Jordan Peterson's problem with God resolved
I've got some advice for Jordan Peterson regarding his reluctance to call himself a believer in God. I'm still trying to figure out if I'm a genius or delusional to make such a claim, but I have the sneaky suspicion Jordan takes his own advice very seriously, and might be willing to listen to a regular guy like me, who has no particular talent, when I say I might know something new that he might want to learn.
My advice is not just for Jordan, but for everyone who loved what he had to say as he described why he is reluctant to give a definite answer about the existence of God, because he's missing something really important.
I can relate to Jordan when he says he’s not good enough to call himself a believer in God. Most men by the time we reach our middle years discover that everyone is having a hard time, especially when we realise we could have been a better person. We look back on our lives and see that we could have been a better husband, father, friend or colleague. We're ready to admit we could have worked harder, been less lazy, done better in school, treated others more kindly and kept our trap shut more often. It can break a person when the realisation hits them that the biggest obstacle in my life is me.
It struck a chord deep within me when Jordan ultimately stated he feels he doesn't have the right to make the claim he believes in God.
I can see why he'd make such a statement. A cursory glance at the world will show many who make the claim to believe in a Holy and Just God, yet live their life as if God doesn't exist. I'm also sure that in his years counselling the wounded and broken he has had plenty of experiences to reinforce this belief. I can't help but feel that Jordan isn't just making this statement on his behalf, but on the vast majority of humanity as well.
The thing is, I wonder by whose standards he feels he is not worthy - In the eyes of his family or peers? Is it simply a personal conviction that has nothing to do with anyone else? Whether we realise it or not, most of us judge ourselves by comparing ourselves to those around us. A common example is we often put ourselves down for not being the best parent we could, but then we look out the kitchen window at the neighbors and see their ragged, dirty kids and say to ourselves 'At least I'm not as bad as those parents.'
Is Jordan doing this? Or is he comparing himself to God's standards - a God he may not actually believe in, despite choosing to behave as if he is. Is Jordan comparing himself to a God that if he thought or hoped existed, must be high above our ways and holy?
But what happens if he actually did think he was worthy to call himself a believer?
What if you actually did come to the point where you thought you’d done enough good, helped enough people, that you felt justified calling yourself a Christian or at least a follower of some God who you feel or hope must be holy?
You might find that you’re not much use to God.
I discovered Christ 6 years ago and quickly discovered God doesn’t want those who are good enough, strong enough, or who have done enough works, he wants the broken, those ready to call upon God and say ‘help me’ because they’ve hit rock bottom.
It turns out rock bottom can be a great foundation upon which to build.
God wants those he can work with, and those who think they’ve earned the right to call themselves Christian get in the way. They struggle with the concept of God’s will being done, instead of their own will, and pride can get in the way.
God wants us to come as we are, because if we’re honest with ourselves, none of us can ever be good enough, and I’m pretty sure Jordan is well aware of this.
I feel Jordan is a very humble guy – but what is humility?
Being humble is a choice – not a feeling. It’s choosing to behave in a certain way and is a demonstration of strength and skill - like a giant jumbo jet landing gently. Imagine if that jet had come down with a loud bang and a bump and rattle and bumped along – would that have shown strength or weakness? Obviously weakness. That’s how some people are who think they’re strong – they shout, they raise their voice, they stamp their foot, they’re abusive – that’s not strength, that’s weakness.
Going by this definition, Jordan is very humble - he has strength and skill, but knowledge and wisdom as well. Knowledge is knowing the facts, and wisdom is putting those facts to good use – and Jordan has used his knowledge to help countless people and continues to do so. But I pray his eyes are opened to the hope that people find when they discover they don’t have to be good enough to accept Christ’s gift of life.
Every other religion is about works, and being good enough. Christianity is about accepting Jesus’ gift of life, then going out and doing good. But this may take some time.
It takes time because God usually has work to do in your life, and one of the signs of a true acceptance of Christ’s gift is the growing awareness not of everyone else’s failure or ‘sins’ as we like to call it, but your own.
My impression is Jordan is aware of his own weaknesses and failures and would never put himself above his fellow man, but when people get to know Christ they begin a journey that never stops. They begin to change – we Christians put this change down to Christ working in people’s lives – but even if you can’t quite accept this change due to anything supernatural, the change is real, and if you want to see some of the best changes in the world, spend some time with some of society's outcasts who came to Christ, like my father does.
My father is 83 years old and I'm lucky enough to say that I want to be just like him. I know there's plenty of people out there who can't make that claim, which makes me one of the lucky ones. My father has spent the last 20yrs visiting the inmates at the local prison and shares the Gospel with them. Over the years he has gotten to know them, and has become friends with them, in and outside the prison, and shared a story with me that brings me hope.
He told me the story of a man whose own mother disowned him. She said her son was evil and was at a loss as to how he turned out so bad. This man eventually had a son of his own, who ended up disowning his own father whom he described as evil. When my father first met him, he said he looked real bad and he got a real bad feeling around him, especially when staring at his dead eyes. Most of us have seen images of bad people whose exterior matches the black heart inside of them.
This man spent several years in prison regularly attending my father’s services and eventually gave his life to Christ.
The man, now in his late 50’s is out of prison and has started his own ministry. His mother and his son did not recognise him. They did not think the change that had happened to him possible. They say he not only looks different, but feels different and is now the same person they knew. Even so, it took them some time to trust him, but now, after several years out of prison, this family is reunited, and the mother and son have come to Christ.
Maybe you still don’t believe it’s God, and just think it’s my dad who has done something good. But my dad doesn’t take credit for it – he puts this change down to Christ.
What I want to say to Jordan is this – imagine if this man was told he had to be good enough before believing in God. Imagine if he had to atone for his sins first before he discovered that there is a God that loves him. How could this man come to love God and change his life if he had to be virtuous or atone for his wrongs before accepting him? How on earth could he ever get there? He was the baddest man around.
But the good news doesn't end with him being accepted and forgiven by a loving God, it's the beginning of a process that doesn't stop. This inmate wasn't suddenly perfect when he accepted Christ, and he's still not perfect to this day - none of us are - but he's continuing to get better.
This man whose own mother described as 'evil' is a new man. He's not perfect, but he does have a new heart.
So Jordan, don't worry about trying to be good enough. At the end of the day, the God I believe in didn't just come down to be crucified and rise again, but came down here to show us what he's like. My God made himself small and was best friends with dirty fishermen, prostitutes and outcasts - none of whom were good enough, but many of whom went out into the world and died as they preached the liberating message that you no longer need to do crazy stuff to please your God or earn your salvation, because the price has been paid, in full.
My advice is not just for Jordan, but for everyone who loved what he had to say as he described why he is reluctant to give a definite answer about the existence of God, because he's missing something really important.
I can relate to Jordan when he says he’s not good enough to call himself a believer in God. Most men by the time we reach our middle years discover that everyone is having a hard time, especially when we realise we could have been a better person. We look back on our lives and see that we could have been a better husband, father, friend or colleague. We're ready to admit we could have worked harder, been less lazy, done better in school, treated others more kindly and kept our trap shut more often. It can break a person when the realisation hits them that the biggest obstacle in my life is me.
It struck a chord deep within me when Jordan ultimately stated he feels he doesn't have the right to make the claim he believes in God.
I can see why he'd make such a statement. A cursory glance at the world will show many who make the claim to believe in a Holy and Just God, yet live their life as if God doesn't exist. I'm also sure that in his years counselling the wounded and broken he has had plenty of experiences to reinforce this belief. I can't help but feel that Jordan isn't just making this statement on his behalf, but on the vast majority of humanity as well.
The thing is, I wonder by whose standards he feels he is not worthy - In the eyes of his family or peers? Is it simply a personal conviction that has nothing to do with anyone else? Whether we realise it or not, most of us judge ourselves by comparing ourselves to those around us. A common example is we often put ourselves down for not being the best parent we could, but then we look out the kitchen window at the neighbors and see their ragged, dirty kids and say to ourselves 'At least I'm not as bad as those parents.'
Is Jordan doing this? Or is he comparing himself to God's standards - a God he may not actually believe in, despite choosing to behave as if he is. Is Jordan comparing himself to a God that if he thought or hoped existed, must be high above our ways and holy?
But what happens if he actually did think he was worthy to call himself a believer?
What if you actually did come to the point where you thought you’d done enough good, helped enough people, that you felt justified calling yourself a Christian or at least a follower of some God who you feel or hope must be holy?
You might find that you’re not much use to God.
I discovered Christ 6 years ago and quickly discovered God doesn’t want those who are good enough, strong enough, or who have done enough works, he wants the broken, those ready to call upon God and say ‘help me’ because they’ve hit rock bottom.
It turns out rock bottom can be a great foundation upon which to build.
God wants those he can work with, and those who think they’ve earned the right to call themselves Christian get in the way. They struggle with the concept of God’s will being done, instead of their own will, and pride can get in the way.
God wants us to come as we are, because if we’re honest with ourselves, none of us can ever be good enough, and I’m pretty sure Jordan is well aware of this.
I feel Jordan is a very humble guy – but what is humility?
Being humble is a choice – not a feeling. It’s choosing to behave in a certain way and is a demonstration of strength and skill - like a giant jumbo jet landing gently. Imagine if that jet had come down with a loud bang and a bump and rattle and bumped along – would that have shown strength or weakness? Obviously weakness. That’s how some people are who think they’re strong – they shout, they raise their voice, they stamp their foot, they’re abusive – that’s not strength, that’s weakness.
Going by this definition, Jordan is very humble - he has strength and skill, but knowledge and wisdom as well. Knowledge is knowing the facts, and wisdom is putting those facts to good use – and Jordan has used his knowledge to help countless people and continues to do so. But I pray his eyes are opened to the hope that people find when they discover they don’t have to be good enough to accept Christ’s gift of life.
Every other religion is about works, and being good enough. Christianity is about accepting Jesus’ gift of life, then going out and doing good. But this may take some time.
It takes time because God usually has work to do in your life, and one of the signs of a true acceptance of Christ’s gift is the growing awareness not of everyone else’s failure or ‘sins’ as we like to call it, but your own.
My impression is Jordan is aware of his own weaknesses and failures and would never put himself above his fellow man, but when people get to know Christ they begin a journey that never stops. They begin to change – we Christians put this change down to Christ working in people’s lives – but even if you can’t quite accept this change due to anything supernatural, the change is real, and if you want to see some of the best changes in the world, spend some time with some of society's outcasts who came to Christ, like my father does.
My father is 83 years old and I'm lucky enough to say that I want to be just like him. I know there's plenty of people out there who can't make that claim, which makes me one of the lucky ones. My father has spent the last 20yrs visiting the inmates at the local prison and shares the Gospel with them. Over the years he has gotten to know them, and has become friends with them, in and outside the prison, and shared a story with me that brings me hope.
He told me the story of a man whose own mother disowned him. She said her son was evil and was at a loss as to how he turned out so bad. This man eventually had a son of his own, who ended up disowning his own father whom he described as evil. When my father first met him, he said he looked real bad and he got a real bad feeling around him, especially when staring at his dead eyes. Most of us have seen images of bad people whose exterior matches the black heart inside of them.
This man spent several years in prison regularly attending my father’s services and eventually gave his life to Christ.
The man, now in his late 50’s is out of prison and has started his own ministry. His mother and his son did not recognise him. They did not think the change that had happened to him possible. They say he not only looks different, but feels different and is now the same person they knew. Even so, it took them some time to trust him, but now, after several years out of prison, this family is reunited, and the mother and son have come to Christ.
Maybe you still don’t believe it’s God, and just think it’s my dad who has done something good. But my dad doesn’t take credit for it – he puts this change down to Christ.
What I want to say to Jordan is this – imagine if this man was told he had to be good enough before believing in God. Imagine if he had to atone for his sins first before he discovered that there is a God that loves him. How could this man come to love God and change his life if he had to be virtuous or atone for his wrongs before accepting him? How on earth could he ever get there? He was the baddest man around.
But the good news doesn't end with him being accepted and forgiven by a loving God, it's the beginning of a process that doesn't stop. This inmate wasn't suddenly perfect when he accepted Christ, and he's still not perfect to this day - none of us are - but he's continuing to get better.
This man whose own mother described as 'evil' is a new man. He's not perfect, but he does have a new heart.
So Jordan, don't worry about trying to be good enough. At the end of the day, the God I believe in didn't just come down to be crucified and rise again, but came down here to show us what he's like. My God made himself small and was best friends with dirty fishermen, prostitutes and outcasts - none of whom were good enough, but many of whom went out into the world and died as they preached the liberating message that you no longer need to do crazy stuff to please your God or earn your salvation, because the price has been paid, in full.
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