I recently read an article about a popular young actress, who claims that she’d been a “born-again Christian” for 4 years. She says that this all changed when, at 16 yrs. old, she had a major crush on a bisexual man, who liked to dress in women’s clothing. Because of her great affection for him, she thought, “There’s no way this guy’s going to hell. This guy is amazing.” Since that was counter to the teachings of her church, she decided to leave Christianity behind. Her take on the Bible is that it lacks “strong female role models” and that though “it was a nice guide”, “it certainly wasn’t how I was going to live my life.” I would guess that her story isn’t all that unusual in Hollywood, or the rest of America for that matter. At least this girl seemed to recognize that by throwing the Bible “out the window” she was fundamentally departing from the entire system of belief. There are many folks who still count themselves “Christian” and even occupy a pew on a weekly basis, who believe that they can pick and choose which parts of God’s word they adhere to.
While I wasn’t really surprised by this article, I was struck by this girl’s utter confidence (i.e. faith) in her ability to discern what was acceptable and what was not. In effect, she’s saying that she’s not willing to believe in a God who doesn’t agree with her conception of right and wrong. As I pondered the source of her confidence I couldn’t help but think of the Garden of Eden, where man first got to choose between the tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Interestingly, religion has confused people into believing that the choice was between the knowledge of good and the knowledge of evil, which really skews the lesson of the fall of man. Ultimately, mankind’s folly is wrapped up in his desire to decide for himself rather than to depend on a Savior. In fact, Jesus told his disciples, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” In the end, it will all boil down to what we’ve placed our faith in. For this young woman, who is rich in the things of this world, that will likely be her own sense of righteousness. For those who choose the tree of life, that will be the righteousness of our Savior.
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Bjcorbin's Blog 
Thought for the Day – Apples & Oranges
Posted in Commentaries, Thought for the Day / Quotes, tagged Garden of Eden, Tree of Life, Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil on August 28, 2014| Leave a Comment »
I recently read an article about a popular young actress, who claims that she’d been a “born-again Christian” for 4 years. She says that this all changed when, at 16 yrs. old, she had a major crush on a bisexual man, who liked to dress in women’s clothing. Because of her great affection for him, she thought, “There’s no way this guy’s going to hell. This guy is amazing.” Since that was counter to the teachings of her church, she decided to leave Christianity behind. Her take on the Bible is that it lacks “strong female role models” and that though “it was a nice guide”, “it certainly wasn’t how I was going to live my life.” I would guess that her story isn’t all that unusual in Hollywood, or the rest of America for that matter. At least this girl seemed to recognize that by throwing the Bible “out the window” she was fundamentally departing from the entire system of belief. There are many folks who still count themselves “Christian” and even occupy a pew on a weekly basis, who believe that they can pick and choose which parts of God’s word they adhere to.
While I wasn’t really surprised by this article, I was struck by this girl’s utter confidence (i.e. faith) in her ability to discern what was acceptable and what was not. In effect, she’s saying that she’s not willing to believe in a God who doesn’t agree with her conception of right and wrong. As I pondered the source of her confidence I couldn’t help but think of the Garden of Eden, where man first got to choose between the tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Interestingly, religion has confused people into believing that the choice was between the knowledge of good and the knowledge of evil, which really skews the lesson of the fall of man. Ultimately, mankind’s folly is wrapped up in his desire to decide for himself rather than to depend on a Savior. In fact, Jesus told his disciples, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” In the end, it will all boil down to what we’ve placed our faith in. For this young woman, who is rich in the things of this world, that will likely be her own sense of righteousness. For those who choose the tree of life, that will be the righteousness of our Savior.
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