Essays

Once Superheroes: Part I

By Johnny Beloved ⋅ September 19, 2007 ⋅  forward to friend ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

Disclose to another Christian that the Garden of Eden was merely a myth and they’ll pray for God to absolve you of blasphemy. Convey that it’s hard for you to presuppose The Fall was a literal chain of events and most likely, some other “discerning” Christian will question the integrity of your salvation. We are taught that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, which I believe. But a slightly more complicated issue is the one of questioning the literal aspects of this story or that. Maybe you’ve already encountered one of those Christians. Maybe, you are one of those Christians. Maybe you’re not a Christian because you have emerging questions concerning these doctrines. Whatever your situation, subjects like these are always hard to answer and harder to defend; because my ostensible hypothesis is this: you won’t be contending for the faith with nonbelievers, no…your war will be with fellow believers who are absolutely certain that their opinion is more valid than yours.

I’m not here to drown myself in a massive altercation with fundamentalists concerning this point of doctrine or any other. The point of this writing is to expose you to my own questions concerning spirituality which have risen like flowers along the (dare I say it?) narrow path to Christ (such a cliché). And though most of the ideas presented in this series will seem rather neoteric, I assure you that any original idea I may posit is more than likely built upon the ideas of one C.S. Lewis, taken from his book, The Problem Of Pain.

For Me, This Is The Beginning

If you have read Mr. Lewis’ (in my opinion) opus, or if you plan to — you’ll find that the ideas I present here to be out of chronological sync with the book. My reason for starting with the doctrine of The Fall is because it was in that chapter that I realized why I was depressed. This chapter was a revelation that opened my eyes to all the minor revelations that had come before it. And though these ideas are merely theories and not indisputable fact, we must remember that there isn’t one single fact presented in the entire Bible that isn’t disputable. Speak loud enough for a length of time and you’ll find some Christian, somewhere, who will be more than happy to tell you that you’re wrong and that unless you repent of your erroneous doctrine, you will find yourself on the other side of eternity with only the flames of hell lapping up the flesh of your soul.

With that being said, I want you, dear reader, to understand that what I’m purporting is merely my own humble understanding concerning a story and a subject that I am (as we all are) incapable of understanding completely. My theories, as wrong as they may be, are based on my understanding of Scripture, C.S. Lewis’ writings and my God-given mind. I do not and will not ever declare these thoughts to be revered as doctrine; because the fact is, I cry in my pillow at night for a God that rarely answers me in an audible voice indistinguishable from the thoughts inside my head.

Everything is open to discussion. Reasonable debate is welcomed. But do not approach this subject with nothing more than the “Bible tells me so” fallacy. Yes, the Bible tells us a lot of things and I praise God for that. But the Bible also says nothing concerning more subjects than not. And in this particular subject, where even the most Christian of scholars will disagree on any given point, I feel that the Garden of Eden is fair game for hypothesis and questioning. My salvation does not hinge on my acceptance of the traditional view concerning this doctrine, but I am required to work out my faith with fear and trembling.

Believe me when I say that write with fear. I postulate with trembling.

What You Can Expect

Starting with the next post, I’ll begin to cover as many topics as possible concerning The Fall, human suffering, depression, and other subjects riddled throughout C.S. Lewis’ book as well as my own ideas concerning these matters. For example, Lewis asserts that the story of the Garden is yes, a myth and he presents many valid and reasonable theories for why it is so rather than literal truth. On top of Lewis’ thoughts concerning the matter, I will suppose that a myth can still be a myth and still encompass the entire truth of the matter.

I’ll eventually go further and assert that such a traumatic event like the dissociation of the human race from the spirit of God would result in some kind of PTSD or other disorder for the entire human race, leaving us in a state where we are physically, psychologically, and genetically unable to handle the truth of the matter, leaving us only the possibility of a story that would provide clues which would enable us to determine a need for a savior.

We’ll talk about how we were once superheroes, unconstrained by the laws of nature; about transfigurations and emptiness and the possible meaning behind it all.

Will anything that I write be absolute truth? Of course not. It’s probably so off base that God is laughing with Jesus and the Holy Spirit right now…”Hey Guys! You gotta read this!” But since God (and the Bible) seem rather silent on the matter, it’s only our nature to wonder and theorize and cope with the pain that pulsates with such force to the very tips of our fingers. Your theories are as good as mine, but they’re not any better. In the meantime, we’ll talk until the day comes and all will be made known. Paul said in Corinthians 13 that “I know in part and prophesy in part.” None of us, not a single one, understands everything the Bible is or isn’t saying. But it is our job to search for the answers. To try and understand who we are, where we’ve come from and how God fits into all of it.

So welcome to my search. You’re in for a ride.