Does it matter what you believe?

All manner of atrocities have been committed in the name of religion. Their perpetrators earnestly believed they were acting on God's behalf. Like Paul. And there's the crunch. We are taught that we need to hear the voice of God and obey it. But of this "hearing"... some say like "I felt God was telling me to..." and I wonder are they really hearing God's voice? What if one party earnestly believes God is saying X and another party Y and X and Y are major issues and mutually exclusive? Is this how splits and new denominations happen in the church?  There are rather generous estimates of up to 43,000 denominations within perhaps 40 main variations. Which gives the new convert plenty of choice. So does it matter what you believe?

If the deep outer veneers of difference are scraped off, what core value, common vision is there that defines a true Christian? Like the simplicity of Peter's "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house".

I was pleasantly surprised to find this discussion of what it means to be a Christian on the BBC site - surprised because my son-in-law eschews the BBC considering it to be very biased. The site says "It's about a friendship - a friendship with Jesus Christ." But what does it mean to have a friendship with someone that cannot be sensed in the usual way? I am reminded of Chocky who, in the story, is thought to be a childhood invention but turns out to be real. And here is my conundrum: those seemingly more stable Christians with whom I fellowship will claim that they do have a friendship with Jesus, that they hear Him speaking to them, feel His presence, and so on. I've thought I did but now I am not so sure. Don't get me wrong - I love the concept, so aptly portrayed in the Narnia books, like But no one except Lucy knew that as it circled the mast it had whispered to her, "Courage, dear heart," and the voice, she felt sure, was Aslan's, and with the voice a delicious smell breathed in her face and I long for such an experience in my own life, a longing that is as close to "faith" as I can muster. Or maybe, horrors, my spirit has somehow grown cold like the dwarfs within the stable in The Last Battle.

On the other hand I've seen some pretty amazing things that I can put down to the hand of God. That I got married at all, let alone to an amazing woman and with resulting four amazing children. Even my closest friends at the time agreed it was an unlikely thing to happen. And more recently, after waiting in hope for so many years, J and S's adoption of a Thai child happening so fast and at such a time that one could not help comparing it with Joseph's sudden rise to second only to Pharoah. Or when I open my eyes and see creation in all its detail.

But I, being human, need constant reassurance of things unseen. Working on some scaffolding the other day I cantilevered a plank to help me reach, making the other end fast by a G-clamp to the scaffolding tower. It looked good. My knowledge of levers confirmed my observation. And yet still I very cautiously committed my weight to the projecting end of the plank. I needed more assurance than physics theory offered. And I need more assurance than Christian doctrine offers.

A recent visitor alluded to numerical patterns or "gematria" found in the scriptures, for example as purported by Vernon Jenkins with his 37 x 73 argument. This is all very fascinating but at the same time I am cautious. Many of the patterns only work in base 10 as this site observes, but then one might argue that the decimal system is God given because He gave our hands and feet 10 digits. And does Vernon also believe that the Earth is flat or is at least the centre of the universe?

Another guy came up with the Bible Wheel but has more recently debunked his own theory and now no longer calls himself a Christian. I followed this story because it is unusual for a theorist to publically recant. Without reading every word it seems that he fell into that trap of emphasising data that supported his theory whilst disregarding the rest. Commonly known as a biased sample. I think Christians are wonderfully good at this - wonderfully because it takes some guts, some perseverance and commitment, to persistently believe one thing when so much evidence points another way.

And thus Paul argues in the book of Romans: for what can be known about God is plain to them [unbelievers], because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools. Doubtless Richard Dawkins would not agree. If I had to choose between him and Paul I'd choose the latter any day, but still I find Paul's argument curiously hollow. Conversely the anthropic principle says the world is as it is (all those physical constants having just the right value to sustain life as we know it and all that) because here we are to prove it, and this also seems to me a hollow argument lacking substance.

In all these musings I find myself coming back to the man Jesus and his claims of deity as recorded in the Gospels. But that was a long time ago and, like Trumpkin the dwarf, I find myself thinking "Do you believe all those old stories?" and "But who believes in Aslan nowadays?".  In this story Trumpkin's unbelief mercifully ends with "Son of Earth, shall we be friends?". Maybe that was just  the author's fancy.

I crave such mercy.

Take Courage

As a child I thought the adverts to "take Courage" rather clever. Coincidentally the idea has been revived in a banned recent advert. I hadn't realised just how many times the Bible talks about taking courage, though doubtless not the bitter kind.

I have heard various takes on the extraordinary relationship between the apostle John and Jesus as in "there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved." Was John Jesus' favourite? Come to that, what about the extraordinary relationship between Lucy and Aslan in C.S.Lewis's Narnia stories. Was Lucy Aslan's favourite? Any suggestion of something merely sensual is as absurd here as it was for Jesus. Both relationships were on a higher plane than the mundane. It is like... I was listening to my favourite composer the other day when, first, the sound of our petrol lawnmower outside my open window cut across, and then came the yells of several children running along the corridor outside my door - noises that had no bearing on the blessèd music, noises that could mask but could not adulterate.

True relationship is not fuelled by a pretty face or by common interest but is about the heart. "The LORD is nigh to those of a broken heart; and saves those of a contrite spirit". King David did much worse things than Saul and yet Saul was rejected whilst, even after his death, David's heart was said to be "perfect with God".

Paul could confidently say "for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" and Abraham "believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God." In comparison any such relationship I might claim to have seems decidedly weak and second-hand. But in any event true relationship gets proven only in adversity. Faced with difficulties we discover how we measure up.

The Dark Island in Lewis's Voyage of the Dawn Treader was such a difficulty. It seemed hopeless - there was no way out. And so the heart which was in Lucy whispered, "Aslan, Aslan, if ever you loved us at all, send us help now." The darkness did not grow any less, but she began to feel a little - a very, very little - better. "After all, nothing has really happened to us yet," she thought.

"Look!" cried Rynelf's voice hoarsely from the bows. There was a tiny speck of light ahead, and while they watched a broad beam of light fell from it upon the ship. It did not alter the surrounding darkness, but the whole ship was lit up as if by searchlight. Caspian blinked, stared round, saw the faces of his companions all with wild, fixed expressions. Everyone was staring in the same direction: behind everyone lay his black, sharply-edged shadow.

Lucy looked along the beam and presently saw something in it. At first it looked like a cross, then it looked like an aeroplane, then it looked like a kite, and at last with a whirring of wings it was right overhead and was an albatross. It circled three times round the mast and then perched for an instant on the crest of the gilded dragon at the prow. It called out in a strong sweet voice what seemed to be words though no one understood them. After that it spread its wings, rose, and began to fly slowly ahead, bearing a little to starboard. Drinian steered after it not doubting that it offered good guidance. But no one except Lucy knew that as it circled the mast it had whispered to her, "Courage, dear heart," and the voice, she felt sure, was Aslan's, and with the voice a delicious smell breathed in her face.

In a few moments the darkness turned into a greyness ahead, and then, almost before they dared to begin hoping, they had shot out into the sunlight and were in the warm, blue world again...

...The Dark Island and the darkness had vanished for ever.

"Why!" cried Lord Rhoop. "You have destroyed it!"

"I don't think it was us," said Lucy...

...So all afternoon with great joy they sailed south-east with a fair wind. But nobody noticed when the albatross had disappeared.

Those words "if ever you loved us" and "Courage, dear heart" echo in my heart whenever I feel down. And notice how it is only Lucy who sees the detail: it is as if she is tuned to a higher plane. Some folk criticise Lewis but one thing can be said - he knew his Bible. This was no sickly emotional dribble but an allusion to those times Jesus imparted courage to his listeners. I like Lewis's writing because it is uncomplicated yet deep in meaning, concise yet rich in connotations. So what is this "courage" thing?

Courage is mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty (Merriam-Webster). In the New Testament the Greek word is tharseo and has the idea of inner warmth and thus an emboldening from within. It is variously translated "be of good cheer", "take heart" or "take courage" and always in the imperative. In all but one instance Jesus is speaking, for example (1) Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, "Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven." and (2) But Jesus turning and seeing her said, "Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well." and (3) "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

Each time Jesus is exhorting folk who have already moved in faith. As if He knew that past faith in God does not preclude but rather almost guarantees future difficulty or tribulation. Like Lucy, I find myself needing courage.