It bothers some of my non-religious readers that I call myself a Christian.
In actual fact, I have very little faith. Most people don’t. If that were not the case, Jesus would not have talked about faith the size of a mustard seed.
But if you ask me my religious faith, such as it is, it is Christian. If it is not wholly Christian, it is nothing.
My religious conviction is summed up by the great Christian writer, C.S. Lewis:
“Either Jesus is God, or He was a madman.”
#1 by Elizabeth on 10/21/2004 - 3:43 pm
I’m not big on theology. I’ve had to learn some in self defense.
There was a _little_ while during my early teens during which I thought I was an atheist. That had a lot to do with going to a school where I was confronted by copies of the Ten Commandments on a wall of each classroom. Just what an unhappy teenager needed — MORE NO! The Ten Commandments are terrific — if you want to drive people awayfrom God.
What’s wrong with the Sermon on the Mount? “Blessed be the peacemakers…The meek shall inherit the earth…” Much more
in line with what we need to be accomplishing in our schools — and courtrooms!
#2 by Don on 10/21/2004 - 4:09 pm
Praise the Lord and pass on the genotype!
#3 by Jay on 10/21/2004 - 4:29 pm
Good line Don.
I have to disagree with Elizabeth. Turn the other cheek, meek inherit the earth, etc. have been done to death. All of this has been used to turn the white world into an immigrant cesspool.
I’m a a half-hearted deist. I think it offers a good balance.
#4 by Jay on 10/21/2004 - 4:37 pm
Someone told me while ago that Lewis never actually converted to Roman Catholicism. I wonder why? I was always under the impression that after being an atheist, Lewis became a devout Roman Catholic.
#5 by Alejandro on 10/21/2004 - 4:58 pm
In answer to Jay’s comment: C. S. Lewis died a member of the Church of England. He never became a Catholic, despite close friend J. R. R. Tolkien’s efforts to convert him. Some wonder, however, in light of the modern changes in the Anglican Church (e.g., women priests), whether he would have finally converted had he lived through them.
#6 by Don on 10/21/2004 - 5:11 pm
I think God has started to visit us in these comments. I’m not surprised that he is from Texas but I didn’t know He was such a big gambler.
#7 by Don on 10/21/2004 - 5:33 pm
I’ve always been a bit skeptical about the miracle stuff. You know, virgin birth, walking on water, feeding five thousand, raising from the dead, floating off into space. I wish I could pull off stunts like that. I think that would be impressive even in the age of electronics.
But I never make an issue of it. You can believe in all of that plus UFO abduction and The Green Cheese Theory of the moon. I have only one question.
What is your attitude on The Important Issue?
#8 by Elizabeth on 10/25/2004 - 7:24 pm
I mentioned the Sermon on the Mount because I wanted to make a point: use an example of Christianity, not Judaism — and that was something that I felt everyone would recognize.
If we Christians want to display our faith, let’s do so! We don’t need to copy!
My favorite is Jesus’ scolding the Disciples after he heals the centurions’ daughter. He tells his bunch of malcontents that, when the centurion tells his men to do something, they do it. They don’t fuss, they don’t mutter — they do it. So why can’t they [the Disciples]? (I’ve been a manager myself….)
If you can’t find something appropriate in the Gospels, there are the Epistles (the Letters of Paul, Peter, James, etc.), the Early Fathers, etc., etc.