Negativity
One of the many things that eventually drove me away from the Church of Christ is that it is a negative religion with a negative view of the world and of human nature. It's a negative religion because it defines Christianity in terms of what you don't and can't do (e.g., drinking, smoking, gambling, and dancing) instead of positive actions and attitudes (e.g., volunteering, giving money to charity, having a loving attitude, or visiting the sick).
The COC has a negative view of the world because it believes that the world is hopelessly corrupt and beyond redemption. They're just waiting for Jesus to come back and destroy it and all the sinners with fire. This is one reason why they deny global warming and deride environmentalists. Why bother trying to save the earth when God will destroy it soon anyway?
The COC also has a negative view of human nature and interprets everyone's actions in the worst possible light. In fact, it's safe to say that the COC assumes the worst about human nature. They believe that people will never do what’s right except under threat of punishment. This attitude stunts spiritual growth because one is never allowed to move beyond the moral level of a child and learn to form one's own moral code.
In terms of Kohlberg’s stages of moral development, most folks in the COC are at level 2 (i.e., do what's right to get a reward) or 3 (i.e., do what's right so other people will think you're a good person). There are a few people who are at level 4 (i.e., do what's right because it's your duty), but they are rare. Anyone who moves beyond into level 5 is pretty much destined to be “marked” as a troublemaker. Such spiritual and moral growth shows independent thought, which is forbidden. People who can move to the next stage are a threat to church authority because they don’t need external validation from the church's leaders and can form their own moral code. This also undermines the very purpose of the COC, which is not to encourage moral or spiritual growth but to perpetuate itself and to exert social control.
The COC has a negative view of the world because it believes that the world is hopelessly corrupt and beyond redemption. They're just waiting for Jesus to come back and destroy it and all the sinners with fire. This is one reason why they deny global warming and deride environmentalists. Why bother trying to save the earth when God will destroy it soon anyway?
The COC also has a negative view of human nature and interprets everyone's actions in the worst possible light. In fact, it's safe to say that the COC assumes the worst about human nature. They believe that people will never do what’s right except under threat of punishment. This attitude stunts spiritual growth because one is never allowed to move beyond the moral level of a child and learn to form one's own moral code.
In terms of Kohlberg’s stages of moral development, most folks in the COC are at level 2 (i.e., do what's right to get a reward) or 3 (i.e., do what's right so other people will think you're a good person). There are a few people who are at level 4 (i.e., do what's right because it's your duty), but they are rare. Anyone who moves beyond into level 5 is pretty much destined to be “marked” as a troublemaker. Such spiritual and moral growth shows independent thought, which is forbidden. People who can move to the next stage are a threat to church authority because they don’t need external validation from the church's leaders and can form their own moral code. This also undermines the very purpose of the COC, which is not to encourage moral or spiritual growth but to perpetuate itself and to exert social control.
Comments
We somehow must see the balance. God expects us to be holy, yet knows that we are unable. He knows that we are dead in our trespasses and sin, yet he makes us alive thru the death of His Son. He was made to be sin for us, that we may see his righteousness.