Questions of Faith August 15, 2006
Posted by TimTheFoolMan in Astronomy, Education, Family, Learning, Love, Morality, Parenting/Children, Politics, Race and Prejudice, Religion, Religion, Philosophy, and Science, Science & Technology, Stupidity.trackback
I have a few questions
- Why is it that so many of us who are Christians… demand that the world is 6000-8000 years old, and come up with any number of bizarre explanations for how this is possible, but we’re perfectly willing to accept scientific explanations for how our Sony HD TV brings Billy Graham into our homes in such wonderful detail, and how the latest technology gadgetry works (thereby allowing us to spend less and less time with our children)?
- Why is it that we read parable after parable, proclaiming that we really do get it, and that some man didn’t actually have a beam in his eye when he was trying to remove the speck from another’s, but we can’t accept the possibility that one or more fragments from Genesis are “dumbed down” explanations of what happened?
- Why is it that even though Pat Robertson demonstrates his marginal sanity on virtually a daily basis, hundreds of thousands of Christians continue to listen to him?
- Why aren’t more Christians distancing themselves from Rush Limbaugh and his hate-mongering?
- Why aren’t we as upset about President Bush’s foul mouth as were (appropriately) about President Clinton’s inability to keep his pants zipped?
- Why is it that Christians aren’t just as upset about rampant materialism as we are about gay marriage?
- Why aren’t we as upset about the millions dying of malnutrition or AIDS as we are about the millions of abortions?
- Why aren’t we willing to stand up and say, “the intolerance of other faiths that we have demonstrated for so many years is not much different from the intolerance that we see in extremist groups engaged in terror bombings”?
- Why aren’t we just as concerned about the Lebanese child crying in the bombed-out apartment as we are for the Israeli pilot dropping the bombs?
- Why is it that we are perfectly willing to make our children more and more ignorant (of science, literature, social sciences), and call it “protecting them” or “nurturing them”?
- Why do we hive our children off in “Christian” schools instead of getting involved in the local public school, and making it a better institution?
- Why aren’t more of us called to be teachers in public schools, and teach our moral values to an entire generation by the way we live day-to-day (and not just by the scripture we quote on Sunday morning)?
- Why are we willing to build social silos… pockets of Christian relationships (businesses, clubs, sports organizations, and so on)… and then complain that “the world” doesn’t seem to want to knock on the door of our churches?
- Why do we say “worship is not about me, it’s about God,” and then complain that the music isn’t what we like, that the praise choruses aren’t familiar, and that the preacher seems to talk too long?
I must be too dumb to understand. Maybe Pat or Rush can explain it to me.
A Fool and his Words are Soon Parted 
[…] I read a great post by Tim the Fool Man today. My response to all queries: I absolutely do not know, nor do I understand why some of those things are the way they are. My own personal views largely differ from his, but his skepticism regarding some of those in his own religion who practice their faith blindly and, frankly, mind-bogglingly is refreshing to me. […]
[…] Tim in his blog A Fool and His Words Are Soon Parted has an excellent post entitled “Questions of Faith.” Here he has some very pertinent queries, such as: […]
[…] My friend Tim wrote an excellent and thought-provoking entry today, titled “Questions of Faith.” […]
I’m reading a new book “Thy KIngdom Come” — it has answers to some of these questions.
Interesting linked articles… thanks to those who read and linked.
Richard, the reviews on Amazon alone make this sound like an interesting book. In particular, the spotlight review by Robert W. Moore capsulizes much of the frustration I have felt over the past 25 years, seeing my beloved Southern Baptist denomination virtually abandon its heritage. – Tim
Amen!
Thank you. Hypocrisy runs rampant in this country, normally I’m about as anti-organized religion as you can get, but it gives me hope when people of faith express the same doubts and questions that you do.
I came across your blog from Tiffany Taylor’s and found it a wonderful read. Like you, I have many questions with very few answers and this particular blog was a clear demonstration of our collective minds. (You just happened to post it…lol) Seriously though, none of it makes sense to me either and it ticks me off royal that we’ll continue to question moreso than take action. It’s an ugly world with live in because people refuse to grow flowers; instead uproot the flowers to build grandiose houses that will never be homes anyway.