Saturday, September 29, 2012

By Their Books Shall Ye Know Them

Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; But a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.
Wherefore by their fruits shall ye know them.
This an intuitive idea.

Christianity works on many levels. Ordinary people can live with its basic tenets, by following the Old Testament's Ten Commandments, or simply the New Testament's "Love Thy Neighbor." But further study of even these "rules" unravels their complexity.

I think part of the underlying reason for these layers is so that Christians, whether ordinary worshipers or high level clergy, don't get dogmatic. If they do, they will be confronted with their inadequacies when they reach contradictory or seemingly unresolvable passages.

Another reason is so that people don't get bored with these stories, and will always marvel at them. This helps them find new ways to interpret them, relating them to different aspects of their lives. In some ways, this channels their playful and creative nature, allowing them not to be intimidated by the bible.

The approachability of these stories (I don't want to say the simplicity of these stories) filled with ordinary people so much like them, also allows these stories to always remain fresh and entertaining for the ordinary worshipers. They will be able to relate to them on a personal level, finding favorite stories and personalities, which they can reimagine in their own lives at moments of duress, or joy.

In contrast, Islam's text, the Koran, allows none of these individualized interpretations, or the joy in the creative understanding of its texts. It leaves its followers stunted and restrained. And if they deviate from its instructions, it rewards them with punishment rather than some new insight.