'For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.
Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.’
Pilate asked him, ‘What is truth?
Pilate dismisses Jesus claim with this cynical put down. Yet is it possible that Jesus, stripped of centuries of Christian theology and doctrine, really does have words of truth we all should hear?
Jesus teaching is found in the four gospels of the New Testament in the bible. For Christian believers the bible is more than a collection of ancient writings, it contains the words of God. For the fundamentalists, it is more, it does not just contain the words of God, it is the Word of God, cover to cover. It is the absolute cornerstone of their faith and any challenge to authenticity is seen as an attack on God himself. This is why biblical fundamentalists defend the book of Genesis so strongly against the theory of evolution. In the USA 30% of the population still reject evolution as the explanation of how human beings emerged on Earth.
I once heard an Iman debating with a Christian priest and a Rabbi. He said, because the Koran was a single book given by an angel to Muhammad in the 7th Century it supersedes any revelation claimed by Jews or Christians and so the Koran must be the final authoritative “Word of God”. From his perspective there can be no argument.
Your Brain Decides Your Belief
When I was much younger, I tried and failed to make the bible, verse by verse The Word of God. Despite having a Biochemistry degree I even questioned the theory of evolution because it was in conflict with Genesis, but I had to give up this pointless struggle. Much later I disagreed with the elders in my church over this issue.
The dispute opened my eyes to the fact that what Christians believe is not first and foremost God, or Jesus but the Bible. The Bible is the authority on which all else stands, whether Christian doctrine, church governance or Christian mission.
But, the interpretation of the Bible is human not divine, so even the bible is not the ultimate foundation of belief, it is the mind of the person who reads it. Each individual brain makes the decision whether to believe or not believe what they read or what they are taught.
When I was much younger, I tried and failed to make the bible, verse by verse The Word of God. Despite having a Biochemistry degree I even questioned the theory of evolution because it was in conflict with Genesis, but I had to give up this pointless struggle. Much later I disagreed with the elders in my church over this issue.
The dispute opened my eyes to the fact that what Christians believe is not first and foremost God, or Jesus but the Bible. The Bible is the authority on which all else stands, whether Christian doctrine, church governance or Christian mission.
But, the interpretation of the Bible is human not divine, so even the bible is not the ultimate foundation of belief, it is the mind of the person who reads it. Each individual brain makes the decision whether to believe or not believe what they read or what they are taught.
Christianity Divided
The different interpretations of the Bible, and the futile quest for certainty create fault lines that divide Christians from one another.The Methodist chapels I visited and preached in as a young man usually had over the entrance, carved in stone, “Primitive Methodist Chapel” or “Wesleyan Methodist Chapel” because the church established after Wesley’s death split and then split again. These branches mostly reunited in 1938 but they represent just a tiny example of the fracturing of the Christian church over the centuries.
At the very beginning of the Christian story after the death of Jesus there was a dispute between his followers recorded in the book of Acts. Some saw themselves as reformed Jews while others believed the message of Jesus went beyond Judaism. They resolved the issue by reaching a compromise. Over the succeeding centuries conflicts between Christians led to wars and the wholesale murder of so-called heretics. Christians have found it impossible to follow one of Jesus main commands, “Love one another as I have loved you”. According to Wikipedia there are approximately 45,000 different Christian groups.
The exclusivity of religions always bothered me and the endless divisions within the followers of Jesus bothered me even more. If we can’t love our brother who we have seen how can we love God who we have not seen? This parody on the hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers" says it perfectly:
Like a mighty tortoise moves the church of God.
Brothers we are treading where we’ve always trod.
We are all divided, many bodies we,
Very strong on doctrine but weak in charity.
One example of division is the place of women in the church. Are women allowed to lead? The Roman Catholic church forbids clergy to marry and does not allow women priests. The Church of England took years to change its view on women, first allowing them to be priests and then to ordain them bishops. Even today, some new churches do not allow women leaders.
At the very beginning of the Christian story after the death of Jesus there was a dispute between his followers recorded in the book of Acts. Some saw themselves as reformed Jews while others believed the message of Jesus went beyond Judaism. They resolved the issue by reaching a compromise. Over the succeeding centuries conflicts between Christians led to wars and the wholesale murder of so-called heretics. Christians have found it impossible to follow one of Jesus main commands, “Love one another as I have loved you”. According to Wikipedia there are approximately 45,000 different Christian groups.
The exclusivity of religions always bothered me and the endless divisions within the followers of Jesus bothered me even more. If we can’t love our brother who we have seen how can we love God who we have not seen? This parody on the hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers" says it perfectly:
Like a mighty tortoise moves the church of God.
Brothers we are treading where we’ve always trod.
We are all divided, many bodies we,
Very strong on doctrine but weak in charity.
One example of division is the place of women in the church. Are women allowed to lead? The Roman Catholic church forbids clergy to marry and does not allow women priests. The Church of England took years to change its view on women, first allowing them to be priests and then to ordain them bishops. Even today, some new churches do not allow women leaders.
My View of The Bible
I now see the Bible as containing words of eternal truth. rather than being the Word of God. In the same way that the soloist in a violin concerto can be heard, either mingled with the orchestra or in sublime purity, so also, embeded in the biblical text can be found words of wisdom to lift the spirit. But, if you have ears to hear, this same wisdom may be heard in many places, not just in the Bible.
I now see the Bible as containing words of eternal truth. rather than being the Word of God. In the same way that the soloist in a violin concerto can be heard, either mingled with the orchestra or in sublime purity, so also, embeded in the biblical text can be found words of wisdom to lift the spirit. But, if you have ears to hear, this same wisdom may be heard in many places, not just in the Bible.
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