The latest decal to festoon the windows of cars all over the country is the edgy “NotW” sticker. You may have seen it. It bears the tough-looking lines of any other clothing or car accessory logo. There are versions that have a more feminine appeal. There are also versions that have contextually inappropriate flames emanating from either side. Yet another version betrays the secret-code represented in this otherwise enigmatic graphic and spells it out: Not of this world.
If you want one, the stickers can be purchased online for $5. (The one with flames is $20 for inexplicable reasons.) Why shouldn’t you buy one? The money you have in your wallet is mammon, and definitely “of this world.”
But I’m not here to lambaste a sticker. Stickers don’t hurt anyone; ideas do.
As you may have guessed, I’m grossly offended by the idea presented in these stickers. The stickers are marketed to young people who are trying to be true to the religion they’ve been brainwashed to believe–even though the dictates of society and their own good sense might indicate that it’s a bad idea. What soothes their cognitive dissonance is to feel “cool” about being a Christian. These stickers provide that service.
On a deeper level, however, the idea that Christians are “not of the world” poses a very difficult problem for the rest of us who are of this world.
The most offensive thing about it is how effective it is.
A Lesson in Memetics
Over thirty years ago, Richard Dawkins coined a term called a “meme.” A meme is like a gene in the world of ideas. It represents a single concept that may or may not be a part of a larger set of concepts. The term “meme” was later extended to “memetics,” that is, the study of how memes survive and replicate in their culture.
Cultures are like organisms–replete with memes that are constantly being created, replaced, modified, and exchanged. One example of a meme is: “In hell, there are demons who poke you with pitchforks.” This idea certainly doesn’t originate in the Bible, but the idea manages to crop up in people’s heads when they imagine what hell must be like. Why? Because it’s catchy, that’s why. It’s also scary, and becomes a concrete reminder for why we should be “good.”
The pitchfork meme is part of a larger set of memes that comprise the entire hell myth. The hell myth has been heavily modified over the centuries through the process of memetics. Where the original Hebrews in the Old Testament merely referred to “the pit” (literally, the grave) as the afterlife, the mythos behind the afterlife grew like a Dr. Suess book with each subsequent culture that the Hebrews came in contact with. They borrowed the catchiest and most effective memes from the Romans, the Phoenicians, the Egyptians, and the Babylonians. By the end of the Bible, the Jews have an elaborate, complicated myth of Hell. An excellent recounting of this process can be read in Alice K. Turner’s “The History of Hell.”
Memes catch on for positive reasons as well. The entire idea of redemption offered by Christ helps alleviate our guilty conscience. Heaven is a meme whose popularity grew for the opposite reason of hell. It served as a reward for all the labor you provided to whoever was oppressing you.
The “Not of this World” Meme
This bumper sticker represents a meme that is catching on for some very compelling reasons. These reasons also indicate why Christianity as a memetic organism has become grafted to the conservative, pro-capitalist organisms of the political spectrum.
- A Christian who is not of this world does not need to bother himself with the resource issues that are vexing a consuming planet. The Christian believes that Jesus is going to come back and take his believers to the real world anyway. So while they’re here, they might as well enjoy god’s earth without a care for our impact upon it.
- A Christian who is not of this world does not need to be concerned about the fact that he is against abortion and birth control when human population on earth has quadrupled in the last century.
- A Christian who is not of this world does not need to save money for their children. In fact, they might as well run up the credit cards–Jesus is coming soon to take us to the world we are really of.
- A Christian who is not of this world need not be concerned about suffering going on elsewhere in the world. Their pain is regrettable, yes, but the important thing is their eternal souls.
Being “Not of this world” excuses reprehensible behavior. It provides an ethical loophole for Christians who proliferate wrong ideas, hateful legislation, and outright nonsense. It confabulates a fairy-tale, non-causal universe where miracles happen, facts are fiction, and science is just science fiction.
*”notW” and the notW logo are trademarks of C2:8, Inc in the United States and/or other countries. All trademarks, trade names or company names referenced herein are used for identification purposes only and are the property of their respective owners.
This NoTW thing freaks me out too. It’s the same line of reasoning that former White House secretary Fawn Hall used during Iran Contra: they think they have every right to “go above the written law” because they think they answer to a Higher Law. It could easily lead to suicide bombings, terrorist missions and other kinds of atrocities, all because they have basically untethered themselves from “This World.”
It is frightening. Thanks for pointing it out.
Interesting. I haven’t seen them in this area of the U.S. yet, but I’m sure they will eventually hit here. I first saw the NotW here and had no clue what it meant. I don’t have to ask anyone, now that I know, and wish I had not.
I find this disturbing in the same way: http://manhattandeclaration.org
How many of the people who sign this declaration also wear “notW” shirts? They claim to be “not of this world”, yet this declaration proclaims that their mission is in the name of “common good”.
Who are they to determine “common good” when they are not of this world?
How can they be trusted to recognize and promote “common good” when they believe that this world will end soon?
Jim, Despite the fact that some conservative Christians don’t take the “not of this world” to its logical conclusion for all these issues (good example: ones that support helping the poor thru Christian aid organizations; bad example: ones that push a religiously-motivated political agenda), your point is well taken.
In my experience in evangelicalism, the last-days-Jesus-is-coming-end-of-world mentality often blocked concern for the environment, population control, fighting AIDS and poverty, and a rational solution to the Palestinian/Israel conflict. Frank Schaeffer calls it the “bad news is good news” mindset. When a disaster hits, it’s a sign the end is near, so don’t go improving the world too much. Now that’s a dangerous idea.
I find the “not of this world” slogan to be a gross misinterpretation of a biblical phrase. It doesn’t mean “world” the way conservative believers think of it (a impure time-space continuum tainted with sin), but rather a selfish, greedy mindset. The view that the physical world is bad and only heaven and the spiritual is good, is not what Jesus was teaching. He was saying one shouldn’t be of a greedy mindset. This new sticker only perpetuates this false view and yes, it is a form of brainwashing, the way these bad ideas are promoted.
Michael – Your second paragraph nails it. I was also taught to rejoice in devastation and destruction because it heralds the end times. I was also taught to be a good steward of the earth. The ambiguous, mixed message fits perfectly for this NOTW promotion. One could use it as a witnessing tool and as a way to express their apathy about global misfortune.
OK, so down here in Southern Orange County (CA), these stickers are everywhere, and I always laugh at the notion that Jeebus was/is an alien. It gets back to my whole meme about the Nativity story. The Star of Bethlehem? An alien space ship. The angels? Aliens. The whole ‘virgin birth’ thing? Heh heh hehy… you know what I mean. Therefore, in my twisted viewpoint, the whole thing was a visitation by extraterrestrials as understood by uneducated ancients. HEY… it makes more sense than the ‘real’ story!
Oblio … guess where I work? [drumroll] South Orange County! :)
I have not seen one of these stickers until a friend told me of this site. I share the fear of close minded people certain they have the only truth worth listening too, and pray this site and those working with it will be successful in liberating folks into the freedom of thinking. I suppose there is a danger of moving from being a close minded Christian to being a close minded something else – atheist, capitalist, socialist, American, individualist. There are memes to go around, if I understand correctly. So ‘private property’ whether it be our yard, factory or mind is ours and ours alone is a Capitalist meme. In nature and economy ‘only the fittest will and should survive’ is another. There are both positive and negative, true and false aspects to these memes. We know for instance that cooperation and finding a nitch within the ecosystem are powerful factors in evolution and the development of a healthy individual. ‘We are only of this world’ and ‘this world is only material’ would be other memes of culture, as would ‘religion is the opiate of the masses.’ Religion is in some sense an opiate, and an opiate can be of both positive and negative uses, and religion is not just that.
It turns out that the phrase, “Not of this world” is used by Jesus when he is before Pilate, the Roman governor who is about to order his death. He is being accused of treason, of being a revolutionary and he says, “My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight…” He is saying that his movement is to be non-violent, not of this violent, power hungry world. Gandhi and King Jr and Mandela understood this. While King warns against ‘pie in the sky’ otherworldliness, he makes multiple references to not being of this world of hate, racism, selfishness, and violence.
In Romans 12 Paul says, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…” He goes on to explain non-conformity: Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor.
Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; never be conceited. Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all.
You may be right that young Christians buying these symbols may be brainwashed with bad theology and selfishly wasteful, but if they actually followed the examples we thinkers might want to join them.
Rev. Max — thanks for showing us the positive side of the “Not of this World” notion. Where the bumper sticker is prevalent, however, is in Orange County, where the Christians as, a demographic, do not hold to the same views as Ghandi, King, and Mandela.
I just found this site and had seen other sites where escaping fundamentalism was to embrace a much more rational, simplistic Christianity that discarded dogma and truly sought to live as Jesus did. When I read what was written about NOTW I was so upset and saddened. Thank you, Reverend, for the defense.
I am what I always considered to be a fundamentalist Christian (and it has nothing to do with the “fundies” as portrayed in the media). I believe that Christianity in practice should embrace only Biblical principles, with the various ways denominations have added to worship accepted as “how the other worships” and prayer for regrettable misinformation and misunderstanding that has crept into some practice (discussion and teaching if you happen to meet those people first hand and what they are practicing is dangerous and/or not at all in line with the Christian message).
If a person were to truly love/live like Jesus, they would NOT be embracing the current materialistic gospel that is preached in some corners. Jesus did not come to the earth to acquire wealth, riches or kingdoms. HE came to the world to give everything away, even Himself. CS Lewis explained that Christian giving is not about a percentage but about sacrifice. He was of the opinion that if your giving did NOT make you a bit uncomfortable and cause you to live a different lifestyle you weren’t giving enough.
A Christian truly in love with Christ must be in love with the creatures inhabiting this world and be a good steward to all that is in it, even if their heart longs for a more perfect place. We are also called to love our brother, Christian or not, selflessly. How can a Christian say they do that if there is someone suffering and they do nothing within their power to help? It can be overwhelming – very few of us have the resources to end ALL suffering, but we must know that we are called to end everything within our power. The greatest Christian witness (so often unused, sometimes even unknown) is the love of Christ. No one wants to hear about how their soul will be saved while they sit starving.
Jim, I’d say that your commentary makes sense only when looking at the NOTW phrase as a standalone. Your conclusions assume that this single phrase, and nothing else from the Biblical literature (as listed by Rev. Max above), serve to guide one’s faith, which should not be the faith for anyone.
…But of course many people will pick and choose what to “believe” to serve themselves.
- A Christian who is not of this world knows that God created the world and it deserves good stewardship.
- A Christian who is not of this world knows that he/she need not (and indeed should not) find ultimate satisfaction in ‘worldy’ possessions and relationships.
- A Christian who is not of this world knows that all human life is a sacred creation, made in the image of God.
- A Christian who is not of this world knows that the Bible mandates love for his/her children.
- A Christian who is not of this world knows that all things belong to God and he/she is a steward of what has been given to him/her.
- A Christian who is not of this world knows that God cares for the suffering.
(let me know if you want Biblical support for these)
It is much more than regrettable that many Christians today have fallen into half-assery and lukewarmness (Jesus says that he will spit them out of his mouth on the day of judgement).
Being “Not of the world” does not excuse reprehensible behavior, unless taken as a lone ethical guidepost. In the greater context of Christian theology, this phrase makes sense (to some degree). Anyone who uses this phrase as a an ‘ethical loophole’ is choosing what to believe as a means to reach an end of their choosing (not God’s).
There may be some logical arguments against Christianity (and are sadly many against its manifestation in modern culture), but the straw man you’ve submitted here is not one of them.
Hi Kris,
I understand and agree with you that not all Christians have an abusive relationship with this world. But my argument is not a straw man. For this to be a straw man argument, I would have to be misrepresenting my opponent’s position, and I am not. The aim of my article was to point out how the “notw” meme contributes to an abusive relationship with this world. I suggest that in a general sense, the meme contributes to bad behavior. For this to be a straw man argument, I would have to say “Kris uses the idea of “Not of this world” to excuse his (her?) bad behavior.” But I’m talking about a population of millions of people, SOME of whom DO use the notw meme as a back-of-the-mind excuse to rape our resources. You yourself admit that people pick what they want to believe in order to achieve their own ends. So no, this is not a straw man argument.
I understand what you’re saying, but the people who are using it for their own goals are living in a manner incompatible with a Christian worldview. I believe you’ve posed an inaccurate representation of what a Christian is in that sense. Essentially you are (rightfully) critical of those who use Christianity to live in a self-serving and careless manner.
Sadly, many seem to tag themselves with the faith or go to church as some sort of life insurance or statement of self-evaluated ethical ‘goodness’ (whatever that means). In a society where it is easy to claim the name of Christ, people do it because it sounds good, and then live as they please. These deserve a critical eye from both you and the true Christian.
I guess my point is that, in this example, Christian theology is not the problem, but people using it as a tool – consciously or unconsciously – for personal gain are the problem.
(People using ideas for their own ends is a problem with any ideology, regardless the personal views you and I hold toward each idea. Some people who may well suspect there is a god choose atheism because it is morally convenient. Some people who may suspect there is no god choose because it is comforting. Politics opens up a whole new world where people choose the convenient thing rather than what they believe at the core of their being. We have a tendency as humans to take the easy road in satisfying simple pleasures rather than explore or act on our convictions.)
Understood Kris. However you’re using the “no true scotsman” fallacy regarding these Christians. You’re trying to protect Christian doctrine by saying these people aren’t *really* abiding by it. I don’t agree. I believe Christian theology is most definitely the problem, and every believer uses it as a tool for personal gain. Granted, they all do it in different ways, and some may use it in a more nurturing and preserving means. But the blind adherence to a random and unsubstantiated worldview is the root of the problem. Because the truly good people who adhere to it give way to the lazy masses who will distill it down to its easiest, most convenient set of totems.
Everyone uses ideas for their own ends! You cannot escape it. All you can do is point out the ideas that are good or bad, which is what I’m doing here. The “not of this world” idea is bad for humanity.
Interesting, I’d never heard of that logical fallacy before, but I think I understand it now. However…
In this fallacy (if I understand it correctly), the ‘true scotsman’ statement is an assertion, rather than a verifiable fact. There is not a ‘Book of Scotmanship’ that tells people how to behave in order to be considered a Scotsman. If there were such a book, the man claiming that somebody was not a *true* Scotsman based on his actions would be justified in his words, if those actions were contrary to the book’s rules. Similarly, Christians have the Bible, specifically the New Testament, which lays out the manner that they should interact with God and man. Since we have on some level a measurable standard or behavioral reference point, I can, I think, make such a claim. The people who you despise (with good reason it seems) are likely the kind of people chastised by Paul in Titus 1: “They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.”
I think we can both agree that Paul’s words above are fit for the people who perhaps abuse the ‘NotW’ phrase. However, at the root of it all we disagree about the ideas presented in the Bible. This debate was anticipated long ago, by Jesus himself, and is ironically the phrase around which it is centered:
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
-John 15:17-19
I think I’ll hold off on continuing to debate this, just so things don’t escalate and we don’t spoil a good thing. I’ve had some worldview-oriented conversations with others in person and on forums, and sometimes they have a tendency to become more about proving the other wrong than genuinely searching for truth. I truly appreciate the reasonable and thoughtful conversation.
P.S. I saw ‘The Siege’ a few weeks ago and your profile picture looks like Bruce Willis does in that movie – you look pretty intense. :)
Hi again Kris! Sorry for being slow, I had a bad case of whooping cough, then a bad case of “out of town guests.”
Are you female? Do you cover your head in church? If you are male, does your wife cover her head in church? If not, you’re not a “True Christian” ™ because it instructs you to do that–in the New Testament even! No one who gets divorced is a true Christian–it says you’re not supposed to do it in Mark. Now, I realize that these may not be accurate statements. My point is that you might have a hard time getting everyone to agree on who a “true Christian” is. Regardless of how Paul intended the “NOTW” phrase, people will interpret it however they want according to their own perceptions. By the way, I don’t despise people who use the “NOTW” meme to excuse bad behavior. I only despise the behavior. Again, the article wasn’t intended to paint the picture of a “true Christian,” but only expose how some people excuse themselves from responsible living by reciting the scripture.
Yes, I have been told I look like Bruce Willis. But only slightly, and if you squint. ;)
Jim,
It would, I admit, be difficult in reaching a consensus on perhaps the more ‘minor’ details. I also agree with you on despising the behavior. It is sad that humankind is so self-centered that we will tend to manipulate whatever object/person/idea is convenient in order to reach our selfish goals.
Thanks for the discussion. It’s given me some good food for thought. Best luck recovering on both counts!
Kris
I am 53 y,o dude who is a notw. I pay my taxes, I vote, I recycle, I help feed a the hungry. I firmly believe that all you guys are mistaken that this is a teenage brainwashing phenomenon. It is the truth and it will set you free.
Peace and Maranatha
noTw comes from 1 John 2:16-17 which says “For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Father. They are from this evil world. And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever.” And those who are still “of this world” cannot and will not understand this because the Word of God is spiritually discerned. No need to even try to understand it until God draws you, you finally give in and accept Jesus as your PERSONAL savior and have a relationship with Him. Then you will have the Holy Spirit within you to help you understand the Word of God. I know alot of you may think this sounds like some kind of mystical fairy tale, but it is the truth and it takes faith. God Bless!
“…it is the truth and it takes faith.”
If it is “the truth” then it takes no faith. Faith and truth only coexist through personal faith. This particular mystical fairy tale is your personal truth, but no more the truth than any other religious folklore.
Let’s see “faith= “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”, so you see “faith” is not “blind presumption”, but is based solely on biblical written propositions; “hell” is used in the bible mythology of the time the bible was first written down, and is borrowed from Hellenist Greek cosmology of that time period, all it refers to in Judaism, Greek or christian understanding is the “grave”, i.e. when your dead your dead. now “heaven, new jerusalem or what have you; is a place these ancient people believed god resided, but there is a problem; it is philosophically impossible for god to reside in a “place”, because he is totally other from “location”. you may want to do some research on how the bible was accepted, changed, forgeries are found in the new testament, see Bart Ehrman’s book “Lost Christianities”. google “hell is not a real place”
for what it’s worth.
we’ll leave the light on for you
Hi,
the “notw” people must not realise, that when Jesus said; “my kingdom is not of this world”, the greek word behind “world” is “kosmos” which means “all the activity opposed to god within the established system”, in view of the fact that people “of the world”, do good things all the time, which are consistent with what Jesus taught and did for those “of the world”:
feed them
clothe them
heal them
help then
54 years inside the “fish”, 2 years and counting, outside the “fish” Happy Recovering!
“fish”=christian
It’s ok if you don’t like a bumper sticker, a hat, a shirt, or what ever it maybe, but accruing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is the only way to be saved. The Not of This World logo doesn’t refer to the person wearing or posting it. It refers to my Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and he taught the Jews & Gentiles to honor this world as a Gift from the Father. There are many people who wear the clothes for the wrong reasons, but it a good conversation starter and simply gets people to think of Jesus Christ. If they, like yourself, do or do not accept Him as there Savior that is there own choice. God bless, and thanks for your article, it got me thinking & talking about The Man I love and who loves each and everyone of us, Jesus Christ.
At first glance and without any background knowledge, the NOTW symbol appears to originate from the anti-Christianity camp. The prominant cross, with the letters, also suggest “NOT NOW” (or anytime) regarding the cross and what it symbolizes. Look at it again, from this different perspective.
The people who are “Not Of This World” are better than all the rest of us who are “of this world”….
But the people who put that sticker on their cars should stop driving like a bunch of a—holes!!!!! :(