Catharine (This is part of a series. See Disclaimer).
Life Decisions
This should be a relatively short post, but here is the gist of what I want to say.
Christian teachings about God’s sovereignty over all things (“If it’s meant to happen, it will happen”) lead to disempowerment of people who think that, ultimately, since they are not in charge of what happens, they are passive actors.
Setting aside whether the theology is accurate or not- I’m not talking about that- the teaching can lead people to take passive roles in their own lives, since “God is in control,” and there is a plan.
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
Ephesians 1:4-6 NIV
I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.’Isaiah 46:10 NIV
Beliefs about predestination lead people to feel that they are at the mercy of what is “supposed to happen.”
None of this is particularly harmful in and of itself, but the application of it can absolutely get people into a mindset in which they do not approach their life as a problem-solver, but as a prayer/hoper/wisher/waiter.
They may not look at their problems as things they have power over, because, in some cases, problems are spiritualized. I have some family members who have attributed health problems to Satan attacking them, for example.
People apply these ideas pervasively. The bottom line, at the end of it all, is people end up putting their time into prayer (not in and of itself bad, at all), instead (instead of in addition to) actively applying themselves to solving their own problems.
If all problems are spiritualized, and solutions are spiritualized, and the primary battle is prayer, it’s easy to have the only battle be prayer.
Sometimes prayer is the only thing that can be done. This is by no means an anti-prayer post.
It’s saying prayer as replacement for additional action neglects to take responsibility for what we are responsible for: what we do.
And honestly I think for a lot of Christians, the entire rigamarole of this thought process is so exhausting that their time has been taken up by this point, and they just need to make dinner.
So.
In my own experience, belief in God’s sovereignty may keep people from taking responsibility for their lives, and in some cases, taking responsibility for the power they have, and utilizing it.
There are other harms I’ve seen that come from beliefs about God’s sovereignty, including a lack of empathy for others’ suffering (“God will use this”), (and sometimes a unwillingness to help in those situations)- but. My point here is simply the personal application that one can directly work on solving the problems in one’s own life, to the extent that can be done.
Sometimes there’s nothing that can be done. Sometimes there aren’t choices or options.
I’m thinking back to young-adult me, choosing where to go to college. What did I do? Pray, and decide based on the emotion I felt, because I attribued that to the voice of God. “He” changed his mind 3 or 4 times, of course. (inner grimace at myself).
I’m thinking back to young-adult me, who felt at the mercy of life, because I believed that I was at the mercy of God, and life events WERE GOD.
Life events were the hand of God. Life events were CHOSEN for me. Life events.. were God.
Anyway. This was a very disempowered posture for me to have. At the mercy of literally life itself.
I’ve seen this get perverted- some Christians refuse medical care because they think they’re “getting in God’s way” if they do.
There is, if you will, a worship of life events including harms and calamities as things that are God’s hand and therefore should not be interfered with. Where there is greater respect for circumstances (and therefore, God) than for the people involved.
Anyway.
These religious beliefs have very real effects on peoples’ lives. Very, very, very real.
I think that’s all I want to say at this moment.
