007: Does God Not Care How Devout You Have Been? Plus “Wings of Desire”, Classic Devotionals, and More.

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Nick Alexander Podcast

In this episode of the Nick Alexander Podcast, I explore the popular meme “Live a good life.
If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by.
If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them.
If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.”

Classic Movie of the week: Wings of Desire (1987). This is a beautifully rendered, thought provoking masterpiece that focuses upon the nature of angels, as concieved by the director, Wim Wenders. They are not meant for theological accuracy, but rather, to raise questions about the nature of angels in our lives, and the distinctions between angels and humanity.

Holiness Hack: This is the time of year where people consume those Day-By-Day Calendars; instead of using those, why not transform a classic devotional into a Day-By-Day calendar? I give steps on how to achieve just that.

Classic Hymn and Worship Hybrid: I recommend the classic hymn “All the Way My Saviour Leads Me” by Fanny Crosby, with “Thou Art Worthy” by Pauline Mills.

1 All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy.
Who through life has been my guide?
Heavenly peace divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know whatever befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well;
For I know whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.

2 All the way my Savior leads me;
Cheers each winding path I tread,
Gives me grace for ev’ry trial,
Feeds me with the living bread;
Though my weary steps may falter,
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! a spring of joy I see;
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! a spring of joy I see.

3 All the way my Savior leads me;
Oh, the fullness of His love!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father’s house above;
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day,
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way;
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way.

Main Event: I look upon the popular Internet Meme which is as follows:
“Live a good life.
If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by.
If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them.
If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.” – falsely attributed to Marcus Aurelius.

This is extremely popular amongst young adults today, but does it have any merit? Or is it self-contradictory? I dig deep into this phrase and find out why this is not as reliable and sage as others would have you believe.

1) Who is to decide what makes a “good” life?

It is forcing the recipient to decide what constitutes what being “good” is, all by himself.  Some people will say to be good is to obey the Ten Commandments.  To others, it may mean just do enough: pay your taxes, try to not hurt anybody.  To others, it means giving a percentage of your income to help those in great need.  To others, it’s to be devout.

2) The unknown author makes a distinction between a “good life”–which he has left for the individual to create, and being “devout.”  They will not CARE about how devout you have been.

If there are gods and they are just, they will not care how much you have … earnestly felt or manifested a belief in such deities; they will not care if you expressed profound respect towards them.

This is not “The Ten Commandments.”   “I Am the Lord Your God, Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”  “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.”

Another problem is, if we were to be welcomed based upon the virtues we have lived by, we would all perish.  Because we have all failed virtues that we have lived by.

We cannot be the right people to judge our own character.  It is others who would judge us.  We have no idea of the affect of the pain we instill in others, whether it be by harsh words, or a quick witted tongue, or giving into pornography, or cheating at school or work.

“If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. ”

The unspoken assumption being made here is, if they do rely upon how much you are “devout”, then that makes them “unjust.”  Really?  They breathe life into us, give us the tremendous gifts throughout our lives, give us talents, give us laughter, grant us the gift of falling in love, give us the joy of children, give us fun! allow us to enjoy the talents of others’ music or artistry… give us the most dazzling sights our eyes could witness, the poetry of a sunrise, the most incredible images from all of nature… and if we do not “THANK” and “WORSHIP” God for His MOST incredible generosity, that somehow makes Him “unjust”?

Ridiculous.

Furthermore, who is to decide what is “just” or not?

Whether or not God exists is not contingent upon particular experiences within your own microscopic worldview.
“If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.”

This is assuming that one cannot know whether there is a living deity or not.  To this person, it is a crapshoot.  It is a three-sided die that they roll, and whatever the answer is, all three are equally weighed.

I not only believe God exists, but I believe there are too many evidences throughout history and our lives even today, that demonstrate authoritatively that (1) God exists, (2) God is love, and (3) God is actively concerned for establishing a relationship with you, as He has done for millions of believers throughout all of history.  Some are better examples of this than others.  Some are Saints.  Some are wise debaters like St. Thomas Aquinas, G K Chesterton, C S Lewis or Peter Kreeft.  Some are great philanthropists and work steadily among the poor.  Some are great musicians or artists who strive to have their masterworks touch upon the great mysteries of God.

Furthermore, I believe God has made His mark by entering into human history as a man, Jesus Christ.  If ever there was an individual who bears constant study, it is this person; He stands alone in the perennial list of all time great sages, not only are His Words forever worthy of continual study, but He is the ONLY figure among all the great philosophers/theologians who declared Himself to be God Himself–and either His claim is false (after which we should ignore everything He had written), or it is true.  There is no middle ground.

As long as we are breathing, we have to make it a priority to search after who God is, and then, once found, obey Him as to what we are called to do.  To the person who strives to find God, and dies before He completes this search, I do not doubt that God would have great mercy on such a person.  But the key is, we have no way of knowing when we are to die.  We are to always keep watch.

What are your opinions on the matter?  Please leave them in the comments below.

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.