"To ask questions is to judge the validity of God," my teachers would say when anyone asked how something could be possible. They would tell us that believing in God and the miracles of Jesus wasn't about having proof it happened, because that is what faith is- "blind trust."
They reminded us of the Garden of Eden, and the tree of knowledge. If we could just behave and accept life the way God intended, then we would always be happy. I could never get over this...why would God want to keep us in the dark?
I really enjoyed Crossan's novel. It really opened my eyes to the different meanings beyond literal translations. Before this book, I had no idea that the human body could resemble the body of society. I didn't know the difference between healing an illness and curing a disease. As Silliman said, we are welcome to forget we ever learned any of this, but for me, the cat is out of the bag.
From an early age, I never felt the need to go to church, but that may have just been me being a stubborn child who wanted to play all day. "If God is everywhere, why do we need to go to church?"
"Because church is God's home and he likes it when we visit him," Mom would say.
I now know about the Kingdom of God, and how I was right, that God is everywhere. Jesus was an itinerant and believed no mortal building on Earth could compare to His fathers Kingdom. He didn't believe in rules, and broke the standard social restraints. He befriended the tax collectors and whores, and told everyone that they either follow and accept Jesus for everything he is, or not at all. He was a revolutionary man, whose ideas became the foundations of a religion, even though he wasn't trying to.
My views of Jesus are completely changed. By seeking the knowledge, I have a better understanding of who he is and it all makes more sense. Knowledge should not be considered a sin, that doesn't make sense. By knowing more and asking questions, we get closer and closer to who Jesus was and what he meant by his actions and words.
Wouldn't he want us to know the truth?
My views of Jesus are completely changed. By seeking the knowledge, I have a better understanding of who he is and it all makes more sense. Knowledge should not be considered a sin, that doesn't make sense. By knowing more and asking questions, we get closer and closer to who Jesus was and what he meant by his actions and words.
Wouldn't he want us to know the truth?
I agree that expecting people to accept religious doctrines on 'blind faith' is unreasonable. Furthermore, I think it is actually bad, and can lead to deterioration of actual belief. If one's belief is built solely on stubborn, blind acceptance of things one's teachers, parents, or other authority figures taught one, without any real understanding, that belief is easy to undermine by a simple change in circumstances. It also will not bend or fail when perhaps it should.
ReplyDeleteDoubting one's religious beliefs, investigating them, and deciding whether or not to continue with them based on real information can lead to a firmer, more confident type of belief without niggling doubts or discomfort. If one finds out all one can about Christianity, and makes an informed decision that they will believe in that particular religion, then one can rationally defend one's choice against critics - as opposed to stumble around blindly and end up looking like a stubborn fool who refuses to accept an alternative belief system in spite of overwhelming evidence in its favour. I do think that following Christian doctrine, or indeed almost any religious doctrine, can be just as rational a choice as atheism or agnosticism - but that it rarely seems so because people are afraid to doubt or question their beliefs.
P.S. I also posted this on my blog if you'd rather read it there.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus has a conversation with a Samaritan women (a sexually loose Samaritan woman, no less!), who asks him questions regarding the appropriate place to worship God. Jesus replies that a time is coming when people will worship God in the Spirit and the Truth.
ReplyDeleteYour dedication to educating yourself about your religion is commendable.