When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?
The Culture of Unbelief and its Antidote
The Culture of Unbelief and its Antidote When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? by Daniel Keeran, MSW www.ctihalifax.com
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ecularism is the belief that everything is part of a natural process, and that no superior transcendent
intelligence is needed to explain or define anything. The results, for example, are: acceptance of gay marriage, substance abuse legalization, evangelicals no longer believing in eternal punishment, and the increase of atheism and Buddhism in the general population. These in turn form a culture of unbelief seen in nearly all societies and even religious denominations. We should not be surprised to see the increase of anomie, mental illness, mass shootings, homelessness, and other social problems. Contributing factors are: the idea of evolution as a natural process, devoid of God, taught in public schools, government-funded organizations promoting sexuality, such as LGBTQ, in public schools, an attack on the Bible referred to as hate literature, the teaching examples of leading evangelical voices. An emerging mental condition is Postmodern Anomic Disorder (PAD) resulting from loss of meaning. An important antidote to unbelief is to educate children and youths, in the reasonableness of belief in a superior transcendent intelligence. Unbelief can include disbelieving anything God has communicated to humans including but not limited to salvation, the forgiveness of sins, grace, eternal reward and punishment, governance of the Christian community, care for the poor, love, greed, drunkenness, sexual immorality, the creation of the universe, historical events such as the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt, the Great Flood, the historical nature of Adam and Eve, the confusion of languages at Babel, the virgin birth of Christ, the deity of Christ; His miracles, atoning death and bodily resurrection, and other matters. The antidote to anomie and meaninglessness is meaning. Prayer is itself a declaration of belief in the existence of God. Increasing the quality and frequency of conscious prayer is a way to increase faith in a person. Another way to increase faith is to think and discuss the declarations of faith and values contained in sacred scripture. For example, humans need boundaries for anger, sexuality, and selfishness or greed, in order to be healthy. The teachings of Jesus of Nazareth call people to the highest standards of nonviolence and care for the poor, informing a compassionate society. The belief in eternal reward and punishment is a foundation of moral accountability.
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