Reply #22: Forgive the fundies... they can't tell a circle from a sphere... [View All]

[mikelewis]

I think their main problem is that they do not understand the commandments; especially, the Second. Many of the Fundies I talk to are adamant about the Bible being the "Word of God on Earth." They believe that every single word in the Bible is written by God and expresses his will on Earth. The only trouble with that is, they are actively disobeying God's Number 2 Commandment. By claiming that the Bible is divine and that every thing written in it is sacrosanct, they are creating a false idol. It's always fun to bring up how many times the Bible has been altered and how many times passages and sometimes whole books have been added or removed over the years. It never seems to bother them that what was once the Divine Word of God is now just so much clutter on the cutting room floor.

By idolizing the Bible they fail to see its true use. The Bible is a Window to God just as we can be a Window to God. Just as we are imperfect so too is the Bible. The imperfections inherent in the Bible do not detract from its uses nor does it invalidate the message; it is merely an instruction manual that is meant to train your mind to be able to see abstractly. They don't seem to grasp the concept that we are merely circles in God's sphere. To them, the Bible is a book of magic and wishes, not a serious work of Art that opens your mind up to a much wider world. The Bible is meant to eradicate fear and liberate you from the confines of this dead world our eyes behold.

I used to grow frustrated with them and sometimes angry that they couldn't see something so blatantly obvious. I would try explaining to them the dimensional reality of God's kingdom but they usually go all slack-jawed and their eyes glaze over into a blank stare. They can't seem to grasp the concept that our existence is a square that exists within the confines of God's cube. The square cannot fully comprehend the cube because it lacks dimensional awareness. The Bible says that we are an image of God so in one sense we are like the reflection of God in the mirror. To God, our dimension is flat and entirely reliant upon his presence in front of our mirror. However, unlike a mere reflection, we are afforded the ability to move freely about the confines of the glass. We can choose to remain an image of God or we can choose to force him to turn away in sorrowful disdain. It's really our choice. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to get them to accept this. Like I said, it used to bother me and sometimes their apostasy would anger me until I finally grasped the meaning of this...

Mathew 9:16
No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse.
People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.

I fully understand the anger directed against "Christians" because of these fools. I used to share it. Now, their ridiculous version of Christianity doesn't bother me so much. I just shrug and look for a new wineskin. We can try and distance ourselves from them and rest in the knowledge that our view of heaven is better than theirs or we can take up the Cross and offer the true version of Christianity. I made the conscious effort to stop fighting their apostasy and start following the example Christ set. I listened to Gandhi as he instructed, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." If you want the world to see what Christianity truly is, we must forgive these fools, "for they know not what they do".