|
I guess i want to challenge the notion that faith is the enemy of thought...and i thought it would be good to see how some people regard faith from a Christian perspective...one that isn't about hellfire or fundamentalism.
I left the church when i was young. i was convinced that becuase i couldn't accept the literal truth of the creeds, the 6 day creation, the ressurection of the body, the virgin birth, the flood, etc...that i could never have an idenity with in the Church. I was wrong. I still don't beleive in creedalism, or creationism, or Biblical "science." I take much of the texts as metaphor. And i happen to have a strong Christian idenity. I think it is a fundamental misunderstanding to think that the first and most important part of the texts is the literal truth claims. Fundies have done most of this work...opponents have done the rest. But its time to start undoing that damage. Faith does not mean blind belief in academically questionable assertions. First and foremost it is a relationship, and an exploration of something greater than ourselves.
Humans cannot escape faith, really. It would be a faith to believe that there is nothing beyond our tangible senses. It would be faith to beleive that human reason is the highest power. It would be faith to think that secular ethics were the best for humanity. We believe things about our world...it seems to be the most basic human impulse, and a folly to try to rid ourselves of it.
|