If you’ve been under a rock the past week or so {ok, so that doesn’t come across as entirely nice, so let’s just say you weren’t under a rock, but you avoided all social media outlets the past week 😉 }, you probably missed a “lovely” gem of a video that made the rounds on the internet, where a young {and quite disillusioned} man tells why he hates religion but loves Jesus.
I watched as the blog posts started to pour in in response to Bethke’s video and, as I had envisioned, the ability to dismantle his weak arguments were pretty convincing. {I am speaking only of the Catholic responses, by the way} It was clear to me, reading his lyrics from PhatCatholic, that Jefferson is speaking more to the hypocrisy of religion rather than religion itself. This is a common objection I face in exchanges with non-Catholic Christians and unbelievers. I find myself frustrated because before I can even get to the beauty of sharing the Faith, I often have to peel back all the layers of hypocrisy rooted in false information, bad examples and bad experiences before I can really get to the core of the love I have for the Faith. It is like religious therapy in ways because it means that talking to non-Catholics can be time-consuming. I want to do a good job with sharing the Faith, so conversations for me are not cursory or some passing fancy. I am truly invested in whoever I want to share the Faith with. The results have been worth it, even with the time invested in those conversations, I know that God wanted me to use my talents to bring others to know the truth of our Faith. And the bonus has been that I forged some very wonderful friendships. I enjoy the personal connection I can make with people who are able to get past the hypocrisy. I sometimes feel like I learn more about my own faith and have a greater appreciation for it when I talk to non-Catholics. It makes me so incredibly thankful for the gift of Faith.
Over at PhatCatholic, there is a comprehensive list of both articles and videos made in response to Bethke’s video.
You may have Jeffersons in your family; you might be married to one or your best friend might be one. The question is if someone had these same objections or observations about Christianity, how would you respond? Would you shy away? Would you succumb to their points as possibly being right? Or would you stand up for the Faith? The best way to combat this growing mentality of dividing Jesus from religion is to know your faith. Know it well. Too often Catholics are swayed from the Faith because they don’t know enough about their religious heritage to defend it. I thought this particular part of Yoseph M. David’s post was particularly insightful.
We saw his kind before in the “I’m not religious – I am spiritual” movement. And what these people rely on is a false understanding of what religion is. Their man-made definition of religion has nothing whatsoever to do with the divine definition of religion – nor does it stand up to evidence in sacred Scripture that God loves the religion that He established.
While prepping this post, I came across an article that demonstrates that Jefferson was humbled by a critic. It turns out that he took the words of a pastor into account and was humble enough to accept the criticism as God working in his heart. Conversion, even for non-Catholics, is not a moment that you can’t pinpoint. It is an ongoing process, one that mirrors our Catholic journey. I will continue to pray for Jefferson that his humility will bring him to a greater understanding of what Christianity is…and ultimately lead him home to the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
It is also helpful to understand what hypocrisy is and what it isn’t. Peter Kreeft helped me finally get a handle on it in an essay on Macciavelli when he wrote that hypocrisy is not so much a failure to practice what we preach as it is a failure to believe what we preach. Since we are sinners, we will often fail to practice what we sincerely believe, but this does not make us hypocrites, if we are sincere in our belief in the ideal, and are striving to live our lives accordingly. Hypocrisy comes when we put up a false front… Acting righteously for the wrong reasons, not out of love for Christ, and the love of righteousness, but to appear righteous outwardly. Thisis the hypocrisy Jesus railed on the Pharisees about. They didn’t love God, and delight in His Law for its own sake; rather they loved the power it gave them over others.
Great job Martina! I often see (and get frustrated by) people who are quick to tear apart Jefferson’s words and argue why he is wrong theologically, but you’ve done what is needed most by trying to understand the root of the problem and figure out where he’s coming from personally. And then you challenged us to do the same to boot!
Conversely, even though Jefferson might not have meant his words exactly as they’re being interpreted, I’m afraid that this is exactly the type of thing the Devil utilizes to instill doubt in the hearts of the weakly formed (the misinterpretations). It’s a scary thing. I keep all those who might by swayed in the wrong direction in prayer.
This isn’t directly related to your post, but I want to point people toward Jefferson Bethke’s other popular video (although it’s not as popular as this one), “Sexual Healing.” You don’t hear many men sharing that message, so it’s worth a watch, especially if you like his style.