Open Minds

There is nothing new under the sun, only things new to me.

The decline of my faith occurred in the way in which it has always happened, and still happens, among those from our kind of background. It seems to me that in the majority of instances it happens like this: people live as everyone lives, but on the basis of principles that not only have nothing in common with religious doctrines but are, on the whole, contrary to them; religious doctrine plays no part in life, or in relations between people, neither are we confronted with it in our personal lives. Religious doctrine is professed in some other realm, at a distance from life and independent of it. If we encounter it, it is only as an external phenomenon, disconnected from life.

Now, just as then, it is impossible to judge from a person’s life, or behavior, whether or not he is a believer. If there is a difference between those who openly profess Orthodoxy and those who deny it, then it is not to the advantage of the former. Nowadays, as before, the public declaration and confession of Orthodoxy is usually encountered among dull-witted, cruel, and immoral people who trend to consider themselves very important. Whereas intelligence, honesty, strightforwardness, good-naturedness and morality are qualities usually found among people who claim to be non-believers.

For something written over one hundered years ago, it is remarkable at how accurately it describes society today. In particular, the last part hits the nail on the head. The owners of the company I work for fit the first part of this description perfectly while the other developers I work with fit the second part equally well. This is something I have pondered for a while. My most recent new friends of the last 5 years are stacked high with non-believers. Have you every heard someone ponder this in a Christian gathering? Chances are you haven’t.