Questions you have on your journey of faith …
Throughout our journey of life and faith, we often have questions we wish we could talk about with others who are like minded and spirit filled people of faith. Questions are not a sign of a weak faith. In fact, I believe that asking our questions opens us up to a growing and more vibrant faith.
What are some of my questions …
- Where can I turn when I feel discouraged?
- How can I reconcile myself with someone who has hurt or offended me?
- Why do bad things happen in the world like the shootings in Nova Scotia?
- How do I love my enemy?
We may not be able to answer all of our questions adequately. However, it is good to ask them and discuss them. I find that our collective wisdom can be insightful and assist when I have things I wonder about.
This week’s question … which will form the basis for future questions in our “Connecting in Faith
What are your faith related questions?
How do we reconcile science facts and well reasoned
proofs with religion and biblical stories / recounts of the world and history.
Faith brings much into my life but I cannot purport stories to my children as facts and truth. I carry the stories asbparables and meanings and a way of being that goes beyond science to meaning but to offer the Bible as fact filled feels false and old aged.
Good questions Sharon. I haven’t delved myself much into to the complexities of science and our religious faith. However, for me, I can accept what God offers us in scripture and in the teachings of the church as mystery that I don’t have to understand or even be able to explain.
How we interpret the scriptures is different from person to person based on many variables. For some scripture is to be taken literally … for others less so. Did everything happen as it is detailed in the pages of scripture. I don’t always think so. For me there is some allegory. One example is did the great flood of Noah really happen exactly as recorded? I remember learning in seminary that there was a pre biblical legend called “The Epic of Gilgamesh” which was the story of a great flood. This legend predates the scriptures. So, was the writer of Genesis recounting that legend or parable to make a point about God using a well known story of the time? Perhaps. For me, it isn’t about the literalism of such a text as what I can learn from it about God and my relationship with God and God’s eternal promise to us.
There are parts of scripture that I can’t and don’t refute, like the life, witness, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus. What I personally believe to be true is that all I need for a growing and sustaining relationship with God can be and is nurtured by what I read and reflect on in scripture.
How do I best identify with faith; through spiritual music, the scripture, prayers, fellowship, church itself? Or is it a combination?
Will church, as we know it, change, moving forward?
Thanks Sharon … good questions. Faith and spirituality are innately part of us and our journey of life. It’s always good to ask where and how we can identify both in our church life and in the ordinariness of our daily lives.
I do think the church will change as everything will change given the realities of Covid 19. In many ways we are in a form of reformation and I believe God is always up to something that will take us to new and different levels in our spirituality as individuals and as the church. The question that always remains a variable is will we be willing to let go of what we need to in order to become what God hopes for us.