This summer I had an epiphany.
Seriously.
I realized why people like to be legalistic. What I mean by the term "legalistic" is they like to live by convictions that they really think other people should live out. When I was younger I attended a small Christian school that was pretty legalistic. They lived out convictions about the kind of music you should listen to, the kinds of movies you should see, the kind of clothes you should wear, the kind of bible you should read.
I can remember feeling like these convictions were intended to make me feel like I was less than them. I mean, at the very least I felt like I was less than them. I can remember kind of grousing at them in my mind, "Do you think you're better than me?"
Here's the zinger.
They actually did feel like they were better than me, that's why they did it.
Seriously.
How did I come to this realization? Because I also live out convictions that I think other people should live out and one of the payoffs of this attitude is that it makes me feel like I am better than other people.
Seriously.
I compost and recycle. Why? Because I think it is the right thing to do. I think Christians ought to do these things. When I do them and I look around at other Christians who do NOT do these things, I feel like I am a bit better than they are.
I reclaim rainwater and use it to grow organic vegetables. Why? Because I think I ought to. Why else? Because I end up feeling like I am better than you.
There are all kinds of convictions that I live out that end up making me feel like I am a better sort of person than those who don't. Here's a short list:
- I am politically informed.
- I read the Bible.
- I am a libertarian.
- I live in a small house.
- I have a bitchin' mustache.
- I listen to music you've never heard of.
You get the idea.
Here's another zinger...I see other Christians doing the same thing, I think. Here is a list of convictions I see my fellow Christians living out in such a way that I think they end up feeling like they are actually better people than those who don't:
- They talk about how hot their spouse is (or how great the sex is)
- They don't use birth control.
- They home-school.
- They use cloth diapers.
- They don't use credit cards.
- They talk about how awesome their churches are.
I really think I am right about this one. Come to think of it, the fact that I am saying it out loud makes me feel like I am, you know, actually better than you.
