I was forwarded an interview conducted by Interfaithnet, a web site that explores matters of philosophy and faith in a post-modern context. The interview was with Sam Harris, a noted ethicist and professed opponent of organized religion. He states that church doctrine and dogma are broadly erroneous and in some cases downright dangerous (justifying murder, war, child abuse, slavery and other such wrongs); that the churches’ insistence on an irrational belief system robs us of our rational grasp on reality. Marx called organized religion an “opiate.” I have to admit that I agreed with much of what Mr. Harris had to say.
I am reminded of a conversation I had with a young man a couple of years ago. He told me he was Baptist, but had problems with some of the Baptist theology and doctrine, and wanted to know more about the Episcopal Church. I thought, gee, this is right up my alley, but no sooner than the conversation began, the young man said, “Of course I do believe the Bible is to be taken literally.” I realized this conversation might not prove as fruitful as I had imagined. But his insistent question, one he asked several times was, “I just want to know what Episcopalians believe.” I said, “that depends on which Episcopalian you’re talking to.” He didn’t like that answer, but I went on to say that we do have our creeds, but they are less a confession of faith, a recitation of belief, and more an acknowledgment or engagement of the ancient lore of the church as it has been handed down through the generations…still open to speculation and interpretation given the knowledge we have collectively gained and experienced over the life of the church. I’ve not seen him since.
Belief is never in stone. Belief changes as our world changes. Belief is open to discovery and the transforming power of the imagination. Belief does not oppose rationality, nor the natural order in its becoming, but embraces new knowledge born of experience. Karen Armstrong, a formidable scholar of religion notes that the preoccupation with “right belief” (orthodoxy) in religious circles, particularly in the West, is a decidedly modern concept…that in the early church the faithful were first and foremost concerned with “right practice” (orthopraxis), that it is in fact the enlightened practice of the faith that forms belief. The writer of the Gospel of Matthew proposes as much. So a spiritual life is one that is lived for the other…a life of generosity…a life of compassion….a life lived justly…a life of loving sacrifice…a life of peace making…and perhaps in defense of the institution:…we people of faith need a place and a time to gather and celebrate this life we share together…remembering our lore handed down in prayer, praise and song…borne by our art…the art of imaginative orthopraxis…enlightened practice of the faith that will forever shape belief…into belief worth believing.
