We continue are discussion on rigid beliefs and Rob Bells definition of Brickianity in his book Velvet Elvis. We left off in Part I talking about having Jesus as our foundation and having flexible doctrine to follow...
A good example is the scriptures, the scriptures are man's divinelyinspired accounts of the Christian faith. Yet many cannot agree on some of thetranslations. For instance, the word "Virgin" in the scriptures, according to scholars, could have meant an unmarried girl, a girl who conceived her first time with a man, or simply a young girl.
Many of the pagan religions at the time of Christ, also have stories similar to Christianity, including a savior being born of a virgin and dying and raising again after 3 days.
What if early Christian writers added some of the pagan traditions in their writings to make the teachings more acceptable and familiar to their current beliefs?
For those who believe in Brickianity, these questions are heresy and anyone who asks them are surely not "True Believers." However, I find many young Christians today asking these questions and asking about the Theory of Evolution and the church has to have answers to these questions, not simply shun those questioning their faith.
I personally believe that questioning and challenging ones faith leads to great growth. The times in my life when I have searched or challenged my faith have lead me to find even more solid proof of my faith and why Jesus is the example we all need to follow.
I once argued with a group of women that having fights and stress in your marriage only strengthens your marriage and prepares you for greater adversity. They argued that they knew they had a strong marriage and didn't need any tests to prove it. However, Dr. John Gottman of the Unviersity of Washington , has proven with 91% accuracy that how we handle fights and stress in our marriage is the real factor in a successful marriage or divorce. Brickimarriage?
These are my final thoughts, God is divine and man is human. So anytime man enters faith, you have to leave a margin of error. Translations can be wrong, history can be wrong. But if we base our faith on Jesus and let all the dogma and doctrine be flexible, we can grown stronger in our faith and not feel threatened by the worlds challenges.
