a special "tea" (as it was called, but Carl described it as more of a putrescent liquidious paste). Carl and a few companions consumed the tea and got very sick. Carl says he was vomiting for hours, and then when he believes all of his impurites were gone, everything around him disappeared and everything was silent for a moment. Next what he experienced he believes to be the mind of God. "I was in the mind of God!" he said "it was incredible the thoughts and wisdom and greatness." Carl cannot describe anything specific, nor can he truly recall the feeling of what he experienced. He swears it was not a hallucination (previously in his life he did a lot of drugs so he says he would know if it were. I still believe it was). Carl calls this his short-cut to God. He no longers has a "need of faith" he says as he "knows God exists and knows Christ exists" as he has "been in God's mind and experienced his thoughts."
Carl was very serious in telling this to me. He trusted me not to mock him, so i did not (though I had some concerns with his theory that i expressed to him). He truly believes that he experienced a short-cut to God. No doubt, drugs are tied into spiritual things, but not God. There is spiritual wickedness out there seeking to decieve and corrupt the people God would save. Also remember Jesus said "no one comes to the Father, except through me" (John 14:6).
Tell me what you think...