The Theology of Purple Dinosaurs
A pastor in Tennessee posted the following “proof” online that Barney the Purple Dinosaur is really the Antichrist. He explained that you first must start with the statement “cute purple dinosaur”. You then have to change every letter U in the phrase into the letter V, which is actually the proper Latin anyway. Then you have to take away all the letters in the sentence that are also Roman numerals. What you have left are the letters CVVLDIV. If you then convert those letters into Arabic numbers and subtract them from each other, you end up with the number 666, which is the sign of the Antichrist. There you have it, according to that pastor, positive proof that Barney the Purple Dinosaur is the Antichrist.
Did you follow that logic? Well, to be honest, neither did I. But it does demonstrate how we tend to make issues of religion and spirituality far more complicated than they need to be.
I was blessed to grow up in home with Christian parents who loved God, loved each other, loved each of us kids, and loved anyone else who crossed the threshold of our humble home. Growing up, I guess I thought that all religious people were like that. Maybe that’s why I decided to become a minister.
“My encouragement to everyone is to practice this simple version of religion. Love God. Love others. And let someone else waste their time working out the theology of Purple Dinosaurs.”
After I became a minister, I quickly learned that some people make religion much more complicated than my parents did. I’ve graduated from two different seminaries and I’ve read hundreds of books on theology, faith, and spirituality. Though I can argue the finer points of religion with the best of them, I prefer the simple approach that Jesus took. In Matthew 23, when Jesus was asked by a Jewish lawyer what the most important command was, Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments”.
Love God. Love others. Sounds pretty simple to me. Regardless of what our religious background is, I think this simple approach to faith sure makes more sense than trying to figure out how to make Barney the Purple Dinosaur into the Antichrist. My encouragement to everyone is to practice this simple version of religion. Love God. Love others. And let someone else waste their time working out the theology of Purple Dinosaurs.
Dr. Terry W. Dorsett serves as the executive director of the Baptist Churches of New England.
