There’s an old story by H. G. Wells called The Country of the Blind. In it, a character with sight ends up in a remote area where nobody else can see. By the end of the story the villagers determine the character is insane because he keeps talking about “seeing,” and they “cure” his insanity by removing his eyes. That’s the general gist of the story, not a summary.
A similar condition exists in modern America. Most people are “blind” atheists and think Christians are nuts because we see a spiritual component to life.
What I mean by stating most Americans are blind atheists, I’m drawing a bit of a distinction. Though a majority call themselves “spiritual,” they don’t have a faith in anything other than themselves. They’re looking inward, trying to reach something that isn’t there. Kind of like someone walking through a darkened room, hands outstretched, hoping they don’t step on something that’ll hurt them.
There’s a saying, “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” People simply don’t want to admit they’re not in control of their lives. Say to them as much as you want, “Dude! You’re blind!” They can’t accept that. Which brings up another saying, “You can lead a person to the Bible but you can’t make them read.”
Or something like that.
I’ve been blind. I was forced to go to church as a child, went through ELCA confirmation classes, learned all sorts of things, and actually learned nothing. Because I was blind.
Once my eyes were opened I noticed how blind others were. Perhaps that’s an indicator of having been given sight.
Personally, instead of screaming at people about their blindness, instead of bashing them with the Bible trying to get them to read, I live my faith. If I can walk across the dark living room of society and not step on any LEGOs®, then perhaps someone will notice and ask how I do that. After all, those things HURT when you step on ‘em!
Lest you think I’m calling them foolish for not having spiritual sight, I’m fully aware of what John Bradford wrote back in the 1700s: There but for the grace of God go I.
