First Impressions

Before I begin this post, I feel I must reiterate my disclaimer that I have posted in some of the previous posts. I encourage others to provide their recommendations, thoughts and point of view regarding the topic of this post as long as it is constructive. I really enjoy intellectual debates and tips on additional resources I can tap into to learn more. If, however, a reader feels that they must provide comments that resort to name calling, attempt to demean, or deliver judgment, it will be soundly ignored. Whether I am right or wrong in my beliefs, only the Lord has the power to deliver judgment. With that being said, I will begin...


So, I have started to read the Bible now and I am a number of books into it, having just completed Samuel I. I figured that before I read any religion books that provide insight into Christianity, I should read the word straight from the horse's mouth first, so to speak.


So far, the Bible is not exactly what I expected and it is creating more questions than answers so far. Don't get me wrong, there are some great ideas in there. There are commandments and decrees peppered throughout the books that make complete sense to follow. Thou shall not murder, commit adultery, etc. I was surprised, and rather enlightened to find the foundations that I see in the modern legal system today as well as interesting tidbits like woman owning land, which I am sure was extremely controversial at the time. I understand why it is sometimes called the "Good Book" and is a recommended read even for non-Judeo Christians.

But there are also some rather unusual mandates and laws. Here are just a few:

• A rebellious son should be presented to the town elders and then stoned to death. (Deut 22:18)


• If there are 2 brothers and one brother dies, the other brother must marry his widow to carry on his family name.
  


• No interest should be charged if loans are made to fellow Israelites (Exo 22:25 Although, I am all for this one if I am a descendant of an Israelite)


• If a man beats his slave with a club and the slave dies, the man must be punished. However, if the slave recovers in a day or two, the man should not be punished since the slave is his property. (Exo. 21:20-21)


• The overall treatment of slaves (Exo. 21:1-11)


• After a woman has her menstrual period or has given birth, she is ceremonial unclean and cannot enter the sanctuary to worship (Lev. 12). In the event of a birth, the duration of "uncleanliness" differs if the offspring is a male versus female. The woman is required to give a burnt offering to be clean. Anyone who touches her before that will be unclean.
  


• Purification after a skin disease sin offering and guilt offering (Lev. 14)


• If a man has an emission of semen, bathe in water and unclean until evening (Lev. 15: 16)


• Do not trim off the hair on your temples or trim your beard


• The sabbath should always be honored.
  

Now, I have not gotten to the new testament so there very well maybe some explanations why some of these decrees are no longer followed, but barring that, I find it very difficult to understand how some folks can point to certain passages in the bible as testament on how one should act and live ones life but completely ignore some of the other "unusual" decrees that we no longer follow. How was it determined which passages are still valid and which can be retired? I suppose this is the cause for the enumeration of denominations of Christianity, which leads me to wonder whether there really is a "correct" denomination? Is there a single truth, or is the truth a hodge podge of ideas across denominations (and perhaps across distinct religions)?

Now, the Bible I selected is a study Bible and also contains some archaeological and historical background (Good!) as well as biblical interpretation of the text. I must admit that I am even having a hard time with reading that as well because I find a number of the interpretations a bit of a stretch, inconsistently applied, and/or "complete head scratchers".

Again, I still have a lot more to read, but there are also some rules and decrees I expected to see in the Bible haven't come to fruition yet (not to say that they are socially acceptable, however):

• No drinking alcoholic beverages
• No premarital sex (although if you do, you have to marry her and pay her father)
• No dancing (in fact David danced in Samuel II and defended the practice to his first wife)
• No living with the opposite sex
  

I have a feeling that this Bible study is going to require a lot more time and a lot more material to review before I really get a clear picture.

More to follow in the coming weeks!

Humor in Religion

Ok, now we all know that God has a sense of humor. Just take one look at a platypus, armadillo, or Jim Carrey and they try to tell me with a straight face that he doesn't. Sometimes I wonder whether religion might be just another one of his private little jokes. I can almost envision him bouncing around the world, spinning up religions like Braum's and his 31 flaovors.


It seems that he had fun with it as well, coming up with all kinds of ideas of what he should look like. He is a jolly fat man to the soon-to-be buddhists and had all kinds of fun with the polytheists. I am a wolf! I am a bird! I am a man with the head of an elephant! I am a chick with 6 arms! But, I think he ran out of ideas when he got to Judiasm.. I am a... uhh.. err.. actually, if you look at me, you'll die. Yeah, that's the ticket. And then a few 100o years later, it seems like he said to the soon-to-be-christians, "Ahh screw it.. here is Jesus. I know, I know, he looks just like you, but cut me a break, would ya. Just wait until you find out about dinosaurs!"



But, what I think would be the best part of this joke is that not only do we all have religion wrong.. we all have it a little bit right as well. That seems oddly comforting to me.

Ruth

I hadn't planned on this being my first post from my solo Bible study, but I was hit with a bit of a revelation today and I figured I needed to get this one written down. You see, I am knee deep in the old testament (about 400 pages in) and about 5am this morning I got to the Book of Ruth. This will probably sound odd, but I finally found God in the Bible. This book really hit home for two reasons.

First, the book describes a God that I grew up learning about. This wasn't the fire and brimstone God. This was not the God that seems to strike down followers for the slightest transgression. This wasn't the God dictating complex rituals and instituting multiple levels of religious dogma. This was the God the helps those who works hard. Those who are dedicated to doing good and appreciating life. This was a God that loves those who are devoted followers and those who live a godly life, not a God who casts those aside who stray from the path. This is the God I hear about in church. The God that motivates you to live a good life because you want to be close to him, not because you fear him.

Second, it is a story about a God we can experience in today's world. Now I believe I have strong faith in God (I am sure some would disagree), but I am equally cynical of man. When I read some of the outlandish tales in the Bible, I do so with a raised eyebrow. Miracles defying physics and logic around every turn.. ancestors living for 100's of years.. burning bushes and water from rock. But the Book of Ruth is different and it almost seems out of place when compared to the previous books.

I would contend that it is easy to be a believer after having witnessed bread come down from heaven or watching the Red Sea part before you eyes. It is easy to hear God when he yells, but it takes a true believer to hear him when he whispers. That is what the Book of Ruth is about. We don't have smoke over a Tabernacle that tells us which direction to travel. God does not speak to us on a mountain top and tells us what rules to live by in the modern world. We don't see God raining down fire and sulfur on the wicked, nor do we see the wicked get struck down when they do the unthinkable. Instead, in today's world, we need to watch and listen closely to experience God's work. There were no miracles in the book of Ruth. God didn't promise Ruth or Naomi generations of prosperity or grants of land. Ruth and Naomi lived a difficult life; first of losing their husbands, and then living a life of poverty and shame, forced to live off of the scraps of others. Ruth had a choice to leave Naomi and go back to her family but she refused. Together they struggled and persevered without losing faith in themselves, nor God. God blessed them in a tangible way by leading them to a kind, generous man who took care of them and lifted them out of their hardship and into a better life.

You see, I think the point here is that we don't need to win the lottery to see God's work. God's work is all around us doing "little miracles" everyday. I see God's work when I am on a mountain top looking over a pristine alpine lake. I see God's work when I hold my daughter in my arms. I see God's work when I wake up to a new day. I even see God's work when I watch my grass grow in my backyard, although, I wish God didn't work so hard on that one so I wouldn't have to mow so much.

(Btw, what makes this an even better story is that Ruth and Naomi were Moabs, a civilization that was an enemy to Israel and still God was on their side (completely inconsistent, in my opinion, to the book of Joshua). True to form in real life that regardless of your lineage, God accepts anyone who walks in his path. Perhaps another lesson here. )

Now, I have a lot more to blog about the Bible and religion in general (if I have the guts), but I'll leave that for another time.

Religious Tolerance

When I contemplate why I am a Christian, I can only come up with two reasons:

1. It was the religion in which I was raised and,
2. I haven't found a reason to change.

I mean, the story appeals to me, heaven and hell, sin and redemption, charity and good will, but it isn't like I shopped around for a religion to find the perfect one. Religion to me isn't something you can really analyze and weigh the pros and cons of each like you do when buying a car or deciding when to start a family. Christianity feels right enough for me, at least right enough not to feel the need to "shop around" for anything else. After all, religion is really just the development of a personal relationship with God and living through his teachings. I believe in the teachings of Christianity and the message I get on Sundays.

When I step back and look at the 1000 different flavors of religion, I tend to find a number of commonalities between them. The commonalities aren't in numbers or names of Gods, the stories in their doctrines, or their ceremonies and dogma, but rather they reside in the beliefs of the fundamental rights and liberties of man. In Christian terms, these rights translate to those that abide by the virtues of "Love thy neighbor", "Do unto others as you would see them done unto you", and essentially the 10 commandments. In secular terms, don't steal, don't murder, don't lie, don't commit adultery, and so on. Perhaps I am being too much of an optimist, but I feel that every human has a sense of accepted morality and what is commonly good of society. The presence of these fundamental rights throughout disparate religions provides evidence that man is generally good and encourages the promotion of these beliefs throughout society. At the bottom of this post, I have provided an example of these commonalities with the pervasiveness of the Golden Rule.

It is this commonality in religion that gives me a great deal of acceptance of other religions. If religion is what solidifies these fundamental virtues, and thus protect my own freedom, liberties, and virtues, I whole heartedly support it. In the end, it is our Maker(s) who is/are the judge, jury, and executioner and it isn't my place to be his (or her?) surrogate. If I die and see Buddha at the pearly gates, all I can say is "Hey, I didn't believe in you on Earth, but at least I was a good person to others, right?" That is about the best that anyone can do. It is because of this, I don't really feel that there is a "right" or "wrong" religion. At the end of the day, no one will know for sure until they are at the end of their rope.

Unfortunately, many folks are pushed away because of the "institution" of religion. Not because of the fundamental rights or the foundation of religion, but rather because of those who, I feel, lose the meaning of religion. Those who judge. Those who push their beliefs rather than teach their beliefs. Those that promote prejudice, intolerance, stereotypes, and outright bigotry. Those that rob others from their freedom, their lives or their spirituality through violence, abuse, or intimidation. This is truly a shame. I feel that these individuals have lost sight of the purpose of a belief system and the doctrine from which their belief system is based.

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The Golden Rule in Different Belief Systems.

• Bahá’í: “Choose…for thy neighbor that which thou choosest for thyself.” (Bahá’u’lláh)
  
• Buddhism: “Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.” (Udana-Varga 5, 18) “Consider others as yourself.” (Dhammapada 10.1)
  
• Christianity: “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)
  
• Confucianism: “Is there one maxim that ought to be acted upon throughout one’s whole life? Surely it is the maxim of lovingkindness: Do not unto others what you would not have them do unto you.” (Analects 15, 23)
  
• Greek Philosophy: “Treat your friends as you would want them to treat you.” (Aristotle, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, 5:21; Bohn Library translation, 188) “Do not do to others what you would not wish to suffer yourself.” (Isocrates, Isocrates Cyprian Orations, 149)
  
• Hinduism: “Men gifted with intelligence and purified souls should always treat others as they themselves wish to be treated.” (Mahabharata 13.115.22)
  
• Islam: “Not one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” (Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 13)
  
• Jainism: “A man should treat all creatures in the world as he himself would like to be treated.” (Sutra-keit-anga)
  
• Judaism: “Don’t take vengeance on or bear a grudge against any of your people; rather, love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:18) “What is hateful to you, do not to your fellowman. That is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary.” (Babylonian Talmud, Sabbath 31a)
  
• Sikhism: “As thou deemest thyself, so deem others. Then shalt thou become a partner in heaven.” (Kabir’s Hymns, Asa 17)


• Taoism: “Regard your neighbor’s gain as your own gain, and your neighbor’s loss as your own loss.” (T’ai Shang Kan Ying P’ien)
  
• Zoroastrianism: “That nature alone is good which refrains from doing unto another whatsoever is not good for itself.” (Dadistan-i-dinik 94, 5)
  
  

1 Peter Smith, “Golden Rule,” A Concise Encyclopedia of the Bahá’í Faith (Oxford, England: Oneworld Publications, 2000) p. 165.

Building a Foundation for Religion

Before I begin, I must encourage the reader to read the Purpose and Introduction of this blog if they have not already. This intent of this post is not to "convert" anyone. This is a snapshot in time of personal reflection.

For the vast majority of my life, I didn't "get" religion. Sure, I did my time in church periodically growing up. I heard the outdated songs and saw the theatrical processions. We did our morning calisthenics; stand up, sit, kneel, and repeat.. The highlight of the service would be the 10 minutes where the preacher talked, but those sermons that actually meant something to me were few and far between.


I can't say that I attended church every Sunday though, but I can't fault my parents for that. There were a lot of "dynamics" in my family to say the least and getting to church every Sunday had its challenges. I am most certain, though, that it would not have made religion any clearer to me no matter how often I went. I wonder if young children actually fully understand spirituality and religion anyway. They learn about the bible and, most importantly, they develop a foundation for morals, values, and social norms but I suspect that the true meaning of spirituality is not really understood.


As I got older and more educated, my faith was even more in jeopardy because I heard stories about Moses parting the red sea, Jesus rising from the dead, making wine from water, and making the blind to see. The Bible read more like the Greek and Roman mythology books I perused when I was younger rather than the doctrine that should be guiding my life. I found it very hard to just "believe" that these events happened. They were events that could never be proven and contradicted everything I have ever learned in my science classes. I never did give up on God though. I knew in my heart that there must be something bigger than us, something more to life than just us wandering the Earth until we die. So I continued to pray, and I periodically went to church, waiting for my faith to somehow come to me. Unfortunately, the epiphany never came and I continued to scratch my head, searching for a way to find and develop my spirituality without compromising my understanding of the world and forfeiting my rationality.

In an attempt to rationalize the supernatural aspects and contradictions in the Bible, I started thinking about how it was authored. It was, in fact, men who authored the text, not God himself. I would reason that perhaps some of the claims and stories had some aspects of embellishment, or the author was using metaphors to tell the story. There was always the possibility that parts of the Bible might have more reflected the beliefs, prejudices, and values of the author rather than the true word of God. This text, over the course of over 2000 years, has also been translated a number of times, subjecting it to modifications due to different interpretations of its meaning, challenges maintaining the same meaning across languages, the use of colloquial language, and possibly political pressures. There are significant doubts to this day among scholars (Christian and non-Christian) on who the actual authors were in the new testament and how many books were "legitimate".

This train of thought seemed to help in some respects, but it was a slippery slope. If I doubt the veracity of parts of the Bible, how can I trust any of it? How will I know what parts are right and what parts are wrong? In some ways, this even brought more doubt.

But I think what has really revived my spirituality - what has brought me back to the church on a regular basis - is the understanding that the meaning and intent of the Bible, rather than the literal words on the page, are the foundations of Christianity and my belief system. It is important to embrace the lessons of the bible and use them as a guide to a better life. One has to question what is more important, believing if some of the events actually happened as detailed in the bible or reading between the lines to understand the intent. Knowing how many species of animals that were around 2000 years ago, is it really feasible that they would all fit on Noah's arc? Is it even relevant whether the author was using metaphors if the intent is the same? I contend that it is not. I don't believe that the Bible was meant to be a history book.

Now I know that some who may read this might believe that this is blasphemy - That questioning the events in the Bible undermines the very Word that the Apostles who down. But I would argue that God made me who I am. I have been built to use reason, to thirst for knowledge, to want to understand how the physical world works. Abandoning who I am and in which mold that I was cast would go against God's will. Right or wrong about this interpretation, I feel that this understanding brings me much closer to God which I believe is the whole purpose of Religion in the first place.

Now, admittedly, I have only just begun my spiritual journey. I have still yet to read the bible from cover to cover and have been getting the Cliff notes from sermons and kids books since I was little. I am certainly the last person to spout quotes of the Bible nor entertain meaningful discussions and debates with other family members who are much more well versed in the text. All I can say is that at least I have found a path for my journey to begin.