“Jesus said to them: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you’…” (Mark 13:15)

I could not write another post without mentioning what I heard in class last Tuesday night. You remember my Advanced English Grammar class and how I have been impressed that at every single class since the beginning of the term I found myself thinking about God’s stuff because the way certain aspects of the grammar was taught. I even thought that the teacher might have been Christian for a second or two about ten days ago. But now my opinion has totally changed and this is for good.

Yes, again, something happened in class. I was thinking that something was going to happen because it’s like a tradition now and I write a post about this class every week. But this time it was really bad and direct, I did not “spiritualize” things that were said, they were simply literally said. I do not, by any means, intend to put down the teacher, I am just sad.

We were talking about literacy and how people who can’t read and write cannot access information as easily as others and then, they can be more easily influenced by others. People can hide the truth to those who lack knowledge. People gave examples of this kind of situation and obviously, “religion” came out. I don’t remember the right words and I am paraphrasing very bad here, but the general idea that I, and a few other people that I talked to, got, is this: “No one who has a high level of literacy (who can make critical decisions based on the information given), can believe things like the earth was created about 6000 years ago, creation is impossible.” Basically, that was it. I was mad. Then people kept piling on comments about the fact that some schools and camps teach the “Creation theory”, that the Bible was written by a bunch of guys we didn’t know, so it was not reliable, that the Bible was just like any other newspaper… People were nodding, disgusted, as if some evil was let loose in our America, people with little knowledge were being used by religious people, that it was a big business, promising people they’d have eternal life… I could not believe it, I felt so much hate against God in the atmosphere. I was mad, so mad.

And I sat there, by the wall, feelling as if I had so much to say, but nothing to say at the same time. I kept my mouth shut, I was not ready for such an attack. It is true that lots of people make use of little informed people or just normal people with religion or sects and make money with them. But the God of creation revealed in the Bible is not behind those deceiving “spiritual” leaders. I guess I am not used to university yet and it was the first time a teacher was opposing my faith in a public way like that, even saying that you could not really be intelligent to believe such fantasies, that anybody who’s smart enough, would realize that this is all just impossible (my words).

I talked about it with some people during the break and some were mad too. This is sort of good in a way. Because now I know a few more people who do believe in creation… It’ll give me more opportunities to reach out to them and tell them about God’s free forgiveness in Jesus. This whole situation in class is so sad. Blinded people believing that those who see are blind themselves and refuse their help. Where are we going?

Pray for me. I confess that I feel my faith very weak, as if all their hate and arguments are pressing hard on me, telling me that what I believe is impossible and dumb, that I should turn away from my theories of a God who created me. At the same time I am reminded of these words: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68), truly I will find myself naked, blind, wretched and poor without God in my life. He Lives.