A Checklist

So, this morning I've been thinking about my own relationship to the Christian Church. The Church, as I've written about in recent posts, now has a split personality, mimicking the political divide. Across the board people are siding with a left-leaning, spiritual Church or a right-leaning dogmatic Church. Let's create a list and see what side we come down on.

1. Evolution/Creationism. I definitely come down on the side of Francis Collins and John Polkinghorne.  Fossil evidence is clear, having established intermediate stages in multiple species (whales, for one). There is nothing that states (except an extremely literal reading of Genesis) that God does not act through evolution, nor that the universe did not begin as a singularity. Far from it, Let there be light! as a certain unambiguity to it.
2. Age of the universe. See above. You have to simply eliminate science from your life to date the earth, or universe to about 5,000 years ago. The speed of light, the rate of decay for radioactive elements, would have to be different, drastically different. Placing humans alongside dinosaurs is a jumbled misreading of geological science.
3. The Nature of Time. Time is a basic belief for Christians. We place ourselves into a certain stage along a continuum. Personally, I think time an illusion, and that we all exist in a Providential (Boethian sense here) Now. Quite Buddhist, yes; but I don't see any contradiction with Christianity and Buddhism (not Buddhism as often practised, but Buddhism as taught by Gautama/Siddhartha). 
4. Homosexuality. I've investigated the verses on homosexuality in the Bible and have found them wanting. Wanting of absolutism, wanting of any humility that might state that we, as Christians, do not have a definite, unambiguous text that states that Jesus, or anyone else (other than the Hebrews of Leviticus), was categorically against gay love. Now, as for gay lust, that is another matter--but no different than heterosexual lust. Sin is sin, as they say. [Addendum: the typical translations are quite definite in their statements, but I would urge the reader to look closely at the original koine Greek text for any definite judgements. Cf. http://christianstudies.wordpress.com/2011/05/14/230/#_ftn10 and note the various definitions of the relevant terms. Whether you come down on the side of "homosexuals" or "homosexual acts" or "pederasts" or others you have to see that there is diverse opinion on the meanings of these verses. Now, given that there is diverse opinions, then there cannot be any definitive judgement one way or the other...other than to reveal one's own prejudices. [For another nice summation of these "clobber" verses see http://www.believeoutloud.com/latest/clobbering-biblical-gay-bashing] The attitudes and beliefs of increasingly more fundamentalists have been leaning towards allowance of homosexuality within marriage, that the sin is in the judging of others who have no ability to change their fundamental sexual makeup. For a take on a recent forum, The Faith Angle Forum, cf http://marker.to/SjR6hf .
5. One Man, One Woman/Marriage. Please. The Bible isn't a marriage manual, nor a sex manual. This is obvious, as there are so many different applications of "marriage" within the covers.
6. Revelation/Second Coming. I believe in what Christ said: namely, that only our Father in heaven knows the date of the end times (as noted above, since I do not believe in time as a continuum, I would place the End Times as...Now.) Any Christian who states that we are living in the end times (often appended with the statement: obviously) would then have to be going against what Christ said and believed. Is this not blasphemous? Why then do we hear so much of this stuff from the Christian Right? 
7. Ecology/Climate Change/Global Warming/Environmental Movement. The Christian Right is firmly digging in their heels on this one. Denial of global warming is a given for them. This despite numerous Biblical injunctions siding with the progressive movements for environmental consciousness (Cf Ps 8, Rom 8, Ps 121, 130, 136, 137 taken from the Evangelical Environmental Network site, also a useful reference), and the plethora of scientific data (often ridiculed) detailing human causation of climate change. Conservative Christians will still side with the oil industry which is employing the same tactics as the tobacco industry did decades ago to instill doubt in science for the sake of corporate profit. Thing is, the Bible is crystal clear on this. Even Exxon has admitted to the science of global warming (within its business plan!) as has the U.S. Navy--rebuilding ports to account for rising seas--and various municipalities, such as Washington D.C. and Miami and New York City. But FOX News says it's all a bogus liberal conspiracy led by Al Gore, so I guess it is!
8. Literalism. I do not believe in the literal truth of the Bible...since language is not "literally" true. That is, language is fuzzy and symbolic, filled with metaphor and trope. There simply is no meaning to the phrase, "Is the Bible literally true"? Well, no , since nothing in language is "literally true." Language is wonderfully vague, filled with a fog of ideas. Deal with it. Anyone stating that they believe in the literal truth of the Bible simply doesn't understand what language is.
9. Female pastors/Feminism. I have a daughter, therefore I am a feminist--I believe that she should have every right and opportunity that my son has. Can a female pastor speak with authority? Of course. But men have to learn to listen. Truth, out of the mouth of a female is just as true as from a male. Respect, mutual respect, is the key ingredient for both sexes.
10. Translation. I suspect that not every pastor or church leader has taken a course on translation theory, or even that they've given it much thought. They should. The Bible that they like to profess via sola scriptura simply isn't the Bible that they are talking about. First, there is the original, and the question of What is the original? Is the original merely the texts that we have in the original Hebrew and Greek? Or is there another, further, spiritual original that we, as humans, can just touch on with the tool of language, a tool that can do wonderful things, but a tool that is also limited. And further, what happens to that "original" when we go from language to language? Translation is like filling a pail with water to the very brim. Pick it up and carry it over to another pail, and then spill the contents into that second, almost identical pail. Do you still have exactly what you had in the "original"? No. You've lost some of the contents. You find out later that the second pail isn't even the same size. Close, but not the same. Nothing in language translation comes out the same. Isn't language great? Again, deal with it.
11. The Catholic Question. I've heard pastors denounce the Catholic Church as a cult. You can find sites on the internet devoted to the cause of unmasking the "Whore of Babylon." Sheesh. I question if these pastors ever bother to read the Catholic Catechism to see what the Catholic Church actually teaches--and its reasoning for believing the way they do. I've read what Catholics think concerning soteriology, Mary "worship," the infallibility of the Pope, the Eucharist, honoring the saints, the Mass, etc. and I find the explanations quite descriptive and logical. And consistent. Not that I agree on all points; but to label Catholics as a cult, as not even belonging to the Christian religion, is not merely incorrect, but is to my mind a moral sin. And it speaks of a laziness of mind that is downright embarrassing. Not to bother to take the time to read what is plainly there--a few minutes to find the appropriate passage is all that it would take--is inexcusable.
12. Prayer. This is a difficult one for me. Has prayer helped me? Definitely--it took me out of the slough of despond. It was really a miracle, allowing me to live a normal life with OCD and depression. Yet... I feel as Kierkegaard felt, when he said The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays. I do not view prayer as magic; I don't think my prayers for someone else influences their lives. Still, I do pray for others, and think others should as well. Theoretically a creator God can change the lives of others and so I pray for those in need. But secretly I hear God telling me that You want to better their lives? Go--and just do it, just go and help them yourself! I think we are God's instrument of influence--but we like to pray and say that we did something.