Year of Faith

And the Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers sitting there. And having made a whip out of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, as well as the sheep and the oxen, and He poured out the money of the moneychangers and overturned their tables. And to those who were selling the doves He said, Take thee things away from here; do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise. His disciples remembered that it was written, “The zeal of Your house shall devour Me.”

-John 2:13-17

I was happy to come across this passage in the Book of John. It was a scene I was somewhat familiar with, as it does get mentioned an awful lot. It was also one of my favourite moments in Christopher Moore’s novel Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal. In the novel Jesus is depicted as quite aggravated, running the whole lot of filth out of the temple, and pretty much losing his temper in a fit of rage. It showed a very human side of Jesus (as does the rest of the novel) and proved a very convincing argument against consumerism in the church. But I didn’t get quite the same vibe when reading the actual source material.

At first glance Jesus seemed to be disarmingly calm about the whole situation. Even though there is something inherently antagonistic about going at a crowd of people and animals with an improvised whip, John makes it seem like Jesus was gently suggesting that they should clear out, as it was Passover after all and they would probably need a bit of sacred space to practice their religion. Even in acts of aggression, it seems like Jesus is doing it with a smile, like he was using the cords to just show the moneychangers the door.

Looking over the passage however, I can see how there is room to interpret Jesus has having been more than a bit miffed. It doesn’t say that he yelled or cursed but the description lets you imagine it easily enough. But why am I even bringing this up? Why is it important that Jesus be angry at the people defiling the temple? It’s because it would help me to identify with Jesus and the Christian religion if I can conceive of Jesus as less of a divine being and more as a human being. He is after all of the flesh, like the rest of us (though his flesh knew no original sin nor evil) so it makes sense that along with his miracles and divine knowledge, he would have some human characteristics like anger. Imagining Jesus going through this whole scenario without so much as getting irritated, with a peaceful smile and calm demeanor, is more unsettling than imaging him chasing after oxen and hurling insults as if they had just stolen his sandals. I’ve heard enough sermons and discussions to know that Jesus being perfect is kind of important to many Christians, and probably to Christianity as a whole. But if I can’t think of Jesus as being in some ways just like me and my friends then I have trouble believing that he actually existed at all.

In another scene earlier on in the second chapter of John, Jesus turns water into wine at a wedding, so that the celebration may continue with plenty of alcohol. What’s missing from this section? Jesus getting drunk. We see plenty of evidence of Christ, of a Godly figure who will be the savior. What we see less of, or rather what I have yet to see, is Jesus, the guy who had a mother and siblings, and at some point had to grow up, go through puberty, maybe get a job, and come to terms with the fact that he was God’s only son.

I haven’t read the whole New Testament, but I hear that there is a significant portion of his life that is not included, namely the period between Him as a child and Him appearing as an adult, perfected and divine. I suppose I would appreciate being able to read Jesus’ autobiography rather than reading other people’s gospel about him. I’d like to see the spelling mistakes, because without them he seems more like a perfect machine than a man.

The people that have walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Though hast multiplied the nation and not increased the joy; they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For though hast broken the yolk of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every battle with the warrior is confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of the hosts will perform this.

- Isaiah 9:2-7

This month has been going well so far, at least better then the previous ones have gone, that’s for sure. I didn’t make it to church last Sunday, as I was up until five in the morning writing a paper, and didn’t really wake up in time to make it. Sara made it though, she said it was nice and that familiar hymns were sung. The sermon was about modern persecution of Christians, and how one should react when you are say, passed over for a promotion because of your Christian religion. Frankly it seems like an odd thing to say. Are we really that secular here? Are Christians, members of the predominant faith in Canada and North America, really so persecuted? I never really thought about it, and it certainly seems possible. It’s just not something you’d expect to hear coming from the majority. It would be something to keep in mind, a good question to discuss with the Christian community.

A new friend of mine gave me a copy of Mere Christianity by CS Lewis to peruse this month, and I’m excited to read it. It has been recommended by a few people now, and I should be able to finish it within the month. That is if I don’t spend all my newly acquired free time playing video games. It is mighty tempting.

The one thing that has so far really struck me is a small, internal conflict that I have noticed while at services and amongst Christians. I realized that for a long time now, in many of my philosophy papers and during philosophical discussions, Christian ideas have been my antagonist. Now most of the time I’m speaking against faith-based belief and dogma in general, but the readily available example is always Christianity and ideas of redemption, salvation, the afterlife, and God that some people take a bit too seriously.

I realize that many Christians aren’t as rabid in their beliefs as my past discourse may have suggested. I usually qualify myself when attacking religious beliefs, to make it apparent that I am attacking the more extreme interpretations and denominations of these ideas, and not in fact many of the believers that I have met so far this month. All of the Christians I have met and held conversations with have seemed like perfectly reasonable and decent people. They have even made fun of the extremists and fundamentalists who have been the brunt of my philosophical arguments. I keep expecting to see this dogmatic and unreasonable bogey man to leap out at me and try to convert me on the spot. But it hasn’t happened yet, and I realize that this was probably an unreasonable thing to expect of your normal church goer.

The quote above was read during a candlelit service on the first Sunday of advent at Christ Church Cathedral. It was a very calming and beautiful service, where I got to take part in some caroling and heard bits of scripture that told of the coming of Jesus. This section of Isaiah I think captures an overall theme that runs through many religions, and a valid reason why people do turn to religion. In our normal lives our joy consists in the pleasures and toils of the everyday grind. Our pleasures are fleeting by nature and so we are ceaselessly pursue that which makes us happy, all while trying to provide for ourselves and the burdens which that may carry. But with the coming of Christ there is the coming of eternal bliss, of happiness that does not require one’s favourite food or to have one’s friends and family easily at hand. There comes a light, shining brilliantly in the darkness of the ordinary, something to fall back on and look forward to. It’s a kind of symbolism that I will be coming back to in the future. (Bits of this were paraphrased from Sam Harris’ talk at the last AAI convention, which is brilliant)

All in all, a pleasant experience so far. More to come.

First off the bacon party went very, very well. There was organic bacon, double-smoked bacon, nitrate-free bacon, thick bacon, slim bacon, bacon wrapped scallops, BLTs, and all manner of other pork side paraphernalia.

Today was my first Sunday service (ever) and it was at an Anglican church. Anglicans are a kind of middle path in the Christian world- they don’t identify completely with either Protestant or Catholic doctrines, so their theology and rituals are a mixture of each. One of the ties that binds the Anglican Communion is the Book of Common Prayer, the content and use of which can be explained by its full title- The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church According to the use of the Church of England Together with the Psalter or Psalms of David Pointed as they are to be sung or said in Churches and the form and Manner of Making, Ordaining, and Consecrating of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons.

I’ve been to Christ Church Cathedral before for their weekly Gregorian chants that take place during the service of Compline. It was an evening service with dim lighting and only a handful of people attending.  The place looked very different this morning, with around a hundred attendants of all types and ages.

It was quite the experience, with a deep feeling of community. It was a choral Eucharist, so in addition to the sermon, reading of scripture, and communion, there were plenty of songs to be sung. As I sat there, listening to various proclamations, I wondered how anyone could want to take this away, how people could be so quick to call down the Christian religion. It seemed so peaceful and innocent, with simple moral rules and an established creed. The power of the idea was almost tangible. This was the genuine experience I had been looking for.

I didn’t take part in the communion, I had mixed feelings about it. It seemed disingenuous to be swallowing the blood and body of Christ, even though I don’t believe in transubstantiation. I wasn’t comfortable going through with the ritual, even though I didn’t think it meant anything. Perhaps I was scared of being converted.

Another aspect that impressed me was the amount of charity. Sure, the collection plates made their rounds, but what was impressive were the various charitable funds and initiatives the Church was involved in. They were contributing to the local downtown eastside women’s shelter, providing toques filled with gifts for the poor, and various other outreach programs. It was touching and it was great to see theory being put into practice.

It was a good first experience. I’m looking forward to next week.

I have not had bacon in three months.

Last month was our month of Hinduism, where we were not meant to eat meat. I didn’t bothering following this, as the project has been kind of dead to me for the last while, but I still refrained from pork. The months before that were Islam and Judaism who have specific rules against eating pork.

Today is December 1st, and I can have bacon again. All three of us have been looking forward to this moment, so much so that we are having a Bacon Party today, where fried, smoked pork sides and general revelry will be had. I’ll be leaving for Andrew’s place as soon as this post is finished. It ought to be positively rapturous.

In other news, I have started to read the Gospel of John, thanks to recommendations of local and international Christians alike. It is a lot shorter than I had thought, which is great. I will probably be able to read more of the Bible, and will be able to compare my readings amongst various versions. I’ve already found notable discrepancies between the King James Version and other more modern versions, which I guess should be expected.

Tomorrow will be my first Sunday morning service, at 10:30 in the morning, at a local Anglican church. I’m looking forward to it. There will also be a jazz concert/service in the afternoon at another church, and then lessons and carols for advent in the evening back at the Anglican church. Advent is Latin for ‘coming’ and denotes the time of awaiting Christ’s nativity. So in other words, the period where Christians get ready to celebrate Christmas, and reflect on the coming of Christ in scripture.

My Sundays are going to be very, very full.