We Are All Innocent
Those who know me well know that I don't believe in free will, or at least that I think it's the biggest misnomer there is, philosophically and theologically speaking.
Every person alive is a victim of their genetics and past experiences. In other words, every choice we make is predetermined by our nurture and nature. Why do you favour your right hand when I favour my left? Something in our DNA or some factor in our personal development decided that for us. Why do you choose lobster while I choose steak? Because, again, some part of our DNA gives us different taste preferences, and another part, along with other life experiences, causes us to order the food we prefer (or to order the food we don't prefer if some other gene and/or past encounter is causing us to want to try something different at that particular moment).
This lack of belief in free will is one of the reasons I believe so strongly in grace. If you're from an evangelical background like I am, you've probably heard that the definition of grace is "unmerited favour." I prefer to think of grace as simply showing unconditional love and kindness to someone, whether they deserve it or not, and I believe that all humans deserve it. None of us asked to be put here. None of us asked for the genes that shaped us or the life events that made us who we are. Even the Bible agrees that "the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it in hope, that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God." (This is why I lean towards a Universalist form of Calvinism, by the way.)
In the end, whatever the causes of our suffering may be, I take comfort in the fact that, as Our Lady Peace put it, We Are All Innocent, and that maybe this means God will help help us all out in the long run. I can only hope.
Every person alive is a victim of their genetics and past experiences. In other words, every choice we make is predetermined by our nurture and nature. Why do you favour your right hand when I favour my left? Something in our DNA or some factor in our personal development decided that for us. Why do you choose lobster while I choose steak? Because, again, some part of our DNA gives us different taste preferences, and another part, along with other life experiences, causes us to order the food we prefer (or to order the food we don't prefer if some other gene and/or past encounter is causing us to want to try something different at that particular moment).
This lack of belief in free will is one of the reasons I believe so strongly in grace. If you're from an evangelical background like I am, you've probably heard that the definition of grace is "unmerited favour." I prefer to think of grace as simply showing unconditional love and kindness to someone, whether they deserve it or not, and I believe that all humans deserve it. None of us asked to be put here. None of us asked for the genes that shaped us or the life events that made us who we are. Even the Bible agrees that "the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it in hope, that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God." (This is why I lean towards a Universalist form of Calvinism, by the way.)
In the end, whatever the causes of our suffering may be, I take comfort in the fact that, as Our Lady Peace put it, We Are All Innocent, and that maybe this means God will help help us all out in the long run. I can only hope.
posted by The Christian Heretic at
10:00 PM
4 Comments:
Great thoughts! It reminds me of Elijah (and the recounting in Romans 11) when God says he reserved himself 7,000 men who wouldn't bow to Baal. Didn't sound like the free will of 7,000 righteous men, just like Pharoah's "hardened heart" didn't sound a lot like free will.
We do the best with what we've been given, but we sure as heck haven't been given the same things!
And "Our Lady Peace"? I'm impressed.
By
Redlefty, At
February 11, 2008 4:09 PM
And "Our Lady Peace"? I'm impressed.
Well, they are from my hometown, here in Toronto (and Canada does have all the best groups and musical artists). :) I even saw (heard?) them perform that song live at the Much Music Video Awards a few years back. Great song and great band.
By
The Christian Heretic, At
February 11, 2008 5:23 PM
your reading of scripture, with your explanations, gives me new ways to think about it. your genes and experience definately favor independent thought. ;)
By
Tammy, At
February 20, 2008 11:02 AM
Dear Heretic,
My name is Corey Davis. I'm a second year student at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, still trying to decide what I want to major in. Right now, I think it's a toss up between English and Cinematic Arts.
I was raised in the Church of Christ, a very conservative evangelical
church. I stopped attending as a young teenager because I didn't feel that the deacons, elders, and minister had any legitimate spiritual authority over me, nor did I feel that I had any good reason to listen to them. Honestly, the Book of Revelation was the only one I ever read in entirety while I was attending, because I thought it was the most interesting and fantastical.
Up until a few months ago, I regarded the notions of Christianity and a conscious being called God as foolish enterprises for the weak minded. One morning, I was walking on campus and an elderly gentleman wearing a cowboy hat, a Gideon, handed me a pocket-sized copy of the New Testament clad in green plastic. The man didn't say a word to me, just smiled. I took it and said, "Thank you" as I continued on to class.
It made an impression on me that this gentleman gave me a free religious book without attempting to manipulate my thinking along certain lines. He wasn't urging me to join any certain congregation, give money to any organization, nor trying to channel my interpretation of the scriptures at all. He just gave me the free book and as far as I could tell, all he wanted me to do was read it to see what I could make of it. So I did. I have recently completed the four gospels.
Since I began reading, I have become increasingly interested in the subject of heresy. To me, it seems apparent that Jesus himself was a heretic to the "spiritual" power structure of his time, the Pharisees and chief priests. I have bought and also begun reading Leo Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God is Within You, a Russian book written over a hundred years ago that continues to shock and awe me on every page.
I am an adamant believer that intellectualism and Christianity are
compatible. I don't feel there is any legitimate reason to assume the inerrancy of ancient documents such as those found in the Bible. I also feel that Christ rejected Mosaic Law, some fundamental Jewish
dogmas (such as strict observation of Sabbatical traditions), absolute Church authority, and the inerrancy of religious scripture. I am beginning to feel that Christ, unfortunately, had to spend too much time trying to convince the people of Judea that his message might benefit them. His apostles, after his death, were charged with spreading his gospel world-wide. Having seen the communication barriers Jesus encountered throughout his ministry, they probably knew they would have to refine their persuasive techniques. In the book of Hebrews, we see that the early disciples customized their message so that it could coexist with mainstream Jewish beliefs in order to maximize conversions. Biblical authors do not describe Jesus' relationship to the Melchizedek priesthood anywhere else in the New Testament because such a relationship would be culturally irrelevant outside of the Jewish community. I'm sure it was also much easier to convert Roman pagans if the story included Christ as a magician and not just a teacher.
I haven't seen the kind of magic described in the Bible. At this point in my life, I can neither confirm nor deny its possibility or impossibility. However, I do see the magic of existence showering all around us and I know that we have been given a multitude of limitless gifts. All we have to do is reach out and grab them to know that they are there.
A few months ago, I started dating a Mormon woman who lived in my apartment complex. I came to love her dearly, and still do. After imagining spending my life with her and raising a happy family together, she told me that there was no longevity in our relationship because of religious differences. She didn't want there to be any "friction" in her family. I now understand why it is important for her to maintain religious cohesion in any family she might have, but at that time, I felt like she might as well have said that we couldn't be together because I'm Scotch-Irish and she's a German Swede. I was devastated. I have come to believe that the biggest concern was her desire for a celestial marriage in the Temple. Obviously I couldn't be in the picture unless I converted. If we couldn't be together forever, we couldn't be together temporarily on Earth either. It was a two-way street though; I think it always is in this life. Having been brought up in a Church that often espoused anti-Mormonist rhetoric, I have been conditioned to manufacture poorly constructed arguments against their beliefs and, having had a potential spouse at stake, my fervor to defeat the forces keeping us apart was increased tenfold. My strategy, attempting to apostate her so we could be together, was fundamentally and morally flawed. If I had been more tactical, I would've known that the people in my life are more important than their beliefs. I would've happily done whatever necessary to gain the Priesthood and enter the Temple with her. I would've known that the idea of being together forever is a beautiful thing, not a wrong thing. Now she very well may be lost from my life forever because of the offenses I have committed.
This kind of inter-religious contention shouldn't be happening. It is counter-productive to the peaceful harmonization that I know Christ wanted. As long as we love all things, the mechanics of religious doctrines are completely unimportant. This is evident in the early disciples' readiness to conform to certain aspects of a target population's dogmas so that they might be more willing to accept the message of Jesus Christ. It is our duty to Christ to love those who we think are "lost" even more than we love those who are "found." Slanderous conflict is in opposition to His will.
I am writing you because I don't feel that there is a large enough forum for coordinated inter-religious heretical research and ministry. We should be finding the similarities among us necessary to bring the flock together, as the early disciples did, not exemplifying the
differences that separate us into strict categories. I would like to
know what your thoughts are on the matter, and possibly if you would be interested in combining forces to get something started. I have daydreamed about a group of people who can come together and confirm their love of Christ and all people, help others with any need, and research religious history outside of the influence of dogmatists. I know there are many others like us out there. Original ideas would be strongly encouraged, not disapproved of. Science and research would be embraced as the fundamental works of God. No authoritative, hierarchic power structure would exist in any form. Everyone's spiritual knowledge would be assumed to be equally viable in the eyes of God. Ideas would be created and pondered openly.
I would like to know what your thoughts are. Thank you for any
knowledge you can give me.
Your most humble servant,
Corey S. Davis csdavis@unm.edu
By
Anonymous, At
April 14, 2008 2:14 PM
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