Finding God

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen

 Several years ago I was asked to introduce a video presentation featuring a well known Catholic priest and personality to an all men's group at a local parish.  The presentation was to follow their annual general meeting so I waited in the hall until they completed their prepared agenda.  I had arrived just in time to hear the men conclude the business section of their meeting with a Rosary.  As is the habit its familiar refrain was recited with the usual vigour and haste.   I have often wondered about the value of such prepared and formal prayers.  Is it because it’s the dutiful Catholic thing to do, or do we believe that somehow it will please God in his lonely heavenly realm?  It did not appear as though the recitation moved anyone to a higher plain or prompt them to question a particular aspect or understanding of faith. Repetition can be a useful teaching tool for primary school students, but these were all mature men, lay and clergy combined.  Remember, the Rosary was originally created as a substitute to help illiterate monks recite a simple refrain after they lost the skill to recite the 150 Psalms.  

While the value of a repetitive prayer may be very  handy when difficult and demanding circumstances keep us from a clearer focus; it should not lead us to a form of unified boredom.  The Catholic Mass, except perhaps for the Liturgy of the Word, follows a predictable format.  However, Catholics will quickly point out that the Liturgy of Eucharist should be understood as the highlight of the celebration. It is here that the body of Christ takes the physical form of his presence among his people. How many times do we miss that opportunity through our lack of response?  I truly believe that God already rests deep within every indestructible soul. The play of Mass is purely intended to remind us of that fact.

 

     

Predictability and repetition may be helpful to guide us through a semblance of unified praise and worship but I have often wondered what would happen if the celebrant were to open the proceedings with the questions: “Why you are here and what do you want to do?”  It has been said, and rightfully so, that many of us have become spectators instead of participants in what should be high drama. After all we do not gather together to be entertained but to participate in our joint search for God and may reflect his image to all he places in our path. The clergy can help point the way but can never become the destination.

 

Many Catholics today continue to insist that Tradition and Scripture are the necessary tools to help us find our way to this inward reality.  For some that may indeed hold true – but it cannot be the only way. God meets us where we are not where others would have us be.  The way to God cannot be attained through formula but rather through the diversity congruent with  each unique human being.  Tradition must always remain open to question and inquiry recognizing that faith is a dynamic and can never remain static when held under the domain of the Holy Spirit. 

Finally it is not about a religious institution, nor about your neighbour, not about me, and not really about you the reader- it is simply about forming a direct relationship with God; or more specifically discovering the God within. For most of us that goal is not only scary but perhaps beyond our immediate imagination.

In order to develop that relationship and trust we need to let go of all our usual support systems.  Think of it in these terms.  You enter a forest to find God. You set out with a group of trusted friends armed with a book of instructions on how to survive in the woods, and knowledge gained from innumerable lessons previously provided in the  in the event you should lose your way.  On the third day of your journey you wake up in the middle of the night, from a deep sleep,  only to discover that everyone is gone.  You are completely alone and everything you need to survive has been taken.  What will you do?  How will you find your way home?

You will now have to make decisions based on your own judgment – but without the help of others.   At this point the advice others have given you, in good faith and to the best of their ability, could prove to be valuable but also useless – now you alone must decide.  What will give you the strength to carry on and find your way back home?

I’m sure you will immediately grasp the fundamental truth in this simple analogy.

 

But now here’s the Good News - we will all find God!  But we will also know that he found us first and that it had nothing to do with the morality of your neighbour; what the religious leaders or the church told you, or all of the issues   facing the world today, such as abortion, contraception, same-sex marriage, etc. etc.,   God will always reach beyond all our expectations and assumptions and he/she will never leave us orphans.

            

Reading the Bible without Starting a War

Want to initiate a religious war? Start a Bible study group without the very necessary examination and explanation of what the bible is and what it is not. For example - were the Hebrew Scriptures transmitted directly by God to a group of inspirited scribes? If not, how did it come to be? Was the New Testament handed down orally by the disciples to a select group of scribes after the death of Jesus? Again, if not ask what, when, where, and finally who wrote it - and to whom it was directed. Christians are often introduced to the bible as though it were a history book to be read in a precise order from Genesis to Revelation. Approaching the bible in this manner will inevitably lead to an early disappointment and a complete disinterest by the time you reach the books of Leviticus and Numbers. After all just how important is the Law of Offerings and Sacrifices, or the first census of Israel to our spiritual growth at this time of our spiritual exploration? For the novice I have always recommended a simpler and less detailed version of the bible, such as can be found in a children’s edition – these can give us the essence we need to progress in our search for deeper meanings later on. A ‘Complete Idiot’s’ or a ‘Dummies’ guide can be very helpful at all times. As Christians we need to understand the relationship between the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament.

What else should the reader know? To begin with learn why Catholics include 46 books in the Old Testament, and Protestants have 39. Both groups accept 27 books for the New Testament. Hint: know there is nothing sinister or secret about the difference as some people want to believe.

And then there are the writings or “unofficial scriptures” or sacred text that was not incorporated in the Jewish and Christian Bibles.  Remarkably some of these texts are referenced within the accepted version of our present day bibles.   Although excluded from the Christian canon many of these writings were well known to the early Christian community - particularly in the form of art.  Scenes and stories from these writings were portrayed throughout history and may also have been well known to many believers.  According to distinguished Professor J.R. Porter, and author of ‘The Lost Bible – Forgotten Scriptures Revealed’ concludes “it is not really possible to draw a sharp distinction between the non-canonical works on the one hand and the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament on the other.  From the little I have gleaned from these books there is little to cause us to view the present bible in a different light when read with proper discernment.        

How we interpret  the bible is very much influenced by the style or literary devices (figures of speech) used by its various known and unknown authors. The use of metaphors, similes, euphemisms, paradoxes’, symbolism's, etc., etc. are generously sprinkled throughout each book. A perfect example of how these devises can influence our interpretation can be found in the last book of the Bible – or the Book of Revelation Some will see the symbols as depicting the clash between good and evil. Others will interpret the events as described in Revelation as something that has already taken place. While still others, especially fundamentalist (literalists), read the book as a speculative prophecy, literally portraying the apocalyptic end of time in which the glorified Christ will come to earth and usher in Judgment Day.

Some people are surprised to learn that large parts of Scripture were not written down immediately. Stories about the meaning of life were passed on orally for centuries. Imagine sitting around an open fire with our forefathers explaining the origins of humankind. It is important to note that oral tradition did not end with the invention of the written word. The earliest Hebrew Scriptures such as the psalms, for example, were not officially recorded until some five hundred years BCE for a very good reason. Karen Armstrong in her book 'The Bible - A Biography' (2007),  notes, from the very beginning; people feared that a written scripture encouraged inflexibility and unrealistic, strident certainty. The early Christians expecting Jesus to return during their lifetime saw no need to record their stories. Luckily for us the authors of the four gospels eventually recorded the story of Jesus albeit decades after the actual event.

An exclusive literal interpretation of the bible, according to experts such as Karen Armstrong, is a recent development. Until the nineteenth century, very few people imagined that the first chapter if Genesis was a factual account of the origins of life. For centuries, Jews and Christians relished highly allegorical and inventive exegesis, insisting that a wholly literal reading of the Bible was neither possible not desirable. Even so for some, the bible continues to be interpreted quite literally. For many others it is read contextually and interpretively. There are many contradictions in the bible, not the least of which caused people to believe that the earth was the centre of the universe. This problem was not rectified until the seventeenth century thanks to the efforts of Galileo. But not before he was condemned by the Roman Catholic authorities and forced to live in house arrest until his death. For those who want to approach the bible from a literalist point of view I suggest they read the anonymous and humorous Letter to Dr. Laura Schlesinger contained in my previous blog ‘On the Bible’. At the same time you might also benefit from the earlier blog ‘On Interpreting the Bible’.

Lastly, I want to share two secrets that will help anyone interested in learning the meaning behind its most difficult passages. Karen Armstrong tells us that serious biblical authorities have always insisted that charity must be the guiding principle – any interpretation that spread hatred or disdain was considered illegitimate. And most importantly– ask God to guide you with his gift of discernment – read it with the heart not the head.

UPDATE:  Jan. 26/2011

Consider the following:      It has been said that if the bible were the actual word of God there would be only one book with all the supreme truths as revealed by him to ALL people   -  illiminating all disagreement, argument,  and  religious wars.  Yes, all scripture contains some truths, but the ultimate truth is contained in your heart – and nowhere else.

End Times and Armageddon

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. A spirit of fearfulness and timidity does not come from God. - 2 Timothy 1:7

For those who missed it 'The battle of Armageddon - heaven versus earth, was fought last Sunday at 10:00 am. The event took place at the local Baptist church just around the corner from where we live. Fortunately no collateral damage was reported by the local news media and the building still stands as before. Several weeks earlier this same billboard offered this opportunity: 'God's Last Judgment - how to avoid it! Today their billboard reads 'After Armageddon, then what? My tongue-in-cheek response to these warnings is merely intended to highlight the sudden fascination we seem to have with end times.

Wikipedia describes Armageddon as an event in which the "Lamb", Jesus Christ, will return to earth and defeat the Antichrist (the "beast") in the battle of Armageddon. Then Satan will be put into the bottomless pit or abyss for 1,000 years, known as the millennial age. After being released from the abyss, Satan will gather Gog and Magog from the four corners of the earth. They will encamp surrounding the holy ones and the "beloved city". Fire will come down from God, out of heaven and devour Gog and Magog after the Millennium, and the Devil who deceived them is thrown into Gehenna (the lake of fire and brimstone) where the Beast and the False Prophet have been since just before the 1,000 years.

The print media are no exception to this sudden interest. Armageddon: The Cosmic Battle of the Ages is the 11th novel in the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. It was first published in 2002 and covers the final year of the Tribulation leading up to the Glorious Appearing of Jesus Christ. It was on The New York Times Best Seller List for 20 weeks. This series apparently details the resistance of those "left behind" by the Christian Rapture and the rise of the Antichrist's forces during the Tribulation period.

Most major religions, including Christianity and Islam, have theories on how and when the world will end. When times get bad, a stock market crashes, tsunamis and earthquakes abound, suicide bombers kill new human targets each day, we will quickly find right-wing Christian Evangelicals and the entertainment business ready to capitalize on even more fantastic messages of fear and doom. Entertainment about violence, disaster and terror sells-but offering false hopes probably sells even more.

Apocalyptic themes are being exploited on television by the History Channel offering a variety of end time views such as:

• Armageddon: Are we headed for apocalypse? Explore ancient beliefs and new theories surrounding Armageddon.
  




• Life After People: What would a world without people be like? Life After People checks out what would happen to all we'd leave behind.
  




• Nostradamus Effect: a chilling series that investigates mysteriously similar end-of-day scenarios from across the globe.
  

As this hype escalated it is not surprising that fear inducing religion and entertainment is turning many people to drugs and other mind numbing solutions. The year 2012 is supposed to result in a slew of natural disasters culminating in the end of the world. We know this prediction is true because a bunch of savage, child sacrificing, jungle-dwelling Mayans prophesied it hundreds of years ago through their amazingly accurate calendar. Never mind that the date for Armageddon was originally set as December 24, 2011. We now know that these events will occur at exactly 11:11 GMT on December 21 2012, even though some Mayan predictions go all the way to 4772 A.D.

Chris Hedges author of 'American Fascists –The Christian Right and the War on America', notes that the religious right-wings' infatuation with apocalyptic violence and military force make it easy for them to call for violence as a form of self-defence. It turns all outside movement into enemies, even those who appear benign. These visions of a holy war, writes Hedges, at once terrify and delight is followers. So convinced are these individuals that a recent poll indicated that more than half of the right-wing movement in the US believe that a final battle between 'good' and 'evil' will take place in their lifetime.

Fundamentalist preachers seem to take a particular delight in connecting biblical passages and tragic world events to unavoidable and predictable apocalyptic events in the future. More than any other part of the New Testament, the book of Revelation evokes greatly varying reactions among its readers. Those fearful about the future view the book as an illustrated timeline that will help them better prepare for the events of the end of the world. No one, it appears, has told them that the book of Revelation must be read in context of the entire New Testament or the Old Testament for that matter, to be properly understood.

This approach is certainly understood by author, Dr. Catherine Cory, chair of theology at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN. She asks "is there more to the book of Revelation? Does Revelation have anything to say to believers who are not fixated on determining the date of the end time and instead want to read the Scriptures to hear God's voice in the present time, to inspire faith, and challenge themselves and their faith communities to right behaviour, now, in the midst of the activities of their everyday lives?" The answer to this tantalizing question is an emphatic 'yes', but first the reader will have to approach it as 'a call to conversion and a message of consolation'. Unlike other biblical text its 'Apocalyptic style, meaning Revelation, is completely different from other books in the Bible.

Finally, Fr. Richard Rohr reminds us "the battles we see going on around us do not matter in the end, for the victory is already won. It was won in Jesus, the Alpha and Omega of God's salvation. It is being won in Christ, wherever his body is empowered by his Spirit. And it will be won in the Lord, as all history becomes salvation history. Such is the graciousness of God. So all biblical apocalyptic writings can be read with optimism and need not arouse fears if we believe that Jesus will be with us to the end of time.

Note: readers are also encouraged to visit the following website: http://articles.pointshop.com/religion/28753.php for a most surprising view on the same subject.