Monday, January 21, 2008

1 Kings 8.35-36

When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, and then they pray toward this place, confess your name, and turn from their sin, because you punish them, then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of your servants, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk; and grant rain on your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.

Once more, this is from Solomon's prayer at the Dedication of the 1st Temple. The theology could be seen as a little primitive - when bad things happen, such as a draught, it is our fault for sinning.

On another level, there is more here.

There is a wonderful book of anthropology, published years and years ago, Magic, Science, and Religion, by Stanislaw Malinowski. A statement such as above is not science, as it involves a intervening force outside of the scientific process, God. It posits an open system, not the closed system required by science. However, it is not magic, as our efforts, such as walking to Jerusalem, do not manipulate God. It is not, "If we do X, then God will automatically have to do Y. God remains God. God is the actor, not the reactor.

Our actions toward God are of religion - prayer, belief in the Power of God, listening, and repentance, and we believe God will forgive and instruct, not because we have done this or that, but because God is God.

No comments: