A few weeks ago I was listening to Fresh Air, one of my favorite programs on NPR, and I heard an interview with Bart Ehrman, author of the book Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible. I won't talk about the contradictions. I don't feel qualified. But what intrigued me about the interview was the author's discussion of his faith.
He considered himself a "born-again Christian" for years, including his time in seminary at Moody Bible Institute. But then he went on to Princeton Theological Seminary, and the more he studied, the more convinced he became that the Bible is not inerrant. This dramatically changed the author's faith, and he lived with that changed faith for years. But eventually he became an agnostic. Why? He decided he could no longer believe that a good God could allow so much suffering in the world.
I felt sad when I heard this, though I must tell you...the author did not seem sad. But it just got me wondering, why do we humans so often see this world as the glass half empty? We see the suffering, and we decide there is no loving God. I can understand that. I can. But how is it that we listen to the sound of the ocean waves and the cheerful chorus of birds, smell the lilacs and lillies, see the stars sparkling in our night sky and marvel at the way they offer a mode of navigation (if you happen to be a 15th century explorer)...and don't wonder whether there might just be an all-loving higher power out there after all? We survive because the sun and the rain do their work in the earth and enable us to eat...and we don't see God's goodness. Why is it so easy to draw conclusions from the suffering, but not draw the opposite conclusion from the beauty and the masterful design of this place? Interestingly enough, the interviewer asked him whether he still lived a life committed to ethics, and he said yes. That he felt even more free to choose and act in a moral and ethical way. He actually said, "A sense of morality and ethics is hardwired into me." I found that to be an interesting and telling choice of words...
I was talking with a friend about this, and she mentioned another book (don't know the title) written by someone who underwent a dramatic conversion from addict to drug-free Christian, and years later renounced his faith because he decided God didn't answer his prayers. It got me thinking that these two men are each on their own journeys, and these particular books may not be their last words on faith. Some day, a new understanding may come to them. If so, maybe they'll write some new books.
I haven't read Jesus, Interrupted and don't really plan to. But after a long and exhausting search for any book that will capture my attention, I have found one: An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith. I'm only in chapter 2, but the theme seems to be that the whole world is God's House, and we can encounter him anywhere. He is not confined to the church and his speech is not only heard through the Bible. I think I will be sharing my thoughts about this book as I read it, because I love it. I'll leave you with this quote from chapter 1:
"The House of God stretches from one corner of the universe to the other. Sea monsters and ostriches live in it, along with people who pray in languages I do not speak, whose names I will never know.
"I am not in charge of this House, and never will be. I have no say about who is in and who is out. I do not get to make the rules. Like Job, I was nowhere when God laid the foundations of the earth. I cannot bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion. I do not even know when the mountain goats give birth, much less the ordinances of the heavens. I am a guest here, charged with serving other guests -- even those who present themselves as my enemies."
6 comments:
this was a beautiful post, Nina; I loved it. Thank you.
p.s. on an altogether different note, I heard your boys stole the show this past Sunday night with their Napoleon Dynamite dancing.
HIlarious.
hhhhhhhi
Mike and I were just talking about that interview. We both thought it was interesting and Mike wants to read his book. I didn't actually agree with a lot of what he said but some of it did get me thinking. I always think it is so haughty of people to just decided there is no God because of something they don't see happening.When Mike makes me mad I don't say, Mike does not exist. I just feel there is so much proof of God all around us.
I too loved this post Nina. I remember a conversation I had with a new friend who's a scientist at DuPont. I didn't know yet if he was a believer, but I asked what he thought of God in light of his study and research. He told me that the more he researches at the molecular and atomic level, the more he realizes that he can only believe that there is a God. I thought that was profound and remarkable.
And of course, Teri Gross is a delight.
Merry. That's a good point you make. We would be considered crazy people if we said someone didn't exist just because they ticked us off...I'll be interested to hear what Mike thinks of the book.
Thanks Jess...As for the talent show, it got me thinking about that previous post about feeling proud of your kids. I didn't really have that feeling about my own kids, but I grinned like a proud mama watching YOUR nieces sing the other night. What sense does that make? But they were fantastic!
And Beck, that's so cool about your new friend.
If Mike exists, and there is suffering in the world, then, isn't that Mike's fault?
Post a Comment