They tell me that Abraham most likely did not see YHWH (God) in the same way we see him today. In fact, it is pretty likely that Abraham may have even died, with a very small inkling that God (YHWH) was the only God, and that he most likely thought that God was just his God, not the only God. This is a little unsettling for me. Am I simply following a religion made up by some guy that thought his God was the best, and that the other 'gods' weren't as good - which evolved into his subsequent followers claiming all other ‘gods’ as false?
I mostly think about this because I look at today's vision of who God is to us. We have Christianity (and probably God) so tied up in this era of Modernism that some people have a really hard time giving up the thoughts of modernism. Christianity, at one point in time, was quite opposed to science, and still is to some degree. But it seems that with each scientific development, Christianity (and often times our view of God) changes with these same developments we once opposed, but now see as obvious truth. We've found that the earth revolves around the sun, that the earth is round - not flat, and that secular knowledge is helpful. No thanks to the Christians for destroying many prominent works, such as the Library of Alexandria. These oppositions set the world hundreds of years backwards in terms of technology. Yet, Christianity has outlived all those atrocities, and technological changes. We thought that every dodgy woman was a witch, and came up with ludicrous ideas to capture them, but now we're too mature for those things. But when did God change? When did God decide that witches were okay to kill, but now we can't kill unborn children? Is one of these lives more important than the other? I feel that there may be a missing link somewhere. It’s just hard for me because I see the way that technology has a way of proving itself, even in the face of Christian hostility. And that, often times, Christians are too stuck to their old ways of thinking, that we can’t move on.
Which is why I find myself so sympathetic to post-modern thinking. Because in order for the church to continue in it’s practice of staying relevant, and accepting changes, it must adapt to new ways of thought. That maybe we don’t have everything right, that we (literally) aren’t the centre of the universe.
But that brings me back to my original point. Do we think this way because we are bound to be this way? Is Christianity just an evolved religion that stems from a tribal religious inspiration? I would sure like to hope not.
-Mark.
1 comment:
Mark, I sympathize with your confusion. It's not an easy task to sort out the complicated ideas that litter history and influence our present culture. I think part of your confusion stems from using the term Christianity too broadly - especially when talking about it over the span of 2,000 years. Was it God that said witches were okay to kill?
I'd highly recommend Justo Gonzalez's "The Story of Christianity" (Vol. 1 and 2) as a great introduction into the history of Christian thought. Each movement has a historical context and is birthed out of reaction to another. They are all linked together and knowing how is an invaluable resource for understanding why people thought the they why they did and why we've had to wrestle with modern vs. post-modern thought questions.
As you are discovering, there's always more to the story that our perspective alone.
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