Here’s the premise of the conversation.
Previously in the conversation: David offered some words of wisdom in unpacking the approach to the concept of “failure to plan is a plan for failure”. His content on the role of the entertainment industry, I found to be highly thought-provoking. The area that gave me the deepest sign was checking his memories of 2021. It’s one of those entries that you get a glimpse of a man that others don’t take the time to see. It’s worth your time giving this a read.
My brother threw across some tough questions my way and here are my efforts at engaging with them:
Q – Describe your relationship with arbitrarily highlighted times of the year. For example, birthdays, New Year, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, days of national remembrance. Why do you believe they are retained in practice in the public consciousness? What is the moral content of such days?
Giving a thorough answer to these questions should require an extended blog entry in itself. It’s a great question to sink my typing into because it’s both personal and general. So I’ll split it up that way.
Describe your relationship with arbitrarily highlighted times of the year. For example, birthdays, New Year, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, days of national remembrance.
Personal first? OK then. The personal is very much based on context. Here it is. I was brought up in a household that didn’t do a lot of celebrating. That sounds bad to read in text and I’m sure siblings and other witnesses may have a different perspective. I don’t see it as a bad thing because it’s the way things were and I was alright with it. I don’t remember witnessing my Dad celebrate that much at all. And he was cool in life. And I like being cool. A big reason, I believe, for the household not doing much of the celebrating thing was because there had to be a legitimate reason to do so. So there were ‘Christian’ events in the calendar that other churches celebrated which the church I grew up in saw to be at best non-Christian. I chuckle recalling how people would refer to the calendar as the Roman one, as though there was an alternative one that they operated by because if there was an alternative, they never made it explicit how that calendar operated. So the upbringing, the conditioning and the culture were very much ones that didn’t go in for all the cultural celebrations of the wider country in which we lived. Again to stress, I was perfectly fine with that. I have no recollection of feeling that I was missing out or was anyway impoverished for the absence of having these celebrations in my life.
That’s the historical context. I haven’t been in the household in which I grew up for 25 years. So you would at least expect me to have an approach that I take ownership of as an adult especially as there are a number of things that took place in my time in the household that I don’t follow or continue. Where I’m at now, I’m a big fan of asking the question – why? And a follow up to that question is usually – for what purpose?
When it comes to the ‘Christian’ festivals especially Christmas and Easter no one has outlined any solid biblical foundations for the celebration of either of those. For a faith that depends a lot on what the truth of Scripture says to highlight festivals of which scripture in no way highlights is … problematic. I could go into more detail on those two in particular, but the summary position is I do not observe/celebrate those festivals.
Then there’s something as hilarious as Halloween … when I put it through the reason and purpose test it comes up way short of the required standard for me to even begin to think about the possibility of ever considering the probability of giving it the slightest inclination that I’d waste my life in observing, honouring or celebrating that.
How about those national days of significance? Do I get the poppy? Do I solemnly bow my head in remembrance of those who were killed in the conflict to keep this country free? No. I don’t. I understand why others do. I understand why others see value in it. I put it through the reason and purpose processing and the reason it falls short for me is that it tends to nationalism and national identity thing that I don’t subscribe to. I don’t go out of my way to besmirch the occasion or ignore it deliberately. If I’m in a setting and they’re having the minute’s silence or whatever, I don’t behave insensitively to what others hold dear and valuable. It’s just that as someone who sees national identity as a convenient civil function in which I operate rather than being a fundamental part of what defines me, I don’t feel obliged to drink from the well of national identity.
Oh, but what about birthdays and significant family anniversaries? My birthday doesn’t matter to me. I want people to give me gifts because I need the gifts, so I’d want them to give it to me at whatever time of the year it is. They don’t have to wait for my birthday. I do personally enjoy the marking of time and that, but that’s incidental and not crucial to me. My marriage is significant to me and I take the date on which there was the public declaration of the union seriously because of the person with whom I share that day. As a result of that union, the date of the birth of our offspring has significance for us. I don’t wait until their birthday to get them things – if I have it in my power to give it to them, I want them to have it as soon as possible. I love history and history is formed by key dates, so when it comes to how I came to develop this household I like honouring the key dates that mark it.
See all of that? And that’s just touching on my own relationship with those arbitrarily stated dates. By the way is there something wrong with something being arbitrary? I put it to you that context determines whether it is right or wrong. As I hope you can see that I think some of the arbitrary dates have at best personal value and are at worse a total waste of time.
This leads neatly into addressing the next parts of your question.
Why do you believe they are retained in practice in the public consciousness? What is the moral content of such days?
How does the power of tradition persist? It’s about the household, it’s about the neighbourhood, it’s about the culture, it’s about what’s promoted via the media. This combination of factors, I believe, helps the practice of these days prominently in the public consciousness. In terms of the moral content? It’s easy for people to refer to values. There is value in celebrating what it is that makes your community what it is. I think of how the nation of Israel has at its heart a narrative of being taken out of slavery and brought to a land of promise. That narrative is worth celebrating as a people. A key factor of that, to me, is the role the Creator plays in that celebration. For a lot of celebrations and festivals, the moral content is determined by the role the only true Arbiter of what is good and right plays in that celebration. Where He is absent or neglected or misused, then there’s an argument to say that the moral content – however much people can add their much-loved values – can be at least questionable if not outright abhorrent. When I work through the reason and purpose aspect of things, the role of the Creator plays a crucial role in whether I invest time in celebrating it.
Q – How do you define “original sin” in the framework of your christological framework? Do you accept such a notion as true? For what reason?
OK. Interesting question. The answer would be … the human being is created in the image of God. When Adam sinned in the garden, this introduced the sinful condition that has been the affliction for every human being afterwards. To deal with that sin condition God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God to take away sin. Those who place faith in Jesus have the opportunity to receive what they need to address their sinful condition.
That leads to your question as to if I go for that narrative if I accept it as true. My current understanding of scripture sees enough of a flow of the thought that God created humans to reflect Him, they do not, the reason for that is their sin – the tendency towards rebelling against God. Finding that root in the events of Genesis 3 suffice for me.
Q – The modern concept of love, used as a basis for marriage, is simply a form of intoxicated or intoxicating madness, hence weakening the foundations of marriage. What do you think of such a statement? What is the “love” being used? Is it just the whimsical folly of people, unplanned? Or is there enough evidence that it is another symptom of a planned takedown of humanity or its subjugation or control?
I don’t smoke. I have not been tempted to smoke. But if I did smoke, this would be the kind of question that would not bring out the pack of cigarettes, but the pipe. The kind of pipe that one would scowl over whilst pondering furiously the depths of a question like this.
There was a pop song that had the helpful lyric, “I wanna know what love is”. Speaking from the context of a country regarded as being in the West I’m relatively confident that the idea of love is at best messed up. If there is a modern concept of love that is a basis for marriage it’s a mess. It’s a mess because that love is reflected in the sentiment, “I love me, do you love me, what do you love about me, help me to love me more.” That kind of sentiment I can argue underpins the love that is tossed around as a basis for love. So many start with a need to “love yourself first” and to see yourself as “number one” so you need to look after number one. That kind of love has indeed severely strangled the foundation of marriage. It’s also why marriage is a lot more contractual in nature and operates on a basis that if the other no longer serves my needs its ground for a separation to look for someone else to love me as much as I love me.
Is this a planned takedown of humanity? Is it another part of the weaponry to get people into a place where they can be enslaved or put under the control of another? Maybe. Of course,trut that leads to the question of who would be taking advantage of this and looking to oppress and subjugate people? Whoever it is is interested in selling people the lie of freedom starting with being so self-absorbed and self-consumed that everything is about you. The reason why you want change is because of how it affects number one. The reason why you’re up for modern conveniences and their various updates is because of how it satisfies you. If anything comes in the way to threaten that, you will give up whatever it takes to maintain that. You will buy into any narrative that suggests that your blessed way of life is the way of life to pursue and every step must be taken to protect that. If it means divorcing quickly – do it. If it means killing that unborn child – do it. If it means going for any action that will “protect” you – do it. When I outline that kind of thing in my mind, I think those kinds of factors are way too complex for an individual or any set of individuals to genuinely maintain and sustain without genuinely giving yourself over to be enslaved by wickedness. That is to say, it’s not just human.
You asked the question and I could end it there. It is worth saying, though, that the only reason why I can write that is because of a belief in something better. Not just something better, but something good, something true and something right. There is a basis on which marriages can thrive. There is a love perfectly suited for marriage and parenting and engaging with others in community and relationship. There is a love that’s not based on self-interest and twisted and contorted to deliver delusion in huge doses. We get glimpses of the truth, the right and the good. We’re even aware of it if we really take the time to dig deeper. As someone who has experienced this love and seen it in actions in marriages and families and elsewhere, I’m keen to pursue that, practice it where I can and encourage people to truly see that pursuit as being of a far greater purpose than what passes for love in so much of society. It’s a great way to look to brighter days ahead.
My brother I’m grateful for the questions to explore on this opportunity. Man alive, those questions were not a breezy easy walk through the park. Thanks so much!
Please give me your responses to these questions:
Q – What goals have you set yourself and when do you hope to accomplish them?
Q – What is your understanding of original sin? If it is something that you don’t agree with, what is your approach to the nature of man and the concept of sin?
Q – It’s better to reflect on the things that are happening to comment on them than to consider how things might happen going forward and prepare for them. What are your thoughts on this statement and what would you warn young people about as they go into adulthood?
Fitting that episode 21 is the last of 2021, here’s hoping for better and better with each step we take/blog we write. Thanks for your time.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 
I see what you did with the title there. 😆
I might as well put the effort in somewhere in this series. 😉