The Thought Police Reign

July 30, 2007 by David.

One of the most frightening things about bringing up a child is the thought that this new person will have to make their own decisions. In many ways, letting a child learn and think is the hardest thing to do. However, sometimes the best way to learn that that the stove is hot is to burn your own hand. That doesn’t suppress the desire to snatch my kids’ hands away, though. That desire - the desire to control the patently uncontrollable - is universal. Some call it a God-complex. Others label it a “dominating personality.” There are hundreds of ways to skin this cat, but it all comes down to control.

It’s interesting, to think of the church throughout history. The history of the church - and really, all organized religions - is one of corruption, greed and power. Obviously, the church isn’t defined by these things, but one would be hard-pressed to deny the dark moments of the church and where it has stemmed from. Consider this - several of Paul’s books to the churches were written in response to issues within the church. So, from the earliest days of the Christian church, there have been problems - which makes sense. After all, the church is comprised of broken people living in a broken world. It makes perfect sense that the things that define are darkest characteristics would come out in the church.

Interestingly, I think the modern church has carried on some of these traditions. I think the intention is good, but the execution poor. We tend to forget that the lessons we learn in life will often cause pain, but also cause lasting change. Attempting to control the thoughts and actions of a person might yield the short-term benefit of keeping that person out of harm’s way, but will not ultimately shape the person or help them grow. For instance, many churches - including some I used to attend - openly condemn rated R movies, and even some PG-13 movies and will tell people that they are actively engaging in sin by viewing these movies. Or, alternatively, we label certain words as what I like to call “magical sin words” whose very utterance means God can no longer “look at you” (I’ve actually heard this!) and you must repent immediately. We call them cuss-words. Now, I’m not saying cussing is God-pleasing or that we should actively engage in it, but I’ve come to wonder whether the simple utterance is sin, or if the heart behind the words is where the sin is found. If I utter a cuss-word in humor - that causes laughter and joy - but I scream “shut up” at my own children, which set of words would you consider darker and more profoundly identifiable as sin? Which words cause more harm?
I understand that for very young Christians, the idea is to “protect” their minds from things that would corrupt. But, there is a very thin line between protection and outright thought-policing. If we are to engage our faith, and watch it grow as every other relationship we maintain, then we must challenge it. We must be able to approach it with a critical mind and open and honest questions. Jesus himself questioned the laws, and often lived in defiance of them (working on the sabbath for example). He set an example of living a faith that is about relationships, not rules and regulations. He summarized the laws of the Old Testament into identifiable relational concepts - loving God and loving our neighbors. Relationships are by their nature, very complex. The only way to grow in a relationship is to engage yourself in it, not build boxes and rules around it.

This questioning - the challenging of “why” - starts early on. God has placed the desire to understand in the smallest of children. “Because I said so” just isn’t going to cut it anymore. It’s time for the church - and many parents, frankly - to allow the children to learn the lessons they need to learn. Guidance and support are still critical, but sometimes one must touch the stove-top to understand that it’s hot.

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