Friday, July 08, 2005
Experiencing God
One more from TiffSniff, then I swear I'm going back to work.
I just got done reading The Light of Other Days by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter. In it, mankind uses wormholes to create a "Wormcam" that can see everything, everywhere. Soon they realize they can see any time as well, and pry back into all the mysteries of man. I can't destroy the entire book for you, but one quote that I'm going to have to paraphrase hit me so hard.
Toward the end of the book, after a series of attacks on religion unfortunately typical of Clarke's writing, one of the characters comes to the realization that "all of history is nothing but mankind's struggle against the crushing forces dealt to him not only by his peers, but by the very planet he calls home." The fragility of man's life, doubled by the pending doom of the earth, ultimately unites people. As they realize that there isn't enough time on this earth to quarrel, many of them band together.
Of course, this is an idealist's interpretation of a novel that actually turns out rather disutopian, but seeing the new generation that emerges at the end of the novel, a generation united in knowledge, mind, and spirit, makes me think of what could be possible now. Clarke and Baxter unite the human race through technology. Christians unite it through faith. Just imagine millions, even billions, of Christians praising God at the same time.
Tiff's experiences bring to mind several of my own. Winterfest, camp, retreats, all things now years past. But they're big events where everyone does nothing but focus on praise. Smaller moments of certainty come as well, moments when a light turns on and we realize God is still watching over us. All of us.
Like Liz's email.
Like hearing from a professor who had to lead a bunch of scared students from the airport without access to the metro they needed.
Like so many other instances in life. I could spend all day listing them.
Miracle is just a word. Experience is life. And experiencing God is truly living.
Woe to the man who doesn't think God's watching out for him. He might just prove himself right.
But praise God for his mercy, that often it's when we're not looking toward him that he pays the most attention to us. ¶ 0 comments
My faith seems to be based largely on experience. Not miracles per se, although I did see my sister survive her infancy and become the cute little pre-med she is today. But moments of absolute certainty that I was not alone, times when the joy or peace or comfort I felt had no explanation. I have been completely alone, and never felt so loved. I have been in the middle of a crowd of worshipping people and felt and seen nothing but Him. I can't tell you exactly why; if we could quantify our faith, and put it into exact terms, I think it would no longer be faith, just facts.
I just got done reading The Light of Other Days by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter. In it, mankind uses wormholes to create a "Wormcam" that can see everything, everywhere. Soon they realize they can see any time as well, and pry back into all the mysteries of man. I can't destroy the entire book for you, but one quote that I'm going to have to paraphrase hit me so hard.
Toward the end of the book, after a series of attacks on religion unfortunately typical of Clarke's writing, one of the characters comes to the realization that "all of history is nothing but mankind's struggle against the crushing forces dealt to him not only by his peers, but by the very planet he calls home." The fragility of man's life, doubled by the pending doom of the earth, ultimately unites people. As they realize that there isn't enough time on this earth to quarrel, many of them band together.
Of course, this is an idealist's interpretation of a novel that actually turns out rather disutopian, but seeing the new generation that emerges at the end of the novel, a generation united in knowledge, mind, and spirit, makes me think of what could be possible now. Clarke and Baxter unite the human race through technology. Christians unite it through faith. Just imagine millions, even billions, of Christians praising God at the same time.
Tiff's experiences bring to mind several of my own. Winterfest, camp, retreats, all things now years past. But they're big events where everyone does nothing but focus on praise. Smaller moments of certainty come as well, moments when a light turns on and we realize God is still watching over us. All of us.
Like Liz's email.
Like hearing from a professor who had to lead a bunch of scared students from the airport without access to the metro they needed.
Like so many other instances in life. I could spend all day listing them.
Miracle is just a word. Experience is life. And experiencing God is truly living.
Woe to the man who doesn't think God's watching out for him. He might just prove himself right.
But praise God for his mercy, that often it's when we're not looking toward him that he pays the most attention to us. ¶ 0 comments
