Richard Rohr, from A Teaching on Wondrous Encounters
The Bible is an invitation into the struggle itself—you are supposed to be bothered by some of the texts. Human beings come to consciousness by struggle, and most especially struggle with God and sacred texts. We largely remain unconscious if we avoid all conflicts, dilemmas, paradoxes, inconsistencies, or contradictions. Some people reject religion altogether because they are so unable to come to terms with the Bible and the ideas of Christianity. But we are supposed to be bothered by the Bible. The life of faith is a struggle to reconcile ourselves with the paradoxes and problems we find there. What do we find in ourselves that we know is deeply true that is in conflict with the Bible? What does the Bible tell us that challenges us to go deeper into ourselves? The truth is found neither by accepting all the religious ideas we are presented with nor by rejecting them.
3 comments:
Our own encounter with the Bible’s strange words, mystery and contradiction is unlike anyone else’s. Don’t listen to the people who speak as if there is only one way of believing and understanding. When we come to the words of the Bible with an open ear and experience their freshness, their weirdness, their harshness, their gentleness, we enter into a relationship with God that is new and different from anyone else’s, even different from our own at any other moment.
The Bible has lost its hold on me. Although I studied this holy book throughout years of Christian faith and living, I have grown weary and extremely wary of hearing its texts used to beat up people, to exclude folks from the fold. I want to live according to Jesus Christ's values and teachings. The greatest of these, I believe, is love.
I hold this dear - The life of faith is a struggle to reconcile ourselves with the paradoxes and problems we find there.
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