Month: May 2019
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Zen and the Doctrine of Cause and Effect
If religion is to fulfill one thing only, it is to answer questions about the divine. Yet, as we have discussed, the Divinities—the God of the Old Testament and Jesus of the New—are reluctant to answer questions about themselves. Scripture is a book of questions, not a catechism of answers. In particular, what some consider…
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What Is a Good Question?
Mankind’s quest to know about God has always been based upon answers. There is great comfort in answers, as if somehow I salvation depends upon them—upon their truth being underwritten by a body of knowledge. In science, too, we value conclusions, solutions, and cause and effect answers. But over and over, God and Jesus rely…
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Is the Question the Answer?
Mankind has always sought answers; and religion, through its doctrines, has always been more than willing to supply them. But God in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament repeatedly avoided giving direct answers. Instead, they answered questions with other questions, or with parables that suggested answers without being specific. The Bible is…
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Non-doctrinal Religion
Doctrine defines not just who we are but also what holy book we read, what prophets we follow, how we worship, the rituals we use, what we think and do in this life and what we think about the after-life. Shared doctrine unites, different doctrines divide. Why doesn’t God simply make clear which doctrine is…