As best I can tell, we pick and choose
which parts of the bible we take as being literal – those passages that
accurately reflect the events of the day; the sections that are meant to be figurative
and provide illustration; and most importantly the parts that we decide to
obey. For example, I know of a church
that takes a strong stand against homosexuality, but also hosts a pub night
where it is not uncommon for members of the congregation to get drunk. What is curious is that there are more verses
admonishing drunkenness, than homosexuality.
Those verses that discuss homosexuality and sexual immorality usually
include a reference to drunkenness as well.
Or
consider, that I am told that when I sin God is infinitely angry at me. The logic goes that God is infinite, and when
he feels an emotion, that emotion is felt infinitely. So, his anger at my being unable or unwilling
to look away from the scantily clad woman is infinite. This is quick followed by the belief that
something, namely me, needs to be punished eternally so that God can unleash
his anger. Yet, the Psalmist tells me
that God’s anger is just for a season.
Further, I am told that God is more interested in mercy than sacrifice;
and that to experience forgiveness one simply has to forgive.
The
one that I find most damaging though, is that God causes everything to
happen. This seems to be based in part
on Ecclesiastes when Solomon tells us that there is a season for everything,
and in part on the book of Romans telling us that in all things God works for
the good. This is a far cry from God making
me turn left and in doing so I ran over someone’s poodle. But, because God is the agent of all actions,
he wanted the poodle to die to serve his own purpose. Then just because we don’t understand why the
poodle had to die, means that we cannot fully grasp the majesty of God, which
relied on this poodle being dead. (My
humblest apologies for poodle lovers.)
I
won’t even engage the entire prosperity gospel.
Most of religion, as far as I can tell, is
an attempt to mitigate our insignificance, and the randomness in life. Life sucks.
There is no other way of putting it.
Calamities happen for no other reason than they happen. It is our desire
that they have a reason. It is our
desire to mitigate simple chance, cause if there is a reason, then maybe we can
do something to stop the bad stuff from happening.
In
the end, I think most of us, and myself included, develop a sort of
idolatry. We make God in the image that
we want him to be. This might not be all
love, rainbows and good feelings. Our
understanding of God, and mine has been in the past, is created in fear.
In
creating this idol, we often practice a form a magic, let’s call it
wishcraft. If I am good, as in I go to
church, help with the orphans and the widows, tithe not ten percent but
fifteen, show up early and leave late, then God owes me. I may put in terms that I am storing up
treasures in heaven, but the sentiment is much more crass.
This
approach to religion effects every religion, and in the most surprising
places. Paganism, often will identify
this approach and be quite blunt about it.
But I have also seen it in Buddhism, and Hinduism. Say the proper prayers in order to be
rewarded. Do an act of merit, and your
karma improves. It is a spiritual
economy, a series of transactions, and it is based on debts owed, and favours
earned. And at best this approach leaves
us fearful, and at worst it makes us despair.
I have felt both of those.
There
are a number of traits that this kind of faith has that perpetuate a life of
fear and anger and competition. The first of these traits is that I see is a
need to be certain, that I, or you, have the correct understanding of God. There is little room for doubt, and thus
little room for mystery. The second is a
focus on how I can make you a better Christian, and how I do that rarely has to
do with being of service.
This
approach, I believe, distorts how we read scripture, and how we relate to God,
ourselves, and the people next to us.
And to large extent, I believe it religiosity from which we are saved.
This week, as I blogged already, I was
baptized. And in startling maturity, it
was simply an act of obedience, no, it was an act of gratitude. I know the symbolism, and the scriptures, I
was forgiven before I was dunked in the water, and curried no favour with God
as I came out. If there was an effect of
this act, it is that there seems to be more of a substance to my faith.
But I will continue with all this in the
next post....
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