Diversions for a Guilty Conscience

1
Diversions for a Guilty Conscience

• Because I refuse to give up my real
  transgressions, I invest other things with
  inflated significance and give those things up
  instead. Perhaps I have pressured three
  girlfriends into abortion, but I oppose war and
  capital punishment, I dont wear fur, and I beat
  my chest with shame whenever I slip and eat red
  meat. Easier to face invented guilt than the
  thing itself. (p141f)

2
UNBELIEF SWALLOWING UP A BIT OF THE WORD OF GOD
Unbelief reinterpreting the Word of God within
its own categories
A portion of the Word of God presented to unbelief
Unbelief controls my interpretation of the
situation
3
UNBELIEF FORCED INTO A CONTRAST IN MANY AREAS
SIMULTANEOUSLY
Unbelief challenged at multiple points
A portion of the Word of God presented to
unbelief as part of a network
Word of God controls my interpretation of the
situation
4
Sin-caused Viewpoint Alteration
5
Who Has the REAL Evil Problem?
Christian
Good/Evil Mix is Abnormal Temporary
Good
8
8
Creator
Good
Good



creation
Evil
Evil
J
Cr
F
Pagan
Good/Evil Mix is Forever Normal
Good
8
8
Evil
6

• For I reckon that the sufferings of this present
  time are not worthy to be compared with the glory
  that is to be revealed to us
• For the eager longing of the creation eagerly
  awaits the revelation of the sons of God
• For the creation was put in subjection to
  vanity, not willingly, but because of the
  One-Who-put-in-subjection it in hope.

7

• Man can stand superhuman suffering if only he
  does not lack the conviction that it serves some
  purpose. Even less severe pain, on the other
  hand, may seem unbearable, or simply not worth
  enduring, if it is not redeemed by meaning. . . .

It does not follow that the meaning must be
given from above. . .that nothing is worth while
if the world is not governed by a purpose. . .
.We are free to redeem our suffering by making
something of it. . .The plain fact is that not
all suffering serves a purpose . . .and that if
there is to be any meaning in it, it is we who
must give it.
from Walter Kaufmann, The Faith of a Heretic, p.
165
8

• Because the creation itself also shall be
  delivered from the bondage of corruption into the
  glorious liberty of the sons of God
• For we know that the whole creation groans and
  travails together in pain until now
• Not only it, but ourselves also, who have the
  first fruits of the Spiritand we ourselves groan
  within ourselves, waiting on adoption, the
  redemption of our bodies
• For by hope we are saved, but hope seen isnt
  hope. . .
• But if we hope for that we dont see, by means of
  patience we wait for it.

9

• Christian faith undercuts the urge to fix
  everything on our own, through the conviction of
  the final helplessness of man and confidence in
  the providence of Godthrough certainty that only
  God can set everything to rights, and faith that
  in the end, He will. Man can only ameliorate,
  not sure. But there will be a Judgment. . .
  .Without confidence in providence, our vision of
  every Commandment goes askew

from J Budziszewski, What We Cant Not Know, p. 68
No deity will save us we must save ourselves
Humanist Manifesto II (1973)