Life On Earth is a Test

It's interesting.  There are people who wonder what the point of life on Earth is if the afterlife is eternal.  What is the point?

The POINT is that life on Earth is a test.  Some people get harder tests than others.  But how hard the test is, is probably the opposite of what you think.

The "easier" your life is, and the more money you have access to over the course of your life, the harder the test is.  The people who grew up in poverty and those whose lives were exceedingly difficult- THOSE PEOPLE had a relatively easy exam.  All they had to do, basically, was not become real assholes later in life.  Those who had access to lots of money and never were in real need, THOSE PEOPLE HAD A REALLY HARD TEST.  If you have an abundance all your life, how you treated people who were really poor is very relevant (amongst other sin issues).

I'm telling you now- be aware that if you are independently wealthy, that what qualifies as a "passing grade" will be quite different than someone who grew up in poverty.  God doesn't take hoarding sitting down.  God gives a shit about suffering in the world and what you choose to do with your wealth is important.

Everyone should take their exam seriously.  Judgment will be fair in the end.  No one will get away with being shitty.  Justice comes to everyone.  Be aware that God is paying attention to how you spend your money and whether you care for those in need.  God gives a shit about the poor, the homeless, the people with terminal illnesses... God gives a shit about those who were dealt a rotten hand.  Take care about how you manage your money and what you think about God's precepts.  They matter.  God doesn't take sex outside of marriage lying down either.  God gives a shit about how you spend your time.  Live wisely.

The Role Christianity is Supposed to Play in Building Character Into People

I just streamed an episode of The Daily Show where a retired Four-star General told John Stewart that he should help instigate a debate on character in terms of how it can lead our country to being a better place.

Fundamentally, this general did not give a really good reason for people out there to "give a shit" about being empathetic or compassionate.  Ultimately, without some kind of impetus, hardly anyone is going to care about having better character.

I know it is possible to have good character without being a Christian.  And fundamentally, much of what passes for Christianity is built around being "good people" who prayed a dumbass prayer and now think that Heaven is essentially owed to them, and that they get to decide whatever standard they want to follow, without regard to what God really wants from them.  Ultimately, that leads to a culture where people are really out for themselves, and "their religion" makes them good only in a certain kind of way that is ego-centric instead of other-centric and Christ-centric.  All of it is purely grace-abuse and "cheap grace" as Bonhoeffer said, either in terms of lowering the bar that Jesus set in the Sermon on the Mount, or by just disregarding Jesus' ethos altogether and doing whatever we want.

I want to say this though, about... about agnosticism and atheism.  It fundamentally lacks a reason to give a shit about other people in any significant way.

I had a friend... we'll call him Roger.  Now Roger was pretty honest in his dealings.  He was very kind to his friends and family.  I'm quite confident he didn't cheat on his taxes, I'm quite confident that he probably did give at least SOME money to charities, although that subject never came up, it wouldn't surprise me if he did.  HOWEVER, he was unwilling to take any real risk that had the possibility of blowing up in his face.  He... wouldn't pick up a hitchhiker (as an example) because there was always a risk that they would hurt him.  I don't think he gave to beggars, because he didn't know how the money would be used.  He was unwilling to take any real risk in his personal life where things could theoretically end badly for him.

Now, would some say he's a good person?  OKAY.  But without a God telling him to give a shit about his neighbor, without a God intent on judging him for not taking any real risks in terms of helping people, there is a solid ceiling for his righteousness.  And honestly, that ceiling basically exists for a good portion of the world's population.

As long as you aren't "saved by grace" and feel a debt to God to be repaid by caring for the people he cares about, you will have little reason to not think the world revolves around you.  Fundamentally, IN ITS BEST FORM, Christianity can and should cause people to look outward and give a shit about the needs of others.  That's what "being a Christian" is supposed to mean, something fundamentally different than just taking care of yourself or even just "doing a good deed so you can talk about it later."  Grace from God is supposed to lead to compassion for others, and when it doesn't, there is a fundamental misunderstanding on what the purpose of God's grace for you was actually for.  God's grace for people wasn't meant to be so humanity could exploit God to do whatever the fuck they want and have it as "hellfire insurance."  It was supposed to be for the purpose of teaching us to give a shit about all the needs that are around us, so that we help people we come across who are in need.  That is what being a Christian was supposed to be about.