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Posted by Moderator I did a little Internet search with the phrase "simple religion", in an attempt to track down the C.S. Lewis quote I mentioned in the last post. Well, I found it (more below), and some other interesting things as well.... Of course, the search engine brought up a number of Evangelical sites touting their "simple" faith against the complexities of Catholicism and religion in general. But it also had a few links to Islamic sites which stated that Islam is a "simple religion"! The argument goes like this: One becomes a Muslim simply by reciting the Shahada ("There is no God but Allah, and Muhammed is the prophet of Allah.") in the presence of another Muslim. After that, one must just pray every day, fast during daylight hours of the month of Ramadan, give alms to the poor and go on a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in your life. Five requirements; quite simple indeed! Another page contained this statement: "Judaism is a simple religion, which aims at a morel (sic) life. To the Jew's, right conduct is more important than right belief. According to the Talmud every good man is assured of heaven, the gentile who observes the moral law being the equal of the High Priest. Judaism is free from sentimentalism and is averse to self-imposed suffering, idleness and asceticism." (Now, this is a rather generalized statement for an ancient religion with different modern manifestations, from Reconstructionist Judaism to the Hasidim. Some might argue that Rabbinic Judaism is quite complicated indeed, with its long history and many rules of conduct and such.) Yet another page states that the Bahai faith is a "simple religion of love". And a number of sites quoted the Dalai Lama (leader of Tibetan Buddhism) as saying the following: "This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness." Hmmm, seems the Evangelicals aren't the only ones out there claiming their belief system is "simple"! Seems to be considered quite a selling point, too. Anyway, getting back to C.S. Lewis, here is his take on the notion of a "simple religion": ---Quote--- "It is no good asking for a simple religion. After all, real things are not simple. They look simple, but they are not. The table I am sitting at looks simple: but ask a scientist to tell you what it is really made of - all about the atoms and how the light waves rebound from them and hit my eye and what they do to the optic nerve and what it does to my brain - and, of course, you find that what we call "seeing a table" lands you in mysteries and complications which you can hardly get to the end of. A child saying a child's prayer looks simple. And if you are content to stop there, well and good. But if you are not--and usually the modern world is not--if you want to go on and ask what is really happening--then you must be prepared for something difficult. If we ask for something more than simplicity, it is silly then to complain that the something more is not simple. "Very often, however, this silly procedure is adopted by people who are not silly, but who, consciously or unconsciously, want to destroy Christianity. Such people put up a version of Christianity suitable for a child of six and make that the object of their attack. When you try to explain the Christian doctrine as it is really held by an instructed adult, they then complain that: you are making their heads turn round and that it is all too complicated and that if there really were a God they are sure He would have made "religion" simple, because simplicity is so beautiful, etc. You must be on your guard against these people for they will change their ground every minute and only waste your time. Notice, too, their idea of God "making religion simple": as if "religion" were something God invented, and not His statement to us of certain quite unalterable facts about His own nature." (Mere Christianity, Book II, Chapter 2). ---Endquote--- Food for thought. God be with you all. In Jesu et Maria, Link: Is Christianity a Religion?
on 4/5/2001, 8:00 pm
+JMJ
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