Hi Everyone-
I hope your Christmas rocked and wish blessings on you all as we move into a new year. I've found over the years that music and songs are one of the biggest ways I connect to God and others. Instantly a song can bring me back to a specific time and place or fill me with happiness or make me think deep thoughts in a new way. The song that's provoked the deepest thinking in recent memory for me is "White Man" by Gungor (a brilliant band) ... plus it's really catchy in my opinion.
You can check "White Man" out here in a fun video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WybvhRu9KU
I think this song comes out swinging right out the gates, especially for those of us who are white Americans. They sing "God is not a man. God is not a white man." But, we call God, "Him" all the time right? And it's the Father and Jesus Christ, two men ... right? Paintings, mental images, verbiage, and more almost universally depict God as a male. Yet, I think this is in some ways our modern form of idolatry. God is God, not a man. One of the ten commandments is to not make images of God. I learned at school that while the Jews of antiquity called God, "Father", this commandment led them to not picture God as a male. In other words, "Father" God to them was sexless. But Jesus was a man though right? Yes, but the ironic thing to me is that He looked far more like Osama Bin Laden than the white, blonde man we usually think of/see Him depicted as.
I think a huge affect of the incorrect way we perceive of God is that it limits our view of God. As Gungor says, "God cannot be bought. God will not be boxed in. God will not be owned by religion." Maybe, just maybe, the reason God said not to make images of Him/Her is that they make us limit God in our minds, thoughts, beliefs.
But us Americans are safe and good though because America is the chosen nation of our day, right? In God we trust, don't we? Hmmm, but if we don't make our own images of God then, "God is not a flag. Not even America." God isn't a white, capitalist, who support our foreign policy, who loves our consumer culture, etc. I've often confused (and think a lot of us do) the American dream for the Kingdom of God. However, they are not the same. We make God into our image, the white, American, middle-class image that dominates our society ... and I'm starting to think that's idolatry.
God, however, is so much more awesome than we make God out to be. "But God is good, God is good, and He loves everyone." God loves atheists, communists, lesbians, and even terrorists. God is amazing. In the U.S. the currency is the almighty dollar. Yet, in God's economy the currency is grace. God is defined first and foremost by love ... and that is awesome!
What do you think? Does this song go too far? Not far enough?
Grace and peace,
Lang
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I think you are right on track. I have asked this question about idolatry several times. Gungor gets it totally right in this song.
ReplyDeleteWe are called to hate the sin, but love the sinner. God is not an old, white man. But He is like the father in the parable of the prodigal son. Always opening His arms wide to embrace and forgive us.
ReplyDeleteI like your comment on how we try to make God confirm to our mold. It is like the current debate going on about the HHS mandate and the Catholic Church. Obviously many people are upset with the Church somehow for not reconciling itself with the Constitution (?!) They wrongly suppose that the Church wants to impose its rule on Americans, women in particular. All of this is ludicrous.
The Church is so much bigger than the United States. She has no authority over governments, just moral authority over the faithful. There is no call by anyone in the Church to take away non-believers contraception. Only a request that those who find that immoral be allowed to abstain.
The Church's teaching on faith and morals is protected by the Holy Spirit.
I know that most people cannot accept what Catholics believe. They feel their personal "right" to consequence-free sex is being threatened.
Catholics simply believe that the human body was divinely designed to bring forth new life. We are invited to participate with God in the creation of a new soul. When husband and wife are open to new life, they are the closest to God. They are intimately involved in His plan of creating new life. If you tell God that you know better and cannot bear to naturally space children, yes Natural Family Planning, you are assuming the role of God, who decides who should live and die. Obviously, there is more to this, but not enough room to say it here.
In summary, we believe that playing God whether at the beginning of life, or at the end of life is not a good idea. I pray that more people will take the time to learn about and understand the Church's teaching, before they believe the media and reject it. I cannot tell anyone what to believe, only ask that they respect what I believe. If anyone is interested:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae_en.html