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The only way I could come to know God again, after being in the wilderness
for 22 years, was to go back to God at the point of hurt and recreate the
scene and resolve it in the exact style of worship that I had left it. God used
this technique and it worked. Now 2 1/2 years later, I find that I am
struggling to grow and the style of worship that was so comforting to be
before, is now holding me back.
After reading Bruce Bawer's new book, Stealing Jesus, I
personally understand how this is happening. All the quotations used in these
theses are from the above cited reference. The fundamentalist's definition of
God is too small. It doesn't allow any room for individual thinking or
doctrinal differences. I have found differences between the fundamentalist
beliefs and my own beliefs in the following areas (the fundamentalists beliefs
are contained in both gay and straight fundamentalism):
1) Lack of questioning of anything that is told to the flock by a pastor, no
matter how glaring the errors. On September 15, 1998, Dr. Jack Hayford of the Church of
the Living Way in Van Nuys, Ca., broadcast on his radio show that "There is no
way you can communicate with those who have passed over to the other side.
Absolutely No Way!" While I generally wouldn't disagree with that remark,
his emphasis made me question his accuracy. There was a glaring scriptural
contradiction contained in
I Sam. 28:11-19. Saul summoned Samuel back from the dead and he came. Most
peoples' modest knowledge of the scripture and even less knowledge of history
makes them ready and willing to believe any interpretation that comes along,
no matter how erroneous or ridiculous.
2) Lack of questioning or critical thinking skills being applied or encouraged
by those in leadership. A confident believer should not fear truth from other
sources.
as compared to mainstream Protestant churches:
"Christianity can be genuinely infantilizing; as its worse, indeed, it can be
nothing less then a formula for arrested development - intellectually,
aesthetically and spiritually.o/oo
(p.237).
3) There is a combative temperament toward all new ideas, especially ideas of
science. Ideas are not for consideration but to be rallied against, found
and stomped out as heresy. This is reminiscent of the Catholic churches
ancient ban on Galileo and Copernicus. "If nonbelievers (or nonbelievers
ideas), intrude in the believer's world, the psychological conditions exist to
make it possible for believers to accommodate violence toward them." (p.213).
Violence in the name of Christ's love! I object to religion being used as the
"opiate of the people" as Marx said. The fundamentalist church
often exploits people's pain and turns it into weapons against others. In this
way, pain is not resolved or healed, just recycled as hate. Psychologically
this is very damaging to the congregations involved in this process. It
produces lack of respect and a neurotic hate that eventually can lead to
violence toward anyone that does not agree to their accepted behavioral norms.
4) I disagree with the theology of the "rapture". I think the end time
writings were far too symbolic and clouded for anyone to be so arrogant as to
say it will definitely happen a certain way. Hal Lindsay's theory presents a
"comic book scenario of the
end times" (p.151). In recent times, some fundamentalist churches have made
belief in the "rapture" a condition of salvation, embellishing on the terms of
heaven as set forth by Jesus. Peoples' belief in this theory again shows their
lack of historical
knowledge. People in every era from the 1st century church to present day,
thought they were in the end times and have had a fascination with the end of
the world. This theory is just slightly more sophisticated then the man
wearing a sandwich board sign saying the "end is near."
5) I disagree with the lack of respect Christians show toward others,
especially in the area of proselytizing. I believe actions speak louder then
words. A Christian life lived is the world's greatest witness and it speaks
louder then having slogans shoved in peoples faces. The "Great Commission"
would be considered no more then spreading propaganda if it were any other
belief system. As much as Christians resent other groups handing out
literature, say the Hare Krishnas at the airport, equal respect is not given
to people going about their daily chores on the streets of our cities. If we
live the Christian life, people will ask us what the secret of our success is.
That is when our witness becomes important and needed. Another area of lack
of respect is in missionary work. While missionary work is often needed, it
is also used as vacations. This is dishonest.
How many missionaries are truly motivated by spreading God's word as opposed
to getting a cheap or sometimes paid for trip to a foreign land for a set
amount of time. Also missionaries have been very influential in destroying
native cultures. By not showing respect for the customs and traditions that are
there before them, they begin to try to change those customs and belief
systems. They have also been responsible for bringing diseases into far away
lands that had not been exposed to those particular strains of illness prior
to their arrival. It is again this basic lack of respect between one religious
group and another; both claiming to have the one and only correct
interpretation of what Jesus "really meant!"
6) Length of worship service. Any service that lasts longer then 1 1/2 hours
shows a total disrespect for the congregation's time. This one factor alone will
stunt church growth. The only people who will come and stay longer, are the
private, ingrown, group of people who have given their private approval for
the longer services. If ease of exit is not made available at a reasonable
time, while the service may or may not continue on, visitors and guests will
cease to come.
7) I believe that the Bible is inspired, but is full of errors and cultural
and historical references. It is impossible to take literally some of the
violent acts of the Old Testament. For someone to claim it is all literal,
they are at least uninformed,
at worse a liar. "In their desperation to maintain the doctrine of
inerrancy, legalistic Christians compel themselves to be dishonest about the
very words that are on the page." (p.222).
8) While I do agree that there is evil in the world and that evil is
personified in the person of Lucifer, Belzebub, Devil, Satan, etc., I think
that too much credit is given to the evil one. Statements such as "Satan broke
my guitar string and therefore I am under attack" goes into the realm of not
being responsible for one's own actions (or lack of them in replacing strings
in a timely manner), and in generally being paranoid and not having the
ability to face life. I am continually "struck by how overwhelmed people can
be by the worlds complexities, how terrified of their own mortality, how
incapable of finding strength, solace, and sense in the realm of the
spiritual." (p.151). I am also
amazed at how gullible people become in accepting absurd notions of God and
heaven.
9) I disagree that leaving one's church is "backsliding" or "reentering the
wilderness." Sometimes growth in Christianity will lead the believer down
many roads with many bends and turns. On this point "sinful, wordly people"
are often more compassionate about the realities of life, more real.
Sometimes bad things happen to strengthen you - not because God is punishing
you or that you are outside of God's will. A life in Christ does not mean a
life with no problems. A life in Christ will be a life in transition. For to
know and love God is to be willing to say yes to all the changes God will
bring about in the lessons of life.
Paul Tillich wrote in 1950 in Partisan Review symposium on "Religion and the
Intellectuals:
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Stealing Jesus : How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity Bruce Bawer The Antigay Agenda : Orthodox Vision and the Christian Right Rescuing The Bible From Fundamentalism Sensuous Spirituality : Out from Fundamentalism
Other Writings By L. Louise:
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