JW said "I am totally enjoying reading all of this "Psycho babble" as you labelled it somewhere. Probably because I try to think about things, figure out the answers, take my opinion, dissect it, change it, and so on in a similar way to how you seem to be doing it here. I love that process of learning, deciding, and analyzing- sometimes not always to the benefit of my job! I guess for me the big difference is that my questions never go quite as deep- I question politics, sports, theology, church, sometimes question purpose or personal value to the world, but rarely go so far as questioning God. I think that makes the whole process so much less painful, but am I being less intellectually honest with myself by doing so? I guess I just think there are some things that the smartest men in the world could never come to consensus on thus it can't/shouldn't/won't be decided by intellect but by belief. Not that it should be devoid of intellect... I don't know, but thanks for making me think more."
I wanted to respond to this comment because, largely it is something I have thought about a lot. It makes me think of a phrase that was thrown out a lot when I was young and growing up in Chritian schools and churches. The phrase being "He is just too smart for his own good." This phrase was always uttered to describe someone who probably was a Christian once and maybe went off to college and suddenly begun to question God and Christianity. The phrase always pissed me off. Being young and impressionable I went with it, sure. He is just too smart. But, something in the back of my head gnawed at me every time I heard that phrase. Cause I knew I was a smart kid and could I just possibly be too smart?
Today looking at the phrase and my life. I suppose you could call me too smart for my own good. I spend countless hours intellectualizing things. I question God, life, and anything else that is shilled out at me as being true without any regards for contemplation. But, being too smart for your own good. It is just an ignorant statment. It is like saying God in all His infinite knowledge decided to create humans that were just too smart that they would never accept Him. And if God is omniscience He has to be too smart for His own good. Especially seeing He created people that would reject Him because they were too smart. It is all absurd and ridiculous.
Being smart and having the curse of analyzing everything that is ever thrown at you does predestine you to not be good at certain activites. But, what we are talking about here is faith. And it is wholey and completly different that intellectualism.
Faith is believing in something because you have to, you want to. I believe in God because I couldn't imagine a life in which I didn't. I question religion, dogma, and anyone who tells me who God is supposed to be. Because well they are all human inventions and thus in my eye are bound with the burden of proof.
I think the reason I came to this conclusion in my life is because after leaving high school and entering college I discovered something that changed my view of God. God had become nothing but a set of rules to me in all my years leading up to college. And when all my saftey nets fell away and there was no one longer looking over my shoulder to make sure I followed the rules. I discovered I believe in God because I need Him. I need no proof and I don't question His role in my life. That in my mind is Faith.
To this day I do not call myself a Christian. Largely, I wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea of the Christian church by the way I live my life. I have no problem with the theology of the Christan church per say. I just struggle with one issue in whole. I don't believe that God in is infinite glory set up one dogma or set of rules to get to Heaven. I think if God is all powerful He could choose to save us in any religion he so chooses. I suppose this is a dangerous mindset. I am sure in many peoples mind it has me damned to hell. But, I refuse to believe in God or a religion for fear of hell. I did that for most of my life and it is horrible way to develop a relationship with God.
I develop my relationship with God through my life experiences my quiet time and meditation. I talk to Him, He sometimes talks back. I don't get it I don't try to. So to answer the question. Just because you don't question everything doesn't make you less intellectually honest. Faith plays an important part in our lives. But, just because you question something doesn't mean your faith in it has to waver. I love this quote from Galileo. I think it pretty much sums up what I feel about the subject. Especially when you think about what he went through because he questioned things.
"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use."
1 comment:
Hmm.. Justin after reading your blogs and your posts. I'll admit I am no way shape in form qualified to make judgements on theology or apolgeitcs. All I know is the Charasmatic church I was raised in as a child. And in my mind it is a poor excuse for true knowledge or a relatonship of Christ. I get confused just reading your blogs as I've never tried to delve the deeply into religion. I'll be honest knowing you from back in the day I never figured I'd agree with you so much on your insight on God and religion. I always felt my confusion and questions on the church and theology were so off the wall for people, I always assumed had such a deep understanding of the subject. For some reason it makes me feel better knowing you question some of things I continually struggle with.
Post a Comment