projection

I can't remember whether I've said this here or not, doesn't matter, it bears repeating because I've been thinking about it a lot: the problem with these theology classes is that, where before when I encountered a concept I had trouble with, I'd think, "oooh, well, that one's hard for me, but I have so little background in this stuff, maybe it makes sense in some way that I don't understand yet," now I increasingly just think, "NO THAT'S WRONG STOP SAYING IT." Which...is maybe a case of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing? A sign of me growing older and getting set in my ways? I mean, it's good to have your assumptions challenged, right? But also, well, frustrating. Particularly as it's all mostly in my head, as arguing out loud rarely brings me anything but more frustration. Which I suppose is why this blog is important: it lets me get this stuff off my chest in a way that is theoretically public, but without much danger of me actually being challenged back. Yeah, well. Anyway.

There's this centering exercise, which may or may not have originated with Richard Rohr, that involves praying (singing, in my case) the following sentences, slowly, in succession:

Be still and know that I am God.

Be still and know that I am.

Be still and know.

Be still.

Be.

This is from Psalm 46, and it's supposed to help us become present to what is and let go of all those things we can't control - put them in the hands of God, who's got our backs - because anyway...wait for it...we can't control them. An excellent plan.

And there's our book for the Thursday night class, which...tends to set me off by presenting its arguments in black and white when I think there should be a lot more gray involved. 

Example 1

"We believe that God revealed himself once and for all eternity in the person of Jesus Christ."

Aaaack. No. Just stop. Your theology needs to explicitly address the billions of people who do not share your religion. And not by claiming that God forgot about them or created them simply as a missionary project for you.

Try instead: "We Christians base our ideas about God on the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth and the experiences of his disciples."

Example 2

The book makes a (imho) goofy argument about God and false gods, where one can identify a false god using the criteria in Psalm 115:4-7: 

Their idols are silver and gold,
     The work of man’s hands.
They have mouths, but they cannot speak;
They have eyes, but they cannot see;
They have ears, but they cannot hear;
They have noses, but they cannot smell;
They have hands, but they cannot feel;
They have feet, but they cannot walk;
They cannot make a sound with their throat.

Now as it happens, Caroline has to read a classic book of Greek myths for German class, and as she is not an enthusiastic reader, I've been reading them to her. And I gotta say, those Greek gods seem to have perfectly good eyes and ears and noses and hands and feet. Sometimes far more than the usual number! We may well claim (hope) that our God is the life-giving one, the god that will help us live a good and fulfilled life, but it's a big mistake to go around believing that those other gods don't have power.

Example 3

Here's another way to identify false gods. False gods are projections of human interests. For example, the reigning powers in the Mesopotamian region had big, violent gods: clearly big, violent gods which were projections of - and support for - big, violent rulers. That's projection, not God. 

But the God of Israel, a relatively small nomadic people, THAT God fought on the side of the powerless. Unexpected! Therefore, the true God!

The wait what? I mean isn't it clear enough that the God of Israel is *also* a projection - a projection of a people who are constantly under the thumb of various invading powers? 

And why would this be a problem? Surely we're at the point where we can all agree that in as much as God exists, God is bigger than anything we can comprehend. So, yes, God/gods is by necessity a projection of things we do know and can comprehend. Soylent Green is people! God is us! The goal here isn't to find The Truth, so that when we die we'll get a gold medal for getting the right answer. The goal is to find our truth, so that we can live as the people we want to be. And if the God of a nomadic people - the one who fights on the side of the powerless - is who we want to become, then great, let's gather strength from the traditions and stories that grew up around that. But even more important than that: let's take the time to stop, and look at who we are, and think about who we want to become. 

Be still, and know that we are God.