- And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. -
This is a dark saying.
It’s hard to imagine how this verse could ever have been God-breathed.
Given the seriousness of this topic, I find it terrifying to say anything, fearing I’ll do more harm than good.
Let me start by making an affirmation, and then maybe you can give me the grace to expand on this verse.
It is an ultimately selfish and faithless act to commit suicide. It is an abandonment of all those who hold you dear, and God does not will it.
If you struggle to keep yourself from making harmful plans and actions against your own life, seek counseling immediately.
You are loved, and if you do not believe that to be true regarding others near to you, know that you are loved by me.
Now, let’s discuss this passage.
I have only ever truly doubted my faith once in my life. That’s not from asking hard questions, rather I think it comes from asking them before they surprise me.
I believe our presuppositions about morality are strong evidence for the Christian faith. Every culture agrees: do not murder, steal, or lie.
In a sense, our personality is prepackaged with this moral structure. Even if you don’t get caught, your conscience will punish you for inappropriate acts you take knowingly or not.
One morning, I was listening to a lecture. For the sake of keeping this post at a reasonable length, let me just paraphrase what I learned.
It seemed to me possible from what I heard that our moral reasoning and personalities could arise without a God in the world. All our presuppositions, they could be explained by natural causes.
I find myself, typically when faced with this kind of puzzle, able to think through it rather quickly, providing a philosophical answer to the question besetting me.
I couldn’t. And I stared at the wooden floor in my office for close to two hours just thinking before my wife came in and asked me what on earth I was doing.
She held me and I explained the problem. I was afraid I was losing my faith, and I saw a world of unimaginable cruelty from which nothing mattered.
I felt betrayed.
Then I realized something terrible. Suppose all our traits and morals did arise from natural causes. Then what?
Well how then were these so called “morals” betraying my best interests? This is the philosopher Nietzsche’s point. Might I overthrow these “gods” and rule?
And rule what? A void? Should I spend my life yelling into the dark hall of the universe?
But I was holding onto my wife, and she did matter. To be the man of my dark thoughts would deny that obvious and unmistakable truth.
And then God spoke.
It is Faith to say it Matters. It is Faith to say there is a foundation to My Hall. It is Faith to know the Cornerstone.
The man who believes morals to be “natural” claims them rightly to be “tricks” and throws himself into the “void” by his own bootstraps.
God’s answer is look to your own life. Is that true? Or do you find a home to live within?
The world where men rule in the void? Well, that’s Hell. No doubt about it.
If that was our universe, then surely the dead are better off than us.
Recommended Reading: After God lead me through this philosophical victory, I was thrilled to see I was not the first to reach this conclusion!
A month or so later, I read Orthodoxy G. K. Chesterton. It’s a wild ride, but a fantastic read that will grow your faith.
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