I Feel Therefore I Am

"So...... how does that make you feel?" How many times have you heard that question? There seems to be a lot of stock being put into how we feel about well... everything. Today's individual is very concerned about how things make him or her feel. We tend to measure whether something is good or bad based on how it makes us feel. There is a whole branch of psychology devoted to studying our moods. Today's marketing targets us at our most basic level--our senses or how their product will make us feel. Even universities create classes that are conducive to how they make their students feel.

So where does this come from? Well, there are many possible factors but we can usually trace these kinds of phenomena to some philosophy. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a French philosopher and nationalist who helped to inspire both the French and American revolutions. He didn't care much for civilized man but rather thought that a life of simplicity brought greater happiness. He was a hedonist of sorts because he sought pleasure through the senses. Hedonism is one of the oldest philosophies and has had hundreds of forms over the millennia. To feel was to be alive. I can't think of a more precise description of today's world. It is feeling--not thinking--which is the highest good. When facing a decision, most people ask themselves "how will this make me feel?" If good, then it is a good decision. If bad, then then it must be a poor choice. Think about your last decision. What was it based on? This kind of choosing seems rather harmless but when applied to world of ethics, it is extremely flammable.

We see this in our everyday lives: whether or not we drink water or cola; whether or not we go to class or hang out with friends; whether or not we wear jeans to the party or go with shorts. We are constantly making little seemingly insignificant choices all day long. But what is driving these choices? Well, if you are not aware of these choices, chances are they are purely based on feeling. There is much good in understanding and expressing our feelings about things. It is human at the core. But when we make decisions solely based on what make us feel good, we get ourselves in big trouble.

There was a recent movie that came out a few years ago called Equilibrium about a future Matrix-like world in which emotion has been eradicated from humans because they were blamed for being the cause of war. So this "peaceful" society now exists led by a big brother type government. A rebel group of "feelers" is committed to preserving emotion as an essential aspect of humanity and they are willing to die for their cause. I whole-heartedly agree with the premise that emotions are both a necessary and good part of the human condition. But are they the sole lens by which we should see the world? Raw emotion without the restraints of thinking often leads to outbursts of anger, harsh words spoken, neglect, infidelity, murder and many other damaging effects to human relationships.

But stoicism and the bottling up of emotions are hardly the answer. So what should we do with our feelings? Isn't "following your heart" always the highest good? Aren't we to treat ourselves with love first so that we may love others? Tell that to the husband of an unfaithful wife or the child who longs for the attention of her materialist-driven parents. Sometimes the perceived highest good is actually the worst possible evil. Selflessness and not selfishness, contrary to popular belief, is the key to happiness. And we could not "know" that truth by feeling alone. I think the words of Christ are very instructive for us in regard to this topic.

And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man." Mark 7:20-23

It is leading with our feelings and inner desires which will get us in trouble, but if we renew our minds every day by the power of the Spirit of God, our good deeds will soon follow.

...assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, [5] which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:20-24

Our true spirit is in our mind. God changes what we think before He addresses our feelings about a particular thing. This is not to say that we don't feel--on the contrary--we are feelers to the core, but what we feel should be based on the beliefs we have in our heads. And unless the hard wiring is changed out we will always be led by the faulty sparks that are jumping around at random and at the gut level. Humanity is not merely emotional, merely physical, merely rational, or merely spiritual but is all of the above and although they can be distinct they can never be separated. So not only should we be "feelers," we should be thinkers first.

Does God go to Church?

Church. What image immediately comes to your mind? Probably something like a cathedral or a building with a steeple or priests and altars. For some maybe a singing worship songs and hearing a sermon is what comes into mind. Does that sound exciting? For many that is true but probably for many more--not so much. If we aren't that excited about church, did you ever think that God might not be that excited either? That sounds weird. I mean God and church go together like PB & J. Right? For what possible reason would God not go to church? I think this is the right question. But far too often we ask, "For what possible reason do I have to go to church?" And sadly, the church itself has chosen to answer the latter instead of the former. This kind of thinking is endemic in the American church.

So why would God not want to show up at church? Well, believe it or not there have been times on record when this has occurred. Back in the Old Testament times the nation of Israel, who were supposed to be God's people, had forsaken their God to go after other gods. However, they still went to church. They still gathered every Sabbath and paid God lip service. Their leaders did not obey God's commands for worship. So God refused their sacrifices:

" 'Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,' says the LORD Almighty, 'and I will accept no offering from your hands.'" Malachi 1:10


Wow. God would rather the doors of the church be closed than for people to come and only pay lip service to Him. In another instance God says this:

"My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice."

Ezekiel 33:31-32

So what is God saying? Are there times when God will not go to church? Absolutely. I think we forget that God is a person--the greatest person. Everything we admire in others is only a shadow of the person of God. He is the most admirable, most kind, most caring, most honorable, most truthful, most just, most infinitely loving person to ever exist. And as such, He desires that we as his creatures, reflect who He is. And when we make church about us, we not only do a disservice to the honor and glory of God, but also a disservice to our own happiness. When we make church about what songs we like to sing and sermons we like to hear, then boredom is the best possible outcome and hypocrisy and idolatry at worst. If church is boring, then perhaps it is because the God of our own choosing is just that. Let's worship the True God, whom boredom can never be attributed.