The title of this post is adopted from the NakedPastor's blog over at www.nakedpastor.com
He has recently posted a cartoon entitled "Skeptical Sparrow."
The cartoon is as follows:
(Property of David Hayward at the NakedPastor Blog) See http://www.nakedpastor.com/2011/05/30/skeptical-sparrow/ for more details.
In his reflection, he states that the Sparrow on the right expresses "fear and anger" at his questioning of the passage in Matthew 10:29 (NRSV):
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
This is how I felt when I learned a lot of the things I was initially taught (or assumed to be so) when I was a teenager growing up in church and trying to defend a fundamentalist-intellectual form of the Bible. I assumed that certain things had to be so: that all of the Bible had to be history and had to have happened literally.
So, when I learned that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John weren't written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (two of which are supposed followers of Jesus, Matthew and John) but these names were appended to the Gospels in the 2nd century CE, it was startling. When I learned that Mark was the earliest Gospel and was written nearly FORTY years after Jesus was crucified, I was shocked.
When I learned that Matthew misappropriated certain passages from the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament) and misused/misapplied them to Jesus' birth, life, death, and "resurrection," I was afraid.
When I learned that the Bible was chock full of historical errors and contradictions within itself, I was angry.
I was afraid of what was going to happen to my personal faith and I was angry at those who taught me the Bible was inerrant (free of error) and was the inspired, literal "Word of God."
Now, through the usage of metaphor and a lot of time spend rethinking my personal theology, I am transitioning into the "peace and wisdom" that comes with accumulated life and applied knowledge.
I understand that religion (especially the texts that support the religion) contain history but transcend history into a greater, mythical story of meaning and communal experience with the Divine.
Now, for me, religion is primarily a system of meaning-making for all the events of life, including life itself.
I cannot insist on objective accomplishments regarding metaphysical events but I can affirm what is true and right for me.
I can affirm my personal experiences and my relationship to the Divine Other and to others through my religious experience.
I can affirm that I am human and that I am surrounded by other sentient beings who desire much what we all desire.
I can reach out through my developing peace and wisdom in love and compassion to others.
I can be holistic and not fractured in my outlook on life. I can be...
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4 comments:
"I can be."
Perfect.
I'm glad you shared this. I too was very upset when I first discovered that the Bible was not what I'd been told all my life. I'm still getting past my resentment of church (specifically MY church) and Christian traditions I'm still forced to take part in. Sometimes I even find myself scoffing at Christians simply because they're Christians.
But I've been learning that I need to worry about MY life and stop judging others'. Over time, my resentment has been fading.
And now, looking back on the Bible, I find that a lot of it is still very valuable and applicable to life. Like the books of Job and Revelation. I love those to tears :)
Enough of my ramble... I appreciate your honesty.
I'm glad you caught that ending. It takes someone like you to appreciate it.
I hear you - naive Christians and purposely ignorant Christians get my scoffing as well. I hate to hear that you were/are forced to take part of those Christian traditions...it is truly a terrible thing to be forced to take part of any religious activity.
Job and Revelation are fascinating pieces of literature. Very anti-establishment, very anti-oppression literature.
Why do you appreciate Job and Revelation?
Thank you for your ramble. Now you understand the inspiration behind the "Skeptical Sparrow."
Ramble time! :D
I like Job because I read it at a time when I was experiencing many many many hardships, like one after the other. When I got to verse 13:13 (still my favorite to this day), and Job screamed at his "friends" "Hold your peace and let me speak, and let come to me what may!" I had a thousand epiphanies in that moment. That verse inspired—and inspires—me to recognize the power words have and how they can affect a situation, even change it.
Aside from that one verse, I like the idea of a human challenging God. It's so dangerous, so enticing...
And Revelation is FANTASTIC. It's full of vivid imagery that gets my head going. Also, I tend to think that its prophecies are coming, or will come, true (at least metaphorically). Which is exciting.
OoO...I love Ramble time!
I hear you! Job is pretty loaded with passages like that. Also, G*d never answers Job's question and never proves to be truly just...only really powerful.
Not to mention...all of the "friends" of Job were dead wrong in their accusations. That's why I sit in silence with friends in any type of difficult situation. Words certainly get in the way.
G*d needs to be challenged...constantly.
I agree with you about the vivid imagery in Revelation. However, I think it is only relevant for the time in which it was written and the only relevance it has for today it is the idea that government will eventually serve the interest of a few corrupt men if not checked and that one shouldn't mix religion with government.
I have an extensive past with Revelation. It's not what all the fundies make it out to be.
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