-2-
(Theological Limitations)
The problem then for theology, and us as human beings in general, is one of
understanding and relating to this God in terms of our knowledge and
experiences as a people. God in His transcendent existence cannot be
understood, limited, or explained in the human intellect without the aid of
faith and personal experience. God cannot be portrayed in scientific calculations,
or measured in terms of tangibles, or described, or defined in factual ways. We
need metaphors and analogies for our intellects to comprehend Her, but these tools need to be recognized as symbolic for
the inspiration and ideas they are trying to convey. All this leads to a great
deal of speculation interpretation and hypothesis at best. We cannot proclaim
what God Is, Her holy will, His eternal plan, or Her
transcendent nature as a matter of absolute truth or dogmatic decree. To do
such is to declare oneself a spokesman for the Almighty.
Any theological argument,
which asserts infallibility to any of its speculation or the manmade written
word the speculation, is based upon (scriptures) or its interpretations of the Word: is flawed and somewhat irresponsible in its claims.
Such ideals also serve to enslave their followers rather than gently guide us,
which is what religion and theology should be doing. Theology should help us
relate to God, not define Her for us. Theology should
provide us the basis for having a personal relationship with God, not declare
what such a relationship should be.
Theological concepts are based
much more in our emotional understanding than in our intellectual capacity, as
we shall demonstrate in a moment. They are much more like schools of
philosophy, or, schools of psychology, where we realize that there is truth
contained in these disciplines - but, it's truth mixed with a great deal of the
personal bias of the writer. We study philosophy to improve our mind, we study
psychology to help keep our minds healthy; and while there are those who might
try to dogmatize their ideals, for the most part we
pick and choose from these disciplines according to our individual needs. One
may argue one philosophical ideal over another, or one might prefer one
psychological school to another, but no credible scholar in these areas would
dare declare themselves infallible.
Theology is no different. We
should use theology to build religious beliefs, which help us achieve a
spiritual well being. In this capacity such a system would not be used to
declare absolute truths or arbitrary laws based upon its conclusions. Such a
spiritual based theology would realize that the spiritual needs of individuals
might vary from one person to the next. The theological speculations, if they
are to be responsible, must guide rather than coerce. They must have latitude,
rather than be binding (as the creation itself is a blend of rules and
exceptions to that rule - especially at an emotional level). The danger of
attempting absolutes in theology is that it tends to attract a following where
individuals can manipulate the faithful, ultimately enslaving their minds. In
the long run, when in control, such theologies tend to cause stagnation in the
advancement of thought. We might cite the church of the middle ages as an
example here. Today, the refusal of many of the literalist’s
theologies demonstrates their resistance to independent thought or ideals;
especially when, they may offer challenge to their narrower belief concepts
such as creation. We must always keep in mind that yesterday's heresy has often
become today's truth only after overcoming the persecution of those who claim
to know the Word of God. Whenever we set out to make assertions about God, we
must constantly be aware of the dangers of men using our speculations to speak
with the authority of God.
Modern theology, if it is to
be responsible, must allow itself the wisdom to know its limitations. It is in
fact, contradictory, for the theologian to assert absolute and binding dogmatic
truths about the transcendent nature of God. At best, in relationship to this
transcendent nature of God, a human being could only be inspired; and, even
Divine inspiration can be flawed, misconstrued, or in error. To equate any
theological argument or any words penned by the human band, as the Word of God
could be considered blasphemous, as such statements imply: that a human being
is capable of speaking for God.
The purer aim of theology, and
of the religions, which follow it, should be to keep the Essence of God in the
reality of our everyday world demonstrating the Divine participation in living.
Far too often, we establish our faith and opinions based upon speculations
about the consequences in a world to come. Yet, the scriptures and inspirations
are trying to convey the relationship of God to our world of living. The Bible,
nor other sacred works, are not about God, but deliver to us a guide to live in
the reality we experience.
The
first rule of responsible theology should be RECOGNIZE AND ADMIT TO
LIMITATIONS. No man has the right to speak with Absolute Divine authority.
If approached properly, theology should be about helping people relate to God;
helping people to find God's purpose in themselves;
for this is all we can do. Human beings do not have the ability to understand
God enough to speak with absolute authority in the interpretation of God's
Will. Secondly, mankind is ever changing; therefore, God's inspiration to us
must be relevant and interpretive according to those changes. In other words,
God's revelation must be as evolutionary as the creation it is intended
for.
NEXT CHAPTER-3-The Transcendent and the Real
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