MUCH I DON’T UNDERSTAND–But I Choose to Believe
by Mike Martin
Clash Daily Contributor
What I call a discussion, my wife calls an argument.
My wife just left to go to bible study classes. Before she left, I asked her how they decided what they were going to discuss . She said that the preacher’s wife posted “stuff” on the board and then talked/discussed about them . I asked if there was an advance agenda and she said no, and why are you asking ? I replied that I wanted her to ask a question and she interrupted me saying that she wasn’t going to pick a fight for me.
I had started to write a question, when I was informed of this. So, I crumpled the paper I was writing on and threw it away. This annoyed her for some reason. I explained that I wasn’t going to have a question asked that would embarrass her or cause disharmony in the household . She accused me of trying to start an argument. I replied that “never mind” I didn’t want to get between her and her church !
Note to readers : My grandfather was a hellfire and damnation preacher. As a consequence to my grandfather’s sermons, I’ve never placed much faith in churches. For the record, I’ll state that I believe that he believed what he preached.
I used to get poison ivy so bad that I got it internally and externally. My eyes would get swollen shut and I’d have to have the eyelids pierced and pus removed daily for a week after I contracted poison ivy. I remember sitting out in the yard in my underwear, slathered with calamine lotion to dry it out. Apparently I had been around where they were burning poison ivy when I was little and after getting a dose in my lungs I became super allergic to it. The normal course of treatment included oatmeal baths, calamine lotion, and steroids given by the Doctor.
Normal recovery time was a week to 10 days with treatment. My grandfather “prayed” for one occurrence for me to be cured. By the next day the poison ivy was receding, and by the following day was scabbed over ( healed ). I believe that “his faith” healed me, even though later I learned that I couldn’t share his faith.
I am reading John Hagee’s Blood Moons book and disagreed with him on page 10. He stated that the Crusades primarily killed Jews. I was taught that the Crusades were to reclaim the “Holy Lands” from the Muslim invaders. My wife insisted that Hagee was a biblical scholar who had studied most of his life and must be correct. I didn’t think so, but the only thing I could think of was: how did he define “Jews” ? I did a little research.
I discovered that even “Jews” disagreed on who was Jewish. Between conservative ( Orthodox ) and liberal Jews they disagree: Mother Jewish – father not = Jewish child . Father Jewish – mother not = not a Jewish child. Some say it depends on how the child is raised. If the Jewish people/faiths cannot decide who is Jewish how is a Gentile/non Jew to decide?
Hypothesis – It has been stated that if you go back 7 generation everyone in the world is related to one another. Old testament begins about 2,000 B.C. Currently 2,000 + A.D. = more than 4,000 years. 4,000 years divided by 20 years ( 1 generation ) = 200 + generations. The law of averages says male and female births about equal, so surely after 100 generations of women it would seem to me that mathematically almost everyone in existence today is Jewish by virtue of matriarchal descent lines, just as everyone is genetically descended from “Lucy” ( Look it up ).
In summary, the more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t understand things . I choose to believe in the Bible ( even though I don’t understand the nuances of the language in which it is written ), and I choose to believe in our Lord and in Jesus Christ. Belief is what’s left after science fails to explain the Universe.
A discussion is an attempt to learn, to be convinced, to be made a believer of that which cannot be proven. I “believe” that I am blessed for believing without proof. You are free to believe what you wish, as God granted us free will, even though we will be held responsible for exercising this free will when we are called before him. I pray for Jesus’ mercy and intervention on my behalf. Amen!
Curiously, or with an inspired sermon, my wife’s Bible study included GALATIANS 3:26 – “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith…”. GALATIANS 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Gentile…nor is there male and female… . GALATIANS 3:29 – “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Starting with “curiously” in the previous paragraph, everything before then was written before she returned home. Considering how her Bible study dovetailed with my musings, I am in awe because I have a hard time believing in coincidences . Either my wife, her preacher’s wife ( Bible study teacher ), or my musings were inspired by a source greater than that of all of us.
Image: http://wechallenge.wikispaces.com/The+Poisonwood+Bible+Characters
Mike Martin thanks you for the opportunity to express “different points of views”, and if you were to ask his family they would probably tell you that he’s as different as they come….
