Love thy neighbor, but beware hostile worldviews
I regret to inform all of the readers of my column that we have a very serious pending problem to deal with. My high-level, top-secret contacts in high places have warned me of a potential cataclysm that the general public is wholly unaware of up until now.
The problem started when SETI, the group searching for extraterrestrial life, intercepted a communique from a far distant world. It went as follows:
“Attention, all Limperschnappits! Today is the day we embark for Earth. We want to extend our deepest thanks to all of our scientists who have been diligently seeking out a new world with a sufficient nutrition base for all of our hungry people. It is not easy being us, I know, since every new Limperschnappit born means four more mouths to feed. But I assure you, Earth is the solution to all our problems.
“Not only is this planet suitable for Limperschnappit breathing, it has all of the culinary pleasures each of our four stomachs could ever desire. For those who want to eat things tasting vaguely like coconut oil, the beaches of Earth are filled with teeming masses of people who have already been so kind as to peel off most of their exterior layers for us.
“For those wanting a buffet, there are large cities of people packed into close proximity. I know that Mordowak the Gorger will surely appreciate this.
“Some of you like smaller meals. This planet does still offer many groups of people who are less than 5 feet tall. This is obviously also good baby food for our needy infantile Limpershcnappits.
“And for those who like to hunt and kill their food, there are groups in the areas of denser foliage who would make an excellent challenge. They will normally be found in what the earthlings call ‘pickups,’ or what we call ‘TV trays.’
“But I have saved the best part for last. Amazingly, these creatures have decided that everyone is welcome no matter what damage they may pose. They will open their ports to us and let us land all of our ships right there among them, because to do otherwise, to even question our motives, would be in their view ‘intolerant.’ They will even go so far as to excoriate any of their own kind who read our writings or examine our past habits to see what they may be in for.
“So buckle up, Limperschnappits, we are heading for Earth. And bon appetit!”
Worldviews do matter, and some are clearly better than others. I remember a gentleman saying once, “Some people love their neighbors; some people eat them.”
Proverbs 22:3 says, “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on and are punished.”
I fear for our world, not because of the Limperschnappits, but because of a decided lack of prudence in favor of a push for universal tolerance and acceptance and the faulty notion that all worldviews are equal and those who hold them should be equally accepted.
The worldview espoused by Jesus Christ and codified in the New Testament of the Bible is fairly easy to summarize. He said in Matthew 23:9, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” He lived and died by that philosophy, and those who actually follow his ways and his words have done the same.
There are others, though, who hold different worldviews. Where Christ taught that sinners are to be wooed and won, others have taught that sinners, infidels, are to be slaughtered.
While acknowledging the possibility that not everyone in every group will think totally alike, it would still be very wise to thoroughly examine what documents people currently regard as applicable and authoritative. It would also be wise to examine behavior patterns brought about by different worldviews and then respond accordingly.
To regard every worldview as equally valid and good makes as much sense as inviting a Limperschnappit over for dinner.
Bo Wagner is pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church of Mooresboro, N.C., a widely traveled evangelist and author of several books. Email him at 2knowhim@cbc-web.org.