Faith Lies (with Darrell Smith): Lie # 4, I Am Supposed to Protect and Defend God and My Faith

Continuing our Thursday series with Darrell Smith, sharing from his book Faith Lies: Seven Incomplete Ideas That Hijack Faith and How to See Beyond Them.

Faith Lies with Darrell Smith

Lie #4: I Am Supposed to Protect and Defend God and My Faith

Shortly before his death, renowned theoretical physicist Dr. Stephen Hawking gave an interview to the Spanish paper El Mundo. In that interview, Hawking stated, “Before we understand science, it is natural to believe that God created the universe. But now science offers a more convincing explanation. What I meant by ‘we would know the mind of God’ is, we would know everything that God would know, if there were a God, which there isn’t.”

Bam! That is one of those drop-the-microphone-and-leave-the-room quotes, isn’t it? There was no uncertainty, no ambiguity. “There is no God. See ya later, Hawking out.”

What are we supposed to do with that? One of the most intelligent thinkers to ever live said that science proves that God is not real. What does that do to you? What is welling up inside of your gut? Do you feel yourself beginning to perform mental gymnastics to make Hawking’s thoughts jive with your own? Maybe not. Maybe you feel your mind throwing up a wall to keep such arguments out. Maybe you find it easier just to dismiss Dr. Hawking as a lost soul who didn’t really know what he was talking about. Do you want to argue with Dr. Hawking? Do you want to forget about him? Do you want to prove that God does exist?

If I’m honest with myself, I can admit that I have felt all of these responses at different times when I am faced with people, opinions, and worldviews that do not seem to fit into my understanding. As strange as it may seem, it is in our reaction to this benign story where we find our next lie—the idea that we, in some way, are responsible for defending or protecting God—that we need to be able to explain God and prove God in any situation at any time.

Let’s state some truths clearly in the first person:

• I am not responsible for defending or protecting God—and that is a good thing because I need God to defend and protect me. 
• God will not falter or disappear if I do not argue correctly, fight for, or stand up in the name of God—and that is a good thing because if God could falter or disappear, God wouldn’t be much of a God. 
• God does not need my protection or defense—and that is a good thing because if God did need my protection or defense, we would both be screwed. 

Explore these statements and expose the incomplete and unhelpful idea that God needs our defense in Faith Lies: Seven Incomplete Ideas That Hijack Faith and How to See Beyond Them.

Next week, Faith Lie #5 – There is One Right Way to Believe and One Right Way to Behave.