Lottie Moon: "The Mother of Missions"
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Thread Two: Religion Shapes the Individual, the Society, and its Culture
“Because having known God, they did not glorify Him as God or give-thanks, but became futile in their thoughts, and their senseless heart was darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.” Romans 1:21-23
Karl Marx lamented, “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.” In Marx’s philosophy, Religion was created by the people of a society in order to deal with the day-to-day troubles and evils in life. Religion was only a drug to temporarily numb the pain. In his planned Communist Utopia, these inherent societal problems would be eradicated and there would be no need for Religion. In fact, Religion was what stood in the way of progress, since Religion taught people to accept and merely cope with society’s inequalities rather than eradicate them altogether. Religion must not be allowed to divert the people’s efforts towards true progress, and, therefore, God Himself must be eradicated from the system.
But is it possible to remove God from our world? French Philosopher Blaise Pascal surmised, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made know through Jesus Christ.” Whenever the true God does not occupy this space, our sinful human nature will find substitutes with which to fulfill this basic human need and fill the vacuum. The beliefs which arise around the chosen substitute will then shape the thought life and behavior of the individual, the rituals of the society in which he lives, and the nature of the culture at large.
Lottie Moon found herself in a foreign country which had substituted Confucianism in place of the One True God. This religious-philosophical teaching of Confucius led to a self-centered way of thinking which dominated individual interactions and implemented practices such as ancestral worship. Because this philosophy so directed the thought processes, even when someone converted to Christianity, Confucianism often remained the “first language” by which they then interpreted Biblical truths.
No matter which culture and society we are born into, we find ourselves caught in this same conundrum. We are prone to using our basic human philosophy to justify our actions and beliefs, rather than submitting to the Word of God. Paul’s words in Romans 12:2 teaches the only way to escape this trap: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Behaviors and customs which are in alignment with God’s Word are not sinful. But those which run contrary are not “good, pleasing, and perfect,” and must be “transformed” through the power of God.
Confucianism promulgated the practice of Ancestor Worship. Though this may sound like the Biblical command to “Honor your Mother and Father,” it had a much darker side which caused fear in practitioners and led to much misery, especially on the part of women. The Chinese believed that individuals have not one, but multiple souls. Upon death, one of these souls would enter a prepared wooden tablet which must be revered in a family’s ancestral shrine. Once a year, the males of the family would gather to make offerings to these deceased ancestors in an effort to garner blessings and ward off evil. Elaborate paper creations that signified the needs of those in the afterlife would be created and then burned in the ritual. Failure to appease these spirits in the appropriate manner would unleash plagues, famine, death and destruction from those in the afterlife. Because only men could participate in these ceremonies, the necessity for a male heir led to the practice of polygamy. The mothers of sons were greatly honored above those who bore daughters. Lottie Moon recounted visits to the homes of polygamists where the “first wives” who bore daughters were banished to outer chambers of squalor while concubines who bore sons were given opulent places of honor in the same home.
Chinese who converted to Christianity could not take part in these indispensable family pagan rituals which are not in compliance with Biblical teachings. Therefore any “bad luck” that occurred within the extended family would be blamed on the nonconforming Christian. This would lead to persecution, physical attacks, and even death. Chinese Christian women who were forced into marriages with pagans were beaten and even killed by their in-laws for refusing to submit to this practice. Chinese Christian converts were faced each day with the life-and-death choice of whether to follow Christ or adhere to their all-encompassing cultural traditions.
Lest we judgingly sneer at the ignorance and “heathenism” of other cultures, we need to recognize that these societies are fulfilling, albeit in sometimes gross error leading to devastating consequences, the basic human need of satisfying the longing within every human heart. Are our own society’s practices of placing material idols into this God-shaped hole any less displeasing to our Creator? Are we afraid of being seen as “fanatics” or “holier than thou” for refusing to participate in activities with our own friends and family members which are contrary to Biblical teachings? The consequences for our non-compliance pales in comparison to what these Chinese Christian converts have faced.
As Paul said in I Corinthians 6:11: “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” As we pray and minister for peoples in other societies and cultures to come to the Truth of the saving knowledge of Christ, let us examine ourselves, our daily habits, and our own ways of thinking so that we ourselves may be truly transformed.
“Isn’t it time that we missionaries part company with those who roll their eyes with this word 'heathen' under their tongues as a sweet word of contempt?
Shall we Christians at home or in mission fields be courteous in preaching the gladdest tidings on earth, or not?”
- Lottie Moon