Easter
--posted by Tony Garcia on 4/14/2006
Organized religion has always avoided me. In spite of my best efforts (I joined a few churches through my junior high and high school years) and like nearly 98% of the people in basic training I found religion there. But for some reason organized religions and I never held together very strongly.
That is not to say I do not believe in a higher power. I do. But what I believe about religion seems to clash with many tenets of various religions.
But I am not trying to start a witnessing session from anyone unto me. Nor do I wish to engage in bashing religion in general. Nor do I wish to begin a theological debate at this time.
But what does Easter signify to me, as a deist? To me the Bible is all symbolic. Real events, perhaps, being given some exaggeration to emphasize a point or lesson. I'm NOT saying I'm right about that and religious people are wrong...I am just giving you MY point of view.
Easter has a deeper meaning, perhaps, to me because it signifies a second chance. Correcting ones ways, forgiveness and ever improving oneself.
Yes, I judge people. And if in that judgement I believe a person has corrected their ways, or at least is fighting to do so, they deserve help and recognition. It is what I see as also the reason that society is so warm to recovering alcholics and addicts. Second chances, sometimes third chances. Kind of like the witness protection program...
A new beginning? Maybe to some. Easter, to me...absolution in a sense.
With that, Happy Easter.
2 Comments:
Happy Easter to you, too.
The "I'm just giving you my point of view" disclaimer sounds like you don't value your own opinion much.
Opinions matter, including yours. So do beliefs. Confidence in your own ideas results from engagement with ideas; study, thought, discussion, reading - and blogging. Real engagment will entail some disagreement, some confrontation.
Good luck to you.
There are Christians who understand the Bible as allegory, Tony, as well as those who take every word as literally true. The Bible has LOADS of symbolism to many of us who believe it to be the inspired Word.
But Easter isn't about a second chance; it's about Christ's victory over sin and death.
If you want to see second chances, read Acts after you finish the Easter story of the Gospel. Paul gets a HUGE second chance, and makes the most of it. That's most of the rest of the New Testament. Symbolic, or not.
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