last week i was in the ticket line at the movies, and two women were behind me talking about different options. one of the women mentioned that she wanted to see "doubt." the other asked what "doubt" was about. the first woman then preceded to describe some movie that had little to nothing to do with "doubt." she had no idea who was in it or what the plot was, but that didn't stop her speculating. i was actually laughing to myself a little thinking "she's gonna be really disappointed if she sees this movie cause it's not at all what she thinks it is."
i know i'm guilty of this sometimes too, but what's wrong with just saying "i don't know"? why do we have to pretend to be experts at everything? given the vast scope of knowledge in existence, it's not at all inconceivable that there are many things i/we simply don't know. so where's the harm in owning up to that and being honest?
i guess i find this ultimately frustrating in issues dealing with faith and God. again, i would say the majority of things dealing with God we simply don't know. it is guesswork, but then again, that's what faith is. there is no point or need for faith when we can prove something or have certainty about it. but efforts to "prove the existence of God" are inherently flawed because in seeking to bolster faith they actually negate its relevance.
so i've really tried to be honest with people in my churches when they ask me faith questions about life after death or the character of God. i direct them to places in scripture, and i tell them about different theories or beliefs throughout the life of the Church - but i also remind them that we don't know, and quite importantly, i don't know. to some, even perhaps many, this is troubling. after all, i'm supposed to be an expert and have answers about this stuff. but i'm hoping my honesty to admit the vast number of things i don't know or understand will keep me and others asking, seeking, knocking, exploring, and learning. even if all we learn is how much we don't know.
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2 comments:
Sorry for the slow response to your 12/23/08 blog (I Could be Wrong), but I just found the link I was looking for. Richard A. Kalish once wrote a story about a horse on the dining room table, how everyone knew it was there, but no one wanted to talk about it. It was a parable about talking to people who were dying. I oculdn't find a free link to the actual story, but the following is a link to a review/retelling. It's not an elephant, but it may be the origin of the elephant phrase. http://www.epinions.com/kifm-review-13BA-2071812-38E139F8-prod6
hmmm, interesting. i wonder if that has anything to do with beating a dead horse. i love wacky idioms - especially when they get lost in translation. i knew a guy from ghana who wished me luck one time with "more grease for your elbow."
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