Acu and the cave allegory

3 Commentsby   |  09.06.10  |  Pre-Renaissance (Part I)

Last year I was the only person in a Bible study in my dorm who was
not Church of Christ. I realized that a lot of the freshman were quick
to jump on the bandwagon and were like people in the cave. My views
were still Christian but a little different and when I challenge their
beliefs their were quick to say I was wrong. I felt their views were
distorted because they were only looking at the situation from their
side and not trying to understand what someone else may think. Some of the girls in the Bible study were really offended and tried to say that I obviously was not Christian just because I questioned how they were saying you should treat people who do not believe in Christ. They claimed to believe that the best way to teach people about Christianity is to go build churches and take them to them. I was trying to argue that the best way is to live the way the Bible teaches us and then people will be more interested in what you try to tell them. I have been to countries where Christianity is not the main religion, and people think that their religion is best. If we try to go tell them that they are wrong in their beliefs and that our views are right, then they are going to think that we are trying to be disrespectful to them. This is like when someone challenges a person in the cave and they refuse to believe what they have not seen.
Stephanie Bell

Comment

3 Comments

  1. Austin Fontaine
    4:36 pm, 09.06.10

    Religion is often one of the most heated topics to disagree with another person on, even more so than an actual worldview; I believe this is because there is a more rational approach taken to the development of a worldview, while it is a faith based approach to religion. Also, religion covers the topic that most people fear most, death. People lash out when they are afraid, and if you call into question something concerning their system of belief about death, they are forced to re evaluate and question the entire system even if only a portion is wrong. So the closer to home a topic hits, the more blindly we defend it. Ironic how the really important issues are the ones we don’t like talking about.

  2. Anne Weaver
    12:26 am, 09.07.10

    It is easier to remain blind to a situation than to do something about it. People typically embrace change when it doesn’t hurt them particularly, but when you challenge deep seeded beliefs, you will find a fight most of the time. I remember living in England when others would question my beliefs. Though their way of expressing their dissatisfaction with the church and religion was not always the most tasteful, they in time grew to respect me (and maybe even my faith) because I treated them with respect. Though one party is out of line, the only way to truly fight back against faulty ideas is to show others the truth. Keep trying to be kind to those in your Bible study even when they’re out of line. I can’t promise their ideas will change, but I can almost certainly promise that they will write you off if you don’t give them respect (even if they don’t necessarily deserve that respect). Keep living out your faith in something greater than a building. Take on big challenges, and don’t be afraid to be wrong sometimes. I hope the next bible study goes better than the last. Take care!

  3. Ian Robertson
    3:49 pm, 09.12.10

    It’s interesting that the girls in your Bible Study believe that a building is the best way to lead people to Christ. Ignorance is a great comforter to the American Church. If we do not know people are dying from hunger and exposure, we need not help them. If we don’t know that having a relationship with someone is the best way to bring them to Christ, we don’t need try, only show up to a building. We lack a lot of humility in the American Church. Most cite that humility is needed when someone is right, and that they need not boast about their triumph, but the fact is that we need humility when we are wrong. Without humility we cannot be challenged, and without challenge we cannot grow as Christians. I’m sorry to hear that the girls in your Bible Study were not humble enough to hear the truth you were trying to say. Perhaps they are best represented by the people in Plato’s cave, and that they did try to tear you apart. But the best thing to remember, something Plato didn’t cover in his allegory, is that as Christians we are called to love the people in the chains.

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