Welcome to my Blog. Please take a moment to sign my guestbook.
Comments:
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Agnosticus.When you finish Agnosticus you may forget everything you learned from the previous 3 books and doubt the content of the books you read after that. What happened to cause you to doubt/deny/ignore the faith you had developed/professed/shared/preached all those years?
by Simple Man (PM , CC ) on Sunday April 29, 2007 @ 12:28 AM
Greetings, Simple Man.
Thanks for your comment. I understand the perspective from which you are coming; however, answering you may be no simple task since it might require getting past a kind of dogmatic shield to connect with you. I'm not trying to be negative in saying that; it's just the truth. Of course, the other possibility is that you, yourself, have experienced a desire to question certain long-held beliefs but have refrained from going too far with that...yet, when you encounter someone who has, you want to know "why?" and "how?"
Nobody said I had *rejected* Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus or any other book in the Bible. My desire is not to reject them, but rather to understand them. The Bible carries such authority in our culture (and all around the world) that I believe it is crucial to understand it. Unfortunately, the Bible is very MISunderstood and MISused. That's not some "liberal", misguided statement supported only by scholars with some agenda to destroy the faith. It's actually not very hard at all to dismantle many of the popular ideas associated with Christianity and the Bible...it's just that most people who adhere to those ideas believe it dangerous, evil, "sinful", or foolish to ever question their validity.
Understanding the Bible means being careful not to allow denominational, cultural, or dogmatic/doctrinal ideas to obscure or taint your study. This doesn't mean that all denominational, cultural or doctrinal ideas are necessarily harmful, just that when one is seeking to understand something as complex and ancient that the writings in the Bible, it is important not to allow dogma to interfere. Beliefs about the Bible, after all, should be based on good biblical study -- our interpretations and understanding of the text should not be forced by dogmatic, pre-conceived ideas. That does a real disservice to the book that is so revered. Good, scholarly study actually shows respect to the text and, one might say, to God.
So, I have not forgotten what any book in the Bible says...I just believe the Bible should be understood rather than having contrived and popular religious notions imposed upon it. One can have faith and still understand the Bible in all its various contexts (historical, literary, etc...).
Do I "doubt/deny/ignore the faith" -- not at all. I do not "doubt" faith, I simply call it what it is: faith. Nor does that mean I don't HAVE faith. I do still. Thus, I don't "deny" it either. I do deny that I am a Christian in the popular sense of the word. Following Jesus requires one to do as he did and said...something modern Christianity sets on the back-burner. Contemporary Christianity is all about "believing" so one can be "saved from hell". Jesus was more about changing the world we live in. He was a social revolutionary. Having faith in Jesus should me more than just believing a set of doctrines about him and trying to follow certain rules in life. I'm not saying morals are meaningless -- not at all -- but being a "Christian" is supposed to be about much more than that. I do not follow Jesus in the way that he demanded, so how is it right for me to call myself a Christian? Do I "ignore" the faith? To the contrary, I am more aware of it than ever. That's why I've become more honest about it. At least I'm not doing Jesus the injustice of claiming to be a follower but essentially living like those he criticized.
So, to wrap this response up, I really do not doubt, deny or ignore what I've learned, professed and taught. One might even say I've repented from a kind of hypocrisy -- one where Christians claim to believe X, Y, and Z but don't really follow the one they claim is their Lord. Rather, they follow a caricature of Jesus wrapped up in modern evangelical dogma...not the Jesus of history. I decided to stop doing that.
Many Blogstream members are there
already! Quotes from members: "It's like blog lite!" -- "I like the instant
gratification!" -- "Stop spectating, get in the game!"
If you have not joined in, you are really missing out!
Thanks for your comment. I understand the perspective from which you are coming; however, answering you may be no simple task since it might require getting past a kind of dogmatic shield to connect with you. I'm not trying to be negative in saying that; it's just the truth. Of course, the other possibility is that you, yourself, have experienced a desire to question certain long-held beliefs but have refrained from going too far with that...yet, when you encounter someone who has, you want to know "why?" and "how?"
Nobody said I had *rejected* Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus or any other book in the Bible. My desire is not to reject them, but rather to understand them. The Bible carries such authority in our culture (and all around the world) that I believe it is crucial to understand it. Unfortunately, the Bible is very MISunderstood and MISused. That's not some "liberal", misguided statement supported only by scholars with some agenda to destroy the faith. It's actually not very hard at all to dismantle many of the popular ideas associated with Christianity and the Bible...it's just that most people who adhere to those ideas believe it dangerous, evil, "sinful", or foolish to ever question their validity.
Understanding the Bible means being careful not to allow denominational, cultural, or dogmatic/doctrinal ideas to obscure or taint your study. This doesn't mean that all denominational, cultural or doctrinal ideas are necessarily harmful, just that when one is seeking to understand something as complex and ancient that the writings in the Bible, it is important not to allow dogma to interfere. Beliefs about the Bible, after all, should be based on good biblical study -- our interpretations and understanding of the text should not be forced by dogmatic, pre-conceived ideas. That does a real disservice to the book that is so revered. Good, scholarly study actually shows respect to the text and, one might say, to God.
So, I have not forgotten what any book in the Bible says...I just believe the Bible should be understood rather than having contrived and popular religious notions imposed upon it. One can have faith and still understand the Bible in all its various contexts (historical, literary, etc...).
Do I "doubt/deny/ignore the faith" -- not at all. I do not "doubt" faith, I simply call it what it is: faith. Nor does that mean I don't HAVE faith. I do still. Thus, I don't "deny" it either. I do deny that I am a Christian in the popular sense of the word. Following Jesus requires one to do as he did and said...something modern Christianity sets on the back-burner. Contemporary Christianity is all about "believing" so one can be "saved from hell". Jesus was more about changing the world we live in. He was a social revolutionary. Having faith in Jesus should me more than just believing a set of doctrines about him and trying to follow certain rules in life. I'm not saying morals are meaningless -- not at all -- but being a "Christian" is supposed to be about much more than that. I do not follow Jesus in the way that he demanded, so how is it right for me to call myself a Christian? Do I "ignore" the faith? To the contrary, I am more aware of it than ever. That's why I've become more honest about it. At least I'm not doing Jesus the injustice of claiming to be a follower but essentially living like those he criticized.
So, to wrap this response up, I really do not doubt, deny or ignore what I've learned, professed and taught. One might even say I've repented from a kind of hypocrisy -- one where Christians claim to believe X, Y, and Z but don't really follow the one they claim is their Lord. Rather, they follow a caricature of Jesus wrapped up in modern evangelical dogma...not the Jesus of history. I decided to stop doing that.
Thanks again for writing. Write anytime.
Kevin
a dyslexic?
Someone who stays awake at night wondering if there really
is a dog.