This has bugged me for a long time: Why do some Christians use “Son” as a pun for (and replacement for) “sun” — as in “Sonshine”, “Sonrise”, and “the Son rises”? (In this use, the Son nevers seems to set.) Is the connection John 8:12, “I am the light of the world”?
My questions follow, with commentary, then at the end I’ve put more of an essay about what I see the Bible saying about the sun, in case anyone wants to know where I’m coming from with this.
First: is it considered okay (respectful?) for Christians to make puns involving Jesus? (It sounds funny to this non-Christian’s ears.)
Second: I read the Bible as relegating the sun to a passive, obedient position. Does the above punning try to elevate Jesus above the sun, or equate Jesus and the sun, or replace the sun with Jesus? Read the rest of this news item »
Third: Can you see why a non-Christian might object to what seems like Christians co-opting the sun, replacing it with their god? (Seeming to say those believers see him as more important than the sun, without which no life, of any belief system, would exist on earth.)
There’s another response to me from Rev Lueking in today’s newspaper:
Who’s who in the faith/doubt dialog
Here’s an excerpt from it:
If we who confess faith in God do so with humility instead of vanity, open in mind and heart instead of closed, then surely the congregation is appropriate for the faith/doubt encounter. And the marvel is that the mercies of God keep on bringing us together for the long haul as we grow in faith by doing works of truth and love that reach well beyond ourselves.
When the congregation falls short of this high calling, we begin to look too much like a football team in a tight huddle. Outsiders have no idea of what’s going on in there but can’t help noticing that we don’t show our best side to the world.
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It’s been a few months since I asked what you’re reading. I figure that at least some of you will have different answers from last time!
I just started reading Vanity Fair (for the second time). I first read it some years ago. We watched the movie on DVD for the first time last weekend and it’s inspired me to read it again. I’ve loved older novels since I was a teenager.
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I first heard about microfinance when I visited Dave Richard’s blog: Defeating Global Poverty. (Dave will be leading a workshop about microfinance at our upcoming conference). Then Jim posted about my favorite microfinance last month.
I’d been meaning to do what Jim did since I read his blog entry, i.e. place a loan contribution with kiva. Last week I finally got around to it. One of the neatest things about it was, I had talked with my husband about it in front of my children and my daughter had said “Can I help choose which person we loan money to?”
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I’ve heard the term “respect for God’s creation” a number of times, but until recently, I don’t think I’d heard anyone talk about “respect for God.” That phrase came up at the end of a videotaped lecture I watched this week by Ken Miller, a Catholic biologist. In the question-and-answer session, he was asked how he reconciled his scientific beliefs (in evolution, and against intelligent design) with his religious beliefs. He said that he took the position on this issue that he felt was more respectful of God. It was clear in how Ken Miller spoke about it that he meant “respecting God” not “respecting God’s creation” — he was referring to God’s ability to plan and design, not just the end result of God’s designs.
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The local newspaper editor who invited me to write about why I don’t go to church anymore has shared his own views on going to church (or not) in today’s newspaper:
Why I do, and don’t, go to church
Posted in Why I don't go to Church Anymore | 5 Comments »JG gave me permission to post these comments, which he sent me in a recent e-mail:
Posted in Comments from others | 15 Comments »Its unlikely we will ever meet someone with whom we agree 100%. But we shouldn’t let the bits we disagree on prevent us from appreciating the positives.
And when we have held someone in high regard, when we find some weakness or mistake, or something we disagree on, we shouldn’t write them off. We tend to put people on pedestals and then knock them off.
In one breath Jesus was telling Peter he was the rock on whom he would build his church. In the next breath he was saying Get behind me Satan. I don’t see a contradiction here. Instead I see Jesus discerning both good and bad in Peter. The bad was simply something Peter said that was wrong and it was Satan that Jesus rebuked not Peter. But Peter was not written off because he got it wrong.
Even the best leader can get it wrong at times. We need to discern what is right and what’s wrong in what others say no matter how highly we regard them – but not write people off when they get it wrong.
| This was my son’s science homework yesterday (he’s in eighth grade). He was given a list of attributes to cut up and stick under either “Science is…” or “Science is not…”. (Click on it for a larger version)
In class they were put into small groups to fill out a worksheet about what can be tested scientifically. My son and another student were saying God couldn’t be tested scientifically. Someone else in their group said to a member of another group “Hey, there are some people over here who don’t believe in God!” He said “That’s not my life. They’re going to burn in hell!” |
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