Delusion

 

Delusion

                Everyone thinks as they live. When one of those thoughts settles in the mind for a long time, it becomes that person's worldview and ideology. In the previous column, I shared that standards are needed for thinking. I emphasized that unless Christians think with a biblical worldview and perspective to view and judge the world, they cannot become healthy Christians.

                In this column, I want to talk about "delusion." According to the dictionary, the definition of delusion is "to perceive or think of a thing or fact differently from the actual thing." There must be a clear standard to know whether we are thinking correctly or perceiving or thinking differently when we encounter a thing or fact.

                Today, there are people in the world who live in delusion. They are the people who cherish and dream of communism, socialism, and totalitarianism in their hearts. Looking back at world history, there are common delusions that appear through the lives of those who have lived with these ideologies.

                First, communists and socialists think that humans are inherently good. However, the Bible says that humans are inherently evil. This human sinfulness appears in various forms such as lust for power, selfishness, jealousy, etc. The problem is that they believe that this human sinfulness can be changed through the social system. This is a big delusion. Because human history proves that their thoughts are wrong. Because it has proven that they are abusing the social system to take care of only their own interests. (Look at the communist countries other than China and North Korea!)

                Second, communism and socialism suppress individual freedom. And they prioritize the interests of the nation or society as a whole. However, the Bible emphasizes that God gave human beings free will, and freedom is a gift from God to humans and an important starting point for serving God. Communism and socialism suppress individual freedom and force a uniform way of thinking. Their ideology eventually weakens the vitality of society and becomes a factor that hinders development. (In fact, you can easily see this by looking at the economic situation of China and North Korea.)

                Third, communism and socialism argue that they can build a society where everyone can live well equally. But the Bible says that not everyone can be the same. God has given each person different talents and gifts. Equality means equality of opportunity, not equality of results. The interesting part is that as communism and socialism pursue equality of results, there are too many cases where they ignore individual effort and ability. As a result, it created a result that rather creates inequality. (Even now, unlike their ideology, there is a corrupt class society and a society full of bribery in China and North Korea.)

                Fourth, communist socialism believes in materialism. They treat religion like opium. The Bible emphasizes God's creation and emphasizes that humans were created in God's image and likeness. The Bible says that the purpose of human life is to glorify God and preach the gospel of Jesus on this earth. Also, the standard of moral life is very high. However, by suppressing religious life, communism and socialism fail to satisfy human spiritual desires, and the standard of moral life is very low. So they lie like eating rice. They do not care about the means and methods to achieve their goals. They have no qualms about breaking the law.

                In conclusion, thinking about communism, socialism, and totalitarianism and living on this earth is like living in delusion. Because human nature is evil, these ideologies cannot be achieved and lived on this earth. Because it ignores human dignity, it is impossible to live with these ideologies. There are too many people around us who are living in delusion. It's a shame. Let's not forget that history is proving it!

                The Bible emphasizes that when we serve God and live, our freedom and our thoughts become a healthy life. Christians! Let's go back to the Bible! Let's go back to God so that we can live with a biblical worldview without falling into the delusion that the world gives!