A couple of weeks ago I decided on a compulsive buy at Powerbooks --- The Templar Legacy (Steve Berry). I’ve had this fascination with the Templar Knights since I graduated from college after discovering its connection with De Molay (of which one of my ninongs tried to recruit me before, and my dad protested vocally against it) and early Christian history, specifically the Crusades.
Presented in a fictional format similar to Angels and Demons (Dan Brown), the novel embedded a lot of researched historical and forensic facts in its storyline which are hard to dismiss. And these elements challenged one’s understanding of his/her [Christian] faith.
The academic climax in the book made my ‘reading-for-entertainment’ into a ‘reading-for-reflection’. It pondered on the following:
Why do the four Gospels contradict each other and show high levels of inconsistencies when compared side-by-side?
”Why” and “how” did Christ resurrect?
If proof of Christ’s divinity/non-divinity was discovered, what becomes of Christianity?
Let’s take a step back.
Early civilizations didn’t have access to information as much as we do now.
Men before were content on being herded; they depend on others to convince them of their faith. There were consequences then for those who questioned what is preached.
Men now strive to learn.
Men now ask.
Men now challenge.
Last night when I finally put down the book I took a moment to reflect on what I’ve just read. I have a lot of arguments and counter-arguments in my head, taking both sides of the various issues at once. I would have written them here, but I wouldn’t want to spoil anyone’s future read of the book.
At the end of my self-imposed mental debate, I concluded that I will stand by my faith. Not because it’s convenient, but because I’ve molded my life around it. I’ve been taught that faith is composed of beliefs and religious teachings, but I’ve rationalized that faith steered me in the way I live life AND the way I live life steers my faith.
There must be some divine or cosmic force, or perhaps personal intuition, that compelled me to pick out that book. It's a timely read (for me) for the Holy Week.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Challenging Faith
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2 comments:
in my blog stip, i wrote a new life and a new spirit during the time i heard the GOSPEL from Sagada. If i do ever read this, what will i feel kaya?
probably some doubts. you've been pegging a lot on Christian faith recently to keep you going, but what if someone says and argues that faith is just a convenience for man?
but again, you shouldn't let fiction determine your faith.
if you've read (and survived) the Da Vinci code, then you wouldn't have any problems with this one.
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