Religion Archives - More Letters to the Corinthians

More on Souls

A fascinating proposition lending itself to those who believe in souls is does every person have one? More than a valid question considering the complexities of life. Is it possible some of us are but actors? I’d say so.

The concept of soul leads straight to four possibilities: either everyone has one, some do and some don’t, only I have a soul, or the actors are indeed souls themselves. Personally, I’m partial to the last one but let’s review all four.

The idea that everyone has a soul implies a similar circumstance that lives within everybody. This assumption, brought forth by the holy Catholic Church, was initially believed by everyone but today it no longer makes sense. There is no way everybody on this planet has a soul. No doubt in my mind many of us are simply acting.

Letter to an Atheist

If you’ve ever watched the Flintstones, you know all about Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm. Not only cute kids but they wrote a smash hit single that went: Let the sunshine in. Let the sunshine in. Open up your heart and let the sunshine in.

This represents the way many feel about their God. They connect by opening up their hearts, and it goes with something a friend once told me. I asked why religious people never smoke dope. He said, “Because they’re stoned all the time.”

Not everyone gets high using this method. Some get downright incensed at the sound of religion. Few of America’s founding fathers had time for faith and Jefferson once cut up a Bible, threw away all the bad parts, and glued it back together in accordance with his own views. Anger against the church is nothing new but atheists take it to a new level. Not only do they disrespect religion, they don’t believe in God.

Protractor

Before getting to non-believers, we need a definition since all sorts of people believe all sorts of things. Let’s use a protractor.

There are six types of people. Fundamentalists are strict believers who take their faith literally; progressives are big on religion while open to discussion; lights are into faith, but not that heavy; deists believe in God but not religion; agnostics neither believe nor disbelieve; and atheists say both God and religion are a crock. So there you have it. From big God to no God, we have a wide variety of personalities. And most atheists aren’t atheists at all—they’re actually deists.

Christianity

Like most religions, Christianity is comprised of four parts. And not all followers buy in.

Philosophy – along with Paul’s letters to the Romans, much of Catholic doctrine was inspired by Plato and written by a man named Saint Augustine. And though it’s changed over the years, this philosophy has always addressed the issue of ethics and the mysteries of life.
Rules – initially based on Roman law (which came from strict Jewish tradition), the rules also changed over time but today, they’re certainly not for everyone.
Story – if you think of Christianity as a business, the story is its marketing department. They added miracles to impress past-day people into buying into this system. Could it all be true? Possibly, but it goes without saying that not everyone agrees.
Implementation – not only was religion rolled out once devised, leaders also had to worry about market share (wars and crusades) and day-to-day operations. It’s from these last two that the many “man made” scars have been inflicted. But let’s be honest, this system also brought much good into the world. Good performed by those who found beauty in this faith.

That’s religion in a nutshell. Some revel in the whole package (fundamentalists who get stoned) while others take a lighter approach (most Canadian Catholics). And it’s the position of “lights” that atheists may find intriguing. You see, atheists come in three pasts: they’ve either had a lousy life (original definition), were raised with faith and broke away, or weren’t raised with religion at all and could never buy in.

Comedian Jimmy Carr calls it an epiphany when you break free from faith, which of course is ironic since an epiphany is supposed to be a religious experience. What he doesn’t say is it’s only the first one. There are at least two more. One, that recognizes the church was very much a necessity and damn fine idea. And two, that the world still needs religion. It needed it back then and needs it today. Maybe we’ll evolve to where culture no longer requires it, but I believe this change is happening way too fast and people aren’t ready for what they’re creating.

Reason and imagination

If you don’t like faith, we have two more choices. Reason is brought to us by Plato and Pythagoras — the master of math. Plus Carl Jung, who is the second most influential psychologist next to Freud. They can all prove it.

Everyone knows Aristotle studied under Plato, but Plato studied under Pythagoras for ten years. Pythagoras was the world’s first genius at mathematics. He believed through mathematics and knowing the stars you could definitely prove the existence of God. As a matter of fact, one of only two perfect IQ scores said the same thing. About 30 years ago, he gave up all material interest and went about concentrating on such proof.

Pythagoras felt it was through incrementations found in music and measurements in the sky. He said this universe is far too precise to have been created without order. It’s the manifestation of order. And Plato insisted that any serious study of philosophy include the area of astronomy. He said they go together. “As above, so below.” Pretty serious players say it’s all real and we’ll leave it at that.

But if math isn’t your ticket, let’s talk imagination. Imagination is what occurs when you realize human fragility. That not only can your bones be crushed in an instant so can your hope. And that having a god is the best psychological medicine one can take. The finest thing the Protestant Reformation gave us was the ability to hold a personal god. It’s great. You can make yours whomever you wish. So if nothing else fits, make one up. The question isn’t who is God and what does She want from me, the question is what should it be? This is My God.

Summary

You don’t need a creator when things are going well and you’re on top of a mountain. You need God for the valleys when things are going rough. To stop you from jumping into the lake ‘cause life really sucks. That’s why my favourite story from the Bible is when God takes a walk with us along the sand. The person he is telling asks, “But Lord, sometimes there is only one set of footprints. Is that when thou hast forsaken me?” And God says, “No, you idiot. That’s when I carried you.”

There are three paths to the father: faith, reason, or imagination—and they all start the same. Open up your heart and let the sunshine in.

The Human Condition

Alts say life is a trip that gets explained to us at the end. So what is it we’re supposed to be doing on this journey? The answer may lie in the aspects of life that are common to us all—the human condition.

Everyone gets a body, has a childhood, experiences dating, and goes to school. We all have friends, encounter nature, and eventually get a job. And everyone feels a myriad of emotions. Protestant or Hindu, rich or poor, that’s the way it is. And most of what occurs in this lifetime is the same. Imagine a tall building or a multi-level ship. You flourish by travelling between floors. Each one is a separate experience. For example, floor eight could be money. Floor ten could be love. So keep wandering and pushing buttons until they say time is up.

Body

Maybe we don’t all eat lobster but we do all eat. Maybe we don’t all compete at the Olympics but we do all compete. And maybe we don’t all have multiple lovers but everyone tangles up with someone.

Eating—we have our favourites and things we don’t like.
Sleeping—some toss and turn, some like a baby.
Fashion—from dressing to how we style our hair.
Physical—hiking, playing sports, building a model, or taking a stroll. And whether by bus or by car, we all experience motion.
Health—we have sick days and times we feel great.
Senses—in addition to taste, we get to see, hear, smell, and feel. So whether it’s colours, sounds, scents, or texture—it’s all part of being here.

Nature

We’ve all felt water and played with animals. Some like to garden, some like to camp. In the end, everyone has a relationship with nature. From petting a dog, to walking in the wilderness, all of these make up a level. Wind, rainbows, flowers, and hills—lots to perceive out there.

People

Relationships are obvious. We meet loads of people. Friends come and go, family stays. Friends are typically going through the same phases in life as we are (e.g., high school), family is different. And there are neighbours and workmates. We all get along.

Family—everyone has parents and relatives.
Friends—everyone makes friends or acquaintances.
Romance—those who invoke infatuation, attraction, and heartache in us.
Teachers—many have a mentor influence over you.
Co-workers—connections between people you work with.
Cell mates—you can get a good one, you can get a bad one, some call them spouses.

Experiences

There are also many experiences we have in common. Take for example:

Birth—everyone has a birthday (and better yet a star sign).
Entertainment—different dials for pleasures and fun.
Money—everyone has a relationship with money.
Music—some have a deep connection with rhythm.
Fantasy—most bond to some genre of film or novel. Others make it up.
Learning—like it or not, you’re going to learn something.
School—we all go.
Suffering—can’t forget the Buddha since everyone eats it sometimes.
Travel—we don’t always stay in the same place.
Work—no matter how lazy, eventually we assume an occupation and come to know the difference between doing a good job and not.

Emotions

We feel a cast of emotions. Happy and sad is just the start. Courage and fear, anger and calm. Trust, pride, shame, and envy. Frustration, pity, kindness, and disgust. Sure, love is a big one but don’t forget the ones that rile you up (like passion) and those that bring you down.

Then add in characteristics that determine your actions. Aristotle called them virtues and said their development was the education of emotion. Integrity, humility, loyalty, and forgiveness. Compassion, generosity, ethics, and patience. These are greater than emotion by means of depth.

Dynamics

Along with various sensations there are many dynamics. Sensations are physical feelings (waterskiing), emotional feelings (laughing, crying), intellectual (learning, solving a problem), primal (hunger), and spiritual (ever watch Ghost Whisperer?). Dynamics are two-dimensional planes that we also operate on (see Taoist symbol).

Summary

Realizing you’re bound within a body is easy to imagine since you can only bend in certain ways. Seeing how you’re trapped within personality is a whole other affair. You can only do so much. Fortunately, we also have souls—and remember, everything gets explained to us at the end.

Plato said the mind can be broken into three: spirit, reason, and animal. Spirit is the soul (easy). Reason is what figures things out and decides how to live. And animals are for all-you-can-eat buffets. All three cover physical and emotional needs. The theory goes like this: souls enter this world by inhabiting a body and personality—just like boarding a car on a midway. Angels help you on, take the tickets, and buckle you in. Then you go through oodles of adventures and one day return to the mother ship (where they explain it to you).

Maybe not every person is covered by a soul, perhaps some are just actors. And maybe souls also exist within animals and objects. Who knows? In the meantime, everyone is going through similar sorts of events. Yes, everything isn’t exactly the same, it’s more like getting ten paints from a palate of twenty. But regardless of what you’re handed, it’s good to acknowledge that you’re living the human condition.

This concession is great for conversation, keeps your ego in check, and says don’t be a dolt. Dale Carnegie made a fortune by telling people about the first one. Maybe you’ll gain riches from all three. No matter, there’s lots to do.

Angels

In the search for meaning, there are many options under alternative. Alternate points of view are now becoming popular as humanity’s faith in classic religion continues to falter. Let’s start with some basics.

Deism

Atheism is the disbelief in the existence of God. Deism says there is a god, but it doesn’t intervene in our lives. Theism says there is a god and it intervenes.

A monotheist believes in one god; a polytheist thinks there are many.

Deism was conceived in the 17th and 18th centuries by an intellectual movement that believed in the existence of a creator, on the basis of reason, but rejected belief in a god that interacts with humankind. Deism comes in two forms: warm, which allows for some involvement, and cold, which says there is none.

Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and many of America’s founding fathers were deists, along with Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Mark Twain, Adam Smith, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Napoleon.

Religion

Including denominations, there are over 2,000 religions in the world. They generally give meaning to life and explain its origin. Religion also tends to derive morality, ethics, religious laws, or a preferred lifestyle from their ideals. Essentially, they all do the same things:

Recognize a creator
Define what the creator is like
Describe what the creator wants from us (the rules)
Give meaning to life

Many religions offer personal gods with humanlike qualities (like love and anger) so people can relate. Some say you can interact with them on a daily basis and become friends. Others describe God as being much more mystical, not humanlike at all. They believe the only way to experience Him is through imagination and other means of spirituality.

Deists say only that there is a creator and never try to explain anything more. They find it bizarre any church would claim additional knowledge and feel a belief system should focus on the experience of life, not so much on how we got here.

Meaning of life

In a deistic approach, the meaning of life is to live it. You’re supposed to go out there and meet people, fall in love, have your heart broken, climb a mountain, paint a fence, laugh your ass off, and get stung by a bee. That’s it. The rest will get explained to us at the end. It’s not about continually calling on some God to answer all your prayers. It’s about being in a group that’s taking a trip. Experience the trip, then we’ll talk about it later.

Angels

Warm deists also believe there is some, albeit little, intervention from above to ensure we get full value from our voyage. This comes by way of angels. Angels help us survive and experience the day. They watch over our safety and make us hit every checkpoint on the run. They can’t do much if you drive into a concrete wall but they can negotiate a few inches, which oftentimes leaves only a lesson.

Angels bring people in and out of our lives. Adversaries and allies, lovers and friends, neighbours and heroes, relatives and workmates. And they make us play different roles for each other. (For example, some say you haven’t lived until you’ve met an Italian.) Interfacing with others is a major theme on the trip, along with encountering nature, getting to know yourself, and meeting the god of the mystics. Then, spill a drink, grow a plant, read a book, have a discussion, get a job, and flip a pancake. It’s all life. So are feelings of empathy and holding positions of power. They’re just stops along the way.

Life is an experience that gets explained to us at the end. And angels help us through it.

Possibilities

Okay, so I like the idea of being a warm deist who believes in angels, but can I still have Jesus and belief in the Bible? Sure, if you can handle that Jesus was not God but more like Nelson Mandela, and the Bible as being no more divine than Plato’s Republic or Chicken Soup for the Soul.

Can I still respect religious people? Yup, we’re all on different paths. Classic religion may simply be where they’re at right now. What about reincarnation? Do I have to believe in crazy things like past lives? No, but reincarnation is within the realm of possibilities. Earth could be a training ground where passengers travel without remembrance of past visits. Then, when back up in heaven, everything comes together.

Is it okay to dislike people that try to evangelize me? Absolutely, they’re worse than telemarketers. But it’s all about the experience—both yours and theirs. Evangelical leaders encourage members to believe they’re doing the work of God. So if knocking on doors helps them further that experience, all the power to them. As long as they stop when you ask.

Let’s be honest, life is hard. And questions about meaning are unsettling because no one knows the answers—it’s all just belief. So for the sake of sanity, the reply is whatever floats your boat. Deists aren’t saying you have to see things their way. They’re simply providing another option for those who’ve examined religion and can’t buy in.

Conclusion

Everyone gets brainwashed to some degree by their upbringing—from atheism to fundamentalism. But individuals can be set free. Free to not only choose their own course but free to switch back. And it’s this flexibility that leaves room for doubt. Doubt that should eliminate the arrogance many of us feel towards our way as being the only way.

Couldn’t everyone be right? Couldn’t there be multiple systems all running at the same time? Multiple gods sharing one planet, or one god with multiple faces intervening with different groups so that atheists, mystics, and evangelicals could all be right? I don’t know. Your angel just told me to send you this letter.

Progressives

In the realm of different believers, progressives and fundamentalists are regular churchgoers who vigorously support the Bible. But progressives like to think about their scripture while fundies take it literally.

Progressives are often fundamentalists who’ve broken away (e.g., kids who take faith less seriously than their parents) and they’re open to religious discussion. (You needn’t be afraid of them.) The two also differ when it comes to abiding by church rules. Fundamentalists follow them wholeheartedly, while progressives like to apply a little interpretation. For example, during the Islamic period of Ramadan, strict Muslims view the rule of fasting between sunrise and sunset as just that—even if they live up north where this can last up to 16 hours. Progressives say the law was made for an area closer to the equator so, for them, six to six is close enough.

Christianity, like most religions, is a good moral core surrounded by a number of rules. Each believer then has to decide which they’re willing to accept. Here are some of the rules that progressives have moved away from over the past 50 years.

not being allowed to go to movies on Sundays
not being allowed to dance
not being allowed to consume alcohol
believing women don’t have the same status as men
believing only Christians go to heaven
believing gays and lesbians are not welcome in the church

Today’s progressives are also open to meeting people of other faiths and discussing how God has entered their lives. And they disagree with the notion of supporting only one political party—they’ll vote for whomever they please.

Summary

You can’t keep educating people without expecting them to think. That’s why the future of religion lies with its progressives. This group is different from “lights” in that they believe the Bible is divine and are probably still a little Christian-supremacist, but they’re redefining faith from the inside.

In terms of Christianity, this means separating yourself from the Old Testament. Deists left that one long ago, while fundamentalists still cling to it. Progressives take a middle path where they respect the old covenant but rank it well below the New One. And though this process isn’t always easy, progressives see the lessons in that older document. Same lessons the Jews used to take us to the next level. (And why our cartoon people are saying thank you.)

But today, we need to move on—and religion is changing.

Fundamentalism

In his film, Religulous, Bill Maher takes aim at Christian fundamentalism in America attempting to expose the lunacy of it all. (The title is a combination of the words religion and ridiculous.) I found the film worthwhile but wish it had answered more questions. Like, what’s the definition of a fundie and why does any person want to be one? What percentage of Americans think this way? And is this number shrinking or on the rise? Since Bill didn’t answer these questions, let’s give it a try.

The film’s definition of a fundamentalist seems to be churchgoers who take their scripture literally. For Christians, it’s believing in Old Testament stories like Adam and Eve, Jonah living inside a whale, and Noah running around collecting all those animals. It also includes believing in the existence of Hell, Mother Mary as a virgin, and that homosexuality is a sin.

It appears people become fundamentalists for three reasons:

Jesus loves you
You enjoy feeling superior
You’re susceptible to the euphoria of prayer

Fundamentalists are usually born into an already fundamentalist family or belong to the utterly broken and totally screwed up. I don’t think kids from good non-fundie homes wake up saying, “Hey, I want to start believing in this stuff, literally.” But those with battered backgrounds often seek out the help of the church. Why? Because above all else, Jesus loves me. And this form of love is obviously better than the one I should have received from home.

It also appears that as soon as the cameras shut off, fundies began snickering over how dumb they thought ol’ Bill was. Comments like “he doesn’t know” and “he’ll never be saved” could easily have come from this group. One of the pillars of super-faith seems to be the feeling of being chosen or superior. And when you think of it—these people have been ridiculed their entire lives. But thanks to fundamentalism, they’ll soon be the winners sitting atop the mountainside, while condescending, bully-bastards who once taunted them suffer at their feet. (And revenge is so sweet.)

The third reason appears to be the reaction some have to prayer. It’s like the power of prayer is an upper-based addiction like no other. Something chemical is going on here because they’re all high on Christ.

So to summarize: “newbie” fundamentalists want (and need) the love of Jesus, like to feel superior, and are addicted to the euphoria of prayer.

Problem

So why did Bill say we have to be afraid of them? All the fundamentalists in the film seemed harmless. Looked like nice people. Is it because those who believe blindly are susceptible to carrying out bad wishes from an evil command? Are fundamentalists primarily docile people who can become dangerous because they don’t like to think? And is it terrorism we’re talking about, or is it voting largely the same way and their tendency to sometimes carry signs that say “God hates fags,” all because some leader told them?

Solution

What’s popular these days are arguments between atheists and fundies, which are mostly futile. It may be better to acknowledge that fundamentalist-type people exist and treat them accordingly? For example, like we have international agreements to reduce the number of nuclear arms, we could have international faith agreements to remove controversial passages from each other’s scripture, just to keep everyone safe.

Prior to finding this notion absurd, consider that the Catholic Church has altered its canon a number of times. For years, it said babies who died before baptism were sent directly to limbo. And though this was probably a motivation to push followers into practicing early sacraments (since rituals are part of cementing adherence), it created additional suffering for already grieving parents. But the church reversed its policy to unbaptized babies now go to heaven. Furthermore, today the Vatican acknowledges Darwinism as a valid belief system, and sometimes says homosexuality isn’t a sin. (At this rate we’ll have birth control by Christmas.)

Religious authorities must take responsibility for having created this mess. Rules that were necessary in the past have become outgrown in many places. The fault doesn’t lie with fundamentalist-type people, it’s with doctrines like the Bible and the Quran. Blaming fundies is like blaming a three-year-old for falling into a pool. Put up a fence!

Simple-minded people will always be among us and will always require some sort of care. So let’s give them a bible that is simple and pure. One that says everyone goes to heaven (regardless of religion) and there is no hell. We could make it even more positive by putting greater emphasis on one God and less on the messenger. (Plus, we should stop forcing these folks to evangelize and give away all their dough.)

For the sake of fundamentalists, we should rewrite parts of our bibles to clean up the faith. This way everyone gets to follow the rules and we can all get high.

Note: There are many psychological reasons why I would join. It’s an easy answer to natural questions and a straightforward path to heaven. And in places like Europe and CanAmerica, religion is a choice. But in other parts of the world, fundamentalist behaviour can be forced upon you — and most people hate it. (Some don’t.) Remember this before you judge.

The Bible

A canon is a general law or criterion by which something is judged. It’s also a list of sacred books accepted as genuine. The canon of the New Testament is the set of 27 books Christians regard as divinely inspired. These books were written mostly in the first century and finished by the year 150.

Roman Emperor Constantine ruled from 306 to 337. He believed a new religion was in order for Rome and chose Christianity as the fit. The empire proclaimed the toleration of Christianity in 313 and Constantine himself converted. He then convened over the First Council of Nicaea in 325. This was the first effort to attain consensus through an assembly representing all of Christendom.

The Bible was finally settled upon at the Council of Carthage in 397, under the authority of Saint Augustine (Mr. Augustine at the time). It was confirmed by Pope Innocent I, in 405, when he sent a letter instructing all bishops to use the new canon. The Old Testament is based on the Hebrew Bible. The New Testament, written in Greek, discusses the teachings of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christianity.

Early influences

Many theologians had their hand in the creation of this document. And though all opinions were not incorporated, multiple views were certainly heard. Here are three examples: Hermas, Irenaeus of Lyons, and Marcion of Sinope.

Hermas (c. 85) taught that Jesus himself was not divine but a virtuous man who was subsequently filled with the Holy Spirit. Hermas was one of two competing doctrines about Jesus’ true nature, the other saying he pre-existed as a divine spirit (Logos). Christ’s identity with the Logos was affirmed in 325 at the First Council of Nicaea.

Irenaeus of Lyons (c 180) instituted the four-gospel canon. In this central work, he denounced various early Christian groups that used only one gospel as well as groups that used more than four.

Marcion of Sinope (85-160) rejected the spiritual teachings of the Old Testament and regarded the God depicted there as an inferior Being. He claimed the “theology of the Old” was incompatible with the teachings of Jesus. Marcion believed Jesus had come to liberate mankind from the authority of the old God and to reveal the superior God of goodness and mercy, whom he called the Father.

Gospels

The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are commonly referred to as the Synoptic Gospels. They include many of the same stories, often in a similar sequence and in similar wording. The Gospel of John is structured differently and includes several miracles of Jesus and sayings not found in the other three.

Christian theologians often consider John to be a central text in their belief that Jesus is God—in connection with the idea that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are equals. There were also some who rejected this gospel because it wasn’t compatible with the other three. These heretics were called Alogi.

Interpretations and translations

Protestant denominations, including Evangelicals, have made alterations to establish their own versions of the Bible. They’ve removed or substituted the odd book, and added a verse or two, but in general the Bible has stayed pretty much the same since the late 4th century. What’s made significant impact are all the translations.

The first was to get it into Latin. This was done by Saint Jerome around the year 400. His version (the Vulgate) eventually became the official Roman script. The Bible was then translated into Old English during the 10-11th centuries, Middle English in the 14th, and Modern English in the 16th century. In total, there are over 100 translations just for English, of which many are still available. Individual translations vary with verses being added or subtracted, and different wording being used.

Ecumenical councils

An ecumenical council is a conference of church dignitaries and theological experts convened to discuss and settle matters of doctrine. The first ecumenical council was the First Council of Nicaea (325). These councils have continued right up to Vatican II, held between 1962 and 1965.

Conundrum

The Bible contains many controversial clauses making belief in a good and loving God, along with a Bible that is divine, often difficult to reconcile. For example, Timothy 2:12 (King James Version) says: “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.” This verse is widely used to oppose women from being trained and ordained as clergy, and from holding certain positions inside the Church.

Another passage commonly used to oppose homosexuality is Leviticus 18:22. The English Standard Version says: “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.”

If you divide the Bible into four sections: Old Testament, the teachings of Jesus, stories about Jesus (e.g., the birth story), and the rest of the New Testament, you’ll find significant differences based on the type of believer.

Fundamentalists consider all equally divine
Lights accept only the teachings of Jesus as being divine
Progressives are caught in the conundrum.

Fundamentalists have no problem with Old Testament discipline. Lights assign the non-Jesus parts to a completely separate category (especially the Old Testament). And progressives are stuck trying to reconcile an often-suspect Bible with a good and loving God.

Closing

The progressive path forward is always through interpretation. Previously when detractors said, “Why doesn’t God love all people and accept everyone into heaven?” religious folk would reply, “Because the Bible was written thousands of years ago and that’s the way it was.” Sometimes people bought it, sometimes they didn’t. Many left the church.

Today’s progressives have better answers. Their replies include “The Bible itself isn’t divine, it’s about divinity,” or “Constantine was part of the Roman Empire where they used biblical law in addition to civil law to administer people.” Push them further and you might get “If it’s not in accordance with a good and loving God, then the Bible is wrong.”

Maybe we need another ecumenical council to satisfy those who wish to be guided by the good parts of the Bible, without accepting the kooky. This way, fundamentalists would have something clean to believe in, progressives could stay in the church, and lights would attend more often. That or we start a new religion.

Christian Alternative

Within the Christian community we have devout believers and those who consider themselves to be “light.” The difference can be illustrated through their individual interpretations of the Bible. Devouts believe God wrote, or at least heavily influenced, the Bible and that its words are His direct communication. Lights don’t find the Bible to be that significant. So we have two groups:

God ⇒ Bible ⇒ Devout Christian

God ⇒ Light Christian

The difference leads to many questions. Are there two gods? Is one of these groups wrong? If you don’t believe in the authority of the Bible, can you still be called a Christian? And what about Jesus, do “lights” believe in Jesus?

Answers to these questions require a further definition. Since most “lights” could also be described as Christian comatose (not that committed to formality), we need another category for non-traditional interpretations. Let’s pick one example and call them alts. Alternative people believe the following:

Jesus said and did a lot of great things.
Jesus was a man, not God.
Anyone can go to heaven, not just Christians.
Some sections of the Bible are not in accordance with a good and loving god (and should be removed).
Many of religion’s rules (like, no birth control or telling people what they can eat) are completely man-made and not in accordance with a good and loving god.
There is no hell (so stop scaring people).

As you can see, alts don’t totally line up with strict beliefs nor do they side with deists who, seeing holes in Christianity, disregard religion completely. Alts regard the deist point of view as throwing out the baby with the bathwater since it ignores all of faith’s good parts.

The problem

Because alts are stuck between devouts (who run the church) and God-only people (who leave the church), they don’t have anyplace to go. They want religion, but not devout-style with all its rules and literal interpretations. Their version wishes to focus on the positive, deeper meanings in the Bible, not the contradictory stuff.

Jesus

Before Jesus, the majority of the Roman Empire believed in multiple crazy-assed gods with human-like personalities. Yes, the Jews had a better system but they were few in number and figured God was just for them.

Jesus, with his compassionate message of “love thy neighbour,” struck a chord with many that still resonates today. It’s a great interpretation of what we’re supposed to be doing on this planet. But to alts, it appears churches hijacked the message and bound it to regulations in order to control people. (There’s a shortage of fish, God says don’t eat fish.) In their mind, the Church jacked up Christ’s divinity (through rewrites of the Bible) for their own sake, and the logic became: if Jesus said it, God said it. And we’re the authorities on what Jesus said.

Churches built a condemnation-based society with rules on top of rules that alts believe is a crock. And alts are angered by the distortion churches and devouts have made to the real message of Christ. He was not a Christian supremacist, Christ loved everyone. He was not a condemner, Christ was about forgiveness. And Christ was not an egomaniac persecutor, he was a humble teacher. He isn’t Jesus Christ—Our Saviour, he’s Jesus Christ—Our Example. Turning him into a spokesperson to espouse a private set of motives isn’t just deceptive, it robs us of the Jesus to whom we should aspire.

The expression “Jesus died for us” says he gave his life to protect the message. If, once it became apparent these teachings were inflaming the establishment, he abandoned it only to move away, all of its meaning would have dissipated. So given the situation, he had to die for us. And the expression “Jesus rose from the dead” doesn’t mean he went up to heaven (like everyone is supposed to), it means the message continues to survive long after his physical death. And the instruction to “love thy neighbour” should never be forgotten.

Churches

Churches certainly deserve credit for their actions taken in the past because it isn’t easy managing the masses. And we must recognize the enormous amount of good churches have accomplished, everywhere. But maybe it’s time to rid the world of the conundrum and become 100% sincere. Isn’t it wrong that the Catholic Church forbids people to use birth control? Aren’t certain religious organizations wrong in outlawing certain foods? And more importantly, isn’t it silly to insist that God instructed us on any of this?

Conclusion

Christianity isn’t an “all in” proposition—you’re allowed to take only the good parts. The belief in a good and loving God still stands, but if you find something suspect, it’s okay to drop it. The Bible has some great passages like, the Good Samaritan or “let ye among you that hast not sinned cast the first stone,” but it isn’t a direct communication any more than what exists within any poem or a song. Divinity is everywhere. Not just in one book.

If alts are right about this, we’re left with two big questions: who is God? and what does He want from us? Alt answers are: there is a God, God is good, and life is an experience that gets explained to us at the end. But while you’re here, do what Jesus said and “love thy neighbour.”

History of Western Faith

Western Civilization is based largely on the Judeo-Christian faith. But how did this come to be? And why are so many North Americans born Christian?

Before Judaism

Before Judaism, people believed in multiple Gods, with human-like personalities, most of which were mean. These Gods were highly-sexed and occasionally needed to be satisfied with human sacrifice. Back then, people also believed life was cyclical—an experience where the same things occurred over and over, across every generation. So they figured we were like hamsters on a wheel, created to serve all these crazy-assed gods.

Judaism

Then a small group of nomads changed things. The Jewish religion began around 1800 BC and developed over the years to produce the following concepts:

belief in just one God (monotheism)
no more human sacrifice
God is loving and good (albeit, in the Old Testament he was also vindictive and cruel, but still better than all Gods at the time)
we need to have faith (e.g., Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son)
the Sabbath—a day of rest, education, and enjoyment
the rest of the ten commandments (granted they don’t denounce slavery or discuss equality by gender, but they do promote some pretty good stuff)
life is linear, not cyclical. (They changed the concept of time. They moved away from a perspective where one comes to inner peace by coming to terms with the wheel, to a new outlook where we’re not bound by some predetermined fate and are free to write our own future.)

Though Jews represented only a small percentage of world population, they started a new belief system. One that made more sense than what came before. And probably due to its sensibility, this religion persevered.

Christianity

Then along came Jesus, a Jew who founded Judaism 2.0. He moved away from the bad parts and made God more loving. Gone was the monster god of the Old Testament and the notion that Jews were his chosen people. Added was the idea that God is always loving and we should be the same way (e.g., love thy neighbour).

Jesus said and did a lot of great things, and his religion was more positive and sensible than multiple gods or Judaism 1.0. As a result, it grew to eventually become the Holy Catholic Church (the first Christian church).

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire existed between 27 BC and 476 AD. After years of persecuting Christians, Rome changed from its polytheistic belief system to a Christian empire. This occurred between the years 300-400 AD, with Rome declaring Christianity as its state religion. At the time, Christianity meant Catholicism and it was imposed upon all subjects, which translated into all of Europe becoming Catholic.

Protestant Reformation

During the mid-1500s, a number of movements challenged Rome’s authority over the faith. The result was the Protestant Reformation, which converted large numbers away from the Catholic Church to other Christian denominations. For example, most of England, whether willingly or by force, converted to the Church of England (what Canadians call Anglicans). Most Germans became Lutheran. And many countries, like France, remained primarily Catholic but allowed Protestants to practice (eventually).

This transition was hardly smooth and discrimination resulted everywhere. Even in 1950’s Canada, whenever a Catholic would marry a Protestant, some relative wouldn’t attend the wedding for reasons of faith.

Fundamentalism

Up until the past few generations, most people took religion seriously. The Bible was regarded as actual words of God and the clergy was seen as His messenger. So religion had great influence over culture and held huge political power.

Most people were, what we now call, fundamentalists. But thanks to education and civil liberty gains over the past 100 years, people are now encouraged to think for themselves. Resulting in today’s fundamentalists representing less than 10% of the population (at least, in Western society).

Summary

So the Jews invented a better religion, Jesus kicked it up a notch, the Roman Empire adopted it, the Protestant Reformation created multiple denominations, and, because North Americans are primarily of European descent, the majority of us were born into it. You didn’t choose your religion, nor did it choose you. It’s about geography. If your ancestors originated in the Middle East, you’d be a Muslim; if they were from India, you’d be Hindu; if they came from Japan, you’d be Buddhist; and if they were from a communist country like China, you wouldn’t have been raised with any religion at all.

You were born in North America and are probably a Christian. How seriously you take it is up to you, but now you know your heritage.

Basics of Believers

Every good salesperson knows there are multiple types of people. When it comes to belief in God, there are basically four: fundamentalists, progressives, lights, and God-only deists. The first two are devout churchgoers. Last two, not so much.

Fundamentalists

Devout churchgoers practice their faith on a regular basis (like attending church on Sundays) and faith is a big part of their identity. Most of their friends feel the same way. But not all church people are built alike: fundamentalists take scripture literally, while progressives like to think about it.

Well-mannered Canadians are often cautious around churchgoers because they don’t wish to offend anyone. But you needn’t be so guarded around progressives because they’re fairly open minded.

Progressives

Progressives also view scripture as being inspired from above but feel it’s mostly allegorical (stories that need to be held in context), thereby open to interpretation. They’re okay with considering multiple possibilities and not knowing all the answers. But because non-churchgoers don’t always know about multiple types, open minded progressives often get lumped in with fundamentalists, which is wrong.

Lights

Lights are somewhat believers who don’t buy in all the way. It doesn’t mean they don’t trust in God—it means they’re not totally sold on formal practice or that the Bible is divine. The majority of Canadian Roman Catholics fit into this category. They can easily be classified as Christian-light. Yes, they like to be married and buried in a church, but don’t ask them to quote scripture or attend regular service.

God-only deist

A God-only person believes in some form of higher power without the formality of religion. A common misconception is these people don’t have faith at all, but that’s not the case. They can be just as spiritual about their version of god—they simply don’t want any of that (in their opinion) man-made stuff.

Summary

So there you have it. Four types of believers, plus atheists (people who don’t believe) and agnostics (those who neither believe nor disbelieve). It’s always good to know who you’re talking to so mannerisms can be adjusted. If you meet someone who mentions their church or starts talking about religion, it’s perfectly okay to ask which category they fit into. Because deep down, people like to be pigeon-holed.