In my last post , I suggested we are captured and held fast by our idols. The way in which idols programme our activity is thorough and subtle. A simple denial that we believe in Father Christmas, or any other false god, is not good enough. We are held captive as much by our denials as we are by our acquiescence.
In this post I will make two related suggestions. They are not intended to be complete solutions to all the problems we face. I believe they are fundamental to the success of any other solutions we pursue.
I referred some time ago to Socrates famous words 'The unexamined life is not worth living'. We are likely to be far more vulnerable to the ideologies, idols and false beliefs that assail us if we are not aware of them. We are all prone to self-deception.
The cat in the picture on the left is in serious trouble. What it can see is an idol, something in its mind projected onto reality. Of course, the cat is not as self-deceiving as the person who wrote the caption.
We are taken in by the powers and principalities and then we will do anything we can to justify our actions using our professed beliefs as a lifeline. So, a Christian will justify their consumption by reference to their faith whilst an atheist will do the same with reference to theirs.
We need to be aware of how we do this, when we do it and how we act. And then? And then, simply note it. If we try to force change, we will resist ourselves and can even find ourselves behaving worse. By simply being aware we will find in time our behaviour will change.
One temptation is to become censorious. To take an extremist position, however right it might appear to be, is likely to be counter productive. We have enough sanctimonious, prurient, self-serving moralists in the world. Hating Father Christmas will simply push its negative effects to another extreme. You will find creative ways of resisting simply by being aware.
The second thing to do is to listen. God is silent. Atheists make fun of Christians because we have an imaginary friend who speaks to us. God does not speak to us. God is profoundly and deeply silent. Why?
God is silent for the same reason the poor and the marginalised are silent. Those of us who know so much will not allow either God or the poor to speak. The point of listening is to hear the quieter voices, the solfter voices, the voices that are never heard.
I reckon Christians and atheists (and most other faiths) can do these two things together. Tomorrow is something special for the Christians. I will assail that question you've all been wating for me to approach: What is the true meaning of Christmas? I'll deal with that in one short post, the last in the present sequence about idolatry.
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