Pi and Curiousity
Half the time when I go to write a blog post, I have no idea what it is I am actually going to write about. Sometimes it's spur of the moment, sometimes I feel zero inspiration, and sometimes it's a thought that occurred to me earlier in the day. Today was a thinking day. I found myself diving in the recesses of my mind and dragging up old ponderings, which brought forth new ideas.
Recently I read the book Life of Pi by Yann Martel. I knew it was a good book from the accounts of others who had read it, but I had never opened it myself. I finished it in two days, which considering the amount of school work I still have yet to complete before exams, I consider quite a feat. While Pi is exploring three different religions all at once, my mind could barely comprehend how he could be pursuing Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism all at the same time. Then I had a thought which could potentially sound blasphemous depending on how much you read into it and how much you look at the details of other religions. I wrote down this thought instantly which seemed like such a momentous and outrageous idea at the time. I suppose it could still be considered that. So my note reads as follows:
What if every religion is actually about Jesus no matter what? The essence of it, not how humans perceive it?
Everything is about Him.
So why wouldn't this be? That would make the question of "what about those who haven't had opportunity to hear about Him?" irrelevant!
If you are confused, don't worry, so am I. I realize having traveled to India, that Hinduism most definitely has more than one god. Try over 360 million. That's the reincarnation thing kicking in. Anyway, obviously Hinduism is vastly different than Christianity, as is Islam. But if everything on this earth, everything in God's word, is about Jesus, then why wouldn't all other widespread religions be? And this is the part where I tell myself I'm crazy and a heretic. But then I begin to think about this idea again, and I wonder if it were true, then yes it would be a highly strange version of the gospel (if it could even be viewed as that), as not all view their god as a necessarily forgiving figure, but one that demands good deeds, five prayers a day, ceremonies in grand temples, and a trip to Mecca. That's the part where Christianity stands out in that we believe our good deeds are nothing compared to the goodness and grace of Jesus which is freely given to us. So in that regard, everything is as different as night and day.
This is something I have no conclusion about. It was just strange thought that occurred to me one day while reading, and I think it's all right to struggle with odd concepts such as this. Either way it is not shaking the foundations of my faith, firmly set in place by Jesus Himself (He wouldn't let me touch the mortar), and it allows me to explore this world that He has created. God gave me a very curious, adventurous mind, and I don't think that was something meant to be kept under lock and key. He wants us to explore, delight, and enjoy everything that He has made for us, bearing in mind that at the end of the day He is the King of our minds, the Champion of our spirits, and the Lover of our hearts.
Much love,
Mickeelie
Recently I read the book Life of Pi by Yann Martel. I knew it was a good book from the accounts of others who had read it, but I had never opened it myself. I finished it in two days, which considering the amount of school work I still have yet to complete before exams, I consider quite a feat. While Pi is exploring three different religions all at once, my mind could barely comprehend how he could be pursuing Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism all at the same time. Then I had a thought which could potentially sound blasphemous depending on how much you read into it and how much you look at the details of other religions. I wrote down this thought instantly which seemed like such a momentous and outrageous idea at the time. I suppose it could still be considered that. So my note reads as follows:
What if every religion is actually about Jesus no matter what? The essence of it, not how humans perceive it?
Everything is about Him.
So why wouldn't this be? That would make the question of "what about those who haven't had opportunity to hear about Him?" irrelevant!
If you are confused, don't worry, so am I. I realize having traveled to India, that Hinduism most definitely has more than one god. Try over 360 million. That's the reincarnation thing kicking in. Anyway, obviously Hinduism is vastly different than Christianity, as is Islam. But if everything on this earth, everything in God's word, is about Jesus, then why wouldn't all other widespread religions be? And this is the part where I tell myself I'm crazy and a heretic. But then I begin to think about this idea again, and I wonder if it were true, then yes it would be a highly strange version of the gospel (if it could even be viewed as that), as not all view their god as a necessarily forgiving figure, but one that demands good deeds, five prayers a day, ceremonies in grand temples, and a trip to Mecca. That's the part where Christianity stands out in that we believe our good deeds are nothing compared to the goodness and grace of Jesus which is freely given to us. So in that regard, everything is as different as night and day.
This is something I have no conclusion about. It was just strange thought that occurred to me one day while reading, and I think it's all right to struggle with odd concepts such as this. Either way it is not shaking the foundations of my faith, firmly set in place by Jesus Himself (He wouldn't let me touch the mortar), and it allows me to explore this world that He has created. God gave me a very curious, adventurous mind, and I don't think that was something meant to be kept under lock and key. He wants us to explore, delight, and enjoy everything that He has made for us, bearing in mind that at the end of the day He is the King of our minds, the Champion of our spirits, and the Lover of our hearts.
Much love,
Mickeelie
Hi Mickeelie and others, with just a little prompting I had the opportunity to read this remarkable entry. To good to let pass by! My chance to share some further thoughts:
ReplyDeleteYes, the Life of Pi was a good one. Of course, there is another definition of Pi, discovered by the Babylonians (I think) and used to calculate the size of a circle. As you alluded to above, there is a central Christian question: how big is the circle I live in? As good primates, we are most comfortable with the small community of people we know and the immediate world we live in. Jesus calls us to something much bigger, to set aside our inborn prejudices and fears and to step out into a MUCH bigger circle. That meant, for Him, hanging around hookers, lepers, guys who worked for the hated Romans gathering taxes, and, well.... women in general. Particularly since the Renaissance, God has allowed us a markedly more expanded view of the environment. He's shown us a 13.7 billion year universe, the shape of atoms, and, love of my life, how remarkable no-see-ums are. The circle has gotten bigger and bigger yet. He's also shown us the diversity of the human family, including all those cultural differences, different expressions, and also the depth of religious thought and experience in those who aren't Christians (I guess we thought we had it all). If we actually believe that the whole earth is the Lord's and everything in it, that Jesus is the firstborn of Creation, and that we can't actually get away from God (Ps. 139), then, of course, Jesus is present in these other religions too. If, as Christians, we stand on the truth of the resurrection (and trying to be timely, the wonder of the Babe incarnate), the goal of the Christian is merely to share of our wonderful story, to those who may not know it, but who have also experienced the wonder of God (through the work of the Triune Diety we profess). Yes, Jesus is present, here and over there, in a circle that is truly vast.
And that makes the journey, and it's pursuit, just....... awesome indeed (and as any explorer/traveller knows, sometimes rather scary!)
Mickeelie - keep writing!!
My 2 bits (CAN). Art Borkent
Hi Uncle Art!
ReplyDeleteThank you for you comments. I'm sorry it took me so long to reply, what with finals still going on.
You basically put what I think I was feeling into much more eloquent terms, and thank you for answering a bit of my question. Ps. 39 helped clarify it as well, thank goodness for scripture. The encompassing circle that is Jesus...such an interesting concept to ponder, and I'm sure that I will be thinking about it over the holidays.