If I Were...Roman Catholic

If I Were...

If I were in the Roman Catholic world, my beliefs would fall under papal supremacy, which is the belief that the Pope is the supreme authority in the church (barring Jesus Christ).  In addition to following the decrees of the Bible, I would also regard what the Pope proclaims in an infallible declaration with the same deference.  I would view the Pope as having a direct connection with God, thus his words and mandates as the voice of God to modern man.

Pope Francis

Why I'm Not...

I believe the Pope does have a direct connection to God...just as all who are saved do.  I respect what the Pope has to say...just as I respect all followers of God who have engaged in intense, lifelong study of the Scriptures.  I do not view him as the supreme leader of my church, because I do not agree with him on some key points of Christian theology/doctrine...but I have no problem with such a system of church leadership structure, as there are plenty similar examples in the Bible (Moses, David, Paul, Peter, etc.).  For the most part, I really have no problem with the office of the Pope.

However, I cannot accept that he can, at will, declare something as the infallible word of God, unless He is directly quoting Scripture.  Otherwise, he would be adding to the Scripture, and the Bible itself denies that that is truth.

You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you. ~ Deuteronomy 4:2

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. ~ Revelation 22:18

Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.  Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you and you be found a liar. ~ Proverbs 30:5-6

Who is the Pope to you? 

If I Were...An Eastern Orthodox Christian

If I were...

If I were an Eastern Orthodox Christian, I would consider "the world" to be the specific passions, or emotional temptations, that separate one from God.  My goal would be to deny these sinful desires in order to gain salvation (rescued from hell, entrance to heaven, one with God).  I would do so with the practice of asceticism, which in general terms, is the denying of pleasures in order to reject temptation and/or draw near to God.

Why I'm not...

My main issue with Eastern Orthodoxy is that there is no salvation by grace alone.  The whole reason Jesus died on the Cross is because it is impossible for us to deny enough sinful passions/temptations to gain salvation.  Ephesians 2:8 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God."  In other words, nothing I do makes me more or less saved.  It is all Jesus' doing.

Secondly, asceticism tends to call for its adherents to reject all pleasures or even to inflict pain and suffering on oneself in order to earn salvation.  Jesus "came that they might have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).  There are plenty of pleasures that glorify God, and it seems to me to be a slap in Christ's face to intentionally reject them when He came that we might enjoy them.  I love Jesus, and while I am in this earthly world, I intend to enjoy what He has provided.

How do you feel about asceticism?

If I were...Christian (Hint: I am)

The World

If I were a Christian, my understanding of "the world" would be defined as all things not of God/Jesus Christ.  Sinful temptations and "fleshly" - not of the Holy Spirit - desires would comprise this world.  

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” ~ John 18:36

His World

If I were saved by Jesus' death on the cross, I would now belong to a different world: Christ's spiritual one.

You know him, for he dwells with you and will be[a] in you. ~ John 14:17b

My purpose would be to please my Jesus and deny my sinful nature.

My World

Jesus said that, as a child of God, I may be living in the world, but I am not of it.

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. ~ John 15:19

If I were a Christian, I would face difficulty living in the world.  Not only would I have to fight my sinful nature, but many others would not like me simply because I follow Jesus and stand for His principles.

Why I Am...

I am only in this world for a little while before I die and permanently live in the spiritual world.  My sin nature condemns me to hell, which is just terrible no matter how one envisions it.  I am lonely and empty without Jesus in my life.  He is worth the trials that I go through because I reject the world.  He rescued me not only from eternity in hell, but a life of bitterness and despair.  He is my Best Friend, and I want to tell the world about His amazing love for me and let everyone know that He loves them just as much!

How do you view Christianity?

If I Were...Buddhist

If I were Buddhist, I would be living in the world.  Well duh, right?  No, not exactly.  I would not consider monks in a monastery to be in the world.

They aren't in the world until they cross the property line.

If I were Buddhist, I would be very focused on the material world.  Every time I enter a home goods store, I want more things to decorate my house.  A considerable amount of time at home is spent worrying over the finances, trying to accrue rather than lose.  Even my relationships with family and friends might be considered the material world, as I am trying to gain the affections of other people, rather than focusing on enlightenment.

More More More!

If I were Buddhist, happiness would not be achieved from any of the aforementioned pursuits in which I am currently involved.  Certain aspects of my life would be encouraged to take priority, however.  My search for wisdom should be increased and should influence every decision I make.  Sacrifice and service encourages perspective, so I should be giving away much of my possessions, rather than constantly gathering them.  Above all, I should be separating myself from the stresses and pulls of the world to meditate, let it go, and align my body and mind with the universe.

Release

Why I'm Not

Jesus calls us to be in the world, but not of it (John 17:14-19).  I am not supposed to hide away, but rather go and create loving relationships with people to show them the Good News of the Gospel.  Indeed, I should definitely lessen my focus on the material world, but for the sake of Christ's service and selflessness.  The wisdom for which I search is in the Bible.  When I meditate, it is not to become one with the universe, but rather to deepen my relationship with my Savior.

But if I were....

My life, at first glance, might be very similar to what it is now.  Many of the moral principles are the same.  But the reason for these principles are so different.  I would let go and be empty.

Instead, I let go, and I am filled.

How would your life be different if you were Buddhist?

My Cosmological Picture

As the first of several posts involving the world's most prevalent religions and mythologies, I'd like to open with a talk about mythological cosmologies, which for these intensive purposes are symbolic pictures representing the structure of the world.  According to Wikipedia:

Mythological cosmologies often depict the world as centered around an axis mundi and delimited by a boundary such as a world ocean, a world serpent, or similar.  In some regions, worldliness (also called carnality) is that which relates to this world as opposed to other worlds or realms.

Above, you see some pictures of several mythological cosmologies.  Today, I'd like to share with you a cosmology that I created.  The purpose of this is twofold.  First, I'm a visual person and I want to examine and be able to explain to myself my view on the makeup of the world and how I relate to it.  Second, I want to share it with you and encourage you to come up with your own personal cosmology.

Imagine before you a cross.  Yes, like the one upon which Jesus died.  This cross is my axis mundi, or central point around and on which the world - physical and spiritual - rests.  Jesus' death upon this cross - and subsequent resurrection - is the reason I am alive today.  My entire life - you might say my world - revolves around this symbol.

Now imagine with me the rest of the picture.  At the base of the cross, a large crown of thorns encircles it, leaving only a small space close to the cross safe for bare feet.  Surrounding the thorns, we see nothing but sinister, black, rolling clouds.  

Many people are tied to the cross with bright red ribbons around their waists.  Almost like a maypole, the people have a range of motion allowing them to travel some distance from the cross.  Quite a few are standing in the crown of thorns, but none of them can stray far enough to be claimed by the dark, cloudy abyss.  

These people are at varying heights on the lower part of the cross.  While there are some in every age group at all different heights, the higher ones are generally older, if you care to notice.

Above the horizontal beam of the cross, people are no longer tied to the cross.  They all have their hands up, move freely about, and appear to be radiantly happy.  In fact, there is almost a golden glow on everyone and everything.

At the very top of the picture, a man sits in a beautiful, ornate, yet comfortable-looking chair.  He has children on his lap, snuggling into His bosom and looking up at Him with rapt adoration.  

Now for the symbolism: of course you already know the cross represents Jesus' death and resurrection.  People are tied to the cross with the red ribbons of Jesus' blood.  The crown of thorns, while retaining the normal reference to the one placed on Jesus' head, also represents the sins and hardships that we undergo while still on this earth.  While people tied to the cross can still tread into the thorny patch, they are held firm from straying into the smoky abyss, or Satan's domain of the Lost.

Below the horizontal beam of the cross, people are at different places in their earthly journey.  Since everyone has a different life span, they are at different ages on their journey up to the divide between physical life and death.  Above the horizontal beam, representative of the River Jordan, people no longer have to be tied to the cross.  There is no danger of them traveling into the world of sin any longer.  They are in heaven, face to face with Jesus, the Man who sits in the chair with children on His lap.

So that's my depiction of how I view my world.  What is yours?

World of Worlds

When studying the world, it is helpful to establish some basic philosophical assumptions about it.  In other words, know your frame of reference for interpretations of facts about the world.  I'd like to look at two philosophers today that view the world similarly to my perspective.

One of the first philosophers I studied in school growing up was Plato, student of Socrates.  He believed that there were two different worlds: the sensible - or physical - world and the intelligible - or conceptual - world.  Like Plato, when I study geography, I look at the raw, hard facts, like the topography, the climate, a country's natural resources, and the population.  Equally important, however, are the non-tangible things like the predominant values of a people group or the religion that they follow.

The spiritual state of people, however, is most important to my studies.  The spiritual world spills over into both the sensible and intelligible.  No one can see or gather hard facts about a group's spiritual lives.  Nor can they quantify it, leading most to categorize it in Plato's conceptual world.  However, the spiritual world spills over into the tangible.  Even from the very beginning, the tangible world would not exist without the reality of the spiritual; God created it.

Ludwig Wittgenstein had an interesting philosophy that coincides with much about how I view the world as well.  He believed that there is one world with one set of facts, even though people may interpret them differently.  This may seem at first to contradict Plato, with his separation of the worlds.  However, the same world that connects his makes it possible for me to come alongside Wittgenstein.

The spiritual world is where we find God and the Bible.  God is clear that there is one truth.  So, in a sense, whether physical or conceptual, the spiritual realm encompasses it all into one world of absolute truth.  People may interpret this truth differently from each other, but that does not change the one truth.  Some interpretations are simply wrong, as I am sure not everything I say in this blog reflects pure reality.

I may have a wrong perspective on certain points.  I may get a few facts wrong.  That is why it is such a blessing to be able to rely on Him in the spiritual world - Jesus Christ - to maintain consistency between all worlds that make up the one world.

What philosopher's views are similar to your own? 

The World: Beautiful Order

Considering the etymology of a word can often bring a fresh perspective to the concept in question.  The term "world" finds its roots in an Old English word that roughly translates to "age of man."  This would suggest that perhaps we consider the world as the story of mankind.  Humanity has a direct impact on the story of the world.  The story cannot exist without it.  Conversely, it is impossible to understand the story of humanity without understanding its environment - the world.

Let's look at some other perspectives surrounding the history of this term.  The Latin inventive literally means "clean" or "elegant."  Many people think of the world as a dark, dirty place.  Due to sin, this perspective is often correct.  But let us think for a moment about the way creation was intended to appear.  It was meant to be pure and beautiful, and indeed, there are plenty of things about it that could be described as such.  Elegance is a perfect description for the intricate nuances and delicate balance of earth's ecosystems.  The beauty of the world - and all it's people - is something truly great to behold.

Finally, the Greek root for "world" means "orderly arrangement."  As said above, sin has caused much about the world to be chaotic.  However, the reflection of the Father in His creation continues to shine brightly.  From the smallest insect to the greatest nation, God's order pervades.  How marvelous that such a diverse world could also be a great testament to the Lord's order and sovereignty!

The World

The term world can refer to both the physical earth and a more philosophical meaning involving everything in the earth as well as the whole of human concepts.  The purpose of this blog is to share and spark conversation about the world, as catalyzed by my reading about it.  I am starting a series of short posts involving interesting facts, current events, and how I relate to the world.  My goal is to study each nation and territory of the world, in order of largest geographical area.

These posts will be full of both fact and opinion, so let me end this one with an opinion.  To get an accurate idea of the world, one must look at not only its physical features, but also what made it what it is today - its history, people, etc.  Also, I believe that in order to grasp an understanding of any subject, it is best to insert yourself into it.  That is what I will be attempting to do with this blog.  I invite you to join me!  Comments are welcome.  Let's get this conversation started!