What kind of God 3

Assumptions are the foundation of all our thought. We cannot get away from assumptions. Many of our assumptions are housed in "If...then" statements. Here is a simple example:

1. If God loves me, then life should be pleasant.

A wrong premise will logically lead to a wrong conclusion. Let's look at this statement. If I believe that statement and if my life is not pleasant (statistically most lives are not pleasant) then I would logically think that either God does not love me or God does not exist. But what is the basis of believing that "if God loves me then life should be pleasant"? Certainly there are preachers and teachers who say such things. Anyone with a bible can find a dozen quotes to support anything. But the consistent message of the Bible and church history is people struggle. Life is hard. Good people suffer.
I think that the media (especially Christian media) has equated God with the spectacular and wonderful. So we think "if God is here then I should feel goose bumps, I should see signs and wonders, I should be able to avoid the normal struggles of life." But I do not think that is in fact the case. Lots of martyrs can testify that sometimes it can get real painful. Lots of missionaries can testify that sometimes it gets real lonely and discouraging. Lots of ministers can testify sometimes it can get very frustrating and depressing. Lots of Christians can testify sometimes it gets real hard to be faithful. The struggles of life and the challenges of faith do not market well. But as someone who regularly hears from struggling people trying to be faithful, I can tell you it is a consolation for them to know that God loves us and life can still be unpleasant. How many people lose their faith because of mistaken assumptions? Many. I am here trying to support you on the journey of faith!

What Kind of God 2

My last post expressed my belief that Islam and Christianity do not believe the same things about God (and in that sense do not believe in the same God). The central feature of Christian theology is the role and person of Jesus Christ. Something strange is at work in the Christian worldview. We begin with the mysterious claim that the eternal God became a human being. The Old Testament hints that such a thing is not as unthinkable as it seems.

God comes to us. He speaks a word to us. This communication is housed in human language. That means "the Eternal" is clothed in "the limited, the temporal." We call it revelation. Some things are revealed to us in creation. This "natural theology" refers to what we can discern through our intellect. This is what Paul refers to in Romans 1:19 (God can be seen through the things He made). Revelation is what God has shared with us and revealed to us, generally through some human witness (Moses, prophets, biblical authors, perfectly in Jesus). The Bible is called the Word of God. There is also a long chain of teaching and practice which conveys to us the identity and will of God. This is called Tradition. Reason and revelation (in bible and tradition) are the basis of what we believe about God.

So if there is a God why are there so many religions and so much disagreement? I think many people assume that if God exists then everyone should "see" Him and believe the "same thing." It is not clear to me that that is true. I think this is an important point to reflect on. If God wants human beings to be free then isn't it necessary that He give them space? From the beginning it seems that God was both absent and present. Read about Adam and Eve in Genesis 2&3. God showed up to walk with them in the evening when it cooled down. They make the decision to eat the fruit and hide from God. Even before the sin there was a time of absence and a distance. Even before the sin people were capable of making independent decisions. I think we need to remember that absence and distance are part of God's relationship with us. From the beginning.

Does God Exist 2: What Kind of God

Oct 29 in Does God Exist 1 Suzan (my sister) left a comment which nailed the central issue. I want to begin wrestling with that today!

We have looked at the thinking-feeling-willing components of saying "I believe in God." In summary, the word "believe" has different shades of meaning. Today a new direction, the word "God" also has different shades of meaning! I thought about doing some comparative religion work here, but honestly think it is beyond my reach. However, a comment about what I am doing in this blog appeared in Facebook some time ago. I so want to address that.

"All Christians and Muslims are on the same path as I see it" was the comment. My response: It is probably true that is the way he sees it. However, it is probably not the way most people see it, especially people who know much about Islam and Christianity. Perhaps it is snarky to suggest that the commenter move to Muslim countries and spend a few years trying to preach that message at the local mosques. My guess is he would quickly learn that there are many Muslims who strongly (even violently) reject such beliefs.

In fairness, the word 'path' can simply meaning "seeking God" and in that case I do think it is true. I think it is fair to consider Christianity a world religion. (I know some Christians do not) It is certainly helpful to discuss Christianity in terms which could similarly be addressed to Muslims (revelation, worship, ethics, etc.). But where the commenter is totally wrong is Christianity is on the path named Jesus. Jesus said, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except by Me." Islam condemns the Chrisian belief in the Trinity as polytheism. Calling Jesus divine is blasphemous to them. What we say about God is not the same and there is a sense in which we worship different Gods. With the reminder from Suzan, that "any God small enough for me to understand is not big enough to be God", we will look at some pointers to what kind of God Christians believe in. Fortunately, we are not alone in this quest. Others go before us marked with the sign of faith!

Believing: willing it

Please read Doorag's comment from yesterday. I really think he has nailed it. Thanks for the e-mail today from a long time friend. I am praying for you! 

The third component of believing is "will." Obviously there is a given-ness to belief. Some folks seem to have an easier time of it. Our personality, our upbringing, our experiences all contribute. There is also something else at work. Christians call it grace, or Holy Spirit. So much of the reason "why" we believe is out of of our control.

But there is definitely work involved. Faith is a choice, too. I must decide to want to believe. I must decide to not want to believe. I have to decide every day to do the hard work of prayer, study and living a holy life. Or I have to decide not to do such things. I have to choose to be part of a community where I can grow and learn. Or I have to choose other kinds of communities. Probably the most important thing is to face myself and answer this question: "Am I willing to love, obey and worship a Creator?" The refusal makes belief almost impossible. The willingness to submit (always polluted by self seeking and infidelity) gets us going in the right direction. Either way, there is some deciding and choosing going on.

In my journey, even though I have solid intellectual reasons for believing many times I have doubts. Even though I believe my feelings can get in the way. Sometimes I do not care about God. Sometimes I am afraid I have been duped. Sometimes I just want to give up.... But even in those times I can choose to believe. I can choose to act like I believe. I can choose to do the things believers do. So if someone is in need I can treat them with love and respect, I can take time to help. I can read my bible and study. I can pray and listen. I can work to benefit my brothers and sisters. I can choose to act like someone whose horizon extends beyond this life. I can live in a way that reflects the belief that, in the end all will be well! If you can't believe in God maybe it is because, at least in part, you choose not to believe. 
Next we will look at what kind of God we believe in....

Believing: Feeling it

Is it rational to believe there is a God? Yes,  millions of intelligent people do believe. But when most of us say "I do/don't believe in God" is that all there is? Are we just being rational? I think not.

In the popular typology found in Kiersey's book Please Understand Me II we know that there are Thinking types and Feeling types. I am the latter, as is about 50% of the general population. "Feelers" tend to make our decisons based on feelings. Some people say "I believe" which really means "I feel."

As a youth retreat leader for many years, one common problem was kids "not feeling" God. Some of them assumed that they had no faith because they did not have a great emotional rush relating to God. Well, most of life is not a great emotional rush. And feelings are tied to sleep, eating, relaxing, stress, environmental comfort and a myriad other factors. There is no reason to assume that if God exists then I will have some sort of positive feelings, even the feeling of certitude. I have long observed that sometimes a meal or a nap can be a better cure for my spiritual crisis than prayer! It helps to be aware that feelings are not a good measure of faith. And if you do not believe in God ask yourself honestly do you ever feel like you do not love your friends or family? Do you ever doubt your job is important? Do you ever feel like nothing really matters? If you are honest the answer is yes. The reason that "you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone" is because the loss produces intense feelings. It is hard to generate intense feelings 24-7-365.

In issues of faith it is helpful to assess what one's "feeling" expectation is. Do you expect to "feel" God before you believe in God? If so, how do you know what is causing the feelings you have? My feelings may dominate me at times, but I always know that my feelings are not totally trustworthy. More tomorrow.

Believing: Intellectually

(Continuing Day 3)When someone says I (do not) believe in God there is an intellectual/rational aspect to that statement.
   We all analyze things and make decisions based on our analysis. [As an aside, most of us, most of the time, do not do very deep analysis. We are too busy, have too little information, are not up to the task and are sometimes a bit lazy. It is important to be honest with ourselves about that!] There are numerous philosophical arguments for the existence of God. Some of them can be reduced to the statement: "God is the best explanation for the world" (popularly expressed as "where did all this come from if there is no God?") The complexity of life is a genuine mystery. How does inert stuff (atoms) become a concert pianist? Where does the human desire for eternity get generated? How come we recognize morality is real? Is the wide spread belief in gods across time and culture a freak accident? When atheists talk about evolution why do they slip into language which implies intentionality and direction? If life has no meaning why do so many of us need meaning to live?
   It is not my intent to do complex apologetics here. I am more pointing out that apologetic arguments do exist. The point I want to make is once one has come to a conclusion intellectually, there may be some degree of rational certitude without an accompanying emotional connection. In other words, I may reason that God exists, but really do not care in a meaningful way.
   An example,  I believe George Washington existed. I have read books and visited historic sites. However, I also know history is always subject to revision and new information. There is room for doubt. I can not "prove" that George Washington existed to someone intent on not believing it. A person can say it was all made up and come up with a theory which "sounds" reasonable. (Isn't that what Hollywood is based on?) In the end most of us would say such doubt is silly. But believing George existed may not really motivate us to embrace his thought or inspire us to imitate his life of service. We can say "I believe, but who cares."
  Believing God exists is more complex than believing Wahsington existed. In the end, I think the philosophical arguments show it is more reasonable to believe in God. But having argued for this belief, I still can live my life without caring about this God/god. So my first point is this, intellectual arguments are only a part of the answer. For many of us, a very small part. More tomorrow

What is Believing?

My last post focused on my own struggles with faith. Now I would like to look more deeply into believing (it is called de-construction by smart people!)

I think there are three components or aspects to faith: thinking, feeling and choosing. The cognitive, or thinking, part is rational. It has to do with analysis. The feeling, or affective, part has to do with those swirling emotions which push and pull us. Choosing, the volitional function, comes down to decisions we make. No one of these three is the total picture. Different people tend to emphasize one more than others because of their personality. Different situations can also influence us to lean more on one than another. All three have conscious and unconscious aspects.

So what does this have to do with faith? We will look at each one individually then tie it all up during the week. At least that is my plan right now. I conclude with a little biography. When I was five years old my mom walked me the half mile or so to kindergarten. We lived in Chicago so the streets were busy. I remember the exact location (in front of Sears, across from the school) where I asked this question, "Mom, how do you know if you really love some one?" (That's right barely out of diapers I was filled with existential angst about authenticity.) Long story short my mom told me love was like giving someone your gloves when it was cold. (it is always cold and windy in Chicago!) In other words, love is not a feeling, it is an act of self-giving and other-blessing. I think faith questions are similar. With the constant changes in our thoughts and feelings and our wavering commitments and failures, from minute to minute we may have a different answer to the question "do I know I believe in God?" As important as that question is, it is more imporant to remember that God believes in you. More in the days ahead.