Seeing is Deceiving

Though I do not get a chance to play very often (hardly ever, now) I do still love video games (especially Madden and other sports games). Recently I was thumbing through the video game magazine “Game Informer” and saw an ad that caught my attention (sorry - I tried to find the ad online, but was not successful).

It is for the game “The Conduit” (coming this month on Wii). The ad shows a scene from Washington D.C. and has the phrase: “Seeing is Deceiving.” While their catch phrase is simply a selling tag line to hook gamers into wanting their game, there is much truth to this statement that extends far beyond the gaming world.

The popular world philosophy right now is “seeing is believing” (has been for a long time). In other words, we’ll believe in something when we can see it:

- When someone lets us down, we require proof of their loyalty before they are trusted again (“I’ll believe it when I see it…”)

- When something is too good to be true we refuse to demonstrate excitement until it comes to fruition (“I won’t be excited until I have those tickets in my hand.”)

This same philosophy is the foundation of spirituality for most. Either they say “I’ll believe it when I see it” (or “I can’t believe what I can’t see”) or “No one can know anything for certain, therefore I choose to only believe what can be seen.” To truly live according to this way of thinking (without exception) is to disown faith altogether. Abandoning faith is impossible! ALL people have faith in something:

- We put our faith in God (or nature) that when we suck air into our lungs it will be there to breath

- We put our faith in the roller coaster car and its operator that we will finish the ride the same way we began – in one piece and alive.

- Archeologists and paleontologists (and those who hold their studies as absolute truth) put their faith in their findings as fact (even when those findings are often limited).

- Evolutionary theorists (or scientists, if you will) put their faith in an event and random occurrences that can never be duplicated or recreated or seen with the naked eye (just like Creationists cannot recreate or duplicate God creating everything by His voice). Truth is, Evolutionists and Creationists conclusions are deductive hopes based on limited information (information that can be studied, but not proven beyond a shadow of a doubt).

Ultimately, seeing is not believing, at least not for much of our lives (no matter how much science wants to state that it is). At some point in matters of life our eyesight and understanding can only carry us so far. The rest becomes a matter of Faith. As I tell my children every day: there is only one Truth. Either there is a God or there is not. If there is, then we all answer to Him.

Regarding our faith, the question for the Believer is: “Is my faith in the invisible God (who became visible through His Son Jesus Christ and now through His Church) reasonable?” For me, based on much studying, reading and the order I see around me in the world I believe it is.

The question for the non-believer/non-religious is: “Is my faith in myself, the limited information I can see/understand and the faith I put in ‘experts’ and their view of the world, existence, life and death reasonable? Do I truly believe the people or my beliefs are sufficient for answering life’s major questions (birth, death, afterlife, the existence of evil/suffering, etc.)?”

PARENTS: Use the two phrases (“Seeing is Deceiving” and “Seeing is Believing”) to discuss with your kids/teens about Faith and Truth. Ask them what they think about each of the phrases and why they feel that way.

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Image borrowed from http://www.yolochildcareplanning.org/news.htm

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Offensively Offensive

I love video games. I don't play nearly as often as I would like, but such is the life of a father, husband and one who works (in my case, in ministry). When I was growing up I read Nintendo Power magazine cover to cover every time it was released. I was a video game junkie! I lived on pins and needles when a new Mario game was on the horizon.

Much like me with Mario, many have been awaiting the arrival of PS3's newest arrival Little Big Planet (slated to be released Oct. 21), but were disappointed over the weekend to learn that its highly anticipated debut is being pushed back... for RELIGIOUS reasons. Apparently, one of the songs in Little Big Planet features a few lines from the Qu'ran, causing outrage among a Muslim group. They sent a letter of complaint and so the game developers stopped shipment, issued a letter of apology and took the song out (leading them to have to repackage the games and delayed the game's release by one week). Now I am offended.

Why? Because if it were a Christian group protesting something in that game or any of the other games available (such as rap artist 50 Cent blowing rivals away, sexuality and nudity in games marketed to teens, gratuitous violence of the Grand Theft Auto series, etc.) they would be brushed aside as "religious zealots" or "intolerant" or "judgmental hypocrites". I do not believe Christians ought to protest all ungodly things, but there are times when their protests are legitimate concerns. Does anyone listen? Rarely. The concerns are usually brushed off as unfounded nitpickings. However, if a Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish or other non-Christian religion protest - the wheels stop churning, apologies are issued and matters are changed.

So "tolerance" is available to all but Christians? I see. How conveniently (in)tolerant.


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