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Power of Ideas II

Good Morning...It has occurred to me often that religions with some sense of scientific inquiry about them [I think of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Yoga...] are growing in popularity [well, maybe not Taoism] whereas Christianity is so very focused on accepting things as true without much tangible evidence...Jesus did not experiment with meditative techniques or postulate the principles that guide nature and produce natural phenomena, nor the operating principles of Dharma and Karma - He spoke to his disciples and others about God and about man's behavior, and, about the need to believe in Him and be saved [with no mechanism involved other than faith and that God can do all things]...Now, it has been said that Islam is also gaining converts steadily - and I suspect that this is due to both a political impetus [in some situations it may be expedient to espouse Islam for one's own safety] and because it is in some ways more accessible to people - sin-debt is more simple: the balance of your acts, good and bad, over the course of your life...there are simple daily and lifetime actions to carry out and prescribed roles for members of this group...is it possible that Christianity is so focused on what we choose [rather than on the hidden "scientific" mechanics of how salvation operates] that it seems inaccessible to people who have been raised to think more empirically/scientifically? Is Christianity too complex in all that it allows and appears to forbid, especially without an apparent scientific basis for banning certain things?

Comments

James said…
well, Wayne, I'm not sure it's true that the other religions are gaining in popularity. There seems to have been a resurgence of the fundamentalist mindset within Islam and Christianity recently, and it might be profitable to ask ourselves why this is the case. I'm not close enough to what's happening in Eastern religions to know if there's similar movement there. It may be true that more westerners are exploring Buddhism and Hinduism, but I'm not sure that globally the numbers are up for those religious traditions.

As for whether Christianity is too complex, I'm not sure that's true either. What's complex about the idea that a sovereign God is Love and because of that became one of us so that we might come into relationship with Him? That's the heart of the Gospel. Now, your suggestion that, raised to think empirically, we might have problems with the nature of faith in the spiritual dimensions of life--I think that's a serious issue. But to me what Christianity "allows" and "forbids" is a red herring. On the other hand, the legalisms of other religions and especially of the fundamentalisms have the attraction of being unambiguous. They also give the illusion of control ("all I have do to get to heaven is this, this, and this"). But both the "crystal clarity" and the sense of control are mirages. What I want to hear is "God so loved the world that He gave...."
Good points, Jim...I have not kept hold of the recent stats, but do remember that some had reported Islam growing rapidly, and americans leaving Christianity for eastern religions...depending on how you slice stats, Christianity alwasy leads in total number of "adherents" but stats often misrepresent [well, people use stats to misrepresent things]the numbers we might be seeking for specific questions...I am right there with you re: the "false sense of control" some religious sects foster...I don't think early Christians were that way: they saw the working out of one's "walk" as an awesome and labor intesnive task...but, then, they did have the strong belief that "Christ had paid the debt," and the hope of eternal life...At the end of the day I may seem to be to the small universe of the Dialogue to be a fundamentalist [but I know you were not suggesting this!]--but in the other spheres I travel in, I am probably seen as "Left of Christian Center!" My search for the Essential continues!

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