Thursday, July 26, 2007

Does it matter??

A few years back there was a movie called “A Few Good Men” playing in the theaters. It starred Tom Cruise and Jack Nickleson, as I remember. Tom Cruise played the part of a Naval lawyer. In one scene, a courtroom scene, Nickleson was on the witness stand and Cruise was interrogating him. He pointed his finger at Nickleson and in a loud voice demanded, “I want the truth.”…. Theatergoers watched as Nickleson’s face turned red, the veins in his neck bulged and in an angry voice he replied,… “You can’t handle the truth!”

For the past two hundred plus years, the “Professionals” of Christianity (the clergy, theologians, biblical scholars, professors of religion, the hierarchy of the church) have, in essence, spoken this same line to the people-in –the-pews, regarding the truth of religion. They have covertly said over and over, “You can’t handle the truth”, … about God, about the Trinity, about prayer, about the virgin birth, the resurrection, original sin, atonement, heaven, hell and eternity.

For over two hundred years, the “Professionals” of Christianity (with only a few exceptions) have chosen to remain silent about the true history and authenticity of God, religion and the dogma of the Church. Opting instead to allow the myth of an immature belief system to continue unabated; maintaining an “Our father who art in heaven” theology.

But now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, intelligence is beginning to overtake the silence of the Church. More than just a few of the Church “Professionals” are breaking rank. They are talking and writing about the true understanding of gods and goddesses, religion and ‘faith’.

Some – who would squelch this new truth – object on the grounds that the people-in-the-pews should believe what ever they want to believe. If the old belief (myth) system gives them comfort, leave it alone. After all, many of them “…can’t handle the truth.”

My question to you today is this….. Does it matter??…. Does it make one ‘hoot’ of difference what the masses believe? Should we who profess a more progressive and intelligent understanding of religion just shut up and go away… or… Does it matter??

I solicit your comments… my opinion will come later… barry e

1 comment:

Terry said...

I just finished teaching a class for adulots on Progressive Christianity. I am also writing a book about PC. so I am faced with the very question you raise. My "students" don't believe one can fully subscribe to what PCs say they stand for without embracing PC theology (e.g., Borg, Spong, Robinson, Tillich, Schleiermacher, et al.).

My ministers are clearly reluctant to even talk about PC, even though they claim to have some familliarity with it (though they typically comment with a cautious "but I don't mecessariy agree with all of it". They plead they are more shepherds than prophets. They are reluctant to make people anxious by introducing something new. They have no qualms, however, about using ancient creeds every Sunday, even though they must realize that the majority of the parishoners are reciting the words mechanically--or if they happen to be thinking about what the creeds say, they are somehow content to accept them as literally, factually true, not allowing themselves to consider the possibility that they are agreeing to somethjing they'd never accept outside the walls of the church. And they call it faith. I think this is so because in all their lives no one offered them an alternative way to understand/interpret the Bible/Creeds. I have yet to find a conventiional Christian who sees any possible interpretatiion to the crucifiction/resurrection other than substitutionay atonement. So on we go, week after week, Christmas story after Christmas story, Easter after Easter, etc.

Does this matter? I want to be generous and say no. And in some cases that might be so. But if one's mind has died and doctrines are accepted without question, I have a hard time not hoping he/she will be awakened and smell the theology of Paul Tillich. But I must add quickly that my brothers and sisters in the pews are not nearly so much at faut as are the men and wopmen in the pulpit. their "flocks" deserve to be made aware of a theology that is at least trying to make thier "faith" relevant to the modern world with all its terrors and opportunities. Salvation is becoming a new person in Christ. The Apostle Paul said that; so did Jesus. But "right belief' still prevails.

Terry