I recently read a riveting memoir written by the ex-wife of a Christian fundamentalist minister. Fleeing Fundamentalism: A Minister's Wife Examines Faith is Carlene Cross's disturbing and compelling story of when religion goes wrong and what it is like to be the wife of a man who interprets the Bible literally and according to his own self-interest.
Cross not only shares what it is like to raise three children with a man who preaches one thing and practices another, but she also takes us with her as she begins to question her fundamentalist beliefs. Through research into the Bible and the history of Christianity, she learns that the literal interpretation of the Bible goes against common sense as well as theology. Like a loose thread that begins to unravel, her marriage and her faith are called into question.
This is an inspirational book of one woman's courage and decision to do the right thing for herself and her children, to question her religious heritage and the hypocrisy it presented, and to share this personal journey with others.
In reading this book, you will find yourself enthralled by Carlene's story and you will also learn much about Biblical scholarship and Christian theology. Additionally, it is a reminder of how religious fanaticism--no matter what the religion--can foster prejudice and hatred.
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Comments: 7
The thing about all Holy writings is they are not simple and direct. Very few passages in the scriptures of any faith make flat, outright statements like: "God wants us to think this" or "God wants us to do that" or such.
Most of these writings are either cloaked in allegory or expressed in complex phraseology. I think the reason for this is the Bible, the Koran and other bools are not meant to be elementary primers, but rather to be works that we sit and think about, that we try to decipher, that we contemplate at leisure. It is in this way that their true meanings not only emerge to us over time but also that we understand them more fully for having had to deduce them.
Overall, I believe that when and if we ever take our eyes off God, then we lose our Way. There is neither man nor woman in a pulpit that is infallible. Neither that man nor woman can save our souls. We can learn much from others, and in all things. However, I believe that when we put our faith and trust in anything other than God alone, then we are destined to be disappointed and distressed.
The True Teacher is within us, and we are ready, the Teacher always appears.
Blessings ~
Rene
Mark Twain