Suffering: the source of religion?

Over the past few weeks, I've been thinking a lot of the idea of religion. By "religion", I don't mean the opposite of "relationship," or a set of legalistic rules. This is not a post about how Christianity isn't really a religion or anything like that. I don't even think that's fair to say, but that's a different thought (rant) for a different day.

No, I mean actual religions. Right before Christmas I took a class on world religions, and had to read several books on the topic. Over the weeks following the course, I had to write three different papers, interacting with the concept of religion in various ways. In addition, I visited a Buddhist community a few weeks ago as part of an assignment, and have carried on a bit of a conversation with one of the facilitators in the group. Being exposed to such a different tradition and interacting with the people who practice it causes one's view to be broadened considerably, and it made me think, "Why do we all have this concept of religion, anyway?" Primal societies with no contact with the outside world develop a system of religion all their own, and it typically bears strong resemblance to many other traditions. It seems as though we are all simply wired to find answers in the spiritual realm.

Surely there are both biblical and theological reasons this is so. Ecclesiastes says that God "has set eternity in the hearts of men" (Ecc. 3:11), and it seems logical that man, being created in God's image, would have an innate sense that he exists and would seek him out. But I wanted to look deeper than this. What drives us toward the divine? It's not that the standard answers are incorrect, but I wondered if they were perhaps incomplete.

As I sat in a cross legged position that would soon threaten to rupture every tendon and ligament in my legs, surrounded by dozens of meditating Buddhists, I pondered this. Towards the end of our session together, the facilitator opened up for a time of sharing. I listened to several people talk of their joy at finding a likeminded community to practice their faith (if that is the appropriate word ... it probably is not), but I also heard something else: suffering. It was subtle, but it was there. Some element of discord in their life had driven them to where they currently were, and they sought relief.

If you look through Buddhist literature, you will see much made of suffering, or dukkha, as they call it. To Buddhists, life is not merely filled with dukkha; life is dukkha. "To live is to suffer," the Buddha once said. The endless process of birth, death, and rebirth (known as samsara) is a cycle of suffering, keeping one from achieving enlightenment, and thus rest. All the pain that life brings is merely accepted as part of its nature. Buddhism offers its followers an escape to the paradisiacal realm of nirvana. Indeed, to speak to a Buddhist of the eternal life that Jesus offers is horrifying; they already have eternal life, they're trying to get out!

Buddhists are not alone in their fascination with suffering, though. Hinduism, closely related to Buddhism (much as Judaism is to Christianity), shares the same basic concepts. Many tribal religions have a concept of a Eden-like start to the world, only to deteriorate into the mess we now experience as a result of our distance from the spiritual realm. Humans in this world must appease the gods to ensure their supernatural assitance to overcome suffering in their lives. In order to prevent a drought, one may pray or sacrifice to a god of the sky; to avoid crop failure, one might make an offering to a godess of fertility. Jews and Muslims view suffering similar to Christianity, as a product of sin against God and others. The thread of suffering runs through every religion that I studied, and I am convinced it plays a major role in nearly every conception of the spiritual realm.

As I sat in that circle of Buddhists and heard their concerns, I found myself thankful. I would never deny or downplay the suffering experienced and found in our world, but I know that it rests in the hands of a sovereign God who is never surprised, never anxious, never outmatched. Rather than strive to get him on my side, I can be at peace, knowing that he already is on my side (Romans 8:31). Rather than discipline myself to escape from this life of suffering, I can rest in his grace, knowing that he will one day wipe away every tear and make all things new. Suffering is a powerful reminder of our distance from God, and a "megaphone to rouse a deaf world," as C.S. Lewis wrote. How comforting to know that that distance has been overcome by Jesus Christ, and no amount of suffering on this earth can separate us from his love.

Back to blogging ...

Sorry for the neglect of the blog this winter. I've been busy with some things, but I've also been trying to decide on a direction for this blog, rather than just spewing out whatever comes to mind. After a few failed (in my mind at least) series, I've decided to get back to basics -- that is, back to serious topics (for the most part), and back to scriptural topics. I'd like to use this space as an outlet for the things I am learning, both in classes and my own study. They may not be overly funny (if you thought they were at all in the first place), but it's the way to go for me. I should have a post up shortly beginning this new trend, and hopefully we can all be part of a dialogue on the topics raised here. Feel free to use the comments section (constructively please -- calling me an idiot might be true, but not very helpful or insightful) to share your own thoughts and reactions. Thanks for reading.

Random Reminiscence (pt. 2)

A personal favorite, from February 12, 2006 ...

In the movie Fallen, Denzel Washington plays a character who makes the following statement. "There are moments in life that define your existence. Your entire life is separated into two parts: time before this event, and time after this event."

Ok, so that's not exactly what he said, but that's the gist of it. Anyway, I had one of these such moments. Now, Denzel's moment was when he found out that a demon was seeking to possess his body and ultimately destroy him because he was responsible for the execution of his former host. That's not quite what happened to me, but I believe the two events are of equal magnitude.

This moment I speak of occured 16 days ago, on January 27, 2006, when I attended for the first time the finest source of entertainment in the Denton, TX area, if not the world. Yes, that's right. I attended the weekly program of Xtreme Championship Wrestling (XCW, to those in the know) and it was everything I thought it could be. If you've never been to an independent professional (read: fake and ridiculous) wrestling show, go get about 12 guys and go right now. Get up and leave the computer behind. This post will be here when you get back. Go on.

There! Wasn't it amazing!?! Aren't you glad you went? As am I.

Our venture to XCW started on a whim one night and turned into the most fun I've had down here. A big, obnoxious group of about 15 of us showed up in force at the XCW arena, and they had no idea what hit them. My initial plan was to try and get us all thrown out, but it became quickly apparent that that was absolutely impossible, shy of brandishing a firearm. Some of the guys figured we should try and fit in with the locals, so most everybody tried to redneck themselves up as much as humanly possible, and they did a pretty darn good job of it. I chose not to even try, because I would just look like an idiot. Come to think of it, they all looked like idiots, too ...

Anyway, I'll have to post one of our group pictures later, when I can get my hands on one of them. For now, you'll have to settle for a picture of our favorite wrestler the whole night. His name is Sidd Murder, and he was the first one we saw. In fact, it pretty much went downhill after Sidd. He was awesome, though. His intro involved him coming out to a Lil' John song and dumping a gallon of water on his head while he danced around. Hilarious. Anyway, here's Sidd: (edit: apparently, the link to Sidd's picture doesn't work, but if you go here, you can see a thumbnail shot. Well worth the click ...)

Tell me he shouldn't be the XCW Heavyweight Champion!

Anyway, what made XCW such a success was the endless heckling of the wrestlers. None of them were that good, so we had to invent our own fun. This consisted of thinking of the funniest thing we could, and then screaming it. The arena was pretty small, so they (and everyone else) could hear whatever we were yelling. We would pick our favorite at the outset of the match and then obnoxiously spur him on. One of our favorites on the night was participating in a title match, and unfortunately he lost. All of us were disappointed, but not all of us gave up hope. Chris Babiak, mild-mannered film student from UT-Austin, decided to let the retaining champion have a piece of his mind. He ran over to the railing, no more than 8 feet away from this massive wrestler proudly holding his championship belt in the air, and screamed with conviction:

"I've got your momma's belt at my house!!!"

The guy was stunned. He actually started laughing. None of us expected that out of Babiak, but we sure were glad to see it.

I could talk for days about XCW, but I'll have to cut it short for now. If you're interested, check out tcwonline.net for more information. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Random Reminiscence (pt. 1)

From November 24, 2005 ...

So the other night I headed down to BW-3's in a town called Lewisville (about 30 minutes south of Denton) to hang out with an old friend and watch some college basketball -- and then something amazing happened.

I went to the bathroom for a routine trip, all without incident. However, as I was washing my hands, I noticed a short, pudgy little kid waddle in and head to the urinal. This kid was probably about 7 or 8 years old, with a Jose Canseco-esque mullet, complete with blond streaks to contrast with his dark brown hair. I thought nothing of him and proceded to dry off my hands. Then, he spoke. (note: I promise, these are all direct quotes. No embellishment necessary.)

"Hey buddy, want a tip?" he asked very calmly as he took care of his business at the urinal.

Somewhat suprised to have this kid strike up a conversation, I hesitantly asked, "A tip?"

"Yeah, you know, like ... information," came his matter-of-fact reply.

"Well ... sure," I said, still somewhat unsure of what advice this young man might possibly have that would warrant an interruption of precious urinating time.

"Don't eat a lot of buffalo wings with spicy sauce, or you'll be having a rough time on the toilet," he said, his masterpiece of wisdom finally unveiled. He continued, "I found out the hard way."

Unable to say much without laughing hysterically, I managed a quick reply. "Well, thanks for the tip."

This was quite possibly the highlight of the month of November for me, and I felt compelled to share it with you. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Random Reminiscence

A few years ago, I spent a year in Texas studying under a pastor in the area. I learned a great deal about Scripture and theology and were it not for my time there, I probably would not be in seminary today. While I was there, I kept a blog to keep up with folks from back home. Remember Xanga? Yeah, it was lame, but it worked for my purposes.

Anyway, while I did learn much from my studies in the Lone Star state, perhaps some of my best memories were some of the random events that turned into some great stories. While I was there, I lived in a ranch with 19 other guys. It was the college dorm experience I never had, and needless to say, much hilarity resulted. I had forgotten about most of these until a few weeks ago, when I stumbled upon my old xanga site and got quite a chuckle. I realize that many of my friends now have never heard these stories, so over the next few weeks, I'm going to pick some of the best ones and republish them here. They won't be insightful (with perhaps one exception), but they will hopefully be entertaining and funny. So if you like embarrassing or ridiculous stories, most of which at my expense, you will love these posts. The first will be up later today. Enjoy!

Seasons Reasons?

Note: This is an article I wrote a few weeks ago and tried to get published in a few different places. I started a bit late (either that, or it's just not that good!), so I never got a response, but I did want to share it with those that come here. I might try and rework it next year and try again, but for now, it's for the blog faithful only. Hope you enjoy it!

Ginger bread. Mistletoe. Flying deer. A fat guy in a red suit. Elves.

What do all these things have in common? The birth of Jesus Christ, Son of God.

Really?

Have you ever looked at the culture that surrounds "the most wonderful time of the year" and scratched your head? How did we get here? What's the point of it all?

As I walk through the mall, my senses are assaulted from every angle with painfully obvious reminders of the season. Trudging through the department stores, I'm lost in a forest of fake trees with gaudy ornaments hanging from every possible limb. Strange songs flood the loudspeakers, containing very bizarre messages: a large, elderly man allegedly sees when I go to sleep and when I wake up, a mutant reindeer has supposedly been promoted in the arctic north, and someone is apparently trying to set chestnuts on fire … though I'm not sure what any of that has to do with Christmas.

As I drift along through the sea of commercialism in the holiday season, dodging Santa Clauses, Rudolphs, and lunatic bargain hunters, the question looms large in my mind: what does this have to do with Christmas? What really is the reason for the season?

Dozens of church signs and pastors preaching holiday sermons offer an answer. They know the true meaning of the season: it's not sales, gifts, baked hams, or even family gatherings, they say: it's Jesus. Jesus is the "reason for the season."

As a pithy saying, this is all well and good. It rhymes, it'll preach, and for all intents and purposes, it's a welcome reminder of what we truly celebrate. I wonder sometimes, however, if we have merely repeated these words in mantra-like fashion, thus robbing it of any meaning until it becomes little more than a trite slogan.

In fact, it seems that often we forget that Christ didn't take on flesh so he could hang out with some fishermen and give us some good quotes for a few thousand years. He didn't come because heaven was getting boring and he needed a change of scenery. No, the truth is much more profound. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin and lived among men because the world was lost in its own sin. Wickedness plagued the heart of mankind; and without a Savior, humanity was destined for perdition.

During a brief perusal of national news outlets, I came across the story of Jeremias Bins. In 2006, Bins became enraged that his wife and 11-year-old stepson were spending too much time at her church. In his anger, he beat them both to death with a hammer before driving to a police station to turn himself in.

Jeremias Bins is the reason for the season.

In my local newspaper, there was recently an article reporting on the civil conviction of Jarred Hensley, the vice-president of the Supreme White Alliance. He was convicted of assaulting Jordan Gruver, a U.S. citizen of Panamanian heritage, leaving him with permanent injuries. Hensley calls himself "an equal opportunity hater," and the Ku Klux Klan "soft," which should give you an idea of his outlook on life.

Jarred Hensley is the reason for the season.

The evil would be more comfortable if it were relegated to news stories and confined to only the extreme dregs of society. Personal experience has told me this is not the case. The evil that lies in Jeremias and Jarred lies in my own heart, albeit in different forms. This week I have lied, cheated, and coveted. I have neglected the poor, spurned justice, and hated my neighbor.

I am the reason for the season.

In proper perspective, Christmas is irrevocably tied to Easter. The celebration of the birth of Jesus can only be fully appreciated when viewed in light of his crucifixion and death to pay the debt of sin owed by all mankind. Otherwise, Christmas is confined to mere sentimentalism. It is a time of awe and wonder at the limitless mercy of God. When we view the evil and depravity of the world around us, we can truly appreciate the angels' song to the shepherds and the Magi's homage to the King of Kings. This is not a Hallmark card. This is the hope of the nations and the Savior of the world.

Jesus is indeed the reason for the season; but not merely the reason for our gifts and our celebration. He is the reason for our wonder, the reason for our hope, and the reason for our very life. May we never become so enamored with the cute baby Jesus lying in the manger that we forget the crucified Son of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Newsweek draws the battle lines

It appears as though the battle for gay marriage is going to be a messy one, and we are just seeing the beginning. Newsweek recently published an article (on the cover, no less), called "The Religious Case for Gay Marriage," and the editor has endorsed the publications stance on this issue. Albert Mohler has examined and picked apart (read: demolished) this article far better than I could, so I'll link the article itself on Newsweek's website, and his response in his blog.

First, though, here's some quotes (and my paraphrases) to get your blood boiling and to entice you to read on a bit. Lisa Miller, author of the article, writes,

"The Bible endorses slavery, a practice that Americans now universally consider shameful and barbaric. It recommends the death penalty for adulterers (and in Leviticus, for men who have sex with men, for that matter). It provides conceptual shelter for anti-Semites. A mature view of scriptural authority requires us, as we have in the past, to move beyond literalism. The Bible was written for a world so unlike our own, it's impossible to apply its rules, at face value, to ours."

In other words: Screw the Bible. Let's pick and choose some broad, vague themes like "love" and "justice" and justify our arguments that way.

"My friend the priest James Martin says his favorite Scripture relating to the question of homosexuality is Psalm 139, a song that praises the beauty and imperfection in all of us and that glorifies God's knowledge of our most secret selves: 'I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.' And then he adds that in his heart he believes that if Jesus were alive today, he would reach out especially to the gays and lesbians among us, for 'Jesus does not want people to be lonely and sad.'"

In other words: Hey, this Psalm makes me feel happy! I bet it's about gays. Also, I might add that Jesus Christ took on flesh and was crucified so people could be happy, regardless of moral and religious norms. It's in the Bible!

"Twice Leviticus refers to sex between men as "an abomination" (King James version), but these are throwaway lines in a peculiar text given over to codes for living in the ancient Jewish world ..."

In other words: Hmmm, these are hard to make fit my point. Let's just throw them out!

And from the editor, perhaps the most ominous ...

"No matter what one thinks about gay rights—for, against or somewhere in between —this conservative resort to biblical authority is the worst kind of fundamentalism. Given the history of the making of the Scriptures and the millennia of critical attention scholars and others have given to the stories and injunctions that come to us in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament, to argue that something is so because it is in the Bible is more than intellectually bankrupt—it is unserious, and unworthy of the great Judeo-Christian tradition."

In other words: Actually, this one speaks pretty well for itself. If I could type the sound of a slap in the face of conservative Chrsitians everywhere, I would do so here.

Here's the links:

Gay Marriage: Our Mutual Joy -- Lisa Miller

Turning the Bible on its Head -- Albert Mohler