Faith works?
“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”
James 2:19-20
Last week Pete Stark, Congressman from the Bay Area in California, discovered that he was the highest ranking government official and only congressman to admit that he doesn’t believe in God. Stark’s announcement was the result of activities by a coalition of atheist and humanist groups that offered a reward to those who could identify individuals in government who don’t believe in God.
Rep. Stark’s announcement was generally well received, though there were the requisite bleats from a few conservative religious groups including the Christian Seniors Association.
What’s more interesting than this announcement though, is a Gallup poll last month which reported that 53% of those surveyed would refuse to vote for an atheist regardless of their qualifications. Only 11% of this same group would refuse to vote for a woman. Even the aged (42%) and homosexuals (43%) don’t generate as many negative votes as atheists. The other two categories tested (curiously) were Mormons (24%) and those who have had multiple marriages (30%). I’m sure someone at Gallup must have realized the irony there.
This isn’t anything new either. A Pew research poll in 2002 found that 47% of Americans felt that religious beliefs were a prerequisite to being a good person.
I guess it shouldn’t be surprising, given this bias, that the number of atheists isn’t well known. Best estimates put it between 3% and 12% of the US population.
What bothers me about all of this is that professed faith in God is clearly no guarantee of trustworthyness. On the other hand, we can pretty much guarantee that public atheists have integrity. Why else would they open themselves to the bias (overt or covert) that their beliefs clearly invite?
From the numbers, it is also clear that there are many more dishonest professed believers in God than there are atheists. So why is it that so many people are willing to trust those who say they believe in God but don’t act that way and distrust those who don’t believe in God and are honestly willing to say so?
If you read the Bible, you don’t have to get much further than Genesis to discover that it says all people are made in God’s image and likeness. Those who profess to follow the Bible’s teaching can’t easily ignore this truth and still call themselves faithful (though clearly many try). The Bible didn’t say that only those who believe in God are made in His image and likeness. It said everyone. A person’s beliefs aren’t what distinguish them. It is what they do with those beliefs - their works that we should pay more attention to when we are trying to decide who we should trust. If nothing else, the past almost seven years have proven that, at least in government, professed faith is no guarantee of integrity.
March 27th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
Well,
I have to Agree,
As I sat in church council last night, I considered quitting and going to a different church, One where at least the church council believes in salvation through Christ , and that is the reason for the church . These are all good people, but not necessarily Christian people.
What’s my point? There are two kinds of Christians those who sin and liars. I don’t really understand how some people think that Christians are any better than Muslims, Buddhists or Baptists. We are just sinners holding onto the cross.
My version of a Christian is this:
1. A man in a lifeboat pulling people out of the deadly water to life in the boat, ( ever wonder why some churches look like upside down boats inside?) The man in the boat may not be a “”good”" man but he is saving people.
2. A beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. ( Bread of life)
As far as the Atheist Stark? your persuasion that he must be good man is probably as far from the truth as the fact that Bill Clinton isn’t a serial molester. Stark being from the Bay Area probably helps Nancy Pelosi kill babies. Though weather Stark is good or not, his religion should not matter, as you say.
As far as your closing statement, Did not Ted Haggard also do good works and was seen as a good man?
Didn’t Ted walk the walk and talk the talk? and then crash and burn? Im sure at one time Ted was righteous, He can be again if he can step away from the drugs.
Either that or Im crazy
Rick
March 28th, 2007 at 4:01 am
Rick,
Don’t know whether Pete Stark is a good person. What I do know is that he is more honest than some of his peers. If you take the 3% number as accurate, there should be a few more in Congress that share his beliefs and just aren’t saying so.
Jeff
March 28th, 2007 at 4:24 pm
LOL My guess is that 95% of congress are moraly handicapped