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May. 23rd, 2005 02:58 pmI saw Star Wars this weekend. I enjoyed the movie. I enjoyed the Batman Begins trailer with the gorgeous Cillian Murphy even more.
Yesterday I was reading an opinion article on the link between Star Wars and the current political climate in the U.S. Basically the author claims that Darth Vader is supposed to be George Bush. He said that George Lucas did this to suck up to the “liberal media” and to make up for his non-politically correct characters in the first five films. He claimed that Americans won’t stand for this republican-bashing and because of lines like, “You’re either with me or you’re my enemy,” Episode III will not make as much money at the box office as planned. Of course that theory was completely obliterated when the weekend’s box office figures came in.
On the next page of the newspaper a local woman wrote an editorial about how science is pushing “truth” out of public schools. What truth is she talking about? Why, creationism of course! According to the author of this editorial, there is no scientific evidence to back up evolution. We need to start teaching our children biblical truth to save our nation. My first reaction was horror. My second reaction was a fantasy in which I demand that the Book of Mormon be taught in public schools using the same argument that fundamentalists are using to get the Bible taught in schools. But then I realized that I could teach my own children evolution and give them a better chance at high-paying jobs while the poor slobs who only know creationism are dealing with the fallout of not knowing one of the most basic and accepted theories on the creation of the universe. I work with people who honestly believe that women have an extra rib because of the one God took from Adam to make Eve.
But it’s this talk of Biblical “Truth” that got me thinking... When I was young, my family was devoutly LDS. Every week I would sit in church. On the first Sunday of the month I would go up to the front of the congregation and give what I like to call the “Child’s Testimony.” It’s always the same with children. “I’d like to bear my testimony…I know this church is true…I love my mom and dad [and my brothers and sisters]…I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.” As I got older, my family began going to church less often. Eventually, my dad renounced his faith, declared he’d fallen out of love with my mom, and began his life of hedonism. Around that time I had a deeply spiritual experience. I won’t go into details because the problem with spiritual experiences is they can’t be described. But it confirmed my belief in God and let me know that my beliefs were a good way to eventually get to Him. My crisis of faith began a few years ago when I suddenly realized that my child’s testimony was no longer true. I didn’t “know” the church was true. I didn’t “know” there was a God. I believed there was, but that belief was not strong enough for me not to acknowledge that I could be very, very wrong.
I think Douglas Adams said it best when he wrote, “’I refuse to prove I exist,’ says God, ‘because proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing.’” If you can know that 2 + 2 = 4 you don’t need to believe it. To “know” God exists is to not have faith that he exists.
I do not know that God exists and I do not know the bible is true. Furthermore, I don’t need to know. I believe in God and my experiences have led me to believe that my belief is well-founded. I don’t need belief taught as though it were fact in public schools to confirm my faith in God and I’m not comfortable with those who feel they do need it and want to force it others. But it is nice to know that my crisis of faith was really a crisis of semantics.
Yesterday I was reading an opinion article on the link between Star Wars and the current political climate in the U.S. Basically the author claims that Darth Vader is supposed to be George Bush. He said that George Lucas did this to suck up to the “liberal media” and to make up for his non-politically correct characters in the first five films. He claimed that Americans won’t stand for this republican-bashing and because of lines like, “You’re either with me or you’re my enemy,” Episode III will not make as much money at the box office as planned. Of course that theory was completely obliterated when the weekend’s box office figures came in.
On the next page of the newspaper a local woman wrote an editorial about how science is pushing “truth” out of public schools. What truth is she talking about? Why, creationism of course! According to the author of this editorial, there is no scientific evidence to back up evolution. We need to start teaching our children biblical truth to save our nation. My first reaction was horror. My second reaction was a fantasy in which I demand that the Book of Mormon be taught in public schools using the same argument that fundamentalists are using to get the Bible taught in schools. But then I realized that I could teach my own children evolution and give them a better chance at high-paying jobs while the poor slobs who only know creationism are dealing with the fallout of not knowing one of the most basic and accepted theories on the creation of the universe. I work with people who honestly believe that women have an extra rib because of the one God took from Adam to make Eve.
But it’s this talk of Biblical “Truth” that got me thinking... When I was young, my family was devoutly LDS. Every week I would sit in church. On the first Sunday of the month I would go up to the front of the congregation and give what I like to call the “Child’s Testimony.” It’s always the same with children. “I’d like to bear my testimony…I know this church is true…I love my mom and dad [and my brothers and sisters]…I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.” As I got older, my family began going to church less often. Eventually, my dad renounced his faith, declared he’d fallen out of love with my mom, and began his life of hedonism. Around that time I had a deeply spiritual experience. I won’t go into details because the problem with spiritual experiences is they can’t be described. But it confirmed my belief in God and let me know that my beliefs were a good way to eventually get to Him. My crisis of faith began a few years ago when I suddenly realized that my child’s testimony was no longer true. I didn’t “know” the church was true. I didn’t “know” there was a God. I believed there was, but that belief was not strong enough for me not to acknowledge that I could be very, very wrong.
I think Douglas Adams said it best when he wrote, “’I refuse to prove I exist,’ says God, ‘because proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing.’” If you can know that 2 + 2 = 4 you don’t need to believe it. To “know” God exists is to not have faith that he exists.
I do not know that God exists and I do not know the bible is true. Furthermore, I don’t need to know. I believe in God and my experiences have led me to believe that my belief is well-founded. I don’t need belief taught as though it were fact in public schools to confirm my faith in God and I’m not comfortable with those who feel they do need it and want to force it others. But it is nice to know that my crisis of faith was really a crisis of semantics.