Comments on: Daddy, why don’t you go to church with us?

By: Lilly

Lilly — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 00:24:51 +0000

Thats an interesting topic…really..someone once brought it up..I dont know if im ready to go into a full blown discussion/debate on this though..dont think i’ve thought about it enough…

but the way my simpleton mind sees it is just like (the ideal) school. These are the rules, respect them and you get certificates, knowledge when you get out. Dont respect them and you get warning, warning, small punishments, big punishments…blah blah… Permanent Exclusion.

The way i see it, God puts it ALL of the table, (a massive, kilometres long table) the good, the bad, the punishment, the rewards, etc.. and you gotta look at it all, because its ALL there. and when you stubbornly refuse to look then you get permanently excluded. Hell.

young simpleton talking. pay no attention.

By: Zac

Zac — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 21:31:58 +0000

The Jehovah’s Witnesses have been around for a while. I believe that Michael Jackson was one. Interesting.

By: tpos

tpos — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:11:10 +0000

I just remembered the Jehovahs’ Witnesses. They’re pretty active and also try their best to convert people by leafleting, knocking on doors and trying to have a chat etc.

By: tpos

tpos — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 01:55:23 +0000

yep, I did make a connection with Hinduism when reading that.

I mean it’s taught as a religion – religious studies/education

Also you get the odd assemblies (which I think by law should be like everyday, im not sure)

When I was in primary school we used to have them everyday. They weren’t all directly linked to Christianity but we used to sing hymns (or just religious songs?) twice a week.

By: Zac

Zac — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 19:18:53 +0000

@Tpos – I like your definition of panentheism pretty well. I usually say “God in everything”. It’s almost Hindu in that regard. I sometimes think that everyone has a spark of the divine in them. That’s almost like the Star Wars concept of midichlorians.

When you say that Christianity is taught in schools, do you mean in a historical context? Or as a philosophical world-view regarding science, ethics, and morality?

By: tpos

tpos — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 17:36:59 +0000

oh and 5? That’s young! your son’s gna be pretty intellectual when he grows up

By: tpos

tpos — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 17:35:09 +0000

errm so panentheism = God is everything :S (that was a confusing read)

Yeah, I think the church is pretty dead here, although I know a few regular goers but most people don’t go and I don’t think Christianity plays much of a part in our lives as British people, despite it being a ‘Christian country’. Oh apart from xmas, easter and being taught about it in schools.

By: Zac

Zac — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 17:21:39 +0000

@Kay – Thanks so much for reading the blog! I had the opportunity to teach and coach a boy from Saudi Arabia last year. He is very passionate and knowledgable about his culture. I’d love to come visit there someday.
Thanks for your book suggestions. I will see if I can find that in my local library.
I share the same amazement as you when it comes to marveling at the beauty and complexity of my children. However, I also shudder and cringe at the pain and torment that happens to people as well (children especially). I have heard many of the arguments for the existence and justification of evil, and I just cannot reconcile them to what I see in this world.
Also, it’s tough for me to put my faith in a holy or magic book. I just can’t revere it like so many do. It’s got some wonderful wisdom, but I can’t say that it’s a perfect book, let alone written by God himself.
My brother (who has been a missionary in Thailand, Japan, and other places) and I had a great back and forth about this in the comments of another post:
http://www.zacparsons.com/2011/04/if-love-doesnt-win/
If you would like to see some more of where I am coming from on this, that’s probably as good a place as any.
Again, thank you for your comments and suggestions. I am glad for the peace and hope that you have in Jesus. I’m very much looking forward to being further enlightened from this experience, as you said.

By: Kay

Kay — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 07:51:47 +0000

Hi–I bumped into this blog post when reading about your Ramadan experiences. (I’m a Christian living in Saudi Arabia, and the stories I could tell about my 15 or so Ramadans in the heart of the Muslim world….)

I just want to say first of all, what a breath of fresh air it was to read about someone actually thinking about their beliefs, not taking them for granted or simply dumping everything. Your thoughtfulness and sensitivity toward your son in allowing him the space to believe as you do or follow another direction shows great humility.

When we look at God (if we believe in Him), we must keep in mind that He is “other.” If He and His actions don’t make sense to us, that’s because we’re finite and He is not. We should not really expect to be able to make sense of someone or something so completely outside our realm of comprehension. I don’t know where you stand on creation/evolution. But for me, when I sit with my cat on my lap, or even more (way more!), when I look at my children (4 of them, ages 15 – 20), I can not help but be awed by the miracle of life and growth and the amazing detail involved in every thing. I would be hard pressed to put myself in the same arena as the One who created a sunflower.

The concept of hell is not easy to grapple with, no doubt. If you would be willing to read a book about what the Bible really says about it, I commend to you the book “Erasing Hell” by Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle. It may not send you running back to “the Church,” but it may give you a perspective on what Christians should believe about hell, if they are willing to believe what the Bible actually says, and not what they themselves think ought to be true. Just a suggestion!

Good luck with the rest of Ramadan. I hope that you will find it enlightening in every sense of the word!

By: Zac

Zac — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:15:48 +0000

@Tpos – Wikipedia has some good information on panentheism. Just remember the “en” in the middle. I believe my son was five when we had that conversation. He turns seven next week. I love having deep conversations, and my son has just learned to go with it, I guess.

Is the church really dead over there? Do you know many regular church-goers?