Why be Christian?
I recently recommended Marcus J. Borg's book The Heart of Christianity to some friends of mine with the comment that it changed my life and after reading it I was finally able to refer to myself as a UU Christian. After I said it, I began thinking about the book again. It has been over a year since I'd read it and I'd forgotten details - even though I remembered how generally moved I was by it. So I read it again and finished it yesterday.
I could say so many things about it, but this morning the question rumbling around in my head is "Why be Christian?" which is the final section in the last chapter of the book. A basic message of the book is that religions are different ways of mediating God and most are valid but are culturally/liguistically different. The question, then, seems to be why be Christian instead of Jew or Muslim or Buddhist, etc.? The answer for Borg is that Christianity is the religious tradition into which he was born and feels most natural for him. I wasn't born into any real tradition in my immediate family, but all of my extended family were Christian as were/are the majority of the community I live in. It is a cultural thing. Do I think it is better or more right than those other religions? No, but it works for me in a way that doesn't feel fake like Buddhist practices or Pagan ceremonies.
Then I've had fellow UU's counter with why do I need to declare myself anything? Isn't UU enough as a faith? Well, frankly, no. I think I need more of what Borg calls sacraments to mediate God (scriptural writing, prayer, symbolism, etc.) UU's are just not big on that stuff. When I limit myself to strictly UU services, I have a really hard time connecting with God. It's really very frustrating. On the other hand, the UU values are very important to me. I agree that the number one guiding principle in my own life (like in the 7 UU principles) is to respect the inherent worth and dignity in every person. I don't see that in other faiths. And so I am UU.
So Christianity, and particulary UU Christianity, works for me unlike anything else I've encountered.
I could say so many things about it, but this morning the question rumbling around in my head is "Why be Christian?" which is the final section in the last chapter of the book. A basic message of the book is that religions are different ways of mediating God and most are valid but are culturally/liguistically different. The question, then, seems to be why be Christian instead of Jew or Muslim or Buddhist, etc.? The answer for Borg is that Christianity is the religious tradition into which he was born and feels most natural for him. I wasn't born into any real tradition in my immediate family, but all of my extended family were Christian as were/are the majority of the community I live in. It is a cultural thing. Do I think it is better or more right than those other religions? No, but it works for me in a way that doesn't feel fake like Buddhist practices or Pagan ceremonies.
Then I've had fellow UU's counter with why do I need to declare myself anything? Isn't UU enough as a faith? Well, frankly, no. I think I need more of what Borg calls sacraments to mediate God (scriptural writing, prayer, symbolism, etc.) UU's are just not big on that stuff. When I limit myself to strictly UU services, I have a really hard time connecting with God. It's really very frustrating. On the other hand, the UU values are very important to me. I agree that the number one guiding principle in my own life (like in the 7 UU principles) is to respect the inherent worth and dignity in every person. I don't see that in other faiths. And so I am UU.
So Christianity, and particulary UU Christianity, works for me unlike anything else I've encountered.
Labels: Theology
posted by Mama G @ 8:58 AM
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