This is a Q & A blog post by our Visiting Scholar in Philosophy, William Lane Craig.

Question

Hello Dr. Craig,

My question is: how pragmatic one should be when following biblical teachings?

I want to exemplify this doubt by showing two examples that have made me question a lot of things about my faith, which I consider to be extremely important in my life. I have two very close relatives: one of them is always telling people her moral opinion if she thinks God doesn鈥檛 approve what they do and she is always quoting saints in order to convince people. I feel that people get defensive when she comes to them in a 鈥減reachy鈥 attitude, which results in them not being persuaded to change at all and her being more isolated. What鈥檚 more, it makes me and my family doubt our own faith since we perceive following those 鈥渃ommandments鈥 isn鈥檛 making her any happier. She goes to so many religious events that she disattends her obligations and she鈥檚 failed several exams. By doing these things, some would say she鈥檚 technically following the scriptures.

The other of my relatives is homosexual and is legally married to another woman, something most would say the Bible disapproves, but I see she鈥檚 happy and every time I ask her, she tells me she is.

Some would argue that the second case isn鈥檛 鈥渞eal happiness鈥 or 鈥渞eal love鈥 but I find it quite arrogant to tell people who you don鈥檛 know at all that you know better than them about how they feel. Others might argue that it isn鈥檛 about making one or others鈥 happier, it just consists on following what the Bible claims, but I feel having that doing something that contradicts your feelings, your reason and your experience just to obey blindly might justify doing anything that鈥檚 said to you, like crashing a plane into a building.

Despite all of what I just previously said, I don鈥檛 want to 鈥渄esign鈥 a God that just adjusts to my own opinions, so I have quite a dilemma. It causes me angst to both want to obey what is supposed to be God鈥檚 will and see that making it can sometimes make people unhappier. I can only find people around me who either don鈥檛 believe in Christianity or don鈥檛 want to ask themselves questions about some religious questions. I would like to know your opinion on this issue, since you are such an authority both on philosophy and theology.

Thank you.

Fernando

Spain

Dr. Craig鈥檚 Response

Thank you for your heartfelt question, Fernando! I do worry, however, about what I perceive to be an undue emphasis on happiness in your question. (Six times you mention happiness.) Earthly happiness is not the goal of the Christian life. 鈥淏ut doesn鈥檛 God want us to be happy?鈥 you might ask. No! The goal of life is not happiness but holiness, which will, in turn, have human happiness and fulfilment as a byproduct. 鈥淪eek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well鈥 (Matt. 6:33). Our goal should be to be holy, as the Lord is holy.

So with regard to your lesbian family member, I wouldn鈥檛 dispute that she is happy. Why would you want to do that? The relevant point, rather, is that she is not pursuing holiness. She is embarked on a lifestyle that God condemns. Your worry 鈥that doing something that contradicts your feelings, your reason and your experience just to obey blindly might justify doing anything that鈥檚 said to you鈥 is needless, for no one is advocating blind obedience. Rather we have good reasons to believe that Christianity is true and that God proscribes homosexual activity. Therefore, despite one鈥檚 homosexual feelings and experience, reason tells us to obey God rather than our feelings and experience, which are unreliable guides. Feelings and experience might lead someone into pedophilia 鈥 or flying airplanes into buildings.

As to the first case of your obnoxious family member, I cannot understand why that would make you 鈥question a lot of things about my faith.鈥 It goes without saying that there are different sorts of personality, and some are socially obtuse. Why should her big mouth make you and your family members 鈥doubt our own faith since we perceive following those 鈥榗ommandments鈥 isn鈥檛 making her any happier鈥? What? Constantly correcting others is commanded by God? I don鈥檛 think so! And notice again the undue emphasis on happiness: her obnoxious behavior isn鈥檛 making her any happier? So what? If it did make her happy, would it then be all right? Of course not! You say she鈥檚 neglecting her obligations. That is by definition sinful and therefore unholy. Why let her unholy behavior cause you to doubt your faith?

Don鈥檛 neglect doing God鈥檚 will out of an undue emphasis on human happiness, especially your own. But make sure that it is God鈥檚 will that you are doing.

- William Lane Craig

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