A Crisis of Faith?

 335 miles, not a huge distance in terms of the globe, but far enough. Far enough that two people separated by that distance might never meet. That is the distance between my Mother's hometown, and my Dad's, but obviously since I exist, my parents met. The event that brought them together was that after she graduated from college, my Mother's first job was to be the church secretary at my father's church. She made the trip from Muskegon. Michigan, to Mattoon, IL by train, and my Dad, A WW2 veteran who had made it into the late 1950s without finding "the one", finally found her. They of course raised me in a Christian household and took me to Church. Sunday School classes, vacation Bible school and all the rest. I became well versed in the teachings of the Church, and into adulthood, I continued, even at one point holding a job that included being ordained as a minister.

But I tend to see things that others miss, or maybe see them deeper than most, for I think lots of people see these things. To those who are open to it, the church often, actually usually might be a better word, fails to teach a way of living that supports and promotes life. It is not that the truth isn't in the Bible, because it is. The Bible teaches love and compassion for others. We are taught to follow Jesus and Jesus spent His time, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and clothing the naked. Oppression of the poor and the weak is condemned and dire consequences are prophesied for the oppressors, but these lessons are largely spiritualized so they don't have to be dealt with. A few verses about submission to the government are used to justify a radical patriotism reminiscent of the patriotism of Nazi Germany in the 30's that led to millions of ordinary Germans supporting the most vile of atrocities. The Church should be the most vocal opponent of the culture of death and violence that grips the United States and the West. Instead, it is often its most vocal proponent.

Often when someone brought up in the Church, sees these things it brings a crisis of faith. They see that truth seems to be found not in Christianity, but rather in other religions they have always been taught are pagan. How can these other faiths have the truth? To me, when I realized this, it was more revelation than crisis, and that revelation was relatively recent, and I am still working through it. I prefer to think of these other faiths, not as pagan religions, but as Creation religions. The Bible itself says that the attributes of God are found in the Creation. For thousands of years various people have seen these divine attributes have developed traditions and rituals to give expression to the divine. There is much to be valued in these expressions. There is much to be valued in the Bible as well. A balance of the two will lead us to the truth. The truth of a way of living that brings hope and healing to the Earth, That can take us into a glorious future.