Dogma Breeds Sterility
For those of us of the Judeo-Christian persuasion and lifestyle, we’re in the midst of some of the most important holidays of our tradition. The folks at the Presbyterian church where I sing in the choir call it “Holy Hell Week” with all the events, services and what not.
Not to mention the Jewish Passover holiday which always coincides with Easter – for seemingly obvious reasons. But it turns out the date of Easter isn’t necessarily connected to the date of Passover, which would be more accurate biblically. It actually coincides with certain phases of the moon. Add to that the word Easter originates from a pagan festival centered around Ishtar the goddess of fertility. This would explain things like Easter bunnies, Easter eggs and such.
It kind of undermines the whole surface meaning of Easter in my mind, but I guess we learn to roll with the punches. “When in America, do as the Americans do,” as they say.
I’m going to go on a limb and say that the idea of abandoning Easter as we know it in favor of traditions more rooted in the Scriptures would be a tough sell with most American churches. They tend to be quite dogmatic once a certain tradition has been accepted for centuries, right?
The thing about dogma is it inhibits curiosity. I understand the idea of being firm in your beliefs, not falling prey to the many ways of thinking in a culture as diverse as America, but when you say, “Okay, this is what we believe, there is no need to think about this topic anymore,” it’s a slippery slope.
We’re hardwired to be curious creatures. While I have my own beliefs about certain things, be it theological or otherwise, I also like to think I embrace the “question everything” mentality on such important matters.
The way I view the Bible, politics, the military, war, etc. is vastly different here in 2023 than it was in 2003 for example. I would say the same about 2013, and it will probably be very different in 2034.
Other friends of mine think about very important matters such as scripture, doctrine, politics, etc. the same almost to the letter as they did 20 years ago.
Such an existance is unimaginable to me. To have absolutely no curiosity about anything because some folks had a conference 500 years ago which settled the matter once and for all is something to which I’ll give a hard pass, thank you very much.
My own personal brand has undergone quite a few changes just in the last 5 years. I’m not saying my personal brand is better off for it; I have to stick with something eventually! But it’s been a journey with many ups and downs, one I wouldn’t trade for anything – certainly not to have my own beliefs dictated to me by people in positions of “authority”.
This is what’s on my mind on the beginning of “Holy Hell Week” lol. More updates regarding podcasts, performances and other professional activities will be shared on my ever-evolving website. I spent a good deal of time adding some youtubes of my musical exploits just yesterday. You might enjoy partaking of one or more of them!