fiatlux

As far as I can see, the message of Christ is radically different than conventional wisdom and contrary to worldly values, number one of which is survival or self-preservation. Even at the direct risk to our families and friends, we are to pursue his example of redemptive non-violence: to freely give our life for his kingdom--or our enemy.

During the early persecutions, if one in the family honored Christ in the face of the Romans by not bowing to the Emperor as God, his whole family would suffer his or her fate. Was that fair of that person to subject his family to torture and death for his or her own beliefs? Would you be so rude or inconsiderate to expose your loved ones to such a fate? The NRA would back you making a last stand,taking as many of them as you could. Defense of family: one of the highest societal values. But Jesus disagreed.

This is not easy to swallow, but let's look at what is at stake: a finite victory of defeating an enemy and lasting another twenty years or more or eternal joy. If we truly believe there is a heaven, survival should be anathema. Christians surviving serious illness or accidents might reconsider their gratitude for the question, Why me, Lord; did I do something wrong? This life does not appear even as a blip on the screen of Eternity. What do we lose if we die today?

Think of it this way. Door Number One: a brief but feeling very long veil of tears. Door Number Two: Eternal love, peace, and joy. Take a moment to decide.

God said life is good, and it is: it was given us as a gift to enjoy and share with others. We are not to ignore being in the world; we are to avoid being of the world. In life, Christ invited us to a feast. We were meant to enjoy fully the wonder and beauty of existence. But clinging to this existence robs all of its good.

This is exactly where the atheist is totally lost. Not accepting the notion of Eternal life in heaven, nothing about Christianity makes sense.