This video clip speaks for itself really. I'll try and comment on it later, but for now just sit back and enjoy the funniest one minute and fifty seven seconds of your day. If nothing else, this clip sums up the reason why we Irish are so mocked yet so loved all around the world...
Is there a challenge for the church at large, that the people in this clip don't see themselves as bonkers, they consider what they are saying to be reasonably in line with and on a par with the rest of the claims the church makes.
ReplyDeleteWhen ‘sophisticated’ theologians tell people that’s its perfectly reasonable and rational to believe that Jesus was god and flew to the air to be in heaven and that he hears and answers prayers… then seeing the image of da blessit lady in a tree stump is perfectly normal.
You think (as I do) that its ok to chuckle at these people but you’d probably be offended if I chuckle when you maybe say things like “Jesus loves me and has an awesome plan for my life”.
I certainly don't have irrefutable answers, and I don't want to suck the joy out of this clip, but the line you might chuckle at -- "Jesus loves me and has an awesome plan for my life" -- has much more context -- historical, theological and philosophical -- than the line "I see a vision of our lady. That's me anyway, that's my question". Does that make, say, the resurrection more "reasonable"? In one sense yes, but in another sense it doesn't. A dead man coming to life goes right against all that we have seen throughout human history. Our reason will tell us that it can't possibly happen. I think what "sophisticated theologians" attempt to do is tell us that OUR reason is not the governing force behind the world. We don't get to decide what can and can't happen. Whatever reason and rationale we possess is a gift. Our reason didn't begin the world, and so our reason has no right to set immovable boundaries upon it. Of course we should value our reason and use it to make wise choices, but limiting the world to what is only humanly possible or reasonable? Well, there'd be no world if that were the case.
ReplyDeleteTo bring that back to the tree stump...well, I don't know really. It makes me laugh. Perhaps since I proclaim that a man walked out of his grave I'm in no position to laugh, but maybe in one sense I'm not laughing AT this people but WITH them. Or maybe I'm just a big hypocrite. Yeah, that's probably it.