Final - AHB

This class has been an interesting survey of a number of different issues related to Christianity. It was an incredible experience to expand my learning with trips to some of the most important sites for the early church. Seeing these places gave the stories an added depth. I didn't walk away with a life-changing encounter with God but I did learn to evaluate religion with a more nuanced perspective. There are many of us whose past causes us to flee religion like the plague; however, I hope to never give up the understanding that the search for god is of utmost importance for human life. I have an insatiable desire to understand the beginning of truth and life, and whether or not I come to believe in one or many divinities that is a decision that will profoundly impact the rest of my life.

What has been most interesting this semester is our discussions on myth. Most Christians would shy away from calling their religious beliefs myths, and this has always been one of my strong contentions with Christianity. We know that even the Bible has experienced a host of changes and revisions since it was first written down. And the earliest accounts would have existed for a long time in a strictly oral tradition. There are reams of examples of contradictory claims within the Bible, and in order to resolve these issues one must make some pretty difficult logical jumps ("He who has eyes" - I guess).

Modern Christianity has done a disservice to its tradition. Churches today seem completely ineffectual, and I become increasingly disgusted by their attempts to turn their message into, "Be a Rich, Happy, and Successful Believer" (That's for Mr.'s Olsteen and Warren). God is used like a music box to get people to dance to someone's tune. These "ministers" have no idea how to connect and impact society. When Jesus commands to "be in the world, but not of it" I'm pretty sure that his meaning was drastically different than what we see today.

I don't think I can say that my religious views concretely changed a great deal, but I no longer see myth as united with ignorance. We learn a great deal about ourselves by investigating the myths that give us meaning, and I think that if nothing else, religion is useful in that respect.