Sunday, a small lizard sat in the middle of the church parking lot. My thought, “Oh, little cutie, you will get squashed by a big car if you sit here!” A little nudge, and it moved a few inches. Then it stopped. I repeated my efforts. It repeated its pathetic progression. That is when I realized it had overheated. It could not move farther.
I bumbled but finally caught the critter. As I stood, a lady came up and asked, “What did you drop?” I showed her the lizard. Her hands shot out in resistance. Her face lined in horror. “I do not do bugs!” She exclaimed.
I was confused by her miss-classification, so I replied, “No, it’s a gecko.”
She backed away in terror, still with raised hands and head shaking. She turned to flee, insisting she did not do bugs.
I looked at the lizard and saw only beauty. It had settled on my hand, calmed by the reduction of heat. Its spots glistened in the sunshine. Its striped tail draped across my palm. How could anyone disapprove of such a wonderful animal?
Like the lady, too many Christians fear the world. She calls non-mammals “bugs,” monsters that fill nightmares. Some people add mammals also. We cling to phobias that distort reality and produce overwhelming panic. The fear is real. The reason for fear is not. Deep distress keeps them from examining God’s good creation.
Some religious beliefs instill cultural phobias. Logic distorts reality. “Lizards are snakes with legs. Snakes are evil. Therefore, lizards are evil.” However, snakes are not evil. Evil is a thought or action that requires a choice to reject goodness. God did not give any animal such a choice, only humans. Animals must act as God made them.
The voice of the serpent in the biblical garden came from someone, but not the reptile. That voice required an entity that had a choice. The animal did not lose arms and legs. Its DNA did not suddenly change to condemn all generations to follow. That would be cruel of God, evil. Instead, God cursed the one who spoke through the serpent. It changed to look like the innocent creature it occupied. That whisperer still influences humanity. Following him distorts a person spiritually. We grow to think like him. Then, he uses human arms, legs, and mouths to carry out his evil plans.
Religious phobias run deep in Christianity. People call anything that causes pain, suffering, or death “natural evils.” Theology then sets blame. “All bad events happen because of sin” or “Satan did it.” Our culture rejects the thought of blaming God. Blame is bad. Blame condemns. God is too good to blame. Such a perfect God cannot be responsible for creating bacteria that infect or mutations causing cancer. We shift the blame and remove responsibility from God.
Christianity fears insulting God. However, the Book of Job says such theologies insult God. The Creator takes responsibility for creating everything, even the big bad scary things. He can set up a “hedge” that holds back problems or remove the barriers to let problems arise. God is in control, and Satan must ask permission to cause trouble. Illness and distress are not always punishment. They are often a time of spiritual growth.
Accepting responsible is not the same as being blamed. God made the universe to function with natural laws to govern its existence. Within those laws, he inserted randomness. That means earthquakes, tsunamis, and tornados happen on a “living” planet. DNA produces variations and transforms a species into something new. Randomness gives humans the gift of free will. God can use or tweak any part of creation, but generally, he just lets things happen. God retains responsibility for it all. Humans have the responsibility to learn how it all works. That is the natural way. No blame required.
Taking responsibility is God’s way.
As I pondered our cultural aversion to things that frighten, I wanted to share my view of God’s good creation. However, no children were around, not one person who cared. I finally found a spot with shade to let the small lizard go.
It resisted. It had found security in the hand of the monster. Now I was a place of safety, and it climbed my arm away from the grass.
I think humans are like this creature. If we experience suffering, then we resist a repeat experience. We cannot imagine how another change might possibly be good. Fear forces us to run from beauty. Panic distorts goodness into evil. People cling to theologies that teach us God is not in control because that would mean he let us feel pain. They reject Paul’s joy found through suffering.
But, as God knows what is truly good for us, as I knew what was good for the lizard. It could not find food on my arm. The gecko would not be free living in a cage. I forced the frightened animal from its clinging hold, and the beautiful little lizard disappeared into the darkness, to recover.
Whom do you blame for the problems outside of your control?
