Argument from Emotion or Frustrations with Hal Lindsay’s Neo-Platonism and How It Has Effected the Christian Mind

Disclaimer: This post is merely a smattering of emotional argumentation. If you disagree with me, that is fine but know that what I am saying may be wrong and I recognize that. What I am really trying to do is get some things off my chest.

I like this world. There, I said it. Yes I have been told that this world is bad and to love this world is paganism and so on and so forth. I guess when I see this world I don't really account for many of the injustices that surround it. Yes, I recognize that people have forced other people into slavery. I recognize that there are starving children in countries and that they have no one to care for them. I recognize that there are millions and perhaps billions of people who are sick, hurting and dying. I know this. I feel for all of these people and it makes me sick.

I am not exactly sure that I am ready to start turning my nausea about injustice, genocide, greed, and the likes to, "Hating the world". Maybe I am wrong but when I think about a sunset, a great film, music, dancing, poetry, a good beer, coffee, pizza, the ocean, a lover, a smile, the first snow fall, a spring morning, learning, reading, writing, etc I will forget about all the world's problems and think only of the moment. In that moment I am beyond myself and transcend above the problems that we face in our world. I feel like my heaven would look a lot like eternity on this world.

What if this world was made new? When I say new, it doesn't mean start from scratch but fix this one.

I think of a child who has her favorite stuffed animal. This stuffed animal, Bonky if you will, goes every where with her. Bonky sleeps next to her, is in her arms when she cries, and sits on her bed when she gets too old to play with toys. Bonky is looking worn out with a missing eye, stuffing coming out, and several seams are ripped open.

One day, her mom is in the local department store and sees an exact replica of Bonky. Quickly, she snatches him up and buys it. The mom comes home and grabs Bonky and throws him in the trash and replaces him with this new stuffed animal.

Why would we wince at this as spectators?

Does this world need to be fixed? Of course, but I don't think it has to be replaced. Creation is in desperate need of repair. It is falling apart at the seams in a lot of ways, but I firmly belief that instead of "running it into the ground" maybe we should start thinking of ways to improve it.