On the one hand, Christianity has at its core a Holy God that expects us to model ourselves after Him. Included in this is a Book that details what God thinks is right and good and what He thinks is bad or sin. One is expected to follow after the good and reject the sin. This means that there are principles or commands for every thing in life, and that it is the Christian’s job to try to follow after the good and shun the evil.

On the other hand, culture has a tendency to view all things the same. It has no moral compass or guide, other than “whatever everyone else is doing.” Culture responds to no-one but itself. One thing that could be good today might be bad tomorrow. There are no absolutes, for everything is subject to what the whole is doing. Culture may vary from place to place.

One could therefore say Christianity is a slave master, since it dictates a set course of action. However, just like counter-culture people who are truly in the culture, if you look at Christianity’s commands and contrast them with the commands of the culture (at a given time) we see that Christianity is a much better master. For, in reality, we are all slaves to (or being lead by) something or someone, it’s just who we choose to follow.

Christianity calls people to live outside themselves– to prefer another over oneself. It calls for charity, chastity and the high virtues. It allows for a person to say “no” to things that are harmful, and helps people strive to be better– a constant goal to a definite end. It has a Deity that is not only just, but is also loving– involved in helping the person reach perfection as well as forgiving them the wrong that they have done. It has at its core a Creator that loved man so much that He died to redeem us when we decided to reject him.

Culture, on the other hand, focuses totally on oneself. It seeks to glorify self, pleasure, and does not care who it tears apart in the way. It indulges and glorifies practices that are dangerous physically and emotionally, it causes people to deny inner feelings, and pressures people into doing what “everyone else is doing.”

And, if we look through history, those countries that end up allowing culture to rule are eventually overthrown or destroyed.

“The culture is a slave driver, asking you to blindly follow it wherever it wills and belittling those who would dare to stop and ask the question “Why should I?””

I can also rewrite that sentence this way:

Religion, particularly Christianity, is a slave driver, asking you to blindly follow it wherever it wills and belittling those who would dare to stop and ask the question “Why should I?”

How are you any different than culture? I see you as the polar opposite, and in the end, not much better than culture in your request for people to blindly follow your path. I think the goal of most people is to find the happy medium between extreme materialism and extreme religious thinking.