aha!

As if BIC wasn't interdisciplinary enough...

Being a PI in World Cultures I and a student in Biblical Heritage has opened my eyes to an entire world of shared/repeated slides...as well as the fact that I probably didn't pay nearly enough attention that first semester in cultures. It is interesting to be studying the same part of the Bible in two different BIC classes; I'm viewing the stories through two different lenses. As I read for BibHert, I cannot help but see the stories through a 'creation story' lens. The story of Adam and Eve, creation, Moses, Noah - they are all myths.

In a sense, I suppose that I always knew that the Bible stories I grew up hearing were not true stories, but I never put much thought into the fact that all other people groups have similar stories. This is a little disconcerting for me. Do I have enough faith to believe that my God and the stories about him are more true than stories about Sumerian gods?

The answer is yes, but I still don't know how to make sense of everything. Once I begin to consider other creation stories and hero tales, I begin to think of the religions of those other people. Were they all completely wrong, or did they just misinterpret God's presence and will? Are we misunderstanding just as much? Jews and Muslims believe in the same God, but there are still so many differences between the three religions. Which one is right? Where did the others go wrong? How can I be sure that I am a part of the right group?

It's a little scary to know that your entire religion relies on faith. It would be more comfortable to have factual evidence proving every attribute of God and each miracle he performed. However, that comfort would miss the point of faith and trust. I have to trust that God is who he says he is and that Christians keep getting it right. I have to learn what I can about the attributes and will of God from each story and be okay with the fact that I may not be reading factual truth. In a world of hard facts and science, its almost as though faith becomes a learned trait. We always want proof, but faith is about not having the proof. And that's hard.