I like cheesecake… a lot. Most of the time, I don’t even care if it’s good cheesecake… fast-food or home-made, it doesn’t really matter. What I really wish, though, is that cheesecake were health food. Then, I could eat it for every meal, every day, without ever gaining weight. That would certainly make me happy, and if I truly believed it were good for me, I’d feel great about always eating right.
Unfortunately, cheesecake is not health food. As much as I may want it to be, it’s not. It doesn’t matter how strong my desire for this may be, it doesn’t change the truth. The truth is true, whether I believe it or not. I, of course, have the right to reject the truth, but that might not lead to the best outcome (in this case, I would quickly turn into a phenomenal fat ass).
A while ago a friend came to me and said “I don’t believe in Christianity because nobody I’ve ever talked to can answer this question for me. If a serial murderer confessed & accepted Christ on his death bed, would he go to heaven?”. I responded by telling him that basic Christian doctrine says that, so long as the murderer is entirely honest in his confession & acceptance, he would be guaranteed a place in heaven. My friend then insisted that I didn’t answer the question to his satisfaction.
You see, God’s truth doesn’t always align with our desires. Religion doesn’t exist to confirm all of our preconceptions. Just like my belief that cheesecake is health food… I can’t reject reality just because I want it to be different. It isn’t our place to tell God that we know better than him. Additionally, we’re not expected to blindly believe everything we’re told. Instead, we need research varying opinions… investigate the sources… and come to a conclusion based on truth, not desire.
