THE LAND BEFORE TIME

I am reading about the beginning of religion and how it grew from the first drawings in caves, to the expression in music and dance, to story telling and then to words written down and  rituals to remind us of  our past history and our future hope.  Scripture for me holds holy secrets that wait to be unlocked and discovered by those willing to wrestle with it, like Jacob wrestled with the angel of God.  He had been the deceiver who needed to face those he had tricked.

When I was walking down the busy Scott Road I came to the place where you press the walk button to cross.  An elderly oriental woman pressed the button and started to cross without waiting for the signal to change.  A truck came hurtling through the intersections blaring it's horn  and I held my breath.  She believed that she was protected and I think we sometimes use our beliefs in scripture to protect us and shield us from life.     Bad things do happen to good people. 

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  He created light.  He created the earth and all the plants and animals that could inhabit it.  He created the sun, moon and the stars above it.  He created man out of the dust of the earth and breathed life into him.  Knowing it was not good for man to be alone Eve was created to be his loving partner.  I have heard this story from a very early age and now with more scientific knowledge it is seen as a myth. 

There is truth in myths that have the power to enrich our lives and touch us deeply.

"Like a work of art, a myth will make no sense
unless we open ourselves to it wholeheartedly
and allow it to change us."       -Karen Armstrong.

I think it is good to read things you may not  totally agree with.  Most of the people I know have trouble with the Old Testament that is messy, violent, chaotic full of killings and so hard to understand.  How can King David be called a man after God's own heart when he seduced another man's wife and tried to get him to sleep with his wife so that the baby conceived would be considered the husbands.  When the husband refused he had him killed in a way that looked like an accident.  I have never understood sacrificing animals to free us from our sinfulness.  I have never understood fighting and killing in the name of God.

"Animal sacrifice, for example, the central rite of nearly every religious system in antiquity preserved prehistoric hunting ceremonies and continued to honor a beast that gave its life for the sake of mankind."

We do not have to hunt and kill our own meat to survive but way back in history our ancestors did just that.

I find the thought distasteful and I refrain from eating meat and have my doubts about chicken and pork for sure.  This is the path that I have chosen but I know that most would not agree with me.  We all have our likes and dislikes when it comes to food.  I remember the Sunday dinners with roast beef and Yorkshire pudding with great appreciation and I look forward to a turkey thanksgiving with anticipation.

My grandchildren have had a big influence upon my life; as well as my own children.  I am now reading different authors who view Christianity with new interpretations that at times offend me.  I agree with them that the church and the faith it proclaims must be reformed.   We all want authenticity in spirituality and religion.
This means that we live out our faith by caring for others.