Posted by
The Secular Conservative on Monday, January 15, 2007 7:56:36 PM
While browsing through a local used bookstore I noticed a book entitled Christian Maturity (probably this one). I must admit that I did not pick up the book to read the jacket, let alone read the entire book, but the title nonetheless got me to thinking about the religion that I grew up with. Is it possible that the author had something new to offer? Of course, but I was not willing to find out because I have read too many other “Christian Living” books promoting strong faith (read “do good works”) and a full understanding of what Jesus should mean in one's life. I didn’t need to read another book telling me what it meant to be Christian. Instead, I began to think about what true Christian maturity would mean.
Christian maturity means having a full understanding of the religion that you believe in. Frankly, most believers do not understand their religion, and those that think they do are basing this assertion on an understanding of what they have been taught by others. But true Christianity is not the religion that has been popularized by the numerous denominations and sects over the last several centuries. Christian maturity requires you to reevaluate the meaning of all that you hold dear and not simply accept those things you've been taught since childhood, because not evaluating the basis of belief is irresponsible and dangerous.
"Institutional Christianity seems fearful of inquiry, fearful of freedom, fearful of knowledge—indeed, fearful of anything except its own repetitious propaganda, which has its origins in a world that none of us any longer inhabits."
-John Shelby Spong, Why Christianity Must Change or Die
The Basis of Belief
We do not fully understand the Jewish culture of Jesus’ time, and everything we have been taught about Christianity comes from centuries of gentile teachings about a Jewish man. To understand Jesus the man and Christianity the religion, it is necessary to understand the Jewish people as well. The Jews did not write and tell stories the way that we do, which means that we must understand their storytelling to understand their stories. They create characters based on historical people to emphasize certain qualities; they insert angels and even God himself into a story in order to reinforce faith; and they exaggerate time and place to fit the pattern of Jewish history. Am I saying that the Bible is full of lies and falsehoods? Of course not. Did they use hyperbole to make their stories more interesting and to emphasize accepted cultural norms? Yes. More importantly, did the Jews write these stories to be read as true factual accounts of history? Almost never.
What's The Point
Why am I, a secularist, writing on this topic? My reason for blogging is to emphasize conservative principles through reason rather than religious language. We conservatives accuse liberals of resorting to emotional appeals, but I would argue that religious conservatives are guilty of the same error. The arguments I hear from Christians are founded on unshakeable faith coming from immature belief. I don't mind that you believe, but I would prefer your belief be founded on rational thinking, which is not incompatible with religious belief.
-tsc