Earth by NASA
Earth looks like a beautiful blue planet in space -- and it is -- but its surface teems with all kinds of dangers to God's creatures. (NASA Photo)
Special to United Methodist Insight
While it’s true, our planet may be in a special category of being the right distance from the sun with sufficient water and plant-producing oxygen to permit the development of life. It’s also true that this planet includes multiple life-threatening factors.
If earthquakes, volcanos, hurricanes, tornados, mosquitoes, diseases, cancer, heart attacks, ticks, floods, forest fires, and drought haven’t convinced us, the deaths of 3.7 million people from COVID019 should persuade us that God did not create a world that is especially beneficial to humankind.
We’ve tried to protect ourselves from a frequently hostile environment with storm shelters, hurricane barriers, insect repellents, surgery, radiation, vaccines, medications, vitamins, and early-warning sirens and forecasts.
At the same time, we’ve done plenty to do ourselves in with war, murders, enslavements, misguided actions, genocides, stupid behavior, and the destruction of the environment.
On balance, humankind is doing better than we deserve.
Life expectancy has increased, some diseases have been eliminated, vaccines have provided some protection, and heath standards are higher.
Gifts from the host
Our planetary host has given each of us a temporary pass to travel this some-times dangerous speck in the Milky Way.
He provides us with brains, varying degrees of physical abilities, a frequently undeveloped spiritual aptitude, and most of all––family and friends to support us on our travels.
In case, we are uncertain about how we should travel, our host provides us with a complex guidebook and an incarnational road map.
Our gracious host also allows us to ignore these as we wish.
The reason for religion
The late Dr. William Bernhardt, former professor of philosophy at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, taught us that “Religion is a complex form of individual and group behavior whereby people are prepared intellectually to meet the unsatisfactory aspects or inescapable aspects of existence positively–– that is with courage, confidence, and hope.”
He said religion is simply humankind’s “attempt to control the non-manipulable aspects of existence.”
When people could not control death, disease, the behavior of enemies, the weather, or their health, they turned to some form of religion.
While humankind in the 21st century has some control of various aspects of existence that were uncontrollable in earlier centuries, much remains beyond our control.
We continue to need the emotional and intellectual tools to meet the inescapable aspects of existence with courage, confidence, and hope.
Questions remain
To be honest, I sometimes question whether our faith is the result of a collective desire to meet the inescapable aspects of existence or is it the result of an unseen host who provides us with spiritual tools and resources to confront these realities.
The Rev. Jeremy Smith says he begins his worship services with a welcome: “This is a place to explore your spirituality and bring your questions. We don’t have all the answers, but together we ask the hard questions and confront the troubles and injustices we see in the world. With God’s help we use our voices and energy to bring change.”
Thanks, Jeremy. I’ll take a seat.