|
Opening Prayer
Mystery of All, give me the faith gladly to doubt, and so to doubt that such uncertainty rests upon a certainty before any belief ever entered the mind and heart of a person, or any group called itself a religion or spirituality, or thought itself right and all others wrong. Amen.
Today's Scripture
28For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. 29No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God’s Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.
*Romans 2.28-29 (NLT)
Spiritual Teaching
Once, a pastor was fired from his church, for one of the laity went by his office and heard him crying, praying fervently, “O Lord, help me! Give me a faith that can doubt.”
* * *
A priest went to serve as a missionary among the Eskimos. An Eskimo asked the missionary, “Sir, you say that I can go to heaven or hell. Sir, tell me, If I didn’t know about God and sin, would I go to hell?” The priest replied, “No, not if you didn’t know.” “Then,” asked the Eskimo, “why in the hell did you tell me?”
* * *
Much that goes under the name truth not only does not transcend human understanding, it does not even measure up to human understanding. If an unexamined life is not worth living, then a refusal to allow faith to undergo the examination of reason is a sad thing.
|
|
* * *
I sat beside a dear lady speaking of how times have changed in recent years. She noted that it used to be that persons just believed. Now, they go off to school and some religion professors teach the young kids to question their beliefs. I resisted the temptation to say, kindly, “Ma’am, I sitting beside you here, are one of those professors.” I could have, also, said, “And I encourage my church members to examine, honestly, their faith.”
Of course, I do not just come out and say, “Okay, examine your faith. Get ready, go!” I never offer an “Examine Faith” class. No, there are many subtle ways to model and urge this way of integrity, as well as gently, lovingly encouraging a faith both reasonable and able to transcend reason – while not abandoning reason.
I have learned that there is little to fear in hurting someone’s faith when encouraging such examination, for persons will not subject their faith to such scrutiny until they are ready. When persons are already having some questions, when they are ready, that process will evolve and at a pace they can handle.
A trait of fundamentalism-conservatism is its resistance to such examination of faith. Fundamentalist, as well as most conservatives, will explore their faith; however, they do so with a presupposition of proving it or knowing more about what they claim to know already, not as a process to test it, modify it, or change it. They are more seeking my truth or our truth, not Truth.
* * *
There are two types of fundamentalism. First, unconscious fundamentalism is that group of persons who know no other options to fundamentalism, for they have not been introduced adequately to other possibilities. Second, there is a conscious fundamentalism. These are those who have had opportunities to know otherwise.
Continued... |
