Do we take these powerful words that begin the Nicene Creed
for granted? Do we see a belief in many gods as the error of our ancient
ancestors or, perhaps, of an unsophisticated primitive people who hadn't yet
been touched by modern wisdom? As we progressed to belief in one God, we assume our monotheism is natural and logical.
Belief in many gods, in my opinion, would make perfect sense. There is sky; there
are storms issuing from it. There is growth, food, war, sickness, death. There
are tribes, mine and others. Intuitively, walking on this earth, I would assume there is some sort
of controlling force for each of these categories. Why wouldn't I worship the
sun? It provides me with everything I need. Or the earth? Or the sea? If I am
at war with my neighbors, I would rely on my tribal god to give me protection
and victory.
My old philosophy professor liked to refer to the “genius”
the Jewish people had for religion. Their ability to discern a single God among
all these “forces” was nothing short of miraculous. They had, however, a tough
time holding to their beliefs when confronted by stronger, richer, more
beautiful neighbors who believed otherwise. These struggles are what make the
Old Testament such engrossing reading. What new failing will the people of God
succumb to? How many more times will the one God forgive and renew them?
With only one God in their lives, they had no other to turn
to. They were stuck with YHWH. The psalms are full of
the frustration people felt when God seemed to fail them as well as with their praises when they saw God’s greatness. But the story of this one God took a very odd turn. God began to urge his people to offer salvation to all
the peoples.
In Isaiah 49:6, God tells the Israel, “It
is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of
Jacob and to bring back the preserved Israel. I will make you a light for the
nations that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
Monotheism has a catch, you see. If the one God created the whole
world, then that God belongs to the whole world. And the whole world belongs to
God. No exceptions. If the one God made all creation, that has to include even
the people I despise, the storms that destroy my crops and the cancer cells
that take my friend's life. If God is taking care of my wealthy, lucky
neighbor, that care must somehow also extend to my other credit-poor, alcoholic
neighbor.
But there’s more. If
those genius Jews of thousands of years ago found the one God through grace,
prayer, struggle, then other groups likely found God through the same means.
The Jewish God might not look very much like the Hindu pantheon, for example,
but can we seriously believe that God abandoned any people who earnestly sought
God’s truth? Whose side is God on? The (un)comfortable answer is: everyone's.
To believe in one God forces us to respect all faiths. Did
God create some people to be blessed with wisdom and salvation and others to be
cursed with ignorance and damnation? Was God laughing at Socrates for owing a
“cock to Asclepius?” Does God smile proudly at my church and roll his eyes at a
mosque? At a synagogue?
If there were any question that the one God, creator of the
universe, loved and cared for all creation, the Incarnation of Jesus Christ must
end all doubts.
Christianity is a universal religion. This means that it is
intended for everyone. We pray daily that Christ’s gospel be proclaimed
worldwide, that those who do not know him may be brought to “the knowledge and
love” of him. This is the purpose of the church. But we are imperfect
creatures. At times we succeed; at times we fail.
Spreading the Good News is important work. It is an act of
love, just as Christ’s life was an act of love. As was his death. To be in
Christ is to share in that love and to work to share it with others. But
Christ’s redemption of creation happens with or without our efforts.
The one God became incarnate to share in our humanity, not
in our tribal identity, not in our nationality or in our race, not even in our refined liturgies.
If you are human, you share in this Incarnation. Period. In Romans 9, Paul
quotes Hosea, “Those who were not ‘my
people’ I will call ‘my people’ and her who was not ‘my beloved’ I will call
‘my beloved’”. This could not be any plainer.
We don our monotheism as casually as we pocket our mobile
phones and head off to our air conditioned offices, but monotheism has
implications.
1 1. There are no false Gods. A person (like me, for
example) might have an imperfect understanding of God. A person might be
un-lettered or naive, but a worshipper is a worshipper. A seeker of God will
find God.
2. If there is one God; that one God created the
Universe.
3. The one God loves all of us. Equally.
4. If the one God has a purpose and a plan for creation, we
are all part of it.
5. The stories we tell and have told about God are
stories that have come from God, yes, but they have also from us. All our
stories are just a bit flawed and just a bit perfect.
No comments:
Post a Comment