God loves you. . .

This little image has made some people laugh out loud when they see it, and it has made other people become enraged. I am, for good or for ill, an equal opportunity iconoclast. I hope that people will think critically about whatever comes their way, instead of just blindly embracing or rejecting their first impressions.

I once posted it on my office door, along with all the other eccentric pictures and quotes that found a home there. The responses I received were priceless.

On one day:

"Dude, that is so totally cool! Those Christians are so stupid! I mean, who wants to get eaten by a lion?"

When I calmly asked the young man in question why the image made Christians stupid, he looked like a deer in headlights. "Well, it's obvious isn't it?"

On a second day:

"Professor, I just needed you to know that I have reported you to the Dean for your hatefulness! How dare you insult my faith like that? You should be ashamed of yourself for ridiculing God!"

When I patiently asked the young lady in question how this was a sacrilege, she also looked like a deer in headlights. "I'm going to get you fired!"

On a third day:

"I'm not sure if that picture is supposed to be funny or sad. Then it occurred to me that it might mean something I hadn't seen at first. It made me think about what actually makes a life wonderful. Most people would think that dying in the arena is a bad thing. But maybe they aren't worried about dying. Maybe they're worried about how well they were living, and they are willing to die for that. Maybe that's a wonderful plan?"

When I carefully asked the young gentleman in question if he thought that was a good measure of life, he paused for a moment. "I don't know," he said, "because I'm not a Christian. But it makes me question what a good life is."

Those are the moments. I could only nod, not to agree or to disagree, not to tell him that he was right or that he was wrong, but to be grateful to see someone thinking for himself.

Written in 10/1999