I recently heard from someone who was feeling like maybe the Church Thing wasnt for him. I can understand that, I can totally relate to feeling like your beliefs arent necessarily lining up exactly with those of people around you. I know that youre reaching out to me as one whos bumped up against the walls of religion yet retained my faith and some love for the institutions that house the various versions of theology. Clearly we dont know everything about everything yet, do we? This video reminded me that Ive heard some pretty believable theology on the status of the soul and spirit (or lack thereof) of animals and some of that has come from pretty smart, well respected leaders. Its fair to say that even educated opinions can be just plain wrong. Its not that they should be disrespected for being wrong, for using their knowledge and experience to formulate a theology or even for sharing it with others. Most religious leaders that I know will readily acknowledge that they are still learning and most are willing to listen and learn from others. Stop and think about it for a minute. There are some great leaders, living and past, whove been immensely respected for their vast knowledge, spiritual discernment and experience but their beliefs have not all been in perfect alignment - someone was incorrect - we dont necessarily know which one yet but we do know that in the end, there is only one truth and it probably isnt going to fit perfectly into anyones box, however staunchly they believe that it ought to. (& I smile as I imagine the look on the most devout faces of those who hold ultra rigid beliefs, it must be nice to be so certain that youve got it figured out. I wouldnt know.) You cant wear your religious beliefs like a blue coat youve chosen that is today a blue coat and will forever more be a blue coat. Your thoughts and relationship with your God and your belief system must be fluid, it must grow and be challenged. Sometimes youre going to realize that what you thought you knew was just wrong, your theory doesnt hold water, and so, youll have to adjust your thinking. Personally, I think that God enjoys challenging us in this way. This challenge is the same for ALL of us and thats an important thing to remember - We are ALL on this journey, me, you, my pastor, your priest, the plumber, the pope, your neighbor, and the atheist across the street, whoever - no ones got it all figured out so you cant make their theology your theology because you may not get the updates when they get their updates. You may share a part of your journey for a while before diverging, you may find that you come together again years later, or not. The point is, you have to make your own way, the hard way and while youre at it, it would be great if you could remember that everyone else is doing the same thing and show a little grace of your own. When it comes to church, let go of the institution and see it for what it is. A church is bunch of people whove found enough common ground to call their beliefs doctrine and even while they may fully agree on 12 points of theology there may also be 5 other points that they couldnt quite reach agreement on but its close enough for them to journey together. So when you find a church you might consider joining, make sure you read those doctrinal points and make a decision based on your common ground but realize that you dont have to agree to a whole theology belonging to someone else. You, like the others, can agree that you are there hoping to figure it out among friends. The churchy phrase for that is Iron sharpening Iron and it can & should be a good thing. It can also leave you bleeding when sparring goes to far and we find ourselves fighting with emotion or an otherwise negative heart. Be cautious and loving of others, be humble in your theology, be willing to let others learn things for themselves - their journey is their journey, they were not meant to journey your journey. You dont have to accept being bullied either. You dont have to tolerate people dictating what you must do for your own good according to their theology. You should respectfully listen to the counsel of others whove earned that respect and trust but in much the same way that we relate to our own parents as we grow, you will have those times when you just have to learn the hard way and God knows this (even when our elders forget). He made a way through this time for you because He knew you were going to stumble (AND He made that way for those who will stumble by counseling you a little to aggressively too!). Grace is truly the most amazing gift - receive it and share it freely along the way. One last thought. You cant quit your journey. You can quit your company along the way but like it or not, you have no choice but to journey. Personally, I like company when I can get it and I even enjoy a healthy debate...as long as its life giving and encouraging. Hope this helps. Remember, my own thoughts, opinions and theology are the product of my journey - take what fits for you and consider the rest as you sift through it.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 17:41:33 +0000
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