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In touch

Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues.

Terrible decisions

How do we decide what to do?

 

Context

She’s back! The Queen of the Castle with her great knitwear, fringe and of course twenty-one new celebrity guests on the ultimate hunt for the traitors.

And this series has started with a bang. From blowing up a ship on a Scottish loch, to the infectious joy of Richard E Grant on discovering he’d been picked as a traitor to Ross Kemp’s immediate paranoia, Celebrity Traitors has been a treat! Whether you’re watching it or not you probably can’t escape the chatter about what’s happening and who’s actions are looking suspicious.

Of course the interesting part of The Traitors, celebrity or civilian, is the way people behave when trying to identify who the traitors are, based on just their suspicions, vibes and a whole lot of nothing much to go on! Even the best minds in there find it very hard to work it out and even harder to avoid all sorts of group-based behaviours. The British Psychological Society produced a really interesting article about the psychological decision-making at play in the castle. 

Amongst other phenomena, the article discusses normative social influence. This is the idea that we go along with something, not because we necessarily believe it is right, but because we are craving acceptance by the group and therefore safety in that context. Clearly this means that terrible decisions are made with such herd behaviour and just the act of trying to stand up for something different to the herd immediately makes you the object of suspicion – it’s all very complicated. The group are also isolated, tired and have been taken away from their usual norms, all feeding into them making a lot of bad choices.

The Israelites were not trapped in a castle in Scotland, but to some extent were trapped in the desert at Mount Sinai. And it’s really fascinating to note that their behaviour reflects some of the same problems the Celebrity Traitors are struggling with. Reading Exodus 32 we get a sense of the herd mentality kicking in. The demand for something they knew to be wrong and the switch up to view Moses as a traitor, a concept that clearly spread, quickly led them to the Israelites making some really poor decisions. Even Aaron, with some status as a leader, was not immune to the pressure to go along with something that was a long way from what he knew to be right.

In some ways it’s reassuring to see that humans have struggled with the same problems for centuries. The golden calf story draws a line between humankind then and humankind now. We might like to think we would make different decisions, but perhaps not? Maybe the point is for us to stay as close to the truth as possible. The celebrity traitors are making bad herd choices because they are isolated in a castle and cut off from many of their norms. The Israelites had not seen Moses for a month. They were cut off from the person who had led them, spoke the truth to them and helped them shape their understanding about what was happening. But the reality is that we can always stay close to the truth. God is eternal, ever-present and always close to us. A relationship with God means we are permanently held in light and truth. Perhaps we need to look at where we are in relation to the divine truth and pray this is the ultimate guide for our lives.

 

Discussion questions

• When and how have you made a good choice for your life?
• Who influences you?
• How do you let God shape your decisions?
• What does it mean for you to stay close to the truth?

Fiona is a freelance leadership consultant and mediator.

 

 

Check-in

Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people

Today's golden calves

In this week’s scripture, the Israelites feel like they have been waiting for Moses for a long time! They become impatient and frightened, so they make a golden calf and begin to worship it. They want something they can see, touch and control.

It makes me wonder: What are the “golden calves” in our lives today?

Maybe it is social media, popularity, money, sport, appearance, success, relationships or even the opinions of other people. None of these things are necessarily bad, but what happens when they become more important to us than God?

Think about your own life for a moment. What do you spend most of your time thinking about? What do you worry about losing? What makes you feel valuable or important? Could any of these things become something you put before God?

This feels especially relevant this week as we mark 3 years since the 7 October attacks on Israel and the start of Israel's subsequent retaliation. In the UK, there is a lot of discussion about antisemitism and the fear experienced by Jewish people. This reminds us how easily fear, anger and hatred can take control of our thinking. When the Israelites were afraid, they looked for something else to trust. When we are afraid, where do we turn?

The amazing thing is that God does not simply give up on the Israelites. Moses reminds God of his promises, and God shows mercy.

What kind of God is this? A God who is holy, but also merciful. A God who calls us away from the things controlling us and back towards him.

So this week, ask yourself: What is at the centre of my life? And what would it look like to put God back there?

Maybe start with one simple change — one habit, thought or priority that you can consciously place back in God’s hands.

Natasia Bullock is director of Christian theatre company The B Tales.

 

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