Of Timidity and Fundamentalism
Well, I'm going to do it: I'm going to talk about a nasty little thing that some like to call "Fundamentalism."
Let's generalize a little in order to recap: one significant aspect to the works we have been reading this term is the aspect of narrative vs. argumentation. Regarding Montaigne, specifically, he seems to stay away from absolutism - that is, he is not dissatisfied with contradictions, and he sees the value in recognizing the limits of our own intellect. Why should we tell people what is true, when we cannot know for sure? Instead, we should recognize the limitations of our own minds, and accept that are fools (because it would REALLY be foolish for us to think that we're not). So Montaigne doesn't argue for one point or idea specifically, except the idea of contradiction and skepticism.
Confused yet?
It seems like a lot of us are excited about this Montaignian view of things. I get the impression that a lot of people have been "burned" by the church, and even more people have been turned off by pushy Christians who try to prove their way to convince you of the "Truth." It's pleasant to finally read about people of faith who are not arrogant and cocky about their beliefs. It's refreshing to hear their doubts, their struggles, and their questions. In many ways neither Dante nor Augustine nor Montaigne are conclusive. Augustine, for example, was drawn to Christianity not by assurance, necessarily, but by faith.
But I would also venture to say that these guys are taking a stand for their beliefs. Their faith is so important to them, that they cannot help but talk about it and discuss it. Christianity may be a giant leap of faith, but it is a leap of faith that has changed their lives, a leap of faith that they can't not discuss and defend to a certain degree. (I would view Augustine's Confessions as a defense for his conversion, in a way.)
We've been discussing in class how Montaigne doesn't think we can say anything about God because He is beyond language, ideas, and our own minds. This makes me think of the common question about prayer: What's the point of praying if God already knows everything anyway? I would say that we pray not to inform God about something He doesn't know, but we pray to connect with Him, we pray because we are drawn to Him and we want to establish a relationship.
I think that it's valuable to talk about God, valuable to write about God. Why? In my experience, we can't NOT talk about God. We can't NOT ponder these awesome, seemingly unknowable things. And when we realize that we can't talk about God (since He's beyond our mind and our language), then we begin to talk about how we can't talk about God. There is something in us that longs for spiritual satisfaction and fulfillment.
This is what Montaigne is doing. He recognizes that we will never fully know God, and yet, it seems, we are drawn to search for God anyway.
What does this have to do with "Fundamentalism"? We have all probably known a Christian who was argumentative, cocky, and set ob converting us. Heck, some people probably consider me to be that Christian. But, I think we should be careful to keep from lumping all "hard core" Christians into this fundamentalist category. Because, like Monataigne, Dante, and Augustine, I think that some Christians have had amazing experiences because of their faith. Their Christianity has changed their lives, they feel closer to God, closer to understanding. They assert that God has opened their minds and hearts, and they are excited about it. I think it would be a shame to scare these people into silence, these people who are genuinely trying to let other people get in on the action of knowing God.
But of course, Christianity is a choice, and no one should have that choice shoved down their throat. And while I personally see the value of being able to defend the Christian faith, I also recognize that what draws people to Christianity is not the facts necessarily, but something more intangible than that. People are drawn to Christianity because God draws them, and because their hearts are open.
I am a Christian, and that is offensive to people. I understand. But I would hate to be made to stay silent, when I feel that my experience is valuable, and my relationship with God has changed the course of my life. And I can't NOT talk about God.
I'm losing track of myself. My apologies for the ramblings of this blog. Maybe I will add/shorten/edit it later. I've lost track...
Let's generalize a little in order to recap: one significant aspect to the works we have been reading this term is the aspect of narrative vs. argumentation. Regarding Montaigne, specifically, he seems to stay away from absolutism - that is, he is not dissatisfied with contradictions, and he sees the value in recognizing the limits of our own intellect. Why should we tell people what is true, when we cannot know for sure? Instead, we should recognize the limitations of our own minds, and accept that are fools (because it would REALLY be foolish for us to think that we're not). So Montaigne doesn't argue for one point or idea specifically, except the idea of contradiction and skepticism.
Confused yet?
It seems like a lot of us are excited about this Montaignian view of things. I get the impression that a lot of people have been "burned" by the church, and even more people have been turned off by pushy Christians who try to prove their way to convince you of the "Truth." It's pleasant to finally read about people of faith who are not arrogant and cocky about their beliefs. It's refreshing to hear their doubts, their struggles, and their questions. In many ways neither Dante nor Augustine nor Montaigne are conclusive. Augustine, for example, was drawn to Christianity not by assurance, necessarily, but by faith.
But I would also venture to say that these guys are taking a stand for their beliefs. Their faith is so important to them, that they cannot help but talk about it and discuss it. Christianity may be a giant leap of faith, but it is a leap of faith that has changed their lives, a leap of faith that they can't not discuss and defend to a certain degree. (I would view Augustine's Confessions as a defense for his conversion, in a way.)
We've been discussing in class how Montaigne doesn't think we can say anything about God because He is beyond language, ideas, and our own minds. This makes me think of the common question about prayer: What's the point of praying if God already knows everything anyway? I would say that we pray not to inform God about something He doesn't know, but we pray to connect with Him, we pray because we are drawn to Him and we want to establish a relationship.
I think that it's valuable to talk about God, valuable to write about God. Why? In my experience, we can't NOT talk about God. We can't NOT ponder these awesome, seemingly unknowable things. And when we realize that we can't talk about God (since He's beyond our mind and our language), then we begin to talk about how we can't talk about God. There is something in us that longs for spiritual satisfaction and fulfillment.
This is what Montaigne is doing. He recognizes that we will never fully know God, and yet, it seems, we are drawn to search for God anyway.
What does this have to do with "Fundamentalism"? We have all probably known a Christian who was argumentative, cocky, and set ob converting us. Heck, some people probably consider me to be that Christian. But, I think we should be careful to keep from lumping all "hard core" Christians into this fundamentalist category. Because, like Monataigne, Dante, and Augustine, I think that some Christians have had amazing experiences because of their faith. Their Christianity has changed their lives, they feel closer to God, closer to understanding. They assert that God has opened their minds and hearts, and they are excited about it. I think it would be a shame to scare these people into silence, these people who are genuinely trying to let other people get in on the action of knowing God.
But of course, Christianity is a choice, and no one should have that choice shoved down their throat. And while I personally see the value of being able to defend the Christian faith, I also recognize that what draws people to Christianity is not the facts necessarily, but something more intangible than that. People are drawn to Christianity because God draws them, and because their hearts are open.
I am a Christian, and that is offensive to people. I understand. But I would hate to be made to stay silent, when I feel that my experience is valuable, and my relationship with God has changed the course of my life. And I can't NOT talk about God.
I'm losing track of myself. My apologies for the ramblings of this blog. Maybe I will add/shorten/edit it later. I've lost track...
posted by Christine at 9:34 PM
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