Confession
Alright. Time to 'fess up. I'm an anthropologist and female. That might explain the tone of my posts, lol. I'm "scientific" enough to have developed some computer programs, including my own little AI app which helps me manage my computer related work. With so much material to keep on top of, AI can be a lot of help. And I can tweak it to suit my needs. I've also lectured at some of the top universities in the world, inc. Harvard, Cambridge and NUS (that's the National University of Singapore). But that's beside the point, no? Do my intellectual creds matter? Surely you can judge an argument by its merits. And I make it a point to reduce things to its simplest form. Part of my scientific or academic training. Those two terms are to me, one and the same, meaning rigorous and critical thinking. The rest is just your field of study.
I do anthropology because I love studying into what makes us tick. And foreign societies and communities allow me to look at people and their behaviour perhaps more unbiasedly.
Which brings me to this thread. Why am I doing it? Like I said, I became a Christian in my 50s. And it was quite a revelation which I wanted to share with people who are able to give me critical feedback. It's not going as well as I had hoped, lol.
Anyway, I can't help but bring my anthropological mind into what I do. So, here are some of my findings, surprising in some instances but interesting, every one of them.
1.People like magic
Interestingly, both believers and non-believers are more interested in the magical aspects of Christianity than in its moral and personal framework. Why does it matter? Do you need God to appear before you and convince you personally?
2. The "Arrogance" of the Righteous
Many people who are doing well in their lives think it's them. They don't really appreciate how much is happenstance. Sadly, many people who are not doing well also blame themselves. It's not all their fault. We can make a difference to our own lives but our ability to do so is much less than we think.
3. Life without God
This is a very modern, Westernised outlook. Every culture that I know of have a sense of the metaphysical or the supernatural (BTW, these two words have different connotations), except the modern Western society. To the detriment of the young, I believe. Young people from Westernised developed countries are the most lost and adrift young people I've met. Almost any religion is better than no religion.
4. Love as Moral Foundation
Many Westerners think it's obvious. But it's not. Until Jesus made it central. Even then, we still don't fully realise the extent of his assertion. Love, for Jesus, is complete and sacrificial. It's where the forgiveness of sins come from. It's about lost sheep. Loving and forgiving your enemies. It's not just about being a good person.
Plus, Jesus wasn't just saying, be a good person. He was saying look after the disenfranchised. Our stance against slavery, racism, etc. came from that. Note that other non-Christian countries still maintain their caste systems and other inhuman religious and cultural practices. In the name of religion, unsurprisingly.
Philip Yancey wrote a good book about it, What's So Amazing About Grace?, and pointed out that this, forgiving past quarrels, is the only solution to war between countries (putting aside for the moment, the economic motivation of war).
5.God vs Religion
We don’t seem to notice this but the Judaic/Christian/Muslim God does not belong to any religion and indeed, hates religion with a passion. Jesus spoke most and most harshly against the lawgivers and religious leaders of his own "religion".
6. What does it matter?
In case you haven't noticed, we're in crisis, not just in terms of environmental crisis, but also in many aspects of our lives, and yet we're also closest to global peace than we've ever been. We need a way forward. We need an alternative to materialism.
7. Is Christianity the solution?
Not in its current form and maybe not even as a religion but as a universal basis for humanity and human rights. But as a personal religion, it also works for me. It's a lot less superstitious and more scientific than you think it is. There's no need to convert anyone to Christianity. We just need to accept its ideals. Which are self-evident enough for most people. We don't even have to succeed doing so. Love one another, that's good enough.
The rest is in the far more able hands of God, lol.
*Sorry, I couldn't resist this last sentence.
