In contrast, evangelicals seem to laud a non-christian not for glimmers of God’s image, but because he or she pays lip service to a religious cause or issue even though everything that such a person does, says, and supports is entirely secular, greedy, and wicked. The focus is not on God but on us as evangelicals and our causes.

In Luke 7:1-9, the Jews urge Jesus to heal the Centurion’s servant “because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue” – not because he believed (because THEY didn’t!). I think the same is true for this generation of evangelicals. We enlist non-christians to champion our causes because what it does for us, not to draw them to Christ. The reason is because we are no closer to Christ than they are. This is why the coming of Jesus took the Pharisees by surprise: despite all their God-talk, they had no need for him; they had the temple, the synagogues, their own power, and their own rules; they didn’t need God.

Carlin had some honest-to-goodness funny material, and I don’t mean the vulgar stuff. I think that humor was a gift from God. What he did with that gift may be a different discussion. Again, with all our “God talk”, what do we do with the gifts God has given us? Build buildings? Make lots of money (and give a little away)? Hob-knob with the good ‘ol boys in Washington? Regularly visit the local worship-tainment center? Are we ever merciful, as God has been merciful to us? Is there any glimmer of God’s image in us – we who claim to have the Holy Spirit?

Thank you for the thoughtful response to my post. I’ve asked that question several times of Christian friends, but you are the first to provide an answer that I can get my head around.

I can see that in showing love to others I may unknowingly be trusting in some kind of higher power. It is when I get stuck in my own head that I become selfish and blind to needs of those around me. What the Christian God seems to be saying in the Bible is that unless I give this higher power the name of Jesus, I will go to hell. That’s a tough one for me.

What some Christians fail to see is that Agnostics and Atheists are people seeking the truth, just like they are. In Josh’s comment here he questioned why George Carlin should be honored. He asks (How many of us would seriously mourn the death of some honestly seeking but misguided TBN personality?) I just think it’s wrong to assume that George Carlin wasn’t honestly seeking. His journey may have lead him to a different conclusion than Josh, but in the end, I believe his search may have been just as honest. When I was a Christian I can’t say that I would call myself a “seeker” of the truth. I just accepted what I had learned from my parents as being the truth. It was as an adult that I started to actually seek out answers to the questions that I had. The answers lead me to the conclusion that I did not have enough evidence that Jesus Christ is God. This does not mean that my search is over.

Finally, I’ve read quite a few comments on her from people who feel that George Carlin was disrespectful and mocking of their religion. Carlin mocked EVERYTHING. This is what a comedian does. It seems to me to that there is a double standard. My Christian friends often tell me that I’m going to hell and honestly make fun what I believe or do not believe in. But if I make fun of their beliefs I am someone being disrespectful.

I don’t have an answer for you, because I have personally experienced the same thing.

I suspect that some of it is personality, some environment.

It may be due to some of the same reasons that some abused children grow up to be abusers, and some do not.

One thing I do know, God wants us to be merciful, as He is merciful to us. I know that I am in great need for His mercy, so I need to show it to others.

Writing is going to be as varied as the writers experience and interests.

I enjoy your blog, but am not sure why you decided to post such a positive piece about Carlin.

I agree that its not cool to openly comment on someone’s eternal destiny right after the’ve passed, but I feel it is equally uncool to post on how pithy & controversial a man Carlin was when he very well may have been lost. I just don’t get it.

Gavin

So therefore, if someone leads a general life of virtue but is not by your general definition a “Christian” (i.e. Mahatma Gandhi) then than person is hellbound, but what about someone who murders an abortion doctor but is ostensibly Christian? Do they get off the hook?

I find this a very puzzling question, as I have often in my experience known many people (Muslims, Buddhists, Agnostics, Atheists, Wiccans, etc.) who have distinctly demonstrated far more compassion, mercy, love and grace to me and others around them than the Christians in my life.

I see many Christians here who show appreciation and grace toward George Carlin.

I see other Christians who seem incapable.

Why are some Christians so hellbent on portraying a God less capable of extending grace than many of his own followers?

Seriously.

His comedy did not appeal to me because of his trashy mouth. The guy could really engage in gutter talk.

The comment that really got my goat though is from the person who needed to point out that based on his beliefs, any good works done by George Carlin are irrelevent. Hmmm? I’m not nearly as smart as Mr Carlin was, but this clearly creates some questions for me. If there is a God; WHY does he/she place the utmost importance in believing? It seems to me that things like Love, Respect, Kindness and Compassion, would not be irrelevent to God. I could be the most loving person on earth and do everything in my power to help my fellow human beings, but in the end, if I am unable to make myself believe, I will burn forever in a lake of fire. I’m sorry but I find this to be cruel.

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God is certainly not indifferent to the things you mentioned (love, etc). God wants us to believe IN HIM. This means that we trust him, and thus make him the central object of our affections, hopes, etc. All good things that we can do would then flow naturally out of this relationship, since God is the source of all of those things. The real question concerning non-Christians and their relationship with God is whether or not it can go the other way around, whether a commitment to doing good means that a person actually does trust God, at least in some implicit way. The standard objection to this idea is that it is somehow an endorsement of works righteousness, of being able to earn God’s favor by being a good person. However, I fail to see how someone can be trying to earn the favor of a God they don’t believe exists! The closest I’ve seen to that is atheists who say something like, “well if there is a God, I’m a good person so he’ll like me.” But I think there are other possibilities, that there may be such a thing as implicit faith. I think you should know that with God, it never comes down simply to “did you believe proposition X?” Rather, it’s a question of whether you embraced God himself somehow, or rejected him somehow.