Belief in belief


When I was a seminary student, long about 1985 or so, I met a colleague, a fellow-student, on the stairwell between classes. Like many first-year theology students, this fellow had been exposed most of his life to a fairly narrow set of doctrinal teachings, particularly about the Bible, and was a bit overwhelmed at the barrage of information that was coming his way. Various theories of inspiration, textual variants, critical-historical method, the history of theological argument, was all getting a bit overwhelming. The comment I overheard as he passed me on the stairwell was: “It’s getting so I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

At this time I was rather constantly bathing in what I call the nonstop mystical experience. In a flash of inspiration and insight, I reacted instantly. “Well, bless the Lord!” I exclaimed.

He looked at me in stunned surprise. “What?! How can you say that?”

“Now,” said I, “You have an opportunity to put your trust in the living God, and not in your beliefs.”

2 thoughts on “Belief in belief

  1. Ah, why not?
    I hope you don’t mind, rev.
    Reflections
    Marmalade (1970)
    The changing of sunlight to moonlight
    Reflections of my life, oh, how they fill my eyes
    The greetings of people in trouble
    Reflections of my life, oh, how they fill my mind
    All my sorrows, sad tomorrows
    Take me back to my own home
    All my cryings , feel im dying, dying
    Take me back to my own home
    Im changing, arranging, Im changing
    Im changing everything, ah, everything around me
    The world is a bad place, a bad place
    A terrible place to live, oh, but i dont wanna die
    http://www.top40db.net/Find/Songs.asp?By=Year&ID=1970&Match=1970

  2. I read that Mahatma Gandhi said something like, “It is not necessary to sacrifice all of one’s posessions. What is necessary is to sacrifice the posessor”.

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