PROBLEM #5: IS BEING OBJECTIVE BEING DISLOYAL?
Us 'westerners' love to talk about 'objectivity'. We all are fully aware 'we' are objective. But 'other people' are NOT. 'You' are objective ... 'your spouse' is not. Right? Objectivity has a lot to do with the age of science and trying to connect to both reality and honesty. But objectivity is also a social statement ... to what degree you 'try' to be honest/fair with your perspectives when conversing with other people.
Unfortunately, when you deal with 'religion', objectivity becomes a real question mark. With God, you have an odd problem. Objectivity, meaning 'disloyalty' to God?
Uptown Sedona! They've really tried hard to hold on to its old-town flavor and keep it fun. Some folks disagree. But they're not 'objective'!If you read the New Testament, the early believers were clearly instructed to 'search the scriptures' to make sure what was being claimed was indeed correct. But that was 2000 years ago. What about today? Should you question 'the scriptures' in the same manner early Christians were instructed to do so? Most pastors would recommend 'not' ... no telling what you'll come up with. And what if your conclusions might not be favorable to one or more of the Bible's books? Are you being 'disloyal' to God?
I think, whether you are a believer or at least an interested non-believer, you really have to struggle when you're talking about questioning the Bible itself. You probably feel reasonably comfortable examining and arguing issues within the Bible. All 'fair-game' and everyone else is wrong! But the Bible itself? Through 2000 years of 'acceptance', the Bible seems now equated to God himself.
When did that happen?? Hard to tell. You can tell from the various New Testament canonical 'lists' that the early churches felt quite empowered to 'like' some books and 'not like' others. So obviously they didn't appear to see themselves as headed straight for 'hell'. Eusebius, a bishop in the 4th century and apparently well-regarded, quite happily discussed the New Testament books and which might not be totally 'on the level'.
Today's Christian writers even struggle to identify the basis for the old canon lists (an apostle?, knew an apostle?, accepted by who?, etc). With some pastors, I bring up 'Jude' and of course they make a face. They know the issue. Who was he? [*]
But, returning to our question ... does the Bible EQUAL God? Personally I don't think so. In the tradition of the early writings, whether concerning Adam, Abraham, Moses and eventually Paul, you continually must satisfy yourself that you are indeed dealing with God's message and not someone else's. Absent a divine certification anyway.
So, hop into your car and head for church this sunday. Tell your fellow Christians you're taking a good hard look at the Bible and which parts may need some more in-depth 'val-i-da-tion'. See how far you get. Or skip the car part ... even in your own mind, is checking the Bible out compatible with your view of God and 'faithfulness'?
I had that feeling myself, as if I had jumped the track and was out there mixed in with the heretics (that's a real greek word, believe it or not). At the library, I read up on all the evidence proving the Bible to be not just 'questionable' but indeed a fraud (per the writers anyway).
My goodness, the evidence looked pretty strong. I imagined in court, the poor Bible sitting there at the defendent's table, glancing at the jurors, wondering what jail feels like. Having misled generations on generations of people ... what a judgement! I think about those poor native-americans in the 1600s, that had to help build those churches out in the burning hot desert, right in the middle of their pueblos. Good thing they weren't invited to the trial.
Actually ... as I read more and more, indeed I'm not sure the claims about the Bible are all correct. Or for that matter, whether all the books have a 'direct' link to God. But I also have an increased 'comfort level' too. Odd?
I also became impressed with the early believers and their comfort level with 'problems'. With seeking God, not the writings. And 'apparently', not being disloyal in their struggles to find the message.
So for you, what do you think? I hope as we look at the evidence at the imagined 'trial' above, you'll sift it, not to determine how much 'jail time' the Bible deserves, but rather what your belief needs to be. Whether indeed God's message is somewhere in the book on the defendent's table. I think God wants you to seek him.
And I think objectivity has its place.