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To date, having been quite unable to formulate an acceptable hypothesis to explain such illogical beliefs, I fall back upon the Melchizedek's statement, "evol-utionary religion is sentimental, not logical." (1007)
The God-usurpers.
There is another population born of the demise in popularity of the traditional Western churches that occurred in the fifties. This appeared to accompany the secular explosion, and naturally the Pentecostal -type movements gained popularity in such an environment. Was this the forerunner of the age of rank individuality that commenced in the early 70's and now has become a sophisticated art? I do not know.
Anyway, people really caught onto this "ask in Jesus' name and I guarantee you'll get it" concept. Jesus became a sort of Aladdin's lamp. People started praying for whatever they wanted with the sublime confidence that they could ask for anything at all in Jesus' name and he was bound to give it to them.
Why? Well they gleaned enough of Jesus to figure that he was a man of high moral fiber. Consequently he would hardly be the type to go back on his word. And I guess they considered that God sure did owe Jesus something for the rough times he had put him through.
Outside of the Pentecostal churches amongst the Western masses, the primacy of the individual was being exalted while the basic social unit upon which civilization stands, the family, was being destroyed in the process. Individuality came to mean independence, and rank independence negates the possibility of forming effective teams or groups.
And so, as the Pentecostals were praying to Jesus for goodies, the "primacy of the individual" adherents were chanting their affirmations and extolling the virtues of positive thinking. You simply had to ask and the "universe" would provide. All you had to do was to be the epitome of positivity, and whatever was requested was yours.
Alas, in this age with its heavy emphasis on education of the masses, it appears that, with education, we stifled the ability to think deeply!
These god-usurper philosophies have in common that the individual is the center, the controller of their universe--or would be if their thinking was positive enough. But, in the end, such God-usurpers have either to deny God's existence or depose him to a position of subservience to their wills. Curiously, the latter position is the actual one that our Thought Adjuster does occupy.
Unfortunately the god-usurper philosophy does not stop there. A position at the center of the universe poses major societal problems because we can't all be at the center. So what happens if it appears that one person has got it all. Jealousy, envy, and disillusionment are the result. Someone else occupies our rightful place, so maybe we have not been positive enough, or maybe Jesus is not that person of high moral fiber that we thought him to be.
At times, in brief moments of despair, as I watch our civilization crumbling, I gain solace from Psalm 12. I look at all the activity, the inventions, the amorality, the materialistic thinking, and those fine intellects with not a shred of philosophy in their memory banks.
In such moments, I feel relief that, despite the cry of the prophet, "Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly," it remains a fact that, though uttered such a long time ago, we have survived.
Sure a few civilizations might have come and gone, but we, the human race, have made progress. But have we? The only real progress is because, through the grace of God, Jesus did come to this planet.
To the Pentecostals and the individualists, I find difficulty in adding anything of value to them. They appear to be a population who will not be open to additional truth at least until they have experienced disillusionment. But why should they listen to mere me? They are the center of their universe. And why would they want to downgrade their position?
The God within-ers.
Western opinion polls reveal that between 80 and 90% of people believe in God. Of the God-believers I have met, most will say without question, "I believe in God but I don't go to Church."
The latter comment is said by way of an apology which they seek to clarify by adding, "I feel I don't have to go to Church, it's as if God is everywhere, as well as within me...but I feel him more when in contact with nature."
Then there are the real thinkers who affirm, "I know God is inside me, but I don't like to say this to people because it sounds as if I am saying that I am God, and I'm not....I know what I mean and what I feel but it is hard to put it into words."
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