radical thoughts on faith
As a Christian I find it really upsetting that so often other Christians are so unprepared to deal with the world around them.
Though I may not necessarily hold the same stance as this subset, it’s not the beliefs and values with which I take issue. Rather, it’s the reaction I’ve witnessed to circumstances which clearly deviate from those beliefs and values, a reaction which is indicative of a complete lack of preparation to cope with these scenarios.
One such person that I know holds the belief that tattoos and piercings are inappropriate. OK, fine, we hold a difference of opinion, and if that is what he believes, I can accept that.
The problem begins when this same person thinks it’s funny to talk about going to South Street in Philadelphia to get tattoos and piercings, and when bringing up the topic, expects the entire room to laugh with him, as if nobody in their right mind would do such an absurd thing. Mind you, the piercing in my left ear was done on that very street.
This really bothers me. I truly do not understand how a person can be so sheltered or deluded to think that their worldview is the majority worldview, even in a room full of other Christians.
As a society, I think we are all guilty of holding this sort of biased view, representative of our own worldview, but we also recognize that there are other worldviews out there that we may not know of.
It seems absurd that these Christians do not recognize the existence of other views, especially in areas that there is debate over specific beliefs.
Let’s end the rant here and start talking about solutions. What does the Church need to do to prevent this from happening? And what are the benefits of doing so?
How about a multi-faceted approach? I think back to a course I had in High School on world cultures. It was quite risque to discuss in a school, but the teacher explored the tenets of many of the world’s major religions, side-by-side.
Teach about other religions in a Christian church? That’s insanity! Blasphemy! People could choose to believe the wrong thing!
This idea may be a bit far-fetched, but is it really that crazy? I don’t think so. If those attending truly hold the church’s beliefs, then educating them about others’ beliefs certainly won’t sway them away. I feel the same could be true for other more political issues where the Church holds a clear stance. Avoiding the issues is not doing anyone any favors.
What am I trying to get at with all this rambling? I think the point is this. People need to identify with their beliefs, and without having a basic understanding of the competing mindset, it is impossible to do so.
Though there are areas of faith that may not be understood or even humanly understandable, Christians need to be prepared to come face to face with the very things they are taught not to do and the people who do them. In such a situation a person of strong faith would not sink to the levels of laughter or hatred, but could truly present, debate and defend their beliefs in a way that shows their understanding of the opposing side is clear in addition to their choice to oppose it.
