Yesterday, during our morning Bible class, one of the members called our attention to a commercial for the “Freedom From Religion Foundation.” I don’t watch a lot of TV, and what I do watch is usually recorded, so I can fast forward through the commercials — so, this is something I had not seen before. Ron Reagan, is the son of late President Ronald Reagan; and President Reagan was a hero to the conservative right, and the evangelical movement. I’m sure that this is the reason that he was chosen, for the shock value to those that believe (and those that may have questions). It is my understanding that most of the major networks have not rejected this commercial, but CNN and MSNBC are airing it.
I watched the commercial online, and want to make just a few comments about it, before moving on to the devotional thought for today.
(1) Reagan begins the commercial by saying that “he is an unabashed atheist.” I’m as far to the other of the spectrum from that position, as one can possibly be. First, I need to say, that I believe that the freedoms of this country give everyone the opportunity to choose their beliefs. I believe in God, and that Jesus is His Son, and I choose to live my life in the practice of that belief. Reagan believes that there is not a God, and gets to live his life however he pleases.
(2) He went on to state that the FFR is the largest, and most effective, organization in maintaining the separation of church and state “just like the constitution says.” He might be surprised that I believe that the constitution was written guaranteeing the separation of church and state. The difference might be that I believe that the constitution was protecting the church from the interference of the state in the practice of their religion. Now, what we might agree on is that the church (or the FFR) has to earn its voice in our culture. Too often, we (the church) have acted as if we are entitled to that voice — and we are not, any more than the FFR is.
(3) He finishes the commercial by saying that he is Ron Reagan, and he “is not afraid of burning in hell.” That is an easy statement to make, when you are healthy, wealthy, and everything seems to be going your way. I feel like the more honest statement, is the one from the old Blood, Sweat, and Tears song, And When I Die” — where it says, “I know there ain’t no heaven, and I pray there ain’t no hell.” Choosing to not believe in God, is choosing to believe that there is nothing beyond this life. If the choice is wrong, the stakes are really high; and there may be some inherent fear in that.
What made me think of all that this morning, is a passage from my devotional reading in Mark 5. Listen to what the text says:
Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” (Mark 5:22-23, NIV)
Most of the Jewish synagogue leaders not only had very little to do with Jesus, but rejected Him for who He said that He was, and what He said that He could do. I don’t that Jairus was one of those, or if he accepted (or even just tolerated) Jesus. What I do know, is at this point in his life, he was faced with circumstances that he could not handle by himself. So, he went to the One who could do something. Swallowing his current beliefs, his arrogance, and his pride; he begged Jesus to come and heal his daughter. When he had no where else to turn, he turned to Jesus.
I’m afraid that many people today look at Jesus, and religion in general, as a safety net; that place you go when there is nothing else that can help. I am not saying Ron Reagan is that way, because I don’t know him; he may be so convinced that there is nothing beyond the grave, that he never feels the need that the synagogue leader felt. Who I am talking to are those that have God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit on the back-burner — just in case they ever need them. My prayer would be that you give God the place that He deserves in your life, and that you may have a life in the confidence that comes from that kind of faith. Peace.