Living Biblically.
Reading The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs has had me thinking about religion again. At this point, I really doubt I’ll ever come to any clearly defined conclusion about my religious beliefs (much as I’d like to just have faith, most of it feels too make-believe, too homophobic, too sexist to me), but I really liked some of the conclusions A.J. Jacobs arrived at.
On “Cafeteria Christianity”:
“…But the more important lesson was this: there’s nothing wrong with choosing. Cafeterias aren’t bad per se. I’ve had some great meals at cafeterias. I’ve also had some turkey tetrazzini that gave me the dry heaves for sixteen hours. The key is choosing the right dishes. You need to pick the nurturing ones (compassion), the healthy ones (love thy neighbor), not the bitter ones. Religious leaders don’t know everything about every food, but maybe the good ones can guide you to what is fresh. They can be like a helpful lunch lady who–OK, I’ve taken this metaphor too far.”
And how he defined his own beliefs, which I think sums up my own (current) views (except I think I do still believe in God, even if I’m not sure how literally I think the Bible should be taken):
” …Which brings up another question: Do I believe in a traditional biblical God? Well, not in the sense that the ancient Israelites believed in Him. I could never make the full leap to accepting a God who rolls up his sleeves and fiddles with our lives like a novelist does his characters. I’m still agnostic. But in the words of Elton Richards, I’m now a reverent agnostic. Which isn’t an oxymoron, I swear. I now believe that whether or not there’s a God, there’s such a thing as sacredness. Life is sacred. The Sabbath can be a sacred day. Prayer can be a sacred ritual. There is something transcendent, beyond the everyday. It’s possible that humans created this sacredness ourselves, but that doesn’t take away from its power or importance.”
-pages 328+329
His conclusions interested me because he made them after taking the Bible as literally as possible for a year. The adjustments he had to make were interesting (and often ridiculous), and often reminded me of where I draw the line. I don’t think it’s okay to justify thinking it’s wrong to be gay by quoting Romans and then claiming that 1 Corinthians 14:34 is just outdated–”of course women can speak in churches now, but being gay is a sin” . In that sense, cafeteria religion does bother me. I like the idea of picking and choosing the moral lessons that I see as good examples…I don’t like when people cling to scripture to make certain beliefs okay, but then see others as metaphors.
This entry is pretty much pointless, as I still have no idea how to translate all of this into a “religion” or belief system for myself. After 11ish years of Sunday School, church, and Vacation Bible School, I just kind of gave up making sense of it all. But it was an interesting read. I’ve had a few conversations with my sister (who is very religious, as is her boyfriend) lately, which also got me thinking. Sometimes I think it’s pointless to ever discuss it–theoretically no one will ever know the answers; who is “right.” Why does anyone have to be “right”? (But how could you be a truly committed Catholic, for example, and think that Muslims totally have the right idea, too?)
I’m just babbling semi-incoherently now, so I’ll stop. In (not really related, but also religious) news, this website freaks me out: MarryYourDaughter. It’s a joke…right?
Back to the secular. I made it to and from Adam’s house alive (yay me!) and had a good time spending 24+ hours with him. Talking on the phone and gchat (obviously) just aren’t the same as a hug or curling up in bed to watch How I Met Your Mother with a bottle of Chilean wine/Mint Meltaway ice cream together. Or as playing Rock Band together. Etc. We might go downtown together later this week…huzzah!
Off to clean my room. My mom’s getting in “prepare for the graduation party” mode, hardcore.
Leave a Reply