Should Religion Be Irrational? – Part 2
One popularly used sentiment for religious belief is, “I just feel it in my heart.” This is one of the all-time great irrationalities of religion. This notion is used to justify just about every sort of practice known to man on the planet. I was recently reading a children’s book about the importance of self-worth. For the most part, it was good. However, when it came to explain the reason as to why one has self-worth, the answer was, “Because you feel it in your heart.” This is a horrible message to teach children! The Bible teaches that our self-worth comes from being made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27) and having the blood of Christ being paid for our redemption (1 Peter 1:18-19). Yet, many simply think “feeling it in my heart” is just as good of a reason as any other. It is not!
What would happen if one were to take this same sentiment into the corporate boardroom and put it in front of a CEO and a board of directors for how to spend the company’s money? He would get laughed out of the business world. Take a few salesmen and set them before potential clients and tell them to say, “You need to buy my product because I feel in my heart that it is right for you.” The clients will leave. They want competence, not sentimentalism. They want good reasons to buy your product, not sappiness.
Yet when it comes to man’s soul, which is much more valuable than any amount of money to be spent by a business or any product to be sold, people often fall to the emotional corniness of “I just feel it in my heart.” God commanded us to follow His teachings, not listen to our own hearts (Numbers 15:39). Don’t sell your own soul short by adopting this inadequate measurement of truth.
God bless you, and I love you.
Kevin Cauley