Matthew 23:4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome
loads and put them on other people's shoulders, but they themselves are not
willing to lift a finger to move them.
A final bit on the idea of Power Over
within religion, then I will move on to the concepts of power within and power
with and religion. Religion, and I do
mean all religion, is structured on power over.
The instinct to line ourselves up like sled dogs from the Alpha on down
seems to be more powerful than our instinct to breath. And within religion it is somewhat
understandable. We know that some of the
members of our religion have a greater calling.
We know that there are those more inclined to study theology, run our
churches, to pray, intercede with God, and be active in their faith. And it is natural to look towards the pulpit
for instruction and guidance.
This
structure also allows for denominations of churches to maintain a similarity
between churches. The structure within
the denomination sets doctrine and practices, and there is need to do so. While I may be liberal in my theology, there
seems to be certain biblical tenants that we must follow. (They are not as many as you may have been
told.)
The
rest I think is overreach.
My pastor tells a story, and let me see if
I can recall it correctly, of a creationist group wanting to do a presentation
to the congregation. Yet, when he
learned that they also taught that if you did not believe in the creation myth
as told in the bible you were not a Christian he passed on the opportunity.
I think it is essential for us Christians
to understand these dynamics of power, or influence, to more fully live our
faith. Much of what I see within
religion is the dynamic of power over, and thus I question how much of religion
is of God?
Jesus Sets the Record Straight
Mark 9:35 Sitting down, Jesus called the
Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the
servant of all.”
The ninth chapter of Mark a defining moment
in my faith. The chapter opens up with
the Transfiguration, the revealing of Jesus in his full glory. He has with him three apostles; Peter, James and John. After
this encounter, which must have been stunning to say the least, the three
apostles get arguing over which of them was the greatest; it was an
understandable debate. Having seen the
power and majesty of Jesus, one would assume that he was mastering a conquering
force. Wanting to be the right-hand of
Jesus would be a natural desire.
Jesus sets the record
straight. He tells them that the hierarchy
of the Kingdom of God is different. If
you want to be the greatest, make yourself the least. He then tells them that we must be as
children. Finally, as if to drive the
point home, he says it is better to enter the kingdom of God missing a limb,
eye, or other body part than to enter the fires of Gehenna.
Most translations of the bible use the word hell. I have had it explained to me that Jesus used
the term Gehenna, an actual place, so that those who were listening would be
able to relate better. I think keeping
Gehenna in the text is not only more accurate but also more in keeping with my understanding
of this section.
Gehenna is the place where the practice of religion include
sacrificing children. To me, Jesus is
not warning of some torturous afterlife, but of how ruthless we can become in our
desires to be powerful. One only needs to consider the inquisitions and the
witch hunts to consider the accuracy of Christ’s words of warning.
So this is the reason why
I have gone on at length about power-over.
While I do think that often the impetus behind wanting to exercise
authority over others is based on the love of God and the love for those around
us; it can only engender fear, anger and separation. And I think, that we have been called to live
differently – to be in the world not of the world.
Matt 7:14 But small is the gate and
narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
The path laid out to us, is narrow, and it
is difficult.
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