1) The closest memory I have to an "origin story", is the Kraus Family Code of "family first" My parents drilled this into us kids over and over. As a result, all seven of us remain close, with little or no acrimony among us. Also, growing up in a large family required cooperation and service. We had to get along, and also help each other. This instilled in me, at an early age, a compassionate service outlook on life. It was the "right thing to do" to help people, be nice to people, and respect people. I have tried to live this way my whole life.
2) I recall reading about Billy Graham's "crisis of faith". He had to decide if the Bible was true despite its many troubling parts. He decided just because he can't understand it, that doesn't make it untrue. This is the approach I take. I believe the Bible is true, though not always fact. It is the story of humanity's relationship with God, how then and now we struggle within that relationship, and our relationship with each other.
3) Little Haggai's creation story involved many gods, playing many roles, competing with each other and creating chaos. Marduk prevails, bringing some order, but creating humans as his slaves. "Papa's" story is how Elohim (God) alone created everything, bringing order out of the chaos, but creating humans in his image as stewards, not slaves. Unlike Marduk, "our God doesn't need a temple; he rests and rules everywhere."
4) For many years I viewed the Genesis creation story as fact. God created everything we see in six days, resting on the seventh. Science's inability to explain it was science's problem. Now I am no longer bound to literal Creationism. I do believe God created everything everywhere, but it is no longer important that Genesis lines up with science. Genesis (and the Bible) is not a scientific treatise. It is the story of the relationship between God and his Creation, then and now. The "story" is true at a level deeper than fact.
5) An important family origin story (to me) is how Grandpa Kraus converted from Lutheran to Catholic in order to marry Granny Kraus. It reinforced at an early age the supremacy of Catholicism over all others as "the one true faith." Over 60 years later, when I (Catholic) married Martha (Lutheran) we still had to account for this dynamic by having co-celebrants (Lutheran minister and Catholic priest) at Martha's Lutheran church. Granny probably would not have attended without this accommodation.
6) I have had an interesting faith journey. Moving from "one true faith" (Catholicism) to literal, infallible Scripture (BSF), to my current more open, less dogmatic position. Again, I believe the Bible is true in ways that are deeper than fact. There is a "deeper magic" (CS Lewis) that governs the cosmos. I bristle whenever someone says "The Bible says..." or (worse) "God told me..." Almost always the very next words are self-serving. I was appalled when AG Jeff Sessions quoted Romans 13:1, stating we should obey and not question our government officials because their authority is from God, while conveniently omitting Romans 13:10; "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." I almost vomited at this blatant hypocrisy.
7) I had not previously considered the circumstance behind how the Hebrew Bible (HB) was written. If most of the HB began with the reign of King David (high point) and continued through the Babylonian exile (low point), we must view it through a new contextual lens. The Jews in captivity, and those left behind in the decimated Jerusalem, had a huge crisis of faith, and struggled mightily with how to understand their new situation as "God's Chosen People". How could they be "chosen" and yet suffer this catastrophe? Is God still there? Does God still care? Questions we still ask today.
I appreciate RHE's concluding remarks for this chapter: " If I've learned anything from 35 years of doubt and belief, it's that faith is not passive intellectual assent to a set of propositions. It's a rough-and-tumble, no-holds-barred, all-night-long struggle, and sometimes you have to demand your blessing rather than wait around for it.....With Scripture...We've been invited to a dynamic, centuries long conversation with God and God's people that has been unfolding since creation, one story at a time. If we're lucky it will leave us with a limp."
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1. Origin story? Hmmmmm. I never really had one drilled into my head by my parents. Just what I heard at church with Adam and Eve really. Mom either never talked about the Kraus Family Code or I wasn't listening. :) I certainly felt it though with the monthly parties, etc. Although my beliefs are different that the average Kraus member I still miss seeing them. Now, some of the Kraus family I haven't seen since Grandpa's funeral I don't think.
ReplyDelete2. My wrestling with the Bible has come from what I was taught vs what I believe to be true. That has been a tough road to travel in some ways. I don't know the answers for sure but I decided long ago that if I am ultimately wrong I am going to error on the side of love and acceptance every time.
3. I agree with your statement on the two stories.
4. As it has been discussed already, some stories in the Bible help to explain how things came to be. Like you, I saw it as fact for a long time but have since recognized it helps to decipher something that needed to be explained. In the end, it makes the point it needs to make pretty well I would say.
5. I had no idea about Great Grandpa converting. As I had said, I don’t know a lot of origin stories from our family. I think I need to start asking more questions. The fact of Granny possibly not attending is an interesting one though. I think those situations are less frequent these days which I believe is a good thing. There are many times when it is more about supporting those you love then making a stance about your own beliefs. That is not always true but in some ways refer back to my love and acceptance statement above.
6. Of all the things said in this chapter, the item that sticks with me most is when Evans states what they are mentioning here...and how Christians and Jews view Scripture. It is so interesting to me. I don’t know a ton about the Jewish faith but I like that concept quite a bit. If it gets people talking about their beliefs and understanding, especially in a safe environment, that is a great thing in my mind. In particular when those talking have had time to draw their own conclusions already and have an open mind about what others might take from it/believe to be true.