I'm a bit irritated. Our experience of Christmas is filtered by life-long indoctrination from mass media. This is a season of pink fluffy clouds, tinkling bells, feel-good food, and joyful reunions all deliciously spiced by a sprinkle of spiritual experiences -- theoretically! So why, when I peel away the layers do I seem to see an evil eye staring back at me? This week I've had a lot of "you should ..." thrown at me. Many of these are the syrupy confection that one comes to expect at this time. Some are a little more subversive and want to push me into mysticism: "find the magic, you can make it your own." Let me make one point forcefully: The mystery of Christmas is not mysticism! Mystery is a reality which I can't or have yet to fully comprehend because it is too complex, too big, of too infinite for little finite me. Mysticism looks to a nebulous fantasy and says "I can take hold of that", but in reality it is nothing more than an unrealized hoping that it will be true. And so the mysticism ultimately disappoints and leads to misery, while mystery beckons us on to deeper joy. We are reealy bad at separating these, so good at conflating them. During Christmas these self-made realities are more than ever apparent; we receive and dispense them with glee. Ranging from the direct negative of "Don't preach your philosophy at me, I have my faith", to the more subtle seeming encouragement of "Jesus said to treat other people the way we want to be treated, and that's my Religion." Ok, so everyone entitled to their opinion, and it's also everyone's responsibility to formulate an opinion. But do they (we/me?) not see the contradictions of these such unthinking fluff. Faith in what I have decided? That's faith in me! I know how broken I am, and I'd be (should be) terrified to have faith in me. Treating others as you would want to be treated? Come on, please think that through! I might be someone who's into sado-masochistic behavior, and now I must treat everyone as if they want that too? The problem is, these sentiments are commonly made in isolation - twitter, facebook and instagram do little to help. But these sentiments should not stand in isolation -- they only have real meaning when there is a defining reference. Just because I feel comfortable with something, or I desire something, does not make it right. "Tolerate everything but intolerance" opens the door to every individual's deepest deviancy. As a Christian I believe that there are externally defined absolutes ... right and wrong if you like, that are there because they define what is pleasing or abhorrent to the definer: God. Thus, I suspect one reason atheism, agnosticism and mysticism are so appealing is because they allow one to self-define right and wrong; we like this because we hate having these externally established. And so, under the guise of goodwill to all men (Hah! What a joke that is!) we continue to stab and contradict and argue and rebel and shout and disparage anyone who is trying to say "the line in the sand is here." But the line is in the sand somewhere! Three points:
So then, what happens when two people, purportedly of the same faith, disagree on the where the line is in the sand? (I took a first stab at this question here) Because we see this deep seated problem in Christianity with same sex relationships, with "all roads lead to God", with mysticism, with "justified" war, feminism, expectations of charity, rules of behavior, salvation through baptism, predestination, 6-day creationism versus evolution. But may I just say just this little bit of orthodoxy: As a Christian you and I profess that the line in the sand is defined by a person. This person is the definition of right and wrong. We know where the line in the sand is by knowing this person. And this Christmas we celebrate (supposedly) the expression of this person's infinity into our finiteness. As I know my spouse, so I know what pleases, and that's how I know the right and wrong in my marriage. And if my desire in my marriage is to love the other, then I know where the line in the sand is (and for your reference, playfully tossing into the pool is on the other side of my marriage's line!). So it is that as I know Jesus, I know what pleases him. The so-called rules are merely expressions of who he is, they do not define who he is. Now: how will you decide where to stand on same-sex relationships, poverty, giving, all roads lead to God, heaven and hell, charity, tax evasion, greed, ... Any and all of these issues have an answer that will please or displease Jesus. Know him to know.
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Why?
Probably the best therapy is to express yourself. Why do you think psychiatrists make you lie on the couch and talk, while all they do is murmur "hmmm", "uhuh", or "go on"? Archives
May 2017
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