02- Second-hand Faith

Sometimes Daddy doesn't know best

A friend shared this post I wrote several years ago. No heresy involved. Stay tuned! It’s coming!

Back in 2012 a friend’s son was going to vote for his first time. I asked him who he was voting for, and he said Mitt Romney. I asked him why he chose Romney. “Because I’m a Republican!” he replied. So I asked him why he felt drawn to the Republican Party. What was it about the party’s platform that attracted him? He couldn’t name a single thing. His parents were Republican. Everyone he knew at church was Republican. So by golly he was Republican too.

Now this thread is not to debate the merits or demerits of the Republican Party. It is merely an illustration of how so many people adopt the values of their parents or friends without any personal convictions of their own. We all know people who are diehard Ford or Chevrolet fans, and the other brands are scrap metal on wheels. Ask them why, and most often you’ll find that they were brought up in that environment. Once again, they have adopted the values of their parents. It’s blind loyalty based on someone else’s convictions.

The consequences of this kind of thinking can be great or small. If you end up driving one brand of car all your life, that’s not the end of the world. If you vote for the party instead of the man, you may contribute to electing an ineffective president or a warmonger. That consequence is a bit more serious.

Perhaps most serious of all is adopting the faith of one’s parents without any personal conviction. Yet the vast majority of those who say they are Christians have done exactly that. Their parents were Christian, and their grandparents were Christian, and so on back through the generations. But the extent of their involvement is that they go to church on Sunday. Give God an hour once a week and we’re good, they think.

This is what I have termed “second-hand faith.” It can be a sad thing indeed, depending on the level of legalism in the particular church they attend. For example, if a divorcee finds she cannot receive the Eucharist because she’s been divorced, she may be convinced she’s going to Hell for something she cannot change, AND SHE DOESN’T EVEN BELIEVE THE FAITH! She believes in Mom and Dad, and her loyalty to family has doomed her to a lifetime of mental anguish because she “adopted” the faith instead of “discovering” it for herself.

Perhaps even worse, adopting your parents’ faith second-hand can prevent you from ever discovering the real faith to which you are called. Perhaps Islam or Judaism or Zoroastrianism would really speak to your soul. But if you’re already in an arranged marriage with your parents’ faith, you’re not available when the new suitor comes calling.

I encourage everyone to study multiple faiths and religions. Don’t just settle for what your folks believe. If you’re meant to be Christian, you’ll know. Nothing else will speak to your heart the way Jesus does. And when you DO make your decision, it will be on your terms and it will be your decision. Second-hand faith sucks. Make the faith yours, and you’ll cherish it your whole life.