RELIGIOUS CERTAINTY?
John 14:1-7
James 2:14-19
You believe that God is one; you do
well. Even the demons believe -- and
shudder.
Jesus said: "I am the way, and the
truth, and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me."
These
words of Jesus trouble many people, especially in the way they are interpreted
within some circles -- that Christianity
is the only true religion, the only way to know and come to God. This
conviction is often expressed with great confidence, but it can be a dangerous
certainty, a sign of insecurity not faith. So beware of "true believers!" "You believe that God is one; you do
well." But "even the demons
believe -- and shudder."
In my
lectures to first year students I used to inform them about the words scholars
use describe different beliefs about God or gods. Those who believe that there is one God are
monotheists; those who believe in many gods are polytheists; those whose views
about God keep changing as one fades away and another comes into focus, are
call henotheists; and those who don't believe in any god or gods, are atheists. The Bible insists that there is only one God;
as does the Quran. For that reason
monotheistic religions over the centuries have regarded polytheistic religions,
like the ancient religions of the Egyptians, Indians, Greeks, Romans and the
little known Yazidis in northern Iraq that are in the headline news at this
time, as pagan. This is the reason given
by the IS militant Muslims today for slaughtering them on the plains of Nineveh,
along with infidel Christians who, according to them, are tritheists who worship three gods. For these true-believing fighters, there is
only One God, Allah is his name and Mahomed his prophet, and those who do not
believe that, including Shiite Muslims, who don't believe it in quite the same
way, must be put to death by the sword or the machine gun. There can be no argument about it. There can be no half measures, no doubts, no
questions asked. The holy book says it
is so, therefore it is so. Of that they
are certain. There is only one way to the one God. Their way.
Such
religious certainty has caused more pain and suffering in the history of
humanity than I care to recall. It is a
fundamental reason why religion has a bad reputation. It has led to wars of religion, to sectarian
violence, to Inquisitions and Crusades, all in the name of the one God. Christian crusaders were no better than the Islamic
State fighters in Syria and Iraq today.
In response to the call of the Pope, Christian knights spread terror across
the eastern Mediterranean, pillaging, raping and killing Jews, Muslims as well
as Orthodox Christians in Constantinople.
They then slaughtered the inhabitants of Jerusalem including children,
and destroyed the city in a bloodbath. Not
only was Christianity the only true representative of the one God, but Roman
Catholic Christianity was because the pope was the vicar of Christ, the only
way to the God. This God, they were
certain, was the true God who licensed them to kill those who disagreed unless
they became Christians like them. But
even if we do not kill our religious opponents, we Christians too often turn Jesus into an
idol, "our God," condemning everyone who does not agree with us. Jesus is "our Jesus" not
yours! So what then, does John's gospel mean when we
are told that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, and that no one comes
to the Father (not God, please note) except
through him? Is that not a certainty
which we must affirm in order to be Christian?
I am
not a relativist who thinks there is no such thing as truth. In fact, to believe in God as I do is to
believe that there is ultimate truth.
But that means that every other claim to certainty must be relative,
including my limited knowledge of the God in whom I believe. Let me explain the difference. Over the centuries scientists have
continually told us that they are certain about some things which later scientists
tell us they are no longer so sure about.
Certainties change, and are therefore no longer certain. At one
time we were certain Father Christmas existed, but that certainty disappeared
when we saw our parents putting presents under the tree. People were certain it was God's will that
women should not be ordained Anglican priests and bishops; now there are both. There
are equally things that we once regarded as certain, but do so no more. Those who cling to such "certainties"
even when they are no longer, are insecure people who live out of their
fantasies. And the more insecure they
are, the more dogmatic they become. They are not people of faith in the one God
revealed in Jesus as the Father.
People
who cling to certainties that lead them to attack others are not people of
faith in this God Jesus reveals, they are people who have created a god in
their own image in order to give them a sense of identity, of superiority, of
being the chosen ones, of justifying their ambitions whether personal or
political. They cannot tolerate difference.
They reject all ambiguity and alternative ways of seeing things. And so, when driven to extremes, they kill
those who are different and those who see things differently to them. History is littered with people like this,
and our own times are no exception. Even
in Hermanus there are, I am told, Christians who have advocate the obliteration
of the Palestinians in Gaza because they believe that is God's will.
When John
the evangelist tells us that Jesus "is the way, the truth and the
life," he does not mean that Christianity as a religion is the only way,
has the only truth, or alone brings life.
Christianity is not Jesus, nor do we have a monopoly on the one God. No. As
Christians we believe in Jesus as the embodiment of a way of life that leads us
to trust in God as the Father who
embraces and gives life to the whole of creation. Jesus' way is that of respect and compassion
for the other, the way of embrace not exclusion. This is the certainty of our faith that makes
relative all our other certainties that exclude and discriminate against
others, or even kills them in the name of the one God. This is the way, the
truth and the life that is revealed in Jesus.
As Christians we trust this truth about the one God in whose image we
are all created. That is what we
believe, the certainty by which we live, and the good news we proclaim.
But this
is not a certainty that makes us superior, or gives us privileges and rights;
it is a certainty that challenges us not to trust certainties that make us
secure in our own ghetto's and dogmas, certainties that tell us that it is
right to hate and despise others who disagree with us. The good news that we have come to believe is
revealed in Jesus is that the one God is the Father of all, the mother who like
a hen wishes to embrace everyone. Because
we believe this is the truth revealed in Jesus, we do not reject people
who disagree, we reject ideologies and religious claims that promote hatred,
war, and crimes against humanity made in
God's image. If you "believe that
God is one; you do well." The truth
is, "evens the demons believe" that!
What the demons do not believe is that this one and only God loves
everyone, not least those who find it difficult to believe that he exists.
John
de Gruchy
Volmoed
14 August 2014
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