THE
RELIGION OF THE "I FEELS" THE MACCABEANS AND THE
SABATH
Human beings in everything, and more in religion, tend to be led by feelings and not by reason. This childish habit has two serious damages.
The first is that no one can guarantee that what he is "feeling" is correct; for which so many times has failed by being guided by what he “feels.” Anyone could argue, (and with reason), that one can also be wrong when they reason. It is true. But when one reasons and is wrong he can review the process of reasoning taken and the previous information on which he was based, and find where he committed the reasoning or information error. In fact he can acquire experience and ability, thanks to that mistake, so he will not commit the same kind of mistake again.
However, when someone guides himself by what he “feels” and is wrong, he can never analyze or investigate why he “felt” wrong; he must continue gambling with what he is “feeling,” to see if this time he is right. The one, who is wrong one hundred times in his reasoning, can learn much to not continue committing errors. The one who is wrong one hundred times in his “feeling” finds himself as disoriented as in the beginning: he still finds himself intellectually speaking, nude and standing in the middle of the square.
The second great damage that presents itself to those who guide themselves by what they "feel," is that they can not consult the topic with another brother, because one of those "feelings" that people claim to have (in respect as to whether something should be done or stop being done, to believe or stop believing such doctrine) it can not be clearly defined to another. You cannot express or make them “feel” what you feel.
However, the one who reasons can communicate his thoughts to others, which are the reasons that assist him to believe in the doctrine in which he believes, to think what he thinks or how he came to his conclusion, and on what information his reasoning is based. In this way, his friend can verify if the error was in the information he received, or in his chain of reasoning. In this way, thanks to the friend (and sometimes thanks to the adversary), the sincere human who seeks the truth, can find it; he can totally or partially rectify his way of thinking, depending if he was shown a total or partial error in his reasoning, or in his information; or simply a gap, or an omission of other facts, data or reasoning that should have been present.
None of this can be done to any man who tells us: “the truth is that I 'feel' that I should do or believe such thing.” There are millions who act like this in this crazy world. This is why I say the greatest of all times is the religion of the “Ifeels.”
If man dealing with a topic with a friend, tells him: “I feel that this should be like this or that, or that I should believe this or that,” there are no words to convince him of the contrary. The only thing that could be aspired and I do not know how to do is to “feel” our thesis with more force than he “feels” his, and send him our “effluviums,” project towards him our “influences,” to see if we can make him “change” so he “feels” something else. But I do not know how to undertake that battle of voodoo, hypnotism, suggestion, "spiritual force," "charismatic influence" or whatever you want to call it. I prefer the archaic, prosaic and not at all mysterious method of reasoning over the Scriptures.
I do not think God is sending anyone “effluvia” or “influences” so that that person “feels” the correct thesis, instead of reasoning it. That seems to me to be conceit and delirium of greatness of those who believe themselves influenced by esoteric powers. Plus, if it were true that God is the one who sends those thoughts or feelings, He would also give voice and wisdom to defend those beliefs, and they could discuss with their brothers in a fraternal way, instead of fleeing away, “so not to be confounded”. It is that they do not believe in the promise of Jesus Christ, because in reality his “feeling” is not of luminous origin.
“For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.” (Lk 21:15)
Well, having finished
explaining the religion of the
“Ifeels,”
I will say that they are many who throughout time have practiced
it. In a time prior to the
Maccabeans, the
Jews, or a certain part of
them, kept the Sabbath in a very
stupid
way,
they would stop defending themselves when the enemy attacked them on the
Sabbath. It was a sin for them
to defend themselves when the warring enemy attacked them on the
Sabbath.
However, in the next passage we see that God
not only ordered them to defend themselves, but to attack during
a Sabbath. It is logical to think that if they camped on site at
“1 Now
“14 And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp; so they did six days. 15 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times; only on that day they compassed the city seven times.” (Jos 6:14-15)
If the Jews of the time prior to the Maccabeans, instead of "feeling" that they should not defend themselves on a Sabbath, had read the Scripture and reasoned over it, they would not have paid the consequences of their stupid beliefs, that is to say, the consequences of their “feelings.” The religion of the “Ifeels” is very large, but very harmful.
When I find a brother that practices the religion of the “Ifeel” and he says: “I feel that I should believe A or B,” I immediately ask: “Who put in you that feeling in which you are basing your behavior?” Indefectibly they answer: “Well! I believe it was God.” or also “I have faith that it was God.” The next question “falls off the tree by itself”, and it is the following: “Every time that you have 'felt in your heart' that God has put something in you, has it been correct.” To that they answer; “Well, not always.” Then I ask: “Do you have a way of confirming if it was God o not?” When they respond no, I ask: “Can people have personal feelings? Can Satan put feelings in people?” They have to answer yes to both questions. Therefore, to finish I say: “If you do not know what origin those 'feelings' have, why do you guide yourself by those feelings? Why do you base your faith and behavior in something of which its origin you do not know? You do not know if it originates from God, if it originates from you, or if it originates from Satan.” Why do you not use reasoning?
Now you may ask me: “What are the results you have obtained from the advice you have given?” None!! I waste my time trying to help them, and they persistently trust in their error; they continue to act on “feelings.” Why? Because it is more comfortable to "feel" than to get informed, reason and argue in search of the truth. Because it hurts very much to a person with a swollen “ego” to admit that he was wrong; and if he reasons and/or discusses the topic, he would have to come to the painful conclusion that he was wrong. This is why he remains sheltered, like an escape for his swollen “ego,” in the technique of the “Ifeelism” instead of discussing the topic with the rest of the brothers; or reason, which is to discuss the topic with himself.
Are they not worthy of pity? Yes… but not so much. They are like that because they want to be. No one can fool oneself. They know what they are doing. They love themselves so much, but so much, that they prefer to protect their ego, their vanity, more than to find God's truth: which is why they cannot find it. Then, when the consequences of their foolishness reach them, the only thing they can think of is to stupidly say: “These are trials brother.”