It was an ordinary workingman giving his philosophy of life: “I’ve not much use for religion, really. I don’t go to church, I never read the Bible, I don’t say my prayers. My religion is to live a quiet, decent sort of life. I pay my debts; I’m always ready to do the other fellow a good turn when he needs it. And if I do that, then I can’t see any harm in having an odd pint of beer, putting a bet on a horse, or getting a bit of entertainment from the News of the World [a rather risqué English tabloid].”
Christianity in action?
There, with suitable variations to meet individual cases, you have the lives of millions of people today — people who would be horrified and insulted if anyone were to suggest that they were not really Christians. For them, ‘Christianity’ is another way of talking about honesty, respectability and kindness to others.
Of course, the law of kindness has always been an important element in the creed and practice of the Christian. In fact, one of their earliest nicknames in the first century was ‘Christians’, which might perhaps be Anglicized as ‘the kind people’.
But merely to be kind is not to be Christian. There are millions of good-natured pagans in the world. Is there a possibility that, without ever having stopped to think about it, you are one of the sort that is always ready to give to Oxfam or Christian Aid [something like our United Fund: Editor]; is first to lend a hand when sickness hits the people next door; yet somehow you never find time for any direct deliberate religious involvement?
Misapprehensions?
In this respect our generation is suffering from the mistaken notions of its fathers. The beginning of the twentieth century saw a great vogue in Christian humanism, expressed in such sentiments as these:
“For forms and creeds let senseless bigots fight
He can’t be wrong whose life is in the right!”
At school you may have painfully learned a poem beginning: “Abu ben Adam, may his tribe increase…”
There the poet, Leigh Hunt, pictures a worthy philosopher who has a vision of an angel writing down “the names of those who love the Lord”. Alas! Abu’s name is not there. “Then,” he says, undaunted, “write me as one who loves his fellow men.” It is done. And when next the angel appears, remarkably: “Ben Adam’s name led all the rest!”
Leigh Hunt wrote lovely poetry, but poor philosophy, and downright bad theology — for how can such philosophy stand against the greatest Authority of all? Jesus said:
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matt 22:37-39, KJV).
Christian beliefs
Christianity is much more than kindness or love. The Apostle John is rightly thought of as the Apostle of Love, because he was “the disciple Jesus loved”, and because he wrote so profoundly about Christian love. Yet how often is it overlooked that John uses the word “believe” more than all the rest of the New Testament writers put together? And it is John, too, who puts so much emphasis on Truth — not on telling the truth, but on believing it.
So, away with these rather sloppy and sentimental perversions of Christianity. To be the vigorous disciple of a virile Master, every follower of his must have a creed, must hold it with conviction, and must make his or her life a testimony to its truth. This approach to life is worth trying. If it is something that you, reader, are unused to, you will be surprised what a difference it makes to your practical outlook on life. You will be just as ready, just as eager, to do a kindness in your own humble way. But you will also find in yourself more stability and much more contentment — in fact, you will have done yourself the greatest possible kindness!
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One