During the course of the seminar I have been involved with, I have come across many different types of people and different responses. The general responses range from "It's all a bunch of hooey, and you are just perpetuating the curiosity of those who wouldn't have planned on reading the book (seeing the movie)" to "I believe what I want to believe and I won't let anyone else tell me different." It's that last statement I want to discuss. Why would someone choose to be deceived?
Do you want to know how absurd that statement is? When I was in elemental school, my teacher asked me, "Daniel Vandenburg, what is 1 plus 1" If I would answer 3, the teacher would correct me. After correcting me, I said, "Well, I believe it to be 3, therefore I won't let you tell me any different." What would the teachers response be? She'd be perplexed at first, and then dismayed, that someone would choose to believe a falsehood.
Why would someone choose to be deceived, when the truth has been presented to them? First is ease of belief. It is easy to believe a lie than the truth. Daniel, are you off your rocker again? The truth is so much easier to believe. Is it? How many married couples, when confronted with adultery, would rather believe their spouse wasn't cheating on them? How many people would close their eyes to abuse? How many people would believe their child is innocent of any crime, despite overwhelming evidence against them? Humans would rather believe a lie, because it is easy.
Second is the peer pressure. If you surround yourself with a group of individuals that think different than you, studies have shown, within a given amount of time, you begin to think like them. You begin to share opinions and attitudes. Why? Confrontation. Most people despise confrontation and will concede a belief if it meant not fighting. Daniel, you're full of hooey, I'm well grounded in my beliefs and nothing is going to change me. Good. But, I have known a lot of people that were well-grounded in their beliefs, and it happened to them. People utter 5 words that will lead them to catastrophe. It won't happen to me. WRONG!!! Civilizations have fallen because of that deception. If you think it won't happen to you, then think again.
Thirdly is the belief that there is no such thing as absolute truth. I will believe what I want to believe and you believe what you want to believe and there is nothing wrong with that. That problem is two fold. First, it denies the Laws of God, and second it denies logic. I can see how it denies God's Laws, but logically speaking it makes sense. Does it? Let me tell you a story: A priest is listening to a woman speaker talk about absolute truth. Every time she makes an emphatic point, she glares at the priest. She talked about homosexuality, fornication, and abortion. All the while staring down the priest. Towards the end of her speech she says, "If I believe something to be right, then it is right for me. If you believe something to be right, then to you it is right. No one can tell you what you believe is wrong." With that, the priest quietly got up from his chair and walked over to the ladies purse. He then opens it up and begins to rummage through it. The woman stops her speech and yells at the priest, "Stop that! What you're doing is wrong, you can't go through my purse." The priest looks up at her and replies, "I believe it's right."
"A wise son heeds his father's instruction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke. (Prov 13:1 NIV) When rebuked with the truth, do not choose to be deceived.
Have a blessed week
Daniel Vandenburg
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