Why is Man’s Faith in God Dwindling?

Please read and comment on this guest post from Chris Arnold, Jr:

Why is Man’s Faith in God Dwindling?

I believe man’s biggest flaw is our insistency in being “right.” Because of our obsession with being right, we over complicate everything…including our faith in God. God did not intend for Christianity to be complicated; he did not intend for there to become over 40,000 different denominations of Christianity (whether or not there truly are 40,000 different denominations in itself is debatable, but the bottom line is God intended for there to be one “Church” that believes in the same principle, core values).

To make my point I will use the story of Frosty the Snowman as an analogy. If you are a kid and truly believe in Frosty, then Frosty will come to life and be present in your life. However, if you say you believe in Frosty but deep down you have your doubts, Frosty’s emotions, words, and company won’t manifest themselves in your life. Lastly, if you say you don’t believe in Frosty and genuinely don’t believe, Frosty won’t show up in your life either; he’s dead to you.

There are two types of kids who try and persuade non-believers that Frosty does exist. The first type of kids are the ones who genuinely believe in Frosty. These kids believe in Frosty because they have seen his magic and they will never lose faith in him. The kids are great advocates because of their passionate faith in Frosty. They not only say they believe in Frosty, but the way they act in every day life (so joyful and lively because they are aware of Frosty’s Magic) demonstrates their faith in Frosty. Because their words and actions truly represent their faith in Frosty, then they have all sorts of credibility when talking to their older siblings or parents or other non-believers about Frosty’s existence. The non-believers may not listen, but kid1 definitely makes them think before they make their final decision.

On the contrary, there is the type of kid (kid2) that says they believe in Frosty, but deep down they do not. As previously stated, if you don’t truly believe in Frosty he won’t be present in your life; no matter how many times you insist you believe in him. Because of this, these kids do not get to experience Frosty’s Magic on a daily basis. But they can imagine what it’s like…they can imagine that Frosty can blink, or that he has tree stumps for legs, or that Frosty is actually a girl! But of course, if Frosty is not present in the kid’s life the kid cannot be sure. So when this type of kid talks to his older siblings or parents or other non-believers about their faith in Frosty he does not have nearly the same credibility as the other kid. In theory, the kid could be as passionate about sharing his faith in Frosty, but it’s false faith; it’s really just the kid’s admiration of his own creativity that is making him seem passionate and faithful. The non-believer is much less likely to care about what kid 2 is saying vs. what kid 1 had to say. And if they do decide to buy into what kid 2 is saying, they will eventually learn that kid 2 is full of lies, lose all faith in Frosty, and more than likely never listen to anyone again about their faith in Frosty.

So why, overall, is man’s faith in God dwindling? It’s because we have way too many Christians that are exactly the same as kid 2: who create their own church every time they hear something in the bible that they disagree with; who try to convince non-believers that their interpretation of God is the right one; who claim to have faith in God and a relationship with him but really they can only imagine what it’s like.

So how does Christianity get back on track? It’s not complicated at all; we need more kid 1’s in the world…and it’s as simple as putting our pride aside and truly listening to what God has to say. There’s a lot of words in the bible and a lot of interpretation as to what the words mean. But at the end of the day, all that matters is one’s genuine belief in God. And if someone disputes that, I would argue they need to check themselves and their relationship with the Lord.

If not already, I encourage you to read Chris’ testimony at “Everything that I cared about was being taken away from me.” and consider a contribution to his upcoming mission trip this summer.