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Christianity was supposed to be about becoming like Jesus. | |
We went in the wrong direction. |
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The Consumer Mind
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| Modern dating web
sites often match people with similar lists of likes and dislikes
regarding food, films, hobbies, music, and activities. The assumption
being that two people whose self interests are similar will find it
easy to connect. At the bottom of this view is the idea that people
will fall in love with a mirror of themselves. While a common religion or world view is essential in a marriage (Amos 3:3), lists of preferences reflect a more superficial existence. Because of relative prosperity, mobility, and public education each generation has less and less to teach the next that is of any real value. In this ideological “vacuum” expand preferences until they reach almost religious proportions. The beer commercial that has two groups disputing over the reason the beer is desirable is if it is less filing or tastes great illustrates the exaggeration of the trivial. If one imagines frontier life where each day is a struggle for survival, it can be difficult to think of children from such an environment complaining about nothing to watch on TV, their wardrobe being inadequate, or wondering what their friends will think. At the core consumerism is about self, what one wants, what one can get, and what one has to do to get it. Many see our prosperity and thank God for our bounty. However, it may rather be that the god of this world (Satan) is responsible for our prosperity as it is useful to him to divert our attention from our creator and focus it on ourselves. One way to measure the degree to which we have a consumer mind is to see how often we seek the highest paying job as opposed to the most enjoyable, the sharpest looking clothes as opposed to what is serviceable, or the newest car instead of one that is adequate.. The less these things matter, the less we are tied to a consumer perspective. Old age can also disconnect us from the trivial. For Christians our faith, family, and maturing in knowledge, understanding, and wisdom should be a higher priority for us. Consumerism is a worldly infection that Satan uses to appeal to our flesh and, if not preventing us from trusting in Jesus, at least can keep us from any spiritual growth. Bombarded with advertisements and presented with an almost endless array of diversions and entertainments, it can seem difficult and even uncomfortable to be alone with one’s thoughts. Public education has also accomplished a sort of crippling effect in that the natural inquisitiveness of children can be squelched in a twelve year process of sitting in a chair to be spoon fed information. The process of waiting to be fed something naturally leads into a passivity and life long inclination to continue to be “fed”. Christians especially today need to have a renewed mind (Rom12:2) and the mind of Christ (Phil 2:5). Our natural mind tends to follow after the flesh and selfishness. Our “unnatural” mind (forged towards consumerism) intensifies our inclination towards the flesh. Understanding this can add an urgency to our prayers that we can be free from this captivity. |
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Information about Christianity and the Christian life. |
Pictures and views of our farm | Some of our animals | See some of the old-fashioned crafts we are trying to relearn | ||