Dad,

I am afraid that I must take exception to some of your comments in your last post. Not because they are wrong, but because, as you said, this is a complex subject. First, my wife and I are not on a journey to become good Christians. We are already good Christians. We are on a journey to find the way that our faith will act out in our life, and we are continually implementing changes that will make our behaviors more accurately reflect out beliefs. Being a good Christian suggests that we are making our actions reflect the beliefs and doctrines of others, and that is not necessarily correct.

Second, you said that Christianity is the source for most of the mental health viruses, then you went right into a statement about fundamentalism. I am afraid that you have placed these two concepts into the same basket, and I don’t think that they belong together. Fundamentalism is not a product of Christianity, it is a doctrine that speaks to a specific portion of the population who are more inclined to traditions and dogma than to concepts and progress. I don’t suggest that tradition is less important than progress, but fundamentalism is a system that operates on the fear of change and progress, and therefore is a product of people and is not the practice of Christianity. I am not afraid of Jesus and I have no caution about following his lead.

Last, but certainly not least, you mentioned that the Pentateuch was written in 587 BCE. I think that there are many who would argue that, though it may have been compiled into a cohesive text at that time, the texts were around prior to that date. I am one of them.

You covered a lot of ground in that post, and I think it accurately represents your caution in placing blind faith in institutions that are implemented and run by men and women. That is a healthy position. Christianity, however, is not about blind faith. It is about opening your eyes and realizing that there is a Truth that you cannot deny.

There are traditionally a couple of subjects that are not appropriate for discussion at the dinner table. Politics, family, religion, you know. I am glad that we have the fireside as a resource for breaking out those important conversations.

Bryan