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Updated June 14, 2020 |
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I entered Confirmation class with seven others when I was twelve. Not by my choice; at twelve or thirteen, we were required to enter. During the class, I had a number of questions. In most cases, instead of getting a straight answer, the instructor--our pastor--would only cite from the Bible or say it isn't in the Bible. Many of my questions, though, were not associated with what was in the Bible, except one: Why did some Bibles have books that were not in others? He answered, simply, that they do not belong. I wasn't satisfied because he never said why. (And at this time, I had no clue what "solo scriptura" was.) As time went on, I couldn't find the answers I wanted. For example, why did we say the Apostle's Creed when it is nowhere in the Bible? This one was not answered until years later, when I learned it was actually the Roman confession of faith. "Wait a minute," I thought, "if it's Roman, then how can we use it if we, as Protestants, reject the Church of Rome?" Another problem was with the books not in the Bible. When the question was brought up, he told us they did not belong. The next week, he brought in a book with those books in it. And it wasn't just a book you get in the store, it was in a bright white binding that looked like an actual Bible! The fact that writings considered unacceptable were treated so well set off alarms in my head. But the biggest thing was when we were discussing the passage where Jesus scribbled in the sand when asked about an adulterer. In some Bibles, this is John 7:53-8:11; in others, it is not there. I thought the others just omitted it, but when I went to prove it, I discovered the story was a later addition! Obviously, something didn't add up and I needed to do more studying. So, I started studying everything I could about Christian history. I learned about the Church Councils, the Roman persecution, and much more. But when I studied Martin Luther, I discovered that "solo scriptura" was a much later addition. Before that, there was tradition, explaining things not in the Bible. So, I left. I attended Catholic services twice, but as I learned more about it, I liked it even less than I did before. The Roman Catholic Church has a history of changing its beliefs. I wasn't sure what to think. I looked at other Churches. The Methodists looked promising, but I ran into the same problem as in Confirmation class. Same with the Prebyterians. I heard about the Pentecostals and didn't even bother. And those TV-churches are all waaaaay off. So, I both eliminated Protestantism and Catholicism. What was left? I knew nothing about only one more church, the "Eastern" Orthodox Church. I picked up two books, Finding Orthodoxy by Timothy ("Kallistos") Ware and At the Corner of East and West by Fredrica Matthews-Green. As I read on, I felt more and more of a pull. I went online and discovered a number of Orthodox Churches in the area. Unfortunately, the one I'd planned on visiting disappeared. I held back a while because my job at the time had me working every Sunday morning. Once that was over, I went to another parish I'd looked at visiting, St. Jonah. I found nothing but an empty building. What I didn't know is that they had just purchased some land. I found them in October, and it only took me three weeks to become a catechumen. That was in 2008. I'm no longer happy there. As I read the Bible more, study more history, and even read interpretations, I am even more confused. And while the priest helped me by explaining Church beliefs, they still haven't added up. So, I now have my own set of precepts, based on Bible sections, personal experience, and things I've studies. I live my live by the following Bible verses, some of which can be found in other writings in another form. I talk about one such other context, below. All quotes are from the New International Version. 1. I Corinthians 13, the famed chapter on love There are a lot of people out there today who are just resounding gongs, repeating the same tones over and over again. This is not love, but an attempt to force one's own view on everyone. And knowing what will happen is meaningless if you don't make it personal to the person you're speaking with. Further, if we do give what we have to give, we can't expect anything in return. Love is completely selfless, not making decisions for oneself, but speaks honestly and gives our best to whom we are with. Its effects are eternal, unlike passing knowledge or negative emotion. Love makes us grow up emotionally, not mentally or physically. It forces us to look inward at ourselves and make changes. Without love, we bully, lie, defraud, whine . . . basically make life hell for those around us. The above is my paraphrase of the chapter. Here's the interpretation. If you're more concerned about your own stuff when others are in need, you are not acting with love. If you're more worried about what is than what should be, you are not acting with love. If you're part of an event, and you're trying to make it your own, you are not acting with love. (This is especially true about women concerned with "my wedding".) If you're more worried about getting away from the problem instead of trying to fix it, you are not acting with love. If you're more worried about talking than listening, you are not acting with love. All the above examples show one person more concerned about their own stuff than anyone else's. This is not love, it is selfishness. Also see this blog 2. Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Many don't realize how the Bible is largely allegorical, whether or not God exists and the events actually happened. In this verse, God and Money represent altruism and greed. Money is transitory. It comes, and we have to let it go. But if we create a situation where we horde money, for any reason, then we become part of the problem. The money we keep goes nowhere, when others may need it. Add that in order to pay increased wages and salaries, prices must go up. If wages don't go up accordingly, then those who make more money become the problem because the buying power of the poor is reduced even more than before. That's simple economics. You can call it transitory, fleeting, passing, or whatever. The fact is, you don't hang on to it. You only take what you need, and give away the excess to those hurt by low wages or work time. And getting married for money? That's one of the worst things anyone can do. "For richer or for richer" is not a valid phrase. 3. Genesis 9:6 Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man." This is identical to what Hindus call karma. What you do builds up over time as retribution or reward for your actions. This doesn't just happen through any supernatural laws. There are many times when people decide to act in the same way, retribution for a wrong or thankfulness for a right. We always want to be on the right side of that issue, so we should always be good to others. 4. Matthew 6:5-8 No Church that I'm aware of addresses this for what it is. We are told that prayer should always be private, short, and meaningful. In truth, the first verse says not to pray in Church! All prayers must be where nobody else knows what we're doing. We can't even type out a prayer online because it looks like we're pandering. This is why I no longer attend services. Prayer has become such a huge part of worship that the one verse renders the entire service pointless. But what about Communion/The Eucharist? The early Church didn't have Church buildings; they met in each others' houses. This is another symbol of selflessness that Christianity is supposed to create. The Bible has no record of Jesus saying where to receive the Body and Blood, only to "do this in remembrance of" him. 5. John 21:25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of these were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. This verse reminds us that there are always things we don't know because it's impossible to record every detail. This is why I reject any ideal that says the words given are all we need, whether Sola Scriptura, the bedrock view of the Constitution, the Four Corners Rule . . . it doesn't matter. You have to have context. It's because of this verse that I will never return to Fundamentalism. 6. James 2:24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. This disproves the "Faith Alone" doctrine. Sitting around praying without working is all laziness, which is a form of selfishness. Each of these verses have supporting verses elsewhere in the Bible, within both Testaments. There are over a hundred examples supporting I Corinthians 13, especially when it comes to self-sacrifice and forgiveness. One thing that really upsets me, however, is when people try to apologize, and the person being apologized to won't accept it because it includes an explanation. TOUGH. Without the explanation, there's no indication that the person apologizing actually understands the reason why they're asking for forgiveness. Plus, it adds context to the situation that the person being apologized to may need. (This is exactly what my Listen! series would have dealt with. Such a shame I only got the first one up.) And on a final word, there's the question of whether or not you can forgive someone without telling them. Well, yes and no at the same time. Yes, you can forgive them in your heart. But if you don't tell them, then it will seem to them that you never did, so what good is it? Always tell the other person they're forgiven. And that's the cornerstone of my faith. Also, see this blog |
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