Reasons for Religious Debate

That sounds like a dry subject line. I don't think this will be a dry post, though.

I've always enjoyed religious debate, mostly because I was always fairly good at it. I knew enough about Christianity to make a good stab at arguing almost any part of it, and I was always a fairly logical thinker (which, of course, is the reason I didn't stick with the evangelical line in the long run - too many holes.) But I haven't done any religious debating in a long time, until last week. A few comments from friends, some of them non-lj friends, made me stop and think about that. Why had I not engaged in any debates lately?

Several reasons occurred to me. The first was a crisis in my own faith - it has been a long time since I was sure where I stood. The second was a lack of opportunity - most of my friends either agreed with me on major points, or disagreed but didn't like debating that much. The third was that I was forgetting some of my reasons for sticking with my faith during what my youth leader used to call "a dry spell". The third is the one I really want to explore.

I had a talk with my dad and my sister about Creation and some elements of the Old Testament, particularly Leviticus, on Friday. Now, my dad and i have our issues, but he knows his stuff when it comes to Christian theology. I think he would have been much happier as an academic at a seminary than he was as a pastor. In any case, the talk came around to prophecy as it relates to Hebrew law. (I think I surprised him when I told him I remembered a set of sermons he did on the Ark of the Covenant wherein he related every single item in the Ark to an element of the life of Jesus. I was about ten when he did that series, but I remember the major points. I'm the poster girl for oral learners.) Dad talked about the format of the book of Leviticus. It is organized in five main sections, each of which has three parts: the Law, the punishments for breaking the Law, and God's plan to redeem his people, making the punishments unnecessary. Essentially, the Law was set up in such a way that no one could ever live up to it. No one ever has; that is one of the fundamental truths of Christianity. The Law was supposed to be a way for God's people to approach Him, but it didn't work because it couldn't - humanity just wasn't good enough to approach God. But God never really intended that his people would live up to it. He intended that they try, but knew they could not. So he provided another way.

The third part of each section of Leviticus contains the true theme of the Bible: mercy, kindness, and redemption. These are the central elements of Christianity. No one comes to God through the Law, or in any other way than through His mercy. None of us are good enough. (That is not to say that Humanity is dirt - in fact, quite the opposite. We were still made in God's image, "man and woman, he created them.") The theme of the Old Testament is the need for God's mercy; the theme of the New Testament is kindness and redemption through Christ. Leviticus represents a type of prophecy peculiar to Hebrew writings called typology, where every single item mentioned points to the future in a concrete prediction. The (arguably) driest book in the Old Testament is also one of the most prophetic for that reason. Everything in Leviticus points directly to Christ.

So, why, in fact, did I set myself up for an argument I couldn't win against a fanatic I don't respect on any level, except perhaps depth of conviction?

It was because I needed to be reminded that I do, in fact, believe this. I think the foundation of my faith lies with that set of sermons heard in Peterborough South Corps when I was ten years old. I do believe that much of the Bible has its origin in divine revelation (though I am not ever going to argue that it's perfect - I know too much about translation for that.) I do believe that Christ was the fulfillment of Hebrew prophecy. I do believe that his life and ministry were designed to bring us back into a relationship with God.

What do I NOT believe? I no longer believe that Christianity is the only route that will do this. There, I just disqualified myself from evangelical churches everywhere. I think Creation Science is stupid and an unnecessary waste of time. I think morals can evolve somewhat, as humanity has, and still fit within God's law. We can never be perfect. That's one of the messages of the Bible. But the commandments that are the most consistent throughout the Bible are the ones about mercy, kindness, and redemption. I believe those ones. In many respects, they define me.

So, rickimfox, you did in fact do me a service. Though I do not now, nor will I ever agree with you on many things, I am more firmly rooted in my faith this afternoon than I have been in many years.