Notes from Day Seven: Reading the Bible with Neil Peart, Mick Jagger and Sandy
People will often say to me that they tried
to read the Bible but didn't get very far. This
is totally understandable. It would be arrogant
to think it is not. The writers didn't
write for you or me. They were writing for
people of their time. Yet, interestingly, what
they said continues to ring true.
Really? Yes, and in fact that should not be very surprising. We often see this phenomenon in the history of writing. For example, Shakespeare wrote for the audiences of his time, yet many still find truth in his words.
But far be it from me to at this point to tell you to read the entire Bible. I won't ask for that much today. I will be thrilled if you, esteemed reader, for the first time, read just the first page. Genesis, chapter one. As they say, is that too much to ask?
This is the chapter that speaks about the world being created in seven days. Therefore whenever people outside of Christian churches refer to it, they typically dismiss it. After all, no one except deluded fundamentalists takes this sort of creation mythology seriously, they confidently tell us. Believers look down at their shoes and hope not to make eye contact.
The first chapter of the Bible, though, should be taken seriously as the starting point for life, yours and mine. If it is not, we expose ourselves to peril.
Take the opening line. It is magisterial. "In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth." Think of these 10 words as an announcement accompanied by thunderous fanfare — horns, other brass instruments and percussion by the Toronto Symphony and Neil Ellwood Peart.
This opening line firmly places God at the foundation of the world. Behold! The creator of this incredible stage, the designer of all the sets. And, although not the writer of every part of the script — as Sir Michael Philip Mick Jagger once sang, Satan too has opportunity to throw in his bits, as do you and I — God is nonetheless the creator of mind, speech and every being, which, in turn, beget more beings.
Next line. The opening scene. It's a storm on the high seas. Shape-shifting cold, dark, watery chaos. Hurricane Sandy. No place for living things. But the Spirit of God is there, hovering over the uninviting dark. Ready to energize and give order.
And then, scene two, God speaks, like an ancient Middle Eastern king to his court. "Let there be…" Order replaces the chaos. Day and night. Sky and water. Land with vegetation. And then items to fill those places. Stars, moon, and sun. Fish and birds. All kinds of animals. And finally, as the pinnacle, humans.
And to humans, God says, "It's all yours! This is your home. Fill it with your tentdwelling tribes, nations, libraries, colleges, concerts, machines and stories. Make your home even more blessed and beautiful than I have made it. Create with me. Give order to it as I have given order to it. Celebrate with me."
At our peril we forget that only God is God. Without faith in God, we place our faith elsewhere, anywhere. Where atheism grows, religion thrives.
Without God we overplay the appropriate remembrance of the war dead and make a religion of the sacrifices of veterans. Without God we overinvest in ideology, placing our faith in capitalism, socialism, Nazism, revolution, the American Way and the Canadian Way. Good luck with that. Or we overemphasize the importance of body building, individual rights, the stock market, real estate, hockey, the latest celebrity on offer or just about anything else that moves us.
At our peril, we forget why we exist. We exist to enjoy the blessings God placed on the whole human race; we exist to make our planet more and more a paradise, not an exhausted, depleted shell of its former self — which is where our present trajectory will bring us; we exist to enjoy the diverse cultures we are able to bring to life; we exist to live without fear and terror, and to live free from tyrannies of all kinds, including the tyranny of bullies who become politicians and the tyranny of modern economists who claim that they are the way, the truth, and the life.
Yes, we have messed up, as page two and three of Genesis teach. Messed up from the beginning, all of us involved in the destruction. But that doesn't negate the other stuff, the prior things, the first things. In fact, they will never be negated. Jesus Christ was born, died and was raised from the dead to bring them back "with a vengeance." But that's another story, though one that can only be understood in the light of the Bible's page one.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
Really? Yes, and in fact that should not be very surprising. We often see this phenomenon in the history of writing. For example, Shakespeare wrote for the audiences of his time, yet many still find truth in his words.
But far be it from me to at this point to tell you to read the entire Bible. I won't ask for that much today. I will be thrilled if you, esteemed reader, for the first time, read just the first page. Genesis, chapter one. As they say, is that too much to ask?
This is the chapter that speaks about the world being created in seven days. Therefore whenever people outside of Christian churches refer to it, they typically dismiss it. After all, no one except deluded fundamentalists takes this sort of creation mythology seriously, they confidently tell us. Believers look down at their shoes and hope not to make eye contact.
The first chapter of the Bible, though, should be taken seriously as the starting point for life, yours and mine. If it is not, we expose ourselves to peril.
Take the opening line. It is magisterial. "In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth." Think of these 10 words as an announcement accompanied by thunderous fanfare — horns, other brass instruments and percussion by the Toronto Symphony and Neil Ellwood Peart.
This opening line firmly places God at the foundation of the world. Behold! The creator of this incredible stage, the designer of all the sets. And, although not the writer of every part of the script — as Sir Michael Philip Mick Jagger once sang, Satan too has opportunity to throw in his bits, as do you and I — God is nonetheless the creator of mind, speech and every being, which, in turn, beget more beings.
Next line. The opening scene. It's a storm on the high seas. Shape-shifting cold, dark, watery chaos. Hurricane Sandy. No place for living things. But the Spirit of God is there, hovering over the uninviting dark. Ready to energize and give order.
And then, scene two, God speaks, like an ancient Middle Eastern king to his court. "Let there be…" Order replaces the chaos. Day and night. Sky and water. Land with vegetation. And then items to fill those places. Stars, moon, and sun. Fish and birds. All kinds of animals. And finally, as the pinnacle, humans.
And to humans, God says, "It's all yours! This is your home. Fill it with your tentdwelling tribes, nations, libraries, colleges, concerts, machines and stories. Make your home even more blessed and beautiful than I have made it. Create with me. Give order to it as I have given order to it. Celebrate with me."
At our peril we forget that only God is God. Without faith in God, we place our faith elsewhere, anywhere. Where atheism grows, religion thrives.
Without God we overplay the appropriate remembrance of the war dead and make a religion of the sacrifices of veterans. Without God we overinvest in ideology, placing our faith in capitalism, socialism, Nazism, revolution, the American Way and the Canadian Way. Good luck with that. Or we overemphasize the importance of body building, individual rights, the stock market, real estate, hockey, the latest celebrity on offer or just about anything else that moves us.
At our peril, we forget why we exist. We exist to enjoy the blessings God placed on the whole human race; we exist to make our planet more and more a paradise, not an exhausted, depleted shell of its former self — which is where our present trajectory will bring us; we exist to enjoy the diverse cultures we are able to bring to life; we exist to live without fear and terror, and to live free from tyrannies of all kinds, including the tyranny of bullies who become politicians and the tyranny of modern economists who claim that they are the way, the truth, and the life.
Yes, we have messed up, as page two and three of Genesis teach. Messed up from the beginning, all of us involved in the destruction. But that doesn't negate the other stuff, the prior things, the first things. In fact, they will never be negated. Jesus Christ was born, died and was raised from the dead to bring them back "with a vengeance." But that's another story, though one that can only be understood in the light of the Bible's page one.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
