Llwellyn Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Whitman's poem "Song of Myself," contains the famous line: "Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes." In this line Whitman describes a self which narrates for all humanity. I am drawn to this verse in my thinking about Christianity because Christianity is a religion which has adapted itself to contain multitudes. Its strength as a meme is based in large part on its ability to "contain multitudes" -- to embrace within itself all thoughts and to adapt itself to all criticisms. Christianity contains multitudes by permitting individual Christians to believe anything and everything. A Christian can believe in divine wrath, or deny it. A Christian can believe in the divinity of Christ, or deny it. For every human worldview or "-ism," there is a Christian counterpart. When Marx and Engels developed socialism, it wasn't long before Christianity accommodated to itself a "Christian socialism." There is Christian feminism, Christian pacifism, Christian environmentalism, Christian universalism, Christian darwinism, Christian unitarianism. I found a website for "Christian swingers." Bow-chick-a-wow-wow. Both Santorum and Obama are good, authentic Christians. If you object to the penal substitutionary atonement, if you object to the soteriology of justification by faith, if you disbelieve in Yahweh's wrath, if you object to a hell of divine retaliation, there is a form of Christianity for you. You will be at home as an Eastern Orthodox Christian, Quaker, Episcopalian, as a member of the United Church of Christ (UCC), or as a member of the "Emergent Church." Subsequent to the Vatican II reforms, you can even be a Catholic and set your mind straight. You may have been a member of these way station churches in your trajectory from fundamentalism to ex-christianity. Men like C.S. Lewis, George MacDonald, John Shelby Spong, Pope John Paul II, and Karl Rahner stand ready to adapt the religion to be even more encompassing of any human idea, and accommodating to any outside criticism of Christianity. Martin Luther sparked the reformation by being an instrument of the meme's evolution, but this has always been happening, from Day 1 of the religion. Outside criticism becomes inside theology, because Christianity is "semper reformanda" -- always reforming. I have no doubt that if I do a google search, I can find "Christian atheism," and "Christian Islam" as well. As far as you want to go, Christianity is willing to go further. Christianity contains multitudes. Christians often tell us, as we leave the Christian faith that: "You misunderstood Christianity," "Somebody taught you a bad form of Christianity," "You just have to hear the gospel expressed a different way." They are right. Even Richard Dawkins could become a Christian, and he wouldn't have to change a single one of his ideas. He could just accept the label "Christian," because the label stands ready to accept him. All of us can "come home" to Christianity because Christianity will make a home for us, regardless of what we choose to believe. There is literally NO reason to deconvert. That is why Christians are so perplexed by you. The Bible is long enough and varied enough that different parts of it can be emphasized. There is a proof text in the Bible for every doctrine . . . and its opposite. You want a God of love? He's there. You want a God of hate? He's there. Christianity does not apologize for its contradictions. Within Christian theological history there is a precedent for every conceivable doctrine that you would like to entertain. Specifically, the platonic early church fathers, St Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and the Cappadocians already sounded every note of doctrine that is repeated by modern-day liberal reformers. There certainly are some fundamentalist clergy members who might want to say: "The doctrine of [God's curse] [Nicene Creed Trinitarianism] [hell for non-Christians] [x, y, z] is essential." Often, these are Calvinists like R.C. Sproul or John Piper. And they are wrong. Christianity also has an answer for them too: "Jesus himself criticised the religious teachers of his day for pressing burdensome religious ideas on others." Christianity is a label that has no doctrinal essentials. Christianity contains multitudes. What do you think?!? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Margee Posted March 5, 2012 Moderator Share Posted March 5, 2012 Llwe.......You are sooooooooo on the mark!! If I had stayed in the 'United Church' of Canada - I would not even be on this site right now. They just sing songs to jesus, have bake sales and even allow homosexual ministers. No talk really on hell, no tithing, no going to the alter, no dunking under water, no bible study cause noboby even took a bible to church when I was growing up.!! I love this intelligent post. You have made some fantastic points in all this. This is going in my favorites!! Thank you for taking the time to make some of this 'clear' for me. I knew we had 100's of denomiations within christianity, but I have never heard anyone explain it so well as you have!! Really.....no need to deconvert ...you're right! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llwellyn Posted March 5, 2012 Author Share Posted March 5, 2012 Sometimes I do wonder if I'm nuts. But then I find that there are other people nuts like me. I found this good image quoting Walt Whitman: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Margee Posted March 5, 2012 Moderator Share Posted March 5, 2012 Sometimes I do wonder if I'm nuts. But then I find that there are other people nuts like me. I found this good image quoting Walt Whitman: Your're not nuts honey...Far from it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts