Flippant Answers To An Eternal Question

The senseless murders of children and teachers in Connecticut this morning amplifies my consternation with a poll that was posted from Great Britain this week. It seems that in the data regarding religious affiliation the census figures indicate that Jedi Knights is the most popular religion in the “other” category of religions. The numbers list 176,632 light-saber swingers. (Here)

Great Britain is not the only realm for the Jedi faithful. Canada lists 21,000, Australia claims 70,000, and New Zealand harbors 53,000. (Here) Upon first brush with these numbers I am attempted to snicker at the affiliation. The pollsters readily admit that the Jedi phenomenon is primarily to tweak the noses of their governments for either asking the question about religion or having a question about religion on the census form at all.

But beneath the attempted humorous nose thumbing at the census, I think it offers us a telltale picture of what our secular world thinks of religion. It is something to be scoffed at, a concept that really doesn’t matter anymore. Religion is being laughed and scientifically bludgeoned out of us, assigned to the past as something we no longer require. Why else could any person who still professed a religious nature offer so silly an answer to a question that defines your definition of an eternal destination? With the growth of nonsense like Jedi-ism is it any wonder that the number of Christians in England and Wales has fallen by over 4 million since 2001? (Here)

If your child was killed this morning in Newtown would you look to a Hollywood inspired representation of a life form like Yoda to assuage a grieving heart? Would a hooded Knight complete with plastic light-saber offer you solace? Or would the pain only be lessened by the knowledge that God’s unending and immeasurable Grace is sufficient even for these horrific times. I cannot imagine the loss of one of my children in such a random and brutal fashion. But I cannot imagine having to attend my child’s funeral knowing all that I had imparted to them was a flippant lack of understanding of who God and Jesus Christ is.