I am slowly venturing down a new path of writing, one I feel strongly about because it has helped me make sense of some plaguing questions in my journey with God. And I feel one of my calls is to help Christian parents navigate some fairly tough faith questions. Even though I do not believe mastering philosophical or intellectual debates make you a better Christian, I do, however, believe we are called to have a defense prepared at all times when people asked about the hope within us. (1 Peter 3:15)
When I was seeking answers, the biggest stumbling block revolved around my question, “But how do I know there’s a God?” I know many of you may have never asked that question, but I know many who have. And sometimes saying, well I just do, is simply not an adequate answer. I better explain my stance on that in this post. Take a second to read it if so inclined.
Today, however, I want to talk about something that often distracts us while we argue our case for Christ. (And just a reminder, the term argue has gotten a bad reputation. It’s not a bad thing. Read my post on that here.)
As I was clearing out one of my folders, I came across a lesson plan from a previous semester for my Rhetoric class. In my weekly lesson, I planned to incorporate an example on reasons not to debate someone. In this particular scenario, I had been approached by a neighbor concerning homeschool curriculum. We seemed to agree on everything until we got to the science material.
Long story short- I believed in a Creator. She did not.
Arrogantly, she replied, “I simply couldn’t teach my children such absurd religious theory. I want children who are intelligent and capable of making their own conclusions.”
To say that I was not livid would be a lie. I felt defensive. I felt the sting of embarrassment and disrespect. She wanted to debate, but I found myself silent and not because I couldn’t defend myself or my beliefs.
What she wanted to debate was not evolution versus creation. She wanted to prove that believing in God made me, somehow, less intelligent than her. And that, my friend, is the trap. It really is simply a distraction from the real debate. It is also a way to shame someone for believing in God. And shame can have an emotional impact, often used to silence or confuse.
I cannot tell you how many times I have fallen for the “you must not be very smart” trap. (And yes, that is called pride.) I was belittled by professors in college for my belief in God. They didn’t attack God’s existence. They attacked my intelligence. They created a sense of inferiority in which made me question if you could be smart and a Christian.
College was the first of many times I found myself in that conundrum.
This post isn’t about if intellect/thinking plays a part in the discussion, because I believe it does. God’s word tells us not to be children in our thinking …but in our thinking be mature. (1 Corinthians 14:20) God gave us the ability to think and not to use that great ability is a tragedy. However, we are called to be spirit-led in our minds. (And I, like many other analytical thinkers, can and do struggle with this.)
I have found that it is helpful to recall what God tells us about how the lost perceive our thinking. So when you are accused of being of lower intelligence because you believe in God, remember this:
- Our minds are born spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1)
- The hardness of our heart can darken our understanding (Ephesians 4:17-18
- Unless people have the Holy Spirit’s leading, they cannot come to accept things of God and will find them foolish (1 Corinthians 2:14)
The point of this post is to remember what you are defending. Don’t get pulled into useless debates over points that are truly NOT the issue at hand. Where they think you are on the intelligence spectrum is usually not the true point of the debate, but the distraction.
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