I was following my kids through the
aisles of the kid's area at our library when I overheard a
conversation happening next to me. Based on what I heard, my guess
is the two women having the conversation are in a Bible study of some
sort together and one is the teacher and the other one is new to it.
The teacher announced that she had looked into the questions the
other had asked and had the answers for her. At this point my kids
had discovered that the library has CDs so they were occupied with
that. I leaned in a bit to hear more of the women's conversation and
noticed it followed a pattern. The teacher would say “you asked
this … and here is the answer.” The first question was “how
do we know the Bible is true” which was met with some scripture
citations and talk about faith. I found myself really wanting to
interject to affirm the questioner. I sensed her getting quieter
with each answer and wished I could say “these are really
thoughtful and good questions.” I believe that thinking critically
and asking questions is a sign of a healthy, living faith and a
genuine attempt to integrate one's practice of religion with one's
lived faith. It was even harder to mind my own business when I heard
the next question, “do we have to believe that all people of other
religions will go to hell?” At that moment I looked up in horror …
because both of my kids were proudly showing me their selections …
Kidz Bop CDs.
I felt for the woman with the
questions because I too have had those questions and still have
questions. I love digging into the Bible, wrestling with it and
deepening my faith. I am energized by conversations on theology and
reflecting with others about life, faith and religion. I also
remember how I felt when I was told that there was one clear answer
to the question about people of other religions. I felt confused,
upset, silenced and unsatisfied.
I grew up in a very open-minded,
non-judgmental United Methodist Church and I remember when I asked my
pastor during confirmation class why bad things happen to good people
he sat with me in that question, affirmed me for asking it and never
tried to silence me or offer easy answers. That was everything to me
and it laid the foundation for my adult faith and my calling into
ministry. But when I went to college I started to hear views that
did not match mine but were labeled as the “Christian way.”
I heard this at the church I worked at as a youth leader, the
Christian groups on campus I explored, the staff on the mission trips
I went on and also from people in my religion classes who weren't
Christian. Those who weren't Christian labeled and identified a
certain belief set as Christian and ripped it apart. I never doubted
my faith or my commitment to the Church, but I did wonder where I
fit.
Then I found a place where I fit. My
first week at Drew Theological School was everything I hoped for and
more than I thought possible. The deep questions were not just ok,
they were necessary. People from all different backgrounds and with
different beliefs were wrestling together with these topics and then
kneeling down for Communion together. And when I signed up to go to
India and met Dr. Ariarajah I finally found someone taking on the
question of other religions in a way that was loving, honest,
sincere, open and deep.
In his book Not Without My Neighbor
Dr. Ariarajah talks about growing up in Sri Lanka and the close
relationship he had with his neighbor. They welcomed him into their
family practices of Hindu worship and while he was Christian this
never seemed to be a problem. When he heard a missionary talking
about people of other faiths going to hell and that heaven is a place
only for Christians, he felt he didn't want to go there, he didn't
want to go to this eternal resting place without his loving neighbors
that he knew were good people. This began his exploration of a
theology of religions, or how we as Christians can stay true to our
own beliefs while also making sense of our relationship with our
brothers and sisters of other faiths.
The idea of God tossing away wonderful
and loving people into an eternal fire did not match with my
understanding of a loving and compassionate God and I was so relieved
to hear that there are other ways of looking at things theologically.
Dr. Ariarajah explores the challenges and the possibilities through
dialogue, scripture, Christian tradition and personal spiritual
experiences. And in the end does not offer an easy answer but rather
a path of honest exploration and deep faith questions.
All of this is to say what I did not
say to that woman in the library … faith is a dynamic, living,
enduring thing and if you ever want to explore those questions … I
promise you aren't alone.