Limiting God – Human Interpretation of Divine Powers

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Recently, there was a story in the news about a 10-year-old boy who claimed to have had a previous life. The evidence he provided in giving details of an obscure individual’s life were compelling. As might be expected, such a tale stirs up an old debate regarding reincarnation. The Bible makes no mention of such a possibility. Does this mean there is no such thing?

Believers tend to fall into two camps. One camp believes that every word in the Bible is to be taken literally. There is no room for symbolic interpretation. The other camp recognizes the possibility that many statements in the Bible are intended to evoke an image or understanding of a principle rather than to be taken literally.

Those of us who struggle to embrace Christianity fall into the second camp.young-man-615423_1280

We need to recognize that the Bible is both a history and a guidebook. If we study a chemistry book, we don’t discount it because it doesn’t mention geography or artistry. The Bible too doesn’t get too much into physics or meteorology. That doesn’t mean those topics don’t exist – merely that they are not important to the discussion at hand.

The fact that the Bible doesn’t mention reincarnation doesn’t necessarily mean that it doesn’t exist.

If we deny that possibility, are we putting limits on how God operates? Is it possible that there is a larger plan at work that we cannot comprehend?

Logic suggests that we may be denying ourselves an opportunity to get closer to God if we insist on applying our own interpretation to His powers when the Bible clearly states that all things are possible. If God should choose to allow a human spirit to return to an earthly experience, who are we to deny that possibility? Who are we to judge His purpose or His plan?

Accepting the possibility of reincarnation doesn’t mean rejecting the Christian message. To the contrary, it means accepting that through God, all things are indeed possible.

Seeds of Faith

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The Bible speaks of faith being so powerful that measure of faith equal to a mustard seed would enable you to move a mountain. That would certainly be an awesome amount of power. So, how likely is this statement?

There are two factors at work here. First, a mustard seed is generally 1-2 mm in size. Pretty small. Secondly, the plant that develops from that seed is the largest of garden plants – more like a shrub.

If we look at that Bible passage logically, we can recognize that there are two equally powerful messages. The first and most obvious is the message that faith is such an incredible power that it is beyond our comprehension. The only way to begin to appreciate that power is to visualize how much energy would be required to move a mountain. Today’s science tells us that the incredible energy available at the atomic level of matter is also beyond our comprehension. We have to ask ourselves, “who would have had such knowledge in Biblical times?”mustard-325599_640

The second message, that such a small seed could ultimately produce such a large plant, is equally telling. That message speaks to the potential of even the smallest measure of faith.

The conclusion we can draw is that faith is something we should learn to appreciate. While we might attempt to use our logic to embrace Christianity, ultimately we will be better served to make the effort to develop faith. The more we grasp the enormous power faith can deliver, the easier it is to accept and embrace the full message of Christianity.Logic demands it.

The Music of Faith

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The ongoing debate of whether or not humans were created or evolved may never be resolved this side of death’s door. To those who would argue that human existence is merely the result of a long series of evolutionary events, turn up the radio and listen to this evidence. The logic of pure evolution would suggest that all living creatures developed both physically and mentally to adapt to conditions and ensure survival. If that is true, then there would be little reason for a spiritual “link” to a higher power or creator.
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How then do we explain our enjoyment of music? Music has no practical application to our survival (with the possible exception of country music). Music soothes the spirit, quiets a troubled mind and brings tears of remembrance. Music relaxes, inspires and brings a feeling of euphoria. Music triggers memories. Music makes us feel loving or loved. But music doesn’t fit into the “flight-or-fight” scenario nor does it teach us how to cultivate crops. So, there doesn’t seems to be much support for an appreciation of music as a result of evolution.

Consider how much music plays a part in your life and then answer this:

Is appreciation of music a product of evolution or a sign of divinity?

Accepting the Unproven

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One of the “tools” of the logic of doubt is mindset that we cannot embrace that which we cannot prove. Fortunately, we have daily reminders that we regularly accept concepts that we have no way of proving other than mathematical calculations. We read reports about the discovery of planets orbiting stars that are light years away from our own planet. While we might see the light from such a distant star, we cannot see any planet in its orbit around the star.
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We rely on very precise measurements of the intensity of the starlight, and precise mathematical calculations to make that judgement. When science tells us that such planets exist, or they tell us of the distance to a distant star, we accept that information despite the fact that there is no way to verify the claims with direct observation. We trust the “experts” to tell us the truth.

Ironically, we doubt the information provided by the “experts” of the Bible. If we consider that the observations described in the Bible were passed down by those who witnesses to those events, it would seem that we should give more credibility to that information than to information derived from mathematical guesswork. We must judge the accuracy of information in the Bible by factors other than direct observation in the same way we judge the reports of our contemporary scientists.

In short – we already accept the unproven in matters of astronomy, so we have a precedent that can be applied to biblical concepts. Logic demands it.