I've picked a new nighttime activity in recent months and I wanted to share it with you. Throughout my adult life I've never been able to read at bedtime because I always immediately fell asleep. But these days I have more trouble falling asleep, which is partly why I've been able to take up reading at that time of day (or night, as it would be).
I've found that the Bible is the perfect book to read just before bed. The chapters are very short and I can cover two or three of them in just a few pages. I like that aspect of the Bible because I can only last for a few pages before I get tired, but still feel like I'm accomplishing something.
But what really matters is the way the Bible makes me feel, especially as I end the day. Amy, your post today made me think a lot about what the Bible does for me. I use the original 1611 version of the King James Bible because its use of the English language is unlike anything I've ever encountered.
I didn't expect that reading the Bible would be such an experience. As I'm going along, I feel a kind of quiet wisdom emanate from the pages. It's as if the book takes on a persona and tries to communicate with me. It's the kind of communication I can only sense during times of focused attention and solitude.
All of this may sound strange, but I also like the size and weight of the book, how the pages feel, the look of the text, and even the way my book light shines on it. It is remarkable and was completely unexpected. It's very comforting, I have to say.
I'm rereading Ecclesiastes right now and will post about it when I'm finished. I would be interested to learn about any experiences you've had with reading the Bible.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Hard or Easy?
Dear Malady and Purl,
I finally finished reading Mere Christianity and I enjoyed the book. A chapter that really intrigued me in the final book was the one called "Is Christianity Hard or Easy?" Lewis talks about the necessity of giving up your "natural self" to become truly good.
I really identify with the struggle that happens between my natural self (the selfish part of me that wants to let myself go wherever my thoughts and feelings take me) and the part that wants to grow and leave the world a better place.
Lewis says the natural self is perfectly..., well, natural and is a part of life. That you have to indulge it to keep your batteries charged up. But then he talks about "killing your natural self" to move into a realm of true enlightenment.
I'm wondering if and how this is possible. Have you tried to do this, even in some small way? If so, could you share any of your experiences? I would like to know how you interpret what Lewis is describing here.
I finally finished reading Mere Christianity and I enjoyed the book. A chapter that really intrigued me in the final book was the one called "Is Christianity Hard or Easy?" Lewis talks about the necessity of giving up your "natural self" to become truly good.
I really identify with the struggle that happens between my natural self (the selfish part of me that wants to let myself go wherever my thoughts and feelings take me) and the part that wants to grow and leave the world a better place.
Lewis says the natural self is perfectly..., well, natural and is a part of life. That you have to indulge it to keep your batteries charged up. But then he talks about "killing your natural self" to move into a realm of true enlightenment.
I'm wondering if and how this is possible. Have you tried to do this, even in some small way? If so, could you share any of your experiences? I would like to know how you interpret what Lewis is describing here.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Testify
I think one of the hardest things about being a Christian in this day and age is being open and vocal about it. Because a lot of times, people just write you off as a right-wing kook. (and as a left-wing kook, that is really offensive!) So many people use God and religion as weapons against other people. It corrupts something that should be so beautiful and unifying.
My friend Ellen has a lovely and graceful way of expressing her faith. Today, she posted a wonderful confession about how God has worked in her life. I encourage you to read it.
LINK
My friend Ellen has a lovely and graceful way of expressing her faith. Today, she posted a wonderful confession about how God has worked in her life. I encourage you to read it.
LINK
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Forgiveness
Dear Malady and Purl,
I've finished the third book in Mere Christianity. I would like to go back and talk a little about the chapter on forgiveness. There is a paragraph (p. 119 in my book) that I found quite powerful:
"I have often thought to myself how it would have been if, when I served in the First World War, I and some young German had killed each other simultaneously and found ourselves together a moment after death. I cannot imagine either of us would have felt any resentment or even any embarrassment. I think we might have laughed over it."
Lewis talks a lot in this chapter about "loving thy neighbor" and, for the first time, I think I understand the significance separating a dishonorable action from the person who committed it. When I reflected upon Lewis's example, I thought of something that I had once done. It wasn't a single event, but instead a series of instances that had taken place over time.
It began when I told someone something that was going to really hurt that person. And it did. I wasn't prepared to say it, but I thought it the best thing to do at the time. I'm not sure I even knew then that what I said was going to be harmful. I had opted for honesty, not necessarily because I value honesty, but (for better or for worse) because that quality is an instinctual part of me.
My ignorance and inexperience lead me to repeat this thing to other people I cared about. In the end, things seemed to turn out mostly OK, but my actions inevitably colored my relationships with everyone involved. All of these these people are important to me and I have already spent a lot of time trying to make things right with each of them. Reading this chapter made me realize again that cultivating my sensitivity toward other people's feelings is paramount to the life I'm here to live.
But I find some solace in what Lewis has to say. I positively hate how I handled that situation, but I know in my heart that I was doing the best I could as I blundered. I was drawing from my own history, experience, and what I knew. I take even more solace in knowing that all of us gain wisdom through suffering. These are what give me hope that one day we'll be laughing over it.
-Gary
I've finished the third book in Mere Christianity. I would like to go back and talk a little about the chapter on forgiveness. There is a paragraph (p. 119 in my book) that I found quite powerful:
"I have often thought to myself how it would have been if, when I served in the First World War, I and some young German had killed each other simultaneously and found ourselves together a moment after death. I cannot imagine either of us would have felt any resentment or even any embarrassment. I think we might have laughed over it."
Lewis talks a lot in this chapter about "loving thy neighbor" and, for the first time, I think I understand the significance separating a dishonorable action from the person who committed it. When I reflected upon Lewis's example, I thought of something that I had once done. It wasn't a single event, but instead a series of instances that had taken place over time.
It began when I told someone something that was going to really hurt that person. And it did. I wasn't prepared to say it, but I thought it the best thing to do at the time. I'm not sure I even knew then that what I said was going to be harmful. I had opted for honesty, not necessarily because I value honesty, but (for better or for worse) because that quality is an instinctual part of me.
My ignorance and inexperience lead me to repeat this thing to other people I cared about. In the end, things seemed to turn out mostly OK, but my actions inevitably colored my relationships with everyone involved. All of these these people are important to me and I have already spent a lot of time trying to make things right with each of them. Reading this chapter made me realize again that cultivating my sensitivity toward other people's feelings is paramount to the life I'm here to live.
But I find some solace in what Lewis has to say. I positively hate how I handled that situation, but I know in my heart that I was doing the best I could as I blundered. I was drawing from my own history, experience, and what I knew. I take even more solace in knowing that all of us gain wisdom through suffering. These are what give me hope that one day we'll be laughing over it.
-Gary
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Thought for the Day
Dear Gary and Purl,
Here is a bible verse for the day. I think it speaks to what we have been talking about.
"He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God."
MICAH 6:8
Here is information on SABBATH.
-Malady
Here is a bible verse for the day. I think it speaks to what we have been talking about.
"He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God."
MICAH 6:8
Here is information on SABBATH.
-Malady
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
QUAKER SUMMER by Lisa Samson
Dear Gary and Purl,
I'm getting a little off topic but I wanted to tell you about something. I'm currently reading a book called QUAKER SUMMER upon the recommendation of Katrina over at Callapidder Days. I'm very particular about Christian fiction. I often find it to be either over the top or extremely "precious" or both. However, I really like this one so far. It is about a wealthy woman who has everything but is disillusioned and lost. Her spending habits are out of control and she can't seem to find her place in the world. At one point, she and her exhausted surgeon husband talk about escaping on a vacation.
"See, we fritter away our lives making enough to provide ourselves with four-star accomodations when we crawl home each night, and when all that isn't enough, when our bones are pitted and our muscles wasted, when our hearts are emptied out and imploded, we just want to get away from the reminders of our own foolishness."
That really rings true for me. It is so easy to get caught up in our daily lives. There is a book I hope we can read later called SABBATH that talks about creating sacred time in our lives. It is so important to do that so we don't get lost and burned out.
The book is really great so far and I'll let you know how it goes. Until then, I'll finish up the next section of Lewis.
I'm getting a little off topic but I wanted to tell you about something. I'm currently reading a book called QUAKER SUMMER upon the recommendation of Katrina over at Callapidder Days. I'm very particular about Christian fiction. I often find it to be either over the top or extremely "precious" or both. However, I really like this one so far. It is about a wealthy woman who has everything but is disillusioned and lost. Her spending habits are out of control and she can't seem to find her place in the world. At one point, she and her exhausted surgeon husband talk about escaping on a vacation.
"See, we fritter away our lives making enough to provide ourselves with four-star accomodations when we crawl home each night, and when all that isn't enough, when our bones are pitted and our muscles wasted, when our hearts are emptied out and imploded, we just want to get away from the reminders of our own foolishness."
That really rings true for me. It is so easy to get caught up in our daily lives. There is a book I hope we can read later called SABBATH that talks about creating sacred time in our lives. It is so important to do that so we don't get lost and burned out.
The book is really great so far and I'll let you know how it goes. Until then, I'll finish up the next section of Lewis.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Another Beginning
Dear Malady and Gary,
Thank you so much for welcoming me into your journey. I have read your posts from the beginning and begged Malady to let me participate. Are you almost finished with Mere Christianity? Maybe I should start with your next book.
Unlike the two of you, I had a fairly strict religious upbringing. I was raised Catholic: we went to mass every weekend, and I attended Catholic school from 3rd through 12th grade. My parents chose my schools, however, due to their academic reputations.
My mother came from a Catholic family, but my father's family was Southern Baptist. I spent plenty of time visiting Baptist churches as a kid, especially when I would visit a cousin in South Carolina. Although I had lots of questions about the Catholic faith as I got older, I immediately questioned the beliefs of fundamentalists, especially because my cousin was nothing like the person she professed to be on Sundays.
Once I went to college, I did not attend church. In fact, I did not attend church at all until this past year. (I am 41, so I spent 22 years as a nonbeliever.) My husband and I spent a few years discussing faith and thinking about attending church, but we didn't join a church until we moved to Texas. I often longed for faith; I would talk about how comforting it would be to believe.
I immediately felt at home in our Lutheran Church, which friends of my mother recommended. If anyone had told me that I would enjoy going to church and even become an active volunteer, I would never have believed them.
But I still classify myself as a reluctant Christian. I am a liberal and have far more in common with people who are not religious. And as Malady said once, as liberals we worry about making other people feel uncomfortable. I take this worry too far--I've even been uncomfortable telling gay people that I am married, because I don't want them to accuse me of homophobia!
I am thrilled to be a part of your journey. Thank you for inviting me.
Purl
Thank you so much for welcoming me into your journey. I have read your posts from the beginning and begged Malady to let me participate. Are you almost finished with Mere Christianity? Maybe I should start with your next book.
Unlike the two of you, I had a fairly strict religious upbringing. I was raised Catholic: we went to mass every weekend, and I attended Catholic school from 3rd through 12th grade. My parents chose my schools, however, due to their academic reputations.
My mother came from a Catholic family, but my father's family was Southern Baptist. I spent plenty of time visiting Baptist churches as a kid, especially when I would visit a cousin in South Carolina. Although I had lots of questions about the Catholic faith as I got older, I immediately questioned the beliefs of fundamentalists, especially because my cousin was nothing like the person she professed to be on Sundays.
Once I went to college, I did not attend church. In fact, I did not attend church at all until this past year. (I am 41, so I spent 22 years as a nonbeliever.) My husband and I spent a few years discussing faith and thinking about attending church, but we didn't join a church until we moved to Texas. I often longed for faith; I would talk about how comforting it would be to believe.
I immediately felt at home in our Lutheran Church, which friends of my mother recommended. If anyone had told me that I would enjoy going to church and even become an active volunteer, I would never have believed them.
But I still classify myself as a reluctant Christian. I am a liberal and have far more in common with people who are not religious. And as Malady said once, as liberals we worry about making other people feel uncomfortable. I take this worry too far--I've even been uncomfortable telling gay people that I am married, because I don't want them to accuse me of homophobia!
I am thrilled to be a part of your journey. Thank you for inviting me.
Purl
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
The Inconvenient Truth
Dear Malady (and Purl, I hope!) -
I just finished the final chapter of Book 2, "The Practical Conclusion." There is a passage in that chapter that I think parallels the thoughts you had in your last post:
"A Christian is not a (person) who never goes wrong, but a (person) who is enabled to repent and pick (herself) up and begin over again after each stumble..."
Your last post was an insightful interpretation of 1 Corinthians 13:11. For a waffling Christian like me, your message is a call to authentic adulthood. You discuss the "inconvenience" of faith and you're right, it can be distressingly inconvenient. Becoming a person of faith means making a conscious choice to become a "real" adult.
Becoming a "real" adult means deciding to not act on any whim, desire, or emotion that strikes you. Now that I've reached the ripe old age of 40, it's hard for me to imagine simply indulging my emotions and doing whatever I want. There was a time when I wouldn't have believed my saying so. That doesn't mean I don't feel the impulses to do whatever I want (believe me, I do), but I sometimes experience a kind of growth that leads to greater happiness if I abstain.
It depends on the situation, but I discover more often as I get older that when I just mindlessly charge ahead, I find nothing but emptiness on the other side. Being reckless doesn't do anything to help me find the truth about myself or my life. It's beyond just believing - I actually FEEL that finding some kind of truth about my life is what will lead to happiness for me. My sense is that your faith in God does the same for you. It's what I perceive when you say "I have to exercise my faith to get healthy and strong."
With that said, I think there times we have to indulge our whims and emotions to get to a new place in our lives. These are the situations that make life so bewildering to me; why can't I just pick the right thing to do? But our emotions give us our humanity and, as annoying and destructive as they can be, I have to say I'm really glad I "feel" all the things I do. Emotions are what make me alive!
Your discussion of our being "God's children" reminded me that He knows we're going to slip up sometimes and that's OK. Lewis, too, says that's part of being Christian - that we can "pick ourselves up after each stumble." Thank God (literally) for that.
-Gary
I just finished the final chapter of Book 2, "The Practical Conclusion." There is a passage in that chapter that I think parallels the thoughts you had in your last post:
"A Christian is not a (person) who never goes wrong, but a (person) who is enabled to repent and pick (herself) up and begin over again after each stumble..."
Your last post was an insightful interpretation of 1 Corinthians 13:11. For a waffling Christian like me, your message is a call to authentic adulthood. You discuss the "inconvenience" of faith and you're right, it can be distressingly inconvenient. Becoming a person of faith means making a conscious choice to become a "real" adult.
Becoming a "real" adult means deciding to not act on any whim, desire, or emotion that strikes you. Now that I've reached the ripe old age of 40, it's hard for me to imagine simply indulging my emotions and doing whatever I want. There was a time when I wouldn't have believed my saying so. That doesn't mean I don't feel the impulses to do whatever I want (believe me, I do), but I sometimes experience a kind of growth that leads to greater happiness if I abstain.
It depends on the situation, but I discover more often as I get older that when I just mindlessly charge ahead, I find nothing but emptiness on the other side. Being reckless doesn't do anything to help me find the truth about myself or my life. It's beyond just believing - I actually FEEL that finding some kind of truth about my life is what will lead to happiness for me. My sense is that your faith in God does the same for you. It's what I perceive when you say "I have to exercise my faith to get healthy and strong."
With that said, I think there times we have to indulge our whims and emotions to get to a new place in our lives. These are the situations that make life so bewildering to me; why can't I just pick the right thing to do? But our emotions give us our humanity and, as annoying and destructive as they can be, I have to say I'm really glad I "feel" all the things I do. Emotions are what make me alive!
Your discussion of our being "God's children" reminded me that He knows we're going to slip up sometimes and that's OK. Lewis, too, says that's part of being Christian - that we can "pick ourselves up after each stumble." Thank God (literally) for that.
-Gary
Monday, June 18, 2007
A New Person on the Journey and an Update
Dear Gary--
I know you haven't had time to respond to my last post but I wanted to drop you a quick note.
I have invited Purl to join us on our little adventure. She has expressed interest in our project and I thought she would have interesting insights to offer.
I am almost finished with Book Two in MERE CHRISTIANITY and will be posting about it soon!!!
-Malady
I know you haven't had time to respond to my last post but I wanted to drop you a quick note.
I have invited Purl to join us on our little adventure. She has expressed interest in our project and I thought she would have interesting insights to offer.
I am almost finished with Book Two in MERE CHRISTIANITY and will be posting about it soon!!!
-Malady
Monday, June 4, 2007
1 Corinthians 13:11
"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a [man], I put away childish things." 1 Corinthians 13:11
Dear Gary,
I have always liked this bible verse although it makes me sad in a lot of ways. Is it so wonderful "to put away childish things?" I'm not so sure. In Luke 18:15-17, Jesus meets with a group of children and the disciples try to shoo them away. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." So, here we have yet another biblical contradiction. Or do we?
Not along ago, we talked about people coming to faith for comfort and security. I think that is how faith begins for many of us. Especially for those of us who first experienced it as children. Jesus/God is revealed to us as a type of father figure. This can be one of our earliest demonstrations of right versus wrong. For some of us, this includes the threat of hell. As a child, I was taught that Jesus died for my sins and that I should always try to follow His example. And I don't think that is such a bad thing to teach a child. Religion can be our first exposure to ethics and morality. But as we get older, we can't relate to God on such a simplistic level. Our faith must grow as we do. We have to "put away childish things" and challenge ourselves. Faith is hard. We are confronted with questions every day and sometimes we may have to do things that we don't want to do. It is infinitely easier to do just what we want instead of doing as we ought to. Faith can be very inconvenient. Like going to the gym. I hate going to the gym. But I know I need to in order to get healthy and strong. Some Sundays, I just don't feel like going to church. But I have to remind myself that I need to EXERCISE my faith.
At the same time, we can also appreciate the simplicity of faith. We can boil it down to the basics. What does it mean to be a Christian? After we let go of all the worldly trappings and "stuff," what do we end up with? This is where we can become childlike. I think a Christian believes in Christ as his/her Savior and follows His example. And the rest of it can fall away. There are plenty of facets to faith that we can discuss and dissect. Congregations have broken up over disagreements about a single theological point. And I think this is where Jesus tells us to receive the Kingdom of God like a little child. Then, we can go on to explore it in detail. Adding our life experiences and exposure to other ideas.
In my anthropological studies, I have explored many different religions and I have always been struck by how similar many of them are. This has served to STRENGTHEN my faith rather than impede it. Human beings have always sought a relationship with the divine. And the common threads throughout many religions lead me to believe that there is a grain of truth in all of them. That ulimately, we are all striving towards the same conclusion. And I bring that with me into my faith life.
We can be childlike in our faith while putting away childish things. And we can turn to God for strength and wisdom as Lewis encourages us to do. Because ultimately, we are God's children.
-Malady
Dear Gary,
I have always liked this bible verse although it makes me sad in a lot of ways. Is it so wonderful "to put away childish things?" I'm not so sure. In Luke 18:15-17, Jesus meets with a group of children and the disciples try to shoo them away. Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." So, here we have yet another biblical contradiction. Or do we?
Not along ago, we talked about people coming to faith for comfort and security. I think that is how faith begins for many of us. Especially for those of us who first experienced it as children. Jesus/God is revealed to us as a type of father figure. This can be one of our earliest demonstrations of right versus wrong. For some of us, this includes the threat of hell. As a child, I was taught that Jesus died for my sins and that I should always try to follow His example. And I don't think that is such a bad thing to teach a child. Religion can be our first exposure to ethics and morality. But as we get older, we can't relate to God on such a simplistic level. Our faith must grow as we do. We have to "put away childish things" and challenge ourselves. Faith is hard. We are confronted with questions every day and sometimes we may have to do things that we don't want to do. It is infinitely easier to do just what we want instead of doing as we ought to. Faith can be very inconvenient. Like going to the gym. I hate going to the gym. But I know I need to in order to get healthy and strong. Some Sundays, I just don't feel like going to church. But I have to remind myself that I need to EXERCISE my faith.
At the same time, we can also appreciate the simplicity of faith. We can boil it down to the basics. What does it mean to be a Christian? After we let go of all the worldly trappings and "stuff," what do we end up with? This is where we can become childlike. I think a Christian believes in Christ as his/her Savior and follows His example. And the rest of it can fall away. There are plenty of facets to faith that we can discuss and dissect. Congregations have broken up over disagreements about a single theological point. And I think this is where Jesus tells us to receive the Kingdom of God like a little child. Then, we can go on to explore it in detail. Adding our life experiences and exposure to other ideas.
In my anthropological studies, I have explored many different religions and I have always been struck by how similar many of them are. This has served to STRENGTHEN my faith rather than impede it. Human beings have always sought a relationship with the divine. And the common threads throughout many religions lead me to believe that there is a grain of truth in all of them. That ulimately, we are all striving towards the same conclusion. And I bring that with me into my faith life.
We can be childlike in our faith while putting away childish things. And we can turn to God for strength and wisdom as Lewis encourages us to do. Because ultimately, we are God's children.
-Malady
Friday, June 1, 2007
The Atonement
Dear Malady,
I just finished reading the chapter called "The Perfect Penitent" in Mere Christianity. Lewis talks about some people's complaint that Jesus's sufferings and death aren't meaningful "because it must have been so easy for Him" (p. 58). Evidently, this complaint stems from the perception that Jesus somehow had an unfair advantage over His fellow human beings.
However, Lewis goes on to ask, "To what will you look for help if you will not look to that which is stronger than yourself?" (p. 59) Though I'm still not sure if Jesus's death carries any particular meaning for me (because I am exploring), I certainly look to Him to help me with my troubles and ease my pain. I do so for the reason Lewis illustrates: that Jesus is stronger than me, that He can somehow relate to me as a human being, and that I am somehow 'right' with God; that He is my friend.
As a Christian, you surely see how the divine and the corporeal intersect. Is it important to you to show others who cannot see that intersection that the two are not exclusive? What does that intersection look like in your own life?
-Gary
I just finished reading the chapter called "The Perfect Penitent" in Mere Christianity. Lewis talks about some people's complaint that Jesus's sufferings and death aren't meaningful "because it must have been so easy for Him" (p. 58). Evidently, this complaint stems from the perception that Jesus somehow had an unfair advantage over His fellow human beings.
However, Lewis goes on to ask, "To what will you look for help if you will not look to that which is stronger than yourself?" (p. 59) Though I'm still not sure if Jesus's death carries any particular meaning for me (because I am exploring), I certainly look to Him to help me with my troubles and ease my pain. I do so for the reason Lewis illustrates: that Jesus is stronger than me, that He can somehow relate to me as a human being, and that I am somehow 'right' with God; that He is my friend.
As a Christian, you surely see how the divine and the corporeal intersect. Is it important to you to show others who cannot see that intersection that the two are not exclusive? What does that intersection look like in your own life?
-Gary
Friday, May 11, 2007
Some Reflections
Dear Malady,
I’m putting my book down for a moment because I want to reflect on your last post. I’m interested in knowing more about how you feel like you’ve grown spiritually? Are there been specific moments or events you can share with me? When we first started this blog, I was anxious about discussing spiritual issues in the ways you and I have now begun to explore. But now, I feel perfectly fine with these discussions.
Now I’m at a point at which I’m asking myself, “What’s next?” I am still not sure what I want from a spiritual life, except that I want to somehow experience life more fully; being aware of every moment of each day, having an open heart for everyone I encounter, being more sure of myself, making decisions with clarity and confidence, and being more joyful. What do you want out of your spiritual life?
I’m intrigued by what you said about people turning to religion simply for comfort. In my own experience, I have mostly found that to be true, too. It troubles me to think that people so often do things to do little more than support or solidify what they already believe. At a minimum, there’s something really dull about that. To resist changing and challenging yourself and what you believe does something to insulate you from the world that is crashing around you. It really limits your experience.
What astounds me the most is when I talk to people who have traveled widely and I discover how limited their experiences often are. They come back from a trip and talk about all the places, people, and things they saw, but their thinking and approach to life doesn’t seem to have changed much. As I remember reading in Paul Theroux’s The Old Patagonian Express, “Travel is pointless unless you intend to change.”
Whether they have traveled or not, I’ve found it hard to find people who integrate their experiences into the growth of their own souls, or whatever they identify as that core part of ourselves that makes us human beings. To me, not sharing (or worse, not even contemplating) that part of your life makes for a lonely and ignorant one—a life that’s little more than a lot of discordant clatter and motion.
You had presented Lewis’s point that religion should start from a place of ‘discomfort and fear.’ The above pretty much describes how I understand his point and what you had discussed in your last post. More thoughts? Vituperation?
-Gary
I’m putting my book down for a moment because I want to reflect on your last post. I’m interested in knowing more about how you feel like you’ve grown spiritually? Are there been specific moments or events you can share with me? When we first started this blog, I was anxious about discussing spiritual issues in the ways you and I have now begun to explore. But now, I feel perfectly fine with these discussions.
Now I’m at a point at which I’m asking myself, “What’s next?” I am still not sure what I want from a spiritual life, except that I want to somehow experience life more fully; being aware of every moment of each day, having an open heart for everyone I encounter, being more sure of myself, making decisions with clarity and confidence, and being more joyful. What do you want out of your spiritual life?
I’m intrigued by what you said about people turning to religion simply for comfort. In my own experience, I have mostly found that to be true, too. It troubles me to think that people so often do things to do little more than support or solidify what they already believe. At a minimum, there’s something really dull about that. To resist changing and challenging yourself and what you believe does something to insulate you from the world that is crashing around you. It really limits your experience.
What astounds me the most is when I talk to people who have traveled widely and I discover how limited their experiences often are. They come back from a trip and talk about all the places, people, and things they saw, but their thinking and approach to life doesn’t seem to have changed much. As I remember reading in Paul Theroux’s The Old Patagonian Express, “Travel is pointless unless you intend to change.”
Whether they have traveled or not, I’ve found it hard to find people who integrate their experiences into the growth of their own souls, or whatever they identify as that core part of ourselves that makes us human beings. To me, not sharing (or worse, not even contemplating) that part of your life makes for a lonely and ignorant one—a life that’s little more than a lot of discordant clatter and motion.
You had presented Lewis’s point that religion should start from a place of ‘discomfort and fear.’ The above pretty much describes how I understand his point and what you had discussed in your last post. More thoughts? Vituperation?
-Gary
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
A Purpose-Driven Life
Dear Gary--
I think you are absolutely correct in thinking that meaning and purpose should be central points of exploration in a Christian life. Even Socrates said that "the unexamined life is not worth living." And by extension of that, I would say that the unexamined Christian life and faith are not worth pursuing.
I think when you are brought up as a Christian, you tend to get complacent in your faith life. People often quit putting a lot of effort in study and growth. And I think this causes tremendous problems when these Christians are confronted with different ideas and ways of thinking. It can be frightening because it feels as if the bedrock of your faith is being attacked and damaged. I think God wants us to ask questions. That is how we learn. We shouldn't take anything, least of all faith, simply at face value. Or because someone has told us we should. That is why I love discussing faith issues with people who think differently than I do. It challenges me to really think about what I believe.
Part of the appeal of Lewis for me is the fact that he takes a very intellectual approach to Christianity. Since he was originally an atheist, I find his thought processes fascinating. What did it take to get an atheist intellectual like Lewis to become a Christian?
I have finally finished Part One of MERE CHRISTIANITY and I love the whole discussion of the Moral Law and the "mind" behind it. His examples are wonderful. I think one of the biggest stumbling blocks for non-believers is the fact that God cannot be PROVEN. And I understand that frustration. It would be nice if science could find incontrovertible truth about the existence of God and then we could all stop arguing about it. But faith doesn't work that way. And if God is the Prime Mover and Creator, it doesn't seem likely we can prove His existence through our conventional means.
I also like how Lewis concludes this section with the fact that religion starts from a place of discomfort and fear. I think many people just turn to religion for comfort. But Lewis has a good point about the problems with the approach. We have to do the work. We have to explore and think and realize and all the other stages of mature spiritual growth. And it can be hard and frustrating and scary and uncomfortable. But, in my experience, that is true of most things worth having.
-Malady
P.S. There is a recent book called the PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIFE that might be worth exploring at a later date. We'll talk more about it later.
I think you are absolutely correct in thinking that meaning and purpose should be central points of exploration in a Christian life. Even Socrates said that "the unexamined life is not worth living." And by extension of that, I would say that the unexamined Christian life and faith are not worth pursuing.
I think when you are brought up as a Christian, you tend to get complacent in your faith life. People often quit putting a lot of effort in study and growth. And I think this causes tremendous problems when these Christians are confronted with different ideas and ways of thinking. It can be frightening because it feels as if the bedrock of your faith is being attacked and damaged. I think God wants us to ask questions. That is how we learn. We shouldn't take anything, least of all faith, simply at face value. Or because someone has told us we should. That is why I love discussing faith issues with people who think differently than I do. It challenges me to really think about what I believe.
Part of the appeal of Lewis for me is the fact that he takes a very intellectual approach to Christianity. Since he was originally an atheist, I find his thought processes fascinating. What did it take to get an atheist intellectual like Lewis to become a Christian?
I have finally finished Part One of MERE CHRISTIANITY and I love the whole discussion of the Moral Law and the "mind" behind it. His examples are wonderful. I think one of the biggest stumbling blocks for non-believers is the fact that God cannot be PROVEN. And I understand that frustration. It would be nice if science could find incontrovertible truth about the existence of God and then we could all stop arguing about it. But faith doesn't work that way. And if God is the Prime Mover and Creator, it doesn't seem likely we can prove His existence through our conventional means.
I also like how Lewis concludes this section with the fact that religion starts from a place of discomfort and fear. I think many people just turn to religion for comfort. But Lewis has a good point about the problems with the approach. We have to do the work. We have to explore and think and realize and all the other stages of mature spiritual growth. And it can be hard and frustrating and scary and uncomfortable. But, in my experience, that is true of most things worth having.
-Malady
P.S. There is a recent book called the PURPOSE-DRIVEN LIFE that might be worth exploring at a later date. We'll talk more about it later.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Peace, Love, Happiness, ...And Having A Purpose
Dear Malady,
Your last post gave me a much clearer picture of what God means to you in your own life. I think I share with you the feeling that God is not really a separate part of your being. The description of your nightmare is marvelous; I can feel the closeness you shared with those in the first part of your dream. "Peace and love and happiness" - it seems that you and I want the same things!
I like how you describe hell as being an absence of God. Your wandering around alone on the street is truly frightening. For me, those times of "hell" are those in which I feel purposelessness and ennui. As you describe your own relationship with God, I am beginning to see that I see my relationship with Him manifests itself in my feelings and that He is not really separate from me. But my feelings are so inconsistent and unreliable that I'm not sure this can really be true.
What I hope to find during the course of my life is peace. That's all I want. When I feel peace, I perceive it as something divine, but not separate from me. But at the end of my life, I hope to encounter someone who will take me in and give meaning to all the things I've struggled with during the course of my life. You talked about having a reunion with God - can you tell me more about what that looks like to you?
Thank you for helping me sort out my "belief and heaven" dilemma. That God is love and that He will take care of it somehow is all I need to know.
I liked The Last Temptation of Christ for similar reasons as yours. Watching this movie was the first time I had felt real resonance with Christ's sacrifice. And I felt so because the film concentrated so much on His humanness. I find it fascinating how his post-cross human life dulled him, made him timid, and put him into a kind of sleep. You had mentioned how Judas is widely misunderstood - I had shared in that misunderstanding until I saw this movie. I had believed Judas had sold Jesus out, but now it's clear to me that Judas's purpose was to remind Jesus of His own purpose (or to be His conscience, as you explained).
How Jesus interpreted His life brings up a difficulty I have when I talk to people who call themselves Christians. What is most profound to me about Jesus that He had a purpose, or a mission. I find that what that mission was - that He died for our sins - less important than the simple fact that He had a purpose for living. That purpose moved Him so powerfully that He dedicated His entire life to it.
I find it interesting (and a little troubling) that so many people don't put much thought into what the purpose of their lives are. To me, exploring this question should be central to a Christian life. I see Christ's sacrifice not as a letting us off the hook, but instead as a challenge to pony up and explore the meaning in our own lives. Perhaps we don't have to die for our purpose as Christ did, but I fully expect God to ask me some pretty pointed questions on this subject. I have a feeling that He'll be fine if I don't have an answer, but that He will be concerned if I hadn't considered it much. Kind of like not studying for an exam, but a lot more serious. What do you think about this?
-Gary
Your last post gave me a much clearer picture of what God means to you in your own life. I think I share with you the feeling that God is not really a separate part of your being. The description of your nightmare is marvelous; I can feel the closeness you shared with those in the first part of your dream. "Peace and love and happiness" - it seems that you and I want the same things!
I like how you describe hell as being an absence of God. Your wandering around alone on the street is truly frightening. For me, those times of "hell" are those in which I feel purposelessness and ennui. As you describe your own relationship with God, I am beginning to see that I see my relationship with Him manifests itself in my feelings and that He is not really separate from me. But my feelings are so inconsistent and unreliable that I'm not sure this can really be true.
What I hope to find during the course of my life is peace. That's all I want. When I feel peace, I perceive it as something divine, but not separate from me. But at the end of my life, I hope to encounter someone who will take me in and give meaning to all the things I've struggled with during the course of my life. You talked about having a reunion with God - can you tell me more about what that looks like to you?
Thank you for helping me sort out my "belief and heaven" dilemma. That God is love and that He will take care of it somehow is all I need to know.
I liked The Last Temptation of Christ for similar reasons as yours. Watching this movie was the first time I had felt real resonance with Christ's sacrifice. And I felt so because the film concentrated so much on His humanness. I find it fascinating how his post-cross human life dulled him, made him timid, and put him into a kind of sleep. You had mentioned how Judas is widely misunderstood - I had shared in that misunderstanding until I saw this movie. I had believed Judas had sold Jesus out, but now it's clear to me that Judas's purpose was to remind Jesus of His own purpose (or to be His conscience, as you explained).
How Jesus interpreted His life brings up a difficulty I have when I talk to people who call themselves Christians. What is most profound to me about Jesus that He had a purpose, or a mission. I find that what that mission was - that He died for our sins - less important than the simple fact that He had a purpose for living. That purpose moved Him so powerfully that He dedicated His entire life to it.
I find it interesting (and a little troubling) that so many people don't put much thought into what the purpose of their lives are. To me, exploring this question should be central to a Christian life. I see Christ's sacrifice not as a letting us off the hook, but instead as a challenge to pony up and explore the meaning in our own lives. Perhaps we don't have to die for our purpose as Christ did, but I fully expect God to ask me some pretty pointed questions on this subject. I have a feeling that He'll be fine if I don't have an answer, but that He will be concerned if I hadn't considered it much. Kind of like not studying for an exam, but a lot more serious. What do you think about this?
-Gary
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Christian Concepts
Dear Gary--
We are getting into some really meaty stuff here.
1) First of all, let me address the concept of heaven. We don't really know what "heaven" or "the afterlife" is really going to be like. And I'm not sure I really believe in the concept of "hell." I once had a vivid nightmare that went something like this:
I was sitting on a very large bed with a group of people and we were praying together and singing songs and worshipping. It was wonderful. I felt such peace and love and happiness. And I knew that came out of my relationship with God and my fellow Christians. Then, the scene changed. The other Christians disappeared and I was wandering the streets alone. I tried to find other Christians and talk to people about God but no one understood what I was talking about. There was a complete lack of God in my surroundings. I felt such despair. I had lost that love and peace and couldn't get it back. That is when I realized that I had died and I was in hell. My "hell" was the complete lack of God. There was no fire. There were no demons. Just me. Alone.
Now, I don't know if that is what the afterlife will be like. But my hunch is that "heaven" simply means a reunion with God. After death, when we are released from our corporeal being, there will be no more barriers to our union with God and with each other. How wonderful that would be!
2) I have a hard time with the concept of Satan. I'm not sure I really believe in the existence of Satan. I think Lewis believed in Satan. You'll understand this more if you go on to read THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS. But maybe Satan is just another way of describing those parts of us that keep us from God. I don't know.
3) Your concern about belief and heaven makes me think of the age-old argument about what happens to people who don't know anything about God or Christianity. For example, what happens to indigenous peoples in parts of the world that have never been exposed to the Western concept of God? Is it fair to think that they will go to "hell" simply because they have no knowledge of God? I don't think so. A classmate of mine in college asked his pastor father the same question. His father told him, "Son, I don't know the answer to that question. But I DO know God and God is love." I think God has a way of sorting all of this out. But we should take advantage of the knowledge that we DO have.
4) Why do I love LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST so much? When I saw the film, it was truly a revelation for me. When the movie first came out, many people told me that it was the work of the devil. I heard crazy things like "Jesus has sex with Mary Magdalene on the cross!" What?!!! I was actually SCARED to see the movie. Then, in college, my pastor had a screening at the chapel. It became clear to me that none of the people who warned me about the film had actually SEEN it.
The film (and the book) reveal the human side of Jesus. If any god were omnipotent and "died" for us, it wouldn't seem to be *that* big of a deal. I mean, how much of a sacrifice is it if the god in questions feels no pain and dying is no big thing. But what if the deity can feel things like rage and fear and pain? Because He is part human? That's a whole different story. The film also brings out the fact that Judas may be the most misunderstand individual in the Bible. If he had not followed through with his mission, where would we all be? In the movie, Judas is Jesus' conscience. He makes sure that Jesus fufills his duty on earth. And because he loves Jesus, that duty is especially painful. This movie/book imagines the "last" temptation as a chance for Jesus to live a normal life. He can get off the cross instead of a being a sacrifice for humankind. And He is tempted to do so. After all, He is human as well as divine. But Judas helps Him to see that He must complete His journey to the cross to save all of us. And that is a very powerful thing. It's a real sacrifice. But when Jesus says "it is accomplished," our relationship with God takes on a whole new meaning. The slate is wiped clean and we are blessed with grace. The ultimate sacrifice has been made.
-Malady
We are getting into some really meaty stuff here.
1) First of all, let me address the concept of heaven. We don't really know what "heaven" or "the afterlife" is really going to be like. And I'm not sure I really believe in the concept of "hell." I once had a vivid nightmare that went something like this:
I was sitting on a very large bed with a group of people and we were praying together and singing songs and worshipping. It was wonderful. I felt such peace and love and happiness. And I knew that came out of my relationship with God and my fellow Christians. Then, the scene changed. The other Christians disappeared and I was wandering the streets alone. I tried to find other Christians and talk to people about God but no one understood what I was talking about. There was a complete lack of God in my surroundings. I felt such despair. I had lost that love and peace and couldn't get it back. That is when I realized that I had died and I was in hell. My "hell" was the complete lack of God. There was no fire. There were no demons. Just me. Alone.
Now, I don't know if that is what the afterlife will be like. But my hunch is that "heaven" simply means a reunion with God. After death, when we are released from our corporeal being, there will be no more barriers to our union with God and with each other. How wonderful that would be!
2) I have a hard time with the concept of Satan. I'm not sure I really believe in the existence of Satan. I think Lewis believed in Satan. You'll understand this more if you go on to read THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS. But maybe Satan is just another way of describing those parts of us that keep us from God. I don't know.
3) Your concern about belief and heaven makes me think of the age-old argument about what happens to people who don't know anything about God or Christianity. For example, what happens to indigenous peoples in parts of the world that have never been exposed to the Western concept of God? Is it fair to think that they will go to "hell" simply because they have no knowledge of God? I don't think so. A classmate of mine in college asked his pastor father the same question. His father told him, "Son, I don't know the answer to that question. But I DO know God and God is love." I think God has a way of sorting all of this out. But we should take advantage of the knowledge that we DO have.
4) Why do I love LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST so much? When I saw the film, it was truly a revelation for me. When the movie first came out, many people told me that it was the work of the devil. I heard crazy things like "Jesus has sex with Mary Magdalene on the cross!" What?!!! I was actually SCARED to see the movie. Then, in college, my pastor had a screening at the chapel. It became clear to me that none of the people who warned me about the film had actually SEEN it.
The film (and the book) reveal the human side of Jesus. If any god were omnipotent and "died" for us, it wouldn't seem to be *that* big of a deal. I mean, how much of a sacrifice is it if the god in questions feels no pain and dying is no big thing. But what if the deity can feel things like rage and fear and pain? Because He is part human? That's a whole different story. The film also brings out the fact that Judas may be the most misunderstand individual in the Bible. If he had not followed through with his mission, where would we all be? In the movie, Judas is Jesus' conscience. He makes sure that Jesus fufills his duty on earth. And because he loves Jesus, that duty is especially painful. This movie/book imagines the "last" temptation as a chance for Jesus to live a normal life. He can get off the cross instead of a being a sacrifice for humankind. And He is tempted to do so. After all, He is human as well as divine. But Judas helps Him to see that He must complete His journey to the cross to save all of us. And that is a very powerful thing. It's a real sacrifice. But when Jesus says "it is accomplished," our relationship with God takes on a whole new meaning. The slate is wiped clean and we are blessed with grace. The ultimate sacrifice has been made.
-Malady
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Last Temptation
Dear Malady,
I like the Pascal chart. The "God exists/Ungodly life" intersection brings up something that intrigued me about The Last Temptation of Christ. It is this: Does God expect you to believe in Him in order to go to heaven?
I'm pretty sure Jesus didn't quit believing in God and that God was His father, but during the period Satan had duped Jesus and gave Him a human life after the attempted crucifixion, Jesus seemed to have given up on Himself and His purpose. What if Judas had never found and made clear to Jesus that Satan had tricked Him? Would Jesus have still gone to heaven?
I'm wondering about believing as a requirement to go to heaven because what if Satan took an otherwise good person and made God invisible to him/her their whole life? Why wouldn't God try harder to make Himself known and to show that person that he/she has a purpose for living?
I'm trying to determine to what extent the responsibility is mine to seek Him out. It seems that God would have to throw a person some kind of carrot so his/her interest is at least piqued. But if He never throws the carrot (or Satan successfully hides the carrot from a person for his/her entire life), should that person be disallowed from going to heaven? I'm struggling with this idea right now, but I'll keep sorting it out. In the meantime, any carrots you can throw my way so I can better understand this dilemma would be appreciated!
You discussed grace in the "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" post. I find a great deal of comfort in that explanation and it makes me believe that God would give me a break if I couldn't find a reason to believe in Him. I found Jesus's romantic love for a prostitute to be a profound combination of grace and humanity. I have always subscribed to the idea that one cannot help who one falls in love with (or just loves) and I thought it was pretty courageous to pursue that relationship so openly in Temptation. And that Jesus challenged social propriety and defended Mary in front of others showed that He was the stand-up kind of guy we should all aspire to be.
A last point about the movie, what you've talked about, and what I've run into in the second book of Mere Christianity: I'm not sure Satan was obviously evil in The Last Temptation of Christ. This is an idea that I first encountered in John Milton's Paradise Lost (which I would like to add to our reading list) and it has rocked my world ever since.
Satan was clearly a bad egg in that he lead Jesus astray for many, many years after the crucifixion. Getting married, having children and a home was not what God had intended for Jesus - I understand that. But Satan allowed Jesus to experience a kind of human happiness that, I think, helped him to better understand what humans need in their lives to want to get out of bed each morning and march on. This seems to support Lewis's explanation of the Christian view that everything has its origins in Good - including Satan. I'm interested to know how you think about this issue.
Jesus's expression of joy on the cross at the very end of the movie left me unsure of what to ultimately think, however. Is the purpose of living to grow the soul or pursue happiness? I think the best-lived lives are those that combine both. But why does it remind me so much of your "walking the tightrope" image...?
I like the Pascal chart. The "God exists/Ungodly life" intersection brings up something that intrigued me about The Last Temptation of Christ. It is this: Does God expect you to believe in Him in order to go to heaven?
I'm pretty sure Jesus didn't quit believing in God and that God was His father, but during the period Satan had duped Jesus and gave Him a human life after the attempted crucifixion, Jesus seemed to have given up on Himself and His purpose. What if Judas had never found and made clear to Jesus that Satan had tricked Him? Would Jesus have still gone to heaven?
I'm wondering about believing as a requirement to go to heaven because what if Satan took an otherwise good person and made God invisible to him/her their whole life? Why wouldn't God try harder to make Himself known and to show that person that he/she has a purpose for living?
I'm trying to determine to what extent the responsibility is mine to seek Him out. It seems that God would have to throw a person some kind of carrot so his/her interest is at least piqued. But if He never throws the carrot (or Satan successfully hides the carrot from a person for his/her entire life), should that person be disallowed from going to heaven? I'm struggling with this idea right now, but I'll keep sorting it out. In the meantime, any carrots you can throw my way so I can better understand this dilemma would be appreciated!
You discussed grace in the "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" post. I find a great deal of comfort in that explanation and it makes me believe that God would give me a break if I couldn't find a reason to believe in Him. I found Jesus's romantic love for a prostitute to be a profound combination of grace and humanity. I have always subscribed to the idea that one cannot help who one falls in love with (or just loves) and I thought it was pretty courageous to pursue that relationship so openly in Temptation. And that Jesus challenged social propriety and defended Mary in front of others showed that He was the stand-up kind of guy we should all aspire to be.
A last point about the movie, what you've talked about, and what I've run into in the second book of Mere Christianity: I'm not sure Satan was obviously evil in The Last Temptation of Christ. This is an idea that I first encountered in John Milton's Paradise Lost (which I would like to add to our reading list) and it has rocked my world ever since.
Satan was clearly a bad egg in that he lead Jesus astray for many, many years after the crucifixion. Getting married, having children and a home was not what God had intended for Jesus - I understand that. But Satan allowed Jesus to experience a kind of human happiness that, I think, helped him to better understand what humans need in their lives to want to get out of bed each morning and march on. This seems to support Lewis's explanation of the Christian view that everything has its origins in Good - including Satan. I'm interested to know how you think about this issue.
Jesus's expression of joy on the cross at the very end of the movie left me unsure of what to ultimately think, however. Is the purpose of living to grow the soul or pursue happiness? I think the best-lived lives are those that combine both. But why does it remind me so much of your "walking the tightrope" image...?
Pascal's Wager
Dear Gary,
I know you haven't had time to respond to my last post but I thought of this today and wanted to share it with you.
I minored in Philosophy in college and some of the "big questions" of philosophy have to do with God and the meaning of life. Blaise Pascal came up with a wager that described how he began to believe in God. It goes something like this.
Draw a chart on a piece of paper with four boxes (two on top and two below). At the top of the chart, write "God exists" and "God Doesn't Exist" over each box. At the side, write "Godly Life" and "Ungodly Life" beside each box. Okay, now we are going to fill in the boxes.
Write "-1" in the box where "God Doesn't Exist" and "Godly Life" intersect. If you have followed all the "rules" and lived a good life and then, after death, you discover that God doesn't exist, that nets you a -1 because you could have been doing whatever the heck you wanted but you led a Godly life instead. A waste of time.
Write "+1" in the box where "God Doesn't Exist" and "Ungodly Life" intersect. If you have lived your life however you want to and then it turns out that there is no God, well you have netted +1. You have gotten to do whatever you want. Hooray for you.
Write "- (minus) infinity" in the box where "God Exists" and "Ungodly Life" intersect. Let's say you spent your life doing whatever you want and not believing in God and then it turns out that there IS a God after all. Oops. Not a good outcome.
Write "+ infinity" in the box where "God Exists" and "Godly Life" intersect. What if you have believed in God and done your very best to live a godly life? And then it turns out that there IS a God. Well, as my college professor put it, "you have won the cosmic lottery!"
So, if we compare the different outcomes, we see that the best you can do while NOT believing in God is a "+1." The best you can do with BELIEVING in God is "+ infinity." And then look at the WORST you can do in each case. Pascal points out that you are better off believing because the worst that can happen is a "-1."
This is a pretty logical, unemotional and simplified way to look at things but I always enjoyed the idea of it.
-Malady
I know you haven't had time to respond to my last post but I thought of this today and wanted to share it with you.
I minored in Philosophy in college and some of the "big questions" of philosophy have to do with God and the meaning of life. Blaise Pascal came up with a wager that described how he began to believe in God. It goes something like this.
Draw a chart on a piece of paper with four boxes (two on top and two below). At the top of the chart, write "God exists" and "God Doesn't Exist" over each box. At the side, write "Godly Life" and "Ungodly Life" beside each box. Okay, now we are going to fill in the boxes.
Write "-1" in the box where "God Doesn't Exist" and "Godly Life" intersect. If you have followed all the "rules" and lived a good life and then, after death, you discover that God doesn't exist, that nets you a -1 because you could have been doing whatever the heck you wanted but you led a Godly life instead. A waste of time.
Write "+1" in the box where "God Doesn't Exist" and "Ungodly Life" intersect. If you have lived your life however you want to and then it turns out that there is no God, well you have netted +1. You have gotten to do whatever you want. Hooray for you.
Write "- (minus) infinity" in the box where "God Exists" and "Ungodly Life" intersect. Let's say you spent your life doing whatever you want and not believing in God and then it turns out that there IS a God after all. Oops. Not a good outcome.
Write "+ infinity" in the box where "God Exists" and "Godly Life" intersect. What if you have believed in God and done your very best to live a godly life? And then it turns out that there IS a God. Well, as my college professor put it, "you have won the cosmic lottery!"
So, if we compare the different outcomes, we see that the best you can do while NOT believing in God is a "+1." The best you can do with BELIEVING in God is "+ infinity." And then look at the WORST you can do in each case. Pascal points out that you are better off believing because the worst that can happen is a "-1."
This is a pretty logical, unemotional and simplified way to look at things but I always enjoyed the idea of it.
-Malady
Friday, April 20, 2007
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
Dear Gary,
This is a tough one. I haven't gotten that far in the book yet but I'll try to address your question. We are starting to get into the idea of "sin" and God's role in "sin." I think a lot of people don' t like the idea of God looking down from heaven and judging everything that they do. God was very present in the Old Testament. He spent a lot of time getting mad at people and meting out punishment. In the New Testament, that visible and personal relationship disappears. We are just left with grace.
You and I discussed the concept of grace offline. I told you about my favorite interpretation of grace. It goes like this:
"You go to school for the first time and you are feeling really nervous and inadequate. It almost seems like a sham that you are even in the classroom because you feel like you don't measure up and you'll never be able to keep up with the others. Then, the teacher comes in, looks at you and the others and says, "I'm giving you all an "A". Now, just do your best."
God is very much a father-figure for humankind. (or a mother-figure if you prefer) We are all God's children and He wants the very best for us. But God decided to give us free will. Like children, we have to make mistakes and try to learn from them. And that can be frustrating for everyone. Including God, I would imagine. We aren't perfect beings. We are going to make mistakes. But as long as we try our best, we're okay. That is the gift of grace. God gave us a model for behavior in Jesus. WWJD (what would Jesus do?) is kind of a trite guideline but it is still pretty useful. I use it myself quite often. The reason God doesn't make grand appearances anymore like He did in the Old Testament is because of Jesus. Jesus was both human and God. He gave God a firsthand look at what it means to be human. And Jesus was sacrificed for our sins. He gave us the gift of grace. So, now we turn inwards for our relationship with God. We trust in that relationship through faith alone. And we simply try our best.
Hope that helps a little bit. It's a very complicated issue.
I recommended the movie "The Last Temptation of Christ" to you recently. What did you think of it?
-Malady
This is a tough one. I haven't gotten that far in the book yet but I'll try to address your question. We are starting to get into the idea of "sin" and God's role in "sin." I think a lot of people don' t like the idea of God looking down from heaven and judging everything that they do. God was very present in the Old Testament. He spent a lot of time getting mad at people and meting out punishment. In the New Testament, that visible and personal relationship disappears. We are just left with grace.
You and I discussed the concept of grace offline. I told you about my favorite interpretation of grace. It goes like this:
"You go to school for the first time and you are feeling really nervous and inadequate. It almost seems like a sham that you are even in the classroom because you feel like you don't measure up and you'll never be able to keep up with the others. Then, the teacher comes in, looks at you and the others and says, "I'm giving you all an "A". Now, just do your best."
God is very much a father-figure for humankind. (or a mother-figure if you prefer) We are all God's children and He wants the very best for us. But God decided to give us free will. Like children, we have to make mistakes and try to learn from them. And that can be frustrating for everyone. Including God, I would imagine. We aren't perfect beings. We are going to make mistakes. But as long as we try our best, we're okay. That is the gift of grace. God gave us a model for behavior in Jesus. WWJD (what would Jesus do?) is kind of a trite guideline but it is still pretty useful. I use it myself quite often. The reason God doesn't make grand appearances anymore like He did in the Old Testament is because of Jesus. Jesus was both human and God. He gave God a firsthand look at what it means to be human. And Jesus was sacrificed for our sins. He gave us the gift of grace. So, now we turn inwards for our relationship with God. We trust in that relationship through faith alone. And we simply try our best.
Hope that helps a little bit. It's a very complicated issue.
I recommended the movie "The Last Temptation of Christ" to you recently. What did you think of it?
-Malady
Thursday, April 19, 2007
An 'Aha!' Moment
Malady, I read something in Chapter 5 (We Have Cause to be Uneasy) that made me discover why I have so often pushed God away. At this point (page 30 in my book), Lewis is entertaining the idea of God as an impersonal absolute goodness. He is talking about a God who is backed by the Moral Law:
"There is nothing indulgent about the Moral Law. It is as hard as nails. It tells you to do the straight thing and it does not seem to care how painful, or dangerous, or difficult it is to do. If God is like the Moral Law, then He is not soft. If He is a pure impersonal mind, there may be no sense in asking Him to make allowances for you or to let you off, just as there is no sense in asking the multiplication table to let you off when you do your sums wrong. You are bound to get the wrong answer.
You may want Him to make an exception in your own case, to let you off this one time...We know that if there does exist an absolute goodness it must hate most of what we do. This is the terrible fix we are in. If the universe is not governed by an absolute goodness, then all our efforts are in the long run hopeless."
I have never been an atheist, but I am so full of flaws and inconsistencies that I have never had the energy or desire to try to please some omnipresent, omniscient being whose presence I could rarely sense (let alone prove to myself). I didn't think I did this to the extent I do, but I guess my SOP has mostly been to please myself.
As a Christian, is it the sense of 'becoming' or something else that gives you the energy to continue being a Christian? It would help me a great deal if you could tell me how you reconcile in your own life what Lewis is saying in the section I've included above.
"There is nothing indulgent about the Moral Law. It is as hard as nails. It tells you to do the straight thing and it does not seem to care how painful, or dangerous, or difficult it is to do. If God is like the Moral Law, then He is not soft. If He is a pure impersonal mind, there may be no sense in asking Him to make allowances for you or to let you off, just as there is no sense in asking the multiplication table to let you off when you do your sums wrong. You are bound to get the wrong answer.
You may want Him to make an exception in your own case, to let you off this one time...We know that if there does exist an absolute goodness it must hate most of what we do. This is the terrible fix we are in. If the universe is not governed by an absolute goodness, then all our efforts are in the long run hopeless."
I have never been an atheist, but I am so full of flaws and inconsistencies that I have never had the energy or desire to try to please some omnipresent, omniscient being whose presence I could rarely sense (let alone prove to myself). I didn't think I did this to the extent I do, but I guess my SOP has mostly been to please myself.
As a Christian, is it the sense of 'becoming' or something else that gives you the energy to continue being a Christian? It would help me a great deal if you could tell me how you reconcile in your own life what Lewis is saying in the section I've included above.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
MERE CHRISTIANITY by C.S. Lewis
Dear Gary,
I'm really excited that we will be reading MERE CHRISTIANITY together. It has been a long time since I have read that book. In college, my pastor started a group called the C.S. Lewis Society. We would gather at his home to read books by C.S. Lewis. Even though I loved the Narnia books as a child, I think my real love of C.S. Lewis came from those times at the home of my pastor.
Parts of the book are available online. You can access it here.
I'll check back with you after we read Book One.
-Malady
I'm really excited that we will be reading MERE CHRISTIANITY together. It has been a long time since I have read that book. In college, my pastor started a group called the C.S. Lewis Society. We would gather at his home to read books by C.S. Lewis. Even though I loved the Narnia books as a child, I think my real love of C.S. Lewis came from those times at the home of my pastor.
Parts of the book are available online. You can access it here.
I'll check back with you after we read Book One.
-Malady
The Beginning Part Two
Dear Malady,
I'm not sure yet if I identify myself as a Christian, but I think I understand how you and Lucy feel. My mind and spirit often feel agitated and restless because I've spent most of my life convincing myself that there is some single truth I should be looking for. I'm finally beginning to see that my life has many truths and many of them are incompatible. Whether it's looking to God, discovering through meditation, or some other way, I want to reconcile the things that trouble me so I don't harm myself or the people I care about.
Like you, I grew up as a Christian. My family is Presbyterian and my parents were sporadic about attending church. It's clear to me now that my parents felt that going to church was more a duty to fulfill than it was celebrating their relationship with God. Nor was my family ever a joyful bunch, so happiness and a real love for anything (let alone going to church) wasn't ever instilled in me. That I never found a community in which to cultivate my faith and spirituality doesn't matter to me now. I can't do anything to fix that stuff, so I'm only concerning myself about this point forward. Perhaps that will change as we go forward.
You are traveling a difficult road and your soul is going to grow a lot in this life. Right now, I am just trying to find peace in my life. However, I've exhausted the resources that I've drawn upon in my own experience and education to find that peace. Something still isn't right and I want to spend the second half of my life searching for peace and reconciling the truths of my life, whatever they may be.
I join you with a glad heart.
Gary
I'm not sure yet if I identify myself as a Christian, but I think I understand how you and Lucy feel. My mind and spirit often feel agitated and restless because I've spent most of my life convincing myself that there is some single truth I should be looking for. I'm finally beginning to see that my life has many truths and many of them are incompatible. Whether it's looking to God, discovering through meditation, or some other way, I want to reconcile the things that trouble me so I don't harm myself or the people I care about.
Like you, I grew up as a Christian. My family is Presbyterian and my parents were sporadic about attending church. It's clear to me now that my parents felt that going to church was more a duty to fulfill than it was celebrating their relationship with God. Nor was my family ever a joyful bunch, so happiness and a real love for anything (let alone going to church) wasn't ever instilled in me. That I never found a community in which to cultivate my faith and spirituality doesn't matter to me now. I can't do anything to fix that stuff, so I'm only concerning myself about this point forward. Perhaps that will change as we go forward.
You are traveling a difficult road and your soul is going to grow a lot in this life. Right now, I am just trying to find peace in my life. However, I've exhausted the resources that I've drawn upon in my own experience and education to find that peace. Something still isn't right and I want to spend the second half of my life searching for peace and reconciling the truths of my life, whatever they may be.
I join you with a glad heart.
Gary
Sunday, April 8, 2007
The Beginning
Dear Gary,
In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, a little girl named Lucy goes through a wardrobe and finds a magical world. When she returns to her own time, she is very excited to share her adventures with her siblings. But she can't get anyone to believe her. Even when her brother Edmund discovers the truth about the wardrobe, he betrays her and tells their other two siblings that it is only "make-believe." Poor Lucy is so hurt. She has found something wonderful that she wants to share with others but not only do people not believe her, some of them even mock her.
I sometimes feel that is an apt description for what it is like to be a Christian in today's world. We are faced with the task of living and sharing our faith while functioning in a secular space. It can be very difficult.
I grew up as Christian. My father was an Episcopalian and my mother was a Baptist so they raised me in a non-denominational bible church. I was "dedicated" to God as a baby because we didn't have infant baptisms in my church. I attended Sunday school regularly and often went to the churches of my grandparents. I was baptized when I was fourteen through total immersion. And then, my family quit going to church. I didn't have an active faith life as a teenager. In fact, I felt a little embittered and hurt by the whole thing. But when I went to college, I reached out and found a home in my non-denominational campus chapel where I became a Deacon. Because I am a Liberal, I often feel that many Christians don't accept me or that they are overly critical of me. On the other hand, many of my liberal acquaintances don't take me seriously because I am Christian. It is like balancing on a tightrope. Leaning too far either way could make you fall. But then, I need both of those sides to keep me whole.
As an adult, I have found a home in the Lutheran church. Their focus on good works appeals to my liberal/social justice inclinations. And I have the opportunity to participate in a community of faith which is very important to me. The thing about faith is that it is never static. It is constantly growing and changing. I don't have all the answers. I am not a theologian. But I try to learn and develop my faith all the time.
One Christian who has inspired me a great deal is C.S. Lewis. Lewis was an atheist who was "surprised by joy." He claims he fought very hard against God but God won in the end. He shares his faith journey through such books as Mere Christianity. I suggest we start there.
Will you join me?
-Malady
In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, a little girl named Lucy goes through a wardrobe and finds a magical world. When she returns to her own time, she is very excited to share her adventures with her siblings. But she can't get anyone to believe her. Even when her brother Edmund discovers the truth about the wardrobe, he betrays her and tells their other two siblings that it is only "make-believe." Poor Lucy is so hurt. She has found something wonderful that she wants to share with others but not only do people not believe her, some of them even mock her.
I sometimes feel that is an apt description for what it is like to be a Christian in today's world. We are faced with the task of living and sharing our faith while functioning in a secular space. It can be very difficult.
I grew up as Christian. My father was an Episcopalian and my mother was a Baptist so they raised me in a non-denominational bible church. I was "dedicated" to God as a baby because we didn't have infant baptisms in my church. I attended Sunday school regularly and often went to the churches of my grandparents. I was baptized when I was fourteen through total immersion. And then, my family quit going to church. I didn't have an active faith life as a teenager. In fact, I felt a little embittered and hurt by the whole thing. But when I went to college, I reached out and found a home in my non-denominational campus chapel where I became a Deacon. Because I am a Liberal, I often feel that many Christians don't accept me or that they are overly critical of me. On the other hand, many of my liberal acquaintances don't take me seriously because I am Christian. It is like balancing on a tightrope. Leaning too far either way could make you fall. But then, I need both of those sides to keep me whole.
As an adult, I have found a home in the Lutheran church. Their focus on good works appeals to my liberal/social justice inclinations. And I have the opportunity to participate in a community of faith which is very important to me. The thing about faith is that it is never static. It is constantly growing and changing. I don't have all the answers. I am not a theologian. But I try to learn and develop my faith all the time.
One Christian who has inspired me a great deal is C.S. Lewis. Lewis was an atheist who was "surprised by joy." He claims he fought very hard against God but God won in the end. He shares his faith journey through such books as Mere Christianity. I suggest we start there.
Will you join me?
-Malady
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