John 20:19-20, 24-29
Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” Then he showed them his hands and side.....
But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We saw the Master.” But he said, “Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won’t believe it.”
Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.”
Then he focused his attention on Thomas. “Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don’t be unbelieving. Believe.”
Thomas said, “My Master! My God!”
Jesus said, “So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.”
Thomas was absent when Jesus made his first big appearance and on his return to the group is met with the news that Jesus had just dropped by.
Now, Thomas, just like the others, had seen Jesus die, but he had also been one of the disciples all along. He had lived with and traveled with this group of guys for three years or so – the ones who were now trying to sell him this incredible story, and yet he is not at all ready to just accept their story at face value. He chooses not to believe what his fellows tell him. He wants to see for himself – better yet, he wants to touch Jesus’ wounds to be sure it’s not some weird trick.
So Jesus returns again and this time Thomas is there. He gets to touch the wounds for himself and then, finally, he is willing to believe. Jesus doesn’t make a huge deal out of it but he does gently chide Thomas for not being more willing to believe the word of his fellow disciples – and more, for not expecting this to happen, for not having listened to Jesus when he tried to tell them, and therefore not having faith to believe it when he was told by the others.
Yesterday was Earth Day, an annual day instituted in 1970 to remind us that this is the only earth we have and that we need to take better care of it if we are all going to survive. This year for the first time, the day was marked by “Stand Up for Science” marches all around the country – actually, around the world -- where people showed up to express their support for actual science and to repudiate pseudo-scientific beliefs that seem to exist apart from any actual research or proof, and only to support what some person or group wants to believe in the first place.
Science is real. Facts do not go away just because they don’t fit tidily into our preferred beliefs. But a great many people choose not to believe that statement and they appear to believe that by dismissing facts they are somehow making said facts go away.
Most of the science denials come, ultimately, from fundamentalist Christians and from a bad translation of the Book of Genesis – specifically verse 1:28:
Now, Thomas, just like the others, had seen Jesus die, but he had also been one of the disciples all along. He had lived with and traveled with this group of guys for three years or so – the ones who were now trying to sell him this incredible story, and yet he is not at all ready to just accept their story at face value. He chooses not to believe what his fellows tell him. He wants to see for himself – better yet, he wants to touch Jesus’ wounds to be sure it’s not some weird trick.
So Jesus returns again and this time Thomas is there. He gets to touch the wounds for himself and then, finally, he is willing to believe. Jesus doesn’t make a huge deal out of it but he does gently chide Thomas for not being more willing to believe the word of his fellow disciples – and more, for not expecting this to happen, for not having listened to Jesus when he tried to tell them, and therefore not having faith to believe it when he was told by the others.
Yesterday was Earth Day, an annual day instituted in 1970 to remind us that this is the only earth we have and that we need to take better care of it if we are all going to survive. This year for the first time, the day was marked by “Stand Up for Science” marches all around the country – actually, around the world -- where people showed up to express their support for actual science and to repudiate pseudo-scientific beliefs that seem to exist apart from any actual research or proof, and only to support what some person or group wants to believe in the first place.
Science is real. Facts do not go away just because they don’t fit tidily into our preferred beliefs. But a great many people choose not to believe that statement and they appear to believe that by dismissing facts they are somehow making said facts go away.
Most of the science denials come, ultimately, from fundamentalist Christians and from a bad translation of the Book of Genesis – specifically verse 1:28:
God created human beings; he created them godlike,
Reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female.
God blessed them:
“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.
(this translation is from The Message)
Many of the more modern translations use this language speaking of humans being “responsible” for creation or charged with being “good stewards”. However, the King James version, the version used by most fundamentalists, reads thusly:
Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
It’s that “have dominion over” that causes all the problems – “dominion over” as in take what you want and trash the rest – it’s OK. There is a terrifyingly large number of Christians who now call themselves Dominionists. Like Thomas, these dominionists choose to believe what they want to believe. They are working very hard – and much too successfully – to recreate the United States into their idea of what “dominion” calls for – and caring for the earth is no part of it.
I was once told, by a young avid Christian I know, that there is absolutely no reason we should bother with conservation of any sort because Jesus is coming back any minute now and he is going to take us all somewhere else and destroy this earth, so why bother? And she was dead serious.
I infinitely prefer another way of looking at our relationship with this world. Theologian Sallie McFague, among others, has posited another way of seeing things by recognizing that this world is God’s body. After all – when God created all that is, what did God create it from? Regardless of whether you prefer the 7-day version or the big-bang-billions of years version, there was still a point when there was nothing but God, and therefore, as McFague states, we must all have been created from God’s own self. Everything that is, is made up from God-stuff. God literally put God’s self into this incredible act of creation.
If we view the world – and all that is contained therein – including us – in this way, how can we do anything else than cherish and care for creation? God put God’s self into us – and into the trees and birds and fish and mountains and rivers and the air we breathe and the food we eat and the very earth we walk on. Into all that is.
We all choose to see what we want to see and believe what we want to believe. Thomas chose to believe his own eyes instead of his faith.
Dominionists believe that by trashing the world until it somehow leads us into WW III, they can force Jesus to come back for the second coming and take them all to heaven – right now. Apparently they feel their schedule is better than God’s and they're not willing to wait, so they're working to hurry it along. And their numbers are growing in alarming fashion.
I choose to believe in a God who loves - a God who is love. Not a God of destruction. I believe that a God who daily imbues this world with such a passion of creativity and beauty is a God who calls us to take care of the world and each other.
Scientist Jane Goodall is quoted as saying, “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
So what kind of difference do we choose to make? I know what I choose – I choose to live and act in support of life and love and caring -- and loving God's Body, this beautiful, fruitful, life-filled creation.
I was once told, by a young avid Christian I know, that there is absolutely no reason we should bother with conservation of any sort because Jesus is coming back any minute now and he is going to take us all somewhere else and destroy this earth, so why bother? And she was dead serious.
I infinitely prefer another way of looking at our relationship with this world. Theologian Sallie McFague, among others, has posited another way of seeing things by recognizing that this world is God’s body. After all – when God created all that is, what did God create it from? Regardless of whether you prefer the 7-day version or the big-bang-billions of years version, there was still a point when there was nothing but God, and therefore, as McFague states, we must all have been created from God’s own self. Everything that is, is made up from God-stuff. God literally put God’s self into this incredible act of creation.
If we view the world – and all that is contained therein – including us – in this way, how can we do anything else than cherish and care for creation? God put God’s self into us – and into the trees and birds and fish and mountains and rivers and the air we breathe and the food we eat and the very earth we walk on. Into all that is.
We all choose to see what we want to see and believe what we want to believe. Thomas chose to believe his own eyes instead of his faith.
Dominionists believe that by trashing the world until it somehow leads us into WW III, they can force Jesus to come back for the second coming and take them all to heaven – right now. Apparently they feel their schedule is better than God’s and they're not willing to wait, so they're working to hurry it along. And their numbers are growing in alarming fashion.
I choose to believe in a God who loves - a God who is love. Not a God of destruction. I believe that a God who daily imbues this world with such a passion of creativity and beauty is a God who calls us to take care of the world and each other.
Scientist Jane Goodall is quoted as saying, “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
So what kind of difference do we choose to make? I know what I choose – I choose to live and act in support of life and love and caring -- and loving God's Body, this beautiful, fruitful, life-filled creation.
RSS Feed