To avoid getting emotionally involved in the slaughter that is occurring right now on my television (gotta hate those orange teams), I'm going to write. You know, trade one passion for the other. Because I got something on my mind and I don't think it's going to go away.
So I'm in this religious studies learning community, right? It's supposed to be supporting a pluralistic way of life. I didn't know what pluralistic was at the beginning of the year and I had to look it up. Religiously, it's the view that all religions are equally valid, without anyone holding the market on truth and rightness, and it pushes coexistence. Now, currently, I'm all for coexistence because, as Voldemort said in a Very Potter Musical, "You think that killing people would make them like you, but it doesn't. It just makes them dead." And then it makes their descendants bitter and then any chance at reconciliation and understanding is put off for millenniums, and that only if neither one of you does anything to make the other mad.
But, you know, I'm realizing more and more that I don't think that all religions or lack thereof are equally valid. Now, before you go hating on me, I'm not going to judge anyone on their religion. I'm reading God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens and he said something like religious people can't leave other people alone. Maybe this is one of my failings as a Christian, but I can leave people alone. If there is not something about my life that sets me apart, that makes me different, something that I have that you don't that you want, if you are completely content in your religious choice, then I'm not going to offer any advice or leave you with any statements. Now, I might pray for you, but that's between me and my God, who is working in you and has been working in you since the day you were born, whether you want Him to or not.
I'm not going to sit back and bash all other religions. I'm not. I think there is value in different religion. I don't think that they're all basically the same, but I do think that things like doing good and searching for truth and being moral are all of merit. I like the Muslim's devotion and I think the practice of praying five times daily is a beautiful thing. I like the Buddhist meditation idea. I love the bittersweet faith of Judaism, the Psalm that comes out of exile, the way of living with a life that's not going to treat you right. And honestly, I love seeing beauty and wisdom in every day life and thank God you don't need a knowledge of Him to see that there is good in this universe.
I said something tonight that I couldn't believe once it left my mouth. We were going around saying our favorite spiritual quote of the moment and the guy next to me quoted LBJ: "Sometimes you have to hunker down and take it like a jackass in a hailstorm." Solid. True. When we were explaining to the larger group the most talked about quote in our smaller group, we had to explain what the group liked about it. Our group used the LBJ quote because it was funny and I happened to justify it by saying, "You know, it's good to hear things like God created the heavens and still cares about man, but sometimes you just need something practical for your everyday life, you know, step down into the real world." Callous. Dismissive. The guy next to me said, "My thoughts exactly."
We went onto the next group and one of the guys I know is Christian said, "Well, I don't know if I can agree with that last statement." They went on and talked about their quote ("Those who don't know how to weep with their whole heart, don't know how to laugh either." -Golda Meir, former Israeli prime minister) and the meeting carried on. I shook my head. I don't know if I can agree with my last statement either.
You know, I was just saying it to be rational. I was just saying it to make a Christian seem like a reasonable human being instead of someone who's got too much heaven on their minds. I'm a practical person. You can't feed your children on God and the heavens, try as I might later in life. And John Wesley was a proponent of meeting people where they are. That's totally what I was going for, right?
Incorrect. I was saying something that I knew would be popular. It was accepting. It was understanding. It was me being a pansy and denying what I should have said. The take home message from Passion is that it's all about God's glory. God is glorified in many wonderful things. In every beautiful things that a human being can do, God is glorified. In every preserved bit of this great creation, God is glorified. In the pristine, thankfully untouchable stars, God is glorified. It's all about the Creator who loves us with an unfathomable love and we only get our significance through that.
And that's not accepting of all other religions. I need that glory in my life. I don't think I realized how much my religion needs a heart, how much I have longed to long after God until I went on Passion. It's good for that. It's also good for falling into the emotional high trap and thinking that loud music and good speakers is what modern Christianity is all about. But the people who spoke I truly believe really meant what they were saying and really believed in God. Really believed in God and His great ability to redeem and restore, to prepare and repair. And it's hard to sit back and say that there is meaning in atheism. I love the idea in The Shack, that all roads don't lead to Jesus, but He will walk down any road to find you. He's searching for you more than you could ever search for Him. God wants us more than we could ever want Him.
Sorry that this has just been a rant, but, goodness, I am frustrated by people who believe that they are their only god because I think the bigger picture of humanity forever escapes them. I am frustrated by my willingness to concede to everything when I know that one day I am going to have to stand up and say what I really mean and that means that the lies will come forward. Listening is good. Understanding is good. You can't take Christ to people without knowing where they are. But it's God we're talking about here. I'm not going to let Him be lowered in my speech for the benefit of someone else's confusion.
Call me crazy.
Call me a Christian.
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