Compassion for Others and for Ourselves (Leviticus 6-7, Acts 6)

The first part of the assigned reading was Leviticus 6-7. When I read through this, all I could think of was “more boring rules.” It wasn’t until I watched the Fourth Church Youth video that I noticed what a big deal the first part is:

^“2 If you sin: 

by acting unfaithfully against the LORD ; 

by deceiving a fellow citizen concerning a deposit or pledged property;

by cheating a fellow citizen through robbery;

³ or, though you’ve found lost property, you lie about it;

or by swearing falsely about anything that someone might do and so sin,

⁴ at that point, once you have sinned and become guilty of sin, you must return the property you took by robbery or fraud, or the deposit that was left with you for safekeeping, or the lost property that you found, ⁵ or whatever it was that you swore falsely about. You must make amends for the principal amount and add one-fifth to it. You must give it to the owner on the day you become guilty. ⁶ You must bring to the priest as your compensation to the LORD a flawless ram from the flock at the standard value as a compensation offering. ⁷ The priest will make reconciliation for you before the LORD , and you will be forgiven for anything you may have done that made you guilty.” (Leviticus 6: 2-7)

So, basically, even though Leviticus is just a huge list of all the things you’re not supposed to do and the rituals you are supposed to do, even if you screw up, if you make amends, you will be forgiven. And that amends is generally directly related to the crime. None of this vindictive, punitive incarceration perpetuation industry discussed in a recent New Yorker article by Adam Gopnik that this all makes me think of.

And to continue the theme of compassion, the second half of the assigned reading was Acts 6. Again, I didn’t think a lot of the reading until after I read the daily devotion by John Boyle (Feb. 16) and then noticed the very first part:

“About that time, while the number of disciples continued to increase, a complaint arose. Greek-speaking disciples accused the Aramaic-speaking disciples because their widows were being overlooked in the daily food service.” (Acts 6: 1)

The gist of John Boyle’s point is that when we discriminate against people who are “other” or get caught up in petty, prejudiced squabbles (ahem… politicians…), the most vulnerable among us are the ones that suffer the most. We need to look past that and have compassion.

So Many Rules (Leviticus 1-3)

While Leviticus 1-3 wasn’t quite as dull as some parts of Exodus were, it’s still difficult to read through these long lists of rules that really don’t seem to apply at all today. Like, what exactly is an entirely burned offering (Leviticus 1: 3-17)? So much time is spent, not just here, throughout the Old Testament even, talking about them…what are they? I understand that the phrase is translated differently in other versions of the bible, but if this version is supposed to be such plain language, what is it supposed to mean?

The Fourth Church Youth video by John Vest that went with this reading talks about the way physicality can play a role in faith, as shown through Leviticus. And the daily devotion by Judith Watt that went with this reading addresses the fact that because of Jesus, we don’t follow all these tedious rules anymore. Instead, the gist of what we’re supposed to take from all these rules of lists is that we should try to do our best.

“The first three chapters of Leviticus are instructions given to the Israelites about proper worship. Proper worship in the earliest days of the formation of God’s people was centered around sacrifice at the altar and the centrality of the temple. We find ourselves reading these lists, quickly dismissing them. I can’t imagine how many of us could have met the obligations of proper worship in that day. And yet the theme that jumps out at me in reading all of these lists and also in reading the Acts story about Ananias and Sapphira [Acts 5] is the idea that God deserves our best. Thankfully, Jesus has given us a message that turns all of these former lists upside down. Our best is the best we have to offer in how we live and how we love. We don’t have to be perfect or unblemished or rich or smart to please God. We simply have to offer our best.” (Judith Watt, Feb. 14)

It’s Basically Socialism, Right? (Acts 4)

It’s passages like Acts 4 that make me so confused about why the fundamentalist Christians and people who are anti-“Socialism” are on the same side of the political spectrum. I mean, come on:

^“32 The community of believers was one in heart and mind. None of them would say, “ This is mine! ” about any of their possessions, but held everything in common. ³³ The apostles continued to bear powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and an abundance of grace was at work among them all. ³⁴There were no needy persons among them. Those who owned properties or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds from the sales, ³⁵ and place them in the care and under the authority of the apostles. Then it was distributed to anyone who was in need.” (Acts 4: 32-35)

If that isn’t an extremely compelling argument for using a social safety net to support those with the greatest need, then, I don’t know really understand their reasoning. I think the Fourth Church Youth did a good job with their video for this reading, so I’ll keep it short and leave you with that video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCCe-bZWmy0&feature=uploademail.

God’s Really Specific About His Interior Decorating (Exodus 25-30, 35-40)

Reading through the second half of Exodus was really a slog. Exodus 25-30 gives very specific instructions about what gifts God wants, instructions to build a chest to hold the covenant, instructions to build a table, instructions to build a lampstand, instructions for the building to contain all these things, including how to decorate the building, instructions to build an altar, instructions on how to decorate the building’s courtyard, what kind of oil to use in the lampstand, instructions for what priests should wear down to the details of thread color, ornamental vests, pendants and other pieces of clothing, instructions for priest ordination, instructions for how to make entirely burnt offerings, instructions for incense, instructions for a census and a required amount of money donated, instructions for building a washbasin, and more instructions for oil and incense. It’s very very specific (measurements, colors, etc.) and very long. And then you get Exodus 35-40, where the Israelites actually go and do all the things he asked for…and it’s chronicled in the same extensive detail.

So….why so much detail? Are we really supposed to care about the color of the robes or the height of the altar? Really? I was told that it’s not so much the details themselves that matter, but the fact that they followed everything God asked for down to the detail. Earlier parts of Exodus talk about the people not believing God or Moses or not trusting them and so not following what was asked of them. Then they had a change of heart (I’ll catch up on that post at some point) and now they are following everything down to the tee because they do trust. Then the question becomes, why is God asking for such specific things of the Israelites. On this question, I was told that it’s because He was trying to set them apart as a different type of people than everyone else who worshiped whatever other god. As in, they were the chosen people, so they needed to act in a certain way so it was clear to everyone that they were different and had different customs and rules.

My boyfriend further informed me that later when Jesus came, that separateness was blown apart and God was opened up to anyone, not just the “chosen people.” Kinda like Judaism was a sort of beta test for God’s religion, or like a charter membership. The first ones in got special treatment and extra benefits in exchange for taking a risk on a new thing and giving up more than others later would have to (picture all the iPhone buyers who bought them at like $500 with non-working antennae, only to have other people buy them six months later at like $200 with all the bugs worked out). That just really struck me as a good frame with which to look at the difference between Judaism and Christianity or the Old Testament and the New Testament. It also makes it easier to read all these extensive rules about faith (there’s a lot more to come, I’m told…eeep, Leviticus!) and see how they don’t necessarily directly apply to current day life, especially for Christians (might be different if you’re Jewish).

As always, I appreciate feedback, more answers, more questions, comments, arguments, etc.!

Picking and Choosing What to Follow (Exodus 35-36, Psalm 16)

This seems to be as good of a topic as any to kick-off my Bible Year blog. I’ll slowly catch up on posts from the last month and a half, but so as not to paralyze myself with feeling overwhelmed, I’ll just start posting as I go, as well.

The readings for Sunday, February 12th covered Exodus 35-36 and Psalm 16. I’ve been fairly bored by the chapters in Exodus that describe in very fine detail just how exactly to build God’s shrines and how to decorate them…and now, in the same level of detail, just how exactly the Israelites are building and decorating those shrines. So, originally, I hadn’t really thought there’d be anything to pull out of these readings and discuss. But then I watched John Vest’s video post on this set of readings in which he pulls out for discussion rules concerning the Sabbath (there’s a heck of a lot of that in Exodus, too…I sometimes think that I’m accidentally re-reading things I’ve already read!).

“Do your work for six days, but the seventh day should be holy to you, a Sabbath of complete rest for the LORD . Whoever does any work on the Sabbath will be put to death.” (Exodus 35: 1-2)

If you work on the Sabbath, well, you should be put to death. Who really besides the super Orthodox Jews and Chick-Fil-A truly follow that? Pretty much no one. And yet, you don’t see bible-thumpers protesting outside stores open on Sundays or flipping out about people who work on Sundays. And as far as I can tell so far, there are WAY more references to not working on the Sabbath (very very clear ones, at that) than there are, as John Vest points out, condemning same-sex relationships (and other things people like to use the bible to rail against). So, on behalf of myself and the many of us out there that do plenty of work every Sunday, let’s be glad no one’s claiming we should be put to death.

Update: My boyfriend reminded me that the Sabbath is actually Saturday. Which, I do know, but I guess I forgot when I was writing this post. Actually, at this point in the bible, the actual day of Sabbath has not been specified, so let’s just blame it on that 🙂

About Me and About This Blog

Hello and welcome!

Admittedly, this is a bit of a strange blog, so I want to tell you about myself and where I’m coming from so you know what this blog is and isn’t. I hope you will find my approach and the content interesting and relate-able.

Background

I was born and raised Catholic. I wouldn’t describe it as devout, but I did go to Catholic school for K-8th. For all that time, I went to mass twice a week and had regular religion class in school. My mother was a typical superstitious Catholic Filipino. My father grew up Catholic, but went through several phases of confusion throughout my childhood (Buddhist one year, Methodist the next, Catholic another year, Freethinker the next). Around high school, I decided organized religion was not for me, but my parents’ (really, my mother’s) bargain was that as long as I went through Confirmation, I could then decide what I wanted to do. So, I sat through Confirmation classes for a couple years, picked a saint name (I think it was Genevieve?), and got confirmed to make my mother happy. After that, I immediately stopped being “Catholic” and started referring to myself as a “Recovering Catholic.” My dad around that time was getting into reading Dawkins and Hitchens, and because my basic conception of religion at that time was either hypocritical, conservative Catholic or crazy, fundamentalist “Christian,” I followed in my father’s (and many liberals’) footsteps down the New Atheist path. But even then, it sat uneasily for me. A friend and I attended a Freethinker’s meeting out of curiosity and with my dad’s encouragement, and though we appreciated the more thoughtful nature of it, I was still unimpressed by a “religion” that based its entire existence around proving how dumb other religions were. As a, let’s be honest here, upper-middle-class, ivory-tower, blue-state liberal, I went through my early 20s without any real conception of what my own views of religion were. I was a nominal “Atheist,” but in the back of my head, I did still believe in God. Of course, part of me thought that was my Catholic guilt getting the best of me, but the other part just thought there was nothing out there for someone who didn’t see herself as either Catholic or fundamentalist. Fast forward to around five years ago when I started dating my boyfriend. He came from a completely different background than I did–grew up in very Christian households, went to a Baptist school for awhile, went to a Christian college, went on mission trips–and in a more judgmental (and immature) time, I probably wouldn’t have thought very well of it. But, he’s really smart and also very convincing and I was a more open-minded person by that time. I started going to Fourth Presbyterian Church with him, at first, just to be a good girlfriend, but very quickly realized that this was a kind of religion I had never experienced before. The head pastor (now retired) was incredibly intelligent, insightful and inspiring. He very frequently tackled head on controversial political issues with a very matter-of-fact approach that I really related to and found refreshing. How simple and yet profound it is to think that Jesus and religion are about love and acceptance, not rules, exclusivity, self-righteousness, discrimination or judgment! I was really shocked to find intellectual, loving Christians. Honestly, it’s really sad that I felt that way, but the divisiveness created by the fundamentalist-atheist dichotomy really leaves out a majority of people out there who fall somewhere in between. And unfortunately, that majority has been a very silent one, allowing hateful rhetoric (from both sides, even) to dominate the conversation and taint the very concept of religion. Whew, ok, before I go too far with that, I’ve now been going to Fourth Church for more than four and a half years. I am in the handbell choir, I used to be a tutor for the tutoring program (will go back when I’m done with school), I attend their special lectures and adult education classes, I used to participate in the Young Adults group, and now I’m participating in their endeavor to read the bible in a year! Which brings me to…

Purpose

…the purpose of this blog! So, as a Catholic, I never really read the bible for myself. The priest (and everyone all the way up to the pope) reads it and interprets it for you and you just swallow it all up. So, everything I knew about the bible was either from Father Fider at St. Michael’s, from the crazy fundamentalist rhetoric or from pop culture. But now, I’m getting the chance to read it for myself…all of it…in a year! Well, obviously for someone like me, it’s so hard to just read it without having a venue through which to analyze and understand it. The one-hour weekly bible study isn’t cutting it, the daily devotions and videos are too narrowly focused (though, appreciated), and my boyfriend’s going to start getting sick of all my questions/musings if he’s my only outlet. So…that’s what this blog is for!

What this blog is:

• an outlet for me to ask questions about what I’ve read in the bible (and maybe someone out there can even answer them!)
• somewhere for me to analyze, get excited about, complain about, attempt to connect, etc. what I read (and again, maybe someone out there wants to engage in a dialogue with me or correct me!)
• a way to catalog the experience, record my various thoughts and feelings, and save useful passages and thoughts for future reference
• a protest against the “silent majority” syndrome/a beacon for people who like to think critically and believe in social justice, but also want to believe in God
• something that’s not at all related to school that I can devote brain space to

What this blog isn’t:

• a real commentary on the bible
• written by an expert
• meant to really “teach” anyone anything, since I am myself just learning
• a daily reaction to every single passage

Caveat

And with that, are the caveats…I am extremely ignorant about the bible, Presbyterianism and Protestantism in general. Again, remember, I grew up Catholic. What I say here comes completely from a personal place of questioning and/or wonderment. I am a total amateur just trying to make sense of this big, influential book. And I keep finding myself saying “ohhhhh, THAT’S what it says” over and over again and I just want to share that.

Logistics

To get down to the nitty-gritty of it (I am Type A and a planner by training, after all…), I just want to explain a few things about the way this Bible Year thing is working. I’m doing the readings through an initiative by Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago. They have assigned out all the readings for the year (though I think they said it’s based off some established reading plan) and there are roughly 3-4 chapters assigned a day, everyday including the weekends. They have chosen to use a brand new translation of the bible, the Common English Bible. I am really liking this translation because it’s in much easier to understand language (so you can focus on the real meaning instead of just plain text interpretation); it’s all online (I’ve found it much easier to keep up with the readings when I do it on my computer like I’m reading the NYTimes); the translation was developed in sort of a crowd-sourced way (though still by experts and in a controlled way), which I find fittingly modern; and it really makes you think hard about certain phrases or passages you’ve heard time and time again, but have been translated in different ways this time. Along with the actual bible readings, I’m doing a few extra things to enhance my experience. I’m reading Fourth Church’s daily devotions written by pastoral and lay staff (which you can get emailed to you or find online). I’m watching the Fourth Church Youth’s daily minute-and-a-half videos reflecting on the readings (which you can find on YouTube). I’m attending the one-hour bible study held each week by a different member of the pastoral staff. And I’m asking my boyfriend lots and lots of questions. All these things help inform my thoughts on the passages and will very often get cited or referenced in my posts. Finally, since I’m already a month and a half into the readings, I will want to get caught up on some older passages. So as not to overwhelm myself into paralysis, I’m going to start going forward and just intersperse with older readings as I go.

Ok…if you made it this far through this post, I applaud you and I thank you for being interested! I welcome comments, questions, discussions and especially answers in the comments! Thanks for reading!