"Were they ashamed when they acted so abhorrently? They weren’t at all ashamed. They can no longer feel humiliation…” (Jeremiah 6:15).
The problem of apathy towards God and truth can strike the heart of the Christian (Revelation 3:14-17) and the non-Christian alike. In this post, I will focus on the non-Christian’s apathy towards truth and God. I think apathy stands behind some of the prevailing moral decadence, insensitivity, and confusion on non-empirical matters such as debates on God's existence, His nature and the nature of man, abortion, and identity.
What Do I Mean by Apathy?
Apathy is the lack of interest in finding out the truth about God, faith, and truth. People with apathy find talking about anything else, no matter how trivial it might be, more important and relevant to their lives. Anything from recipes to sports to gossiping to issues of health and well-being is more interesting, appropriate and relevant than a topic related to God. Swearing and using God's name in vain might be the only exception for some.
Where Does Apathy Strike First, The Heart or The Mind?
If you fit the above description, and you are still reading this post, let me suggest that the problem of apathy originates, not just from our minds, but our hearts as well. Minds are inquisitive by nature. When the mind finds the true answers to its inquiry, the mind finds its rest.
However, without the "fuel supply" from the heart, any attempts for an inquiry are doomed to be extinguished by the storms of life, its busyness, and distractions. Think of it this way. You have a research project. You need both the experts in the field of study and financial sponsors. The mind may want to seek answers regarding God and the truth about him, but if the heart (the sponsor of the project) is not sold on the mind’s research project, then it is only a matter of time before apathy dominates.
Can You Give an Example?
When Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” Jesus did not respond. Not long before this encounter, Jesus had made the declaration that He was the truth. Consequently, the silence of Jesus was not because He didn’t care to respond. Rather, Jesus knew that even if Pilate’s mind was occupied by this question, his heart was not. Pilate did not wait for Jesus to respond to his questions.
Why is Apathy Prevalent?
First, apathy is easy. Apathy is the passive side of a heart's rebellion, I think. Its deepest root is strongly established in the non-willingness to seek the truth. So, it withdraws from such discussions and buys its peace of mind.
Second, apathy has a counterfeit peaceful outlook. It gives the deceiving impression that is neutral and a more “mature” response towards religious matters than hostile rebellion and open aggression. Instead of being occupied by what are perceived to be "childish quarrels" and "empty debates" and in avoiding confrontation with the implications of the evidence, apathy strikes.
What is the Root Cause of Apathy?
Pilate stood before God incarnate and could not care less that He was standing before a man who claimed to be the answer to his question. Whether you find yourself hostile to matters of religion or apathetic, I think the root cause remains the same. The heart rejects to know the truth. If the heart and the will unite against the mind’s curiosities to know God, apathy develops. And you may not know that the deception is the doing of your own heart, not the lack of evidence, the inaccessibility of the evidence, or the impossibility of objective knowledge. For “no man was ever so much deceived by another as by himself.”[1]
Conclusion
Apathy withholds you back from seeking the truth, doing serious research, or acting upon the findings of your investigation. Despite its peaceful outlook, apathy destroys the soul; apathy desensitizes the soul from responding to the evidence. Even when that soul sinks in her evil, she feels no shame or humiliation from what she has done or not done.
But, to reject apathy means that one must give his/ her back to it and take steps to move on. What are these steps? In the following post, I share some thoughts as to how we could begin to address apathy.
[1]Lord Greville in Forbes. “Forbes Quotes.” Accessed February 22, 2019. https://www.forbes.com/quotes/6090/.