It’s hard to understand why we exist. What is the purpose of life….the constant circle of life and death….the trouble and heartache of bills and loss? There seems to be no clear answer to any of these questions. In her paper, Professor Bennett argues that there are four ways of looking at the creation of life. I can only recall the two that stood out to me: the potter and the clay and the fractal viewpoint. As I have not read the paper, I may not understand or describe them as she does, but I will attempt to explain what I think she means.
My first impression of Ms. Bennett’s description of the potter and clay was to take offense. I have always heard God’s relationship with humanity being described this way. However, I believe that she is looking at this perspective in a slightly different way than I always have. I would like to argue that my view of this perspective collates with her view of the fractal perspective. Again, keep in mind that Professor Bennett only gave a brief description of these perspectives and that I may not relate her viewpoint accurately.
I took her description to infer that God, as the potter, created human beings out of “clay” and placed them into the world as separate beings, having no relation to Him. He is outside the world in which humans exist. In comparison, the fractal viewpoint seems to suggest that God created us and is in us. Every part of our lives is intertwined with God and his purpose for our life. My idea of the potter and clay incorporates both components of these outlooks.
According to the Bible, which is the reference I am convicted to believe, God and Jesus existed before anything else. God created the Heavens and Earth, animals, and man. He created man in His image and placed him in the Garden of Eden. During man’s creation, God breathed in him the breathe of life.
Because we are called His children, I can’t help but to remember giving birth to my son. During my pregnancy (aside from conception, this would be the “creation” of the child before it comes into the world) he grew by taking from me. He lived off my air and my food. Although some people are insane beings, one cannot give birth to a human being without having a relationship with them. If my son were taken from me from birth, or hated me from the time he could think on his own, I would still love that child and have a relationship with him. God is a loving God who created man and placed part of himself within him.
Man was for His glory, to worship Him in the fullness of all he could possibly be. He was given authority over all the animals and provided every comfort he could ever need. God came to the garden and walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. He came down from His place to be with them. This revealed a personal relationship between the potter (creator) and the clay (man).
After Adam and Eve sinned against God and were cast out of the garden, God still maintained a relationship with human kind. He allowed them access to prayer and forgiveness through sacrificial offerings. Then He allowed His son Jesus to come to the Earth in human form and be a living sacrifice for all sins. This allowed the barrier, that Adam and Eve had created, between God and man to be broken. It signified God’s desire to have a closer relationship with man.
Following the death of Christ, God allowed his spirit to dwell within us. Although we were already instilled with a conscious, which I believe to be from that breathe of life, God provided us access to a greater conscious that would help us through the hard times of this life. Because this spirit is the third being in the Holy Trinity, it is a part of God. Therefore, God is outside the world, and he is in the world through each of us. Those who believe in Him and His son have a stronger connection to Him than unbelievers. This sounds like religious crap, but it’s common sense.
Imagine again, my relationship with my son. If he loves me and maintains his end of a relationship with me, we will be closer than if he leaves home and never speaks to me. Additionally, it is important to point out that if the latter scenario is true, I will still have a relationship with him in that I am his mother, I love him, and I think about and pray for him.
Although a lot of human beings do not acknowledge God’s presence, it doesn’t make him absent. I do not believe in fate or luck. If I’m driving down the road and I am spared from an accident, I know that God chose to keep me safe. On the other hand, if I am a victim in that accident, I know that God has a purpose for the situation. This may be viewed as only my attitude, and that I choose to think this way about things, but I am convicted in my heart that there is a God who loves me and who created me to worship Him. He does have guidelines on how we should live, but I think that each of his rules is what is best for any human being regardless. These guidelines help to elongate our lives and provide support for reaching our full potential.
Enjoying life in a healthy manner is what God wants from us. This is our purpose in life. When we have reckless sex, break the law, drink and do drugs, we are not only going against what Jesus taught, but we are hurting ourselves physically, emotionally, and spiritually. These practices may have short-term pleasures but also long-term consequences.
Do you believe there is a God who loves you? If not, how do you believe the world originated? How do you account for the complexity of the world and the human mind? What do you believe will happen when you die?
I love the analogy between you and your son (wow!) and Gods relationship with us - both which involve a powerful connection that can have a very positive influence on our lives (and the rejection of which can cause much of our suffering). A great piece of writing Ashley.
ReplyDeleteTwo questions for you (and all of us) to think about: what makes the Christian narrative "common sense" to some people and "religious crap" to others? What parts of the story were written to be interpreted literally, and which parts were written to be interpreted as myth?