Glocal Christianity

Predictive search results for different religions

The Sydney Anglican Network recently observed that the Google predictive seach results for the phrase "Christians are..." are, shall we say, less than complementary. I'll let you read their conclusions for yourself, but I thought, what the hell, lets see what the predictive search results are for other religions. Here's what I found.

Buddhists are:

Buddhists are atheists

Buddhists are vegetarians

Buddhists are hypocrits

Buddhists are not atheists

Hindus are:

Hindus are cowards

Hindus are vegetarians

Hindus are great

Hindus are bad

Muslims are:

Muslims are taking over

Muslism are not terrorist

Muslism are allowed to lie

Muslims are bad people

Wiccans are:

Wiccans are crazy

Wiccans are satanists

Wiccans are stupid

Wiccans are evil

Atheists are:

Atheists are wrong

Atheists are

Atheists are so stupid

Atheists are idiots

Where does this leave us?

So, we're all in the same boat it would seem. Google, or at least the people searching on it, are predisposed towards hostility. Which suggested a final predictive search...

Google is:

Google is god

Google is evil

Google is your friend 

Google is skynet

Of elephants, blind men and religions

Do you believe different religions are like fingers pointing at the moon, different reflections of the same reality? Would you describe yourself as "spiritual but not religious"?

If you said yes, then chances are you've come across the parable of the elephant and the blind men at some point in your journey. It's a parable that teaches how different people have different perspectives and chances are you thought it sounded very inclusive. But I'd like to challenge that perception of inclusiveness with some words from Lesslie Newbigin:

In the famous story of the blind men and the elephant, so often quoted in the interests of religious agnosticism, the real point of the story is constantly overlooked. The story is told from the point of view of the king and his courtiers, who are not blind but can see that the blind men are unable to grasp  the full reality of the elephant and are only able to get hold of part of  the truth. The story is constantly told in order to neutralize the affirmation of the great religions, to suggest that they learn humility and  recognize that none of them can have more than one aspect of the truth. But, of course, the real point of the story is exactly the opposite. If the king were also blind there would be no story. The story is told by the king, and it is the immensely arrogant claim of one who sees the full  truth which all the world's religions are only groping after. It embodies the claim to know the full reality which relativizes all the claims of the  religions and philosophies.

What if the king had no eyes?

Jesus, Buddha & Krishna

The comes from a fridge magnet, believe it or not. See here for more.

Does God favours testicles over ovaries?

John Piper seems to think so, this week claiming that God intentionally gave Christianity a "Masculine Feel". You can read some of Piper's comments from the Desiring God conference here. You can also read some critical responses from Rachel Held Evans, Christian Piatt, and Kristina Robb-Dover (hat tip to Rod Benson for the links). How do you think the prophets understood God? Was their understanding as unflinchingly masculine as Piper claims?

I say, let's let scripture speak for itself: "Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their ancestors?" (Numbers 11:12)

I think I hear Deborah sharpening some tent pegs.

Further Reading

Do Oracles Need Testicles?

God and Gender: Is Jesus Divinity Measured by the Size of His Penis

Mohammed, Lao Tzu, Jesus, Buddha, Confucius

Cao Dai temple, Da Nang, near Hoi An, Vietnam. See here for the source.

Bill Maher: Not Christ-followers, Just Fans - Christianity and Violence

Some hard hitting commentary on Christians and violence by Bill Maher.

Godsville for the Godless

This evening I discovered a new series of videos satirising religion. It's called Godsville, and given that even Rainbow Serpent does not escape unscathed in the trailer, I suspect it's been created by young Aussie atheists. This episode, Kali's date, features "Buddha, Jesus and Kali discuss the usual; Sex, Dating and Enlightenment."

Hererodoxy in Colour

What do you notice that's unusual about this image? How about the midwives!

Prior to Christmas I made reference to Ninian Smart's seven dimensions of religion, noting that the narrative dimension typically trumps the material dimension in Christianity. 

This may be contrasted with, say, Tarot based spirituality, where the symbols are considered more fundamental than any stories that become attached to them. 

It is worth noting these differences between religions when it comes to critiquing religious art, art being a popular expression of the material dimension of religion. 

This image hails from the Gallery of medieval art in Austria, Vienna, Austria. It includes some seemingly innocuous changes to the story. I say "seemingly" because the presence of the two extra women suggests a possible allusion to the Infancy Gospel of James, a pseudoepigraphical Gnostic text that introduces the idea that Jesus was born of light, not flesh, and that Salome and a midwife "checked" Mary after the birth to ensure she was ever virgin. Given the primacy of story in Christianity, changes to the stories illustrated by art have far greater significance for Christian art than the art of many alternative religions.

Happy 2012

New book by Clifford and Johnson

I just got home this evening to find a copy of "The Cross is Not Enough - Living as a Witness to the Resurrection" waiting on my doorstep. This was a nice surprise, I've been looking forward to this book. Having had the opportunity to discuss it with Ross and Philip on a couple of occasions over the past year, I know we're already on a similar wavelength on the (sometimes forgotten) centrality of the resurrection for Christianity and the implications this has for everyday worship, witness and discipleship in this increasingly multireligious and multicultural society of ours. The cross is not enough, the good news is: he lives! Guess what I'll be reading over the holidays?

For further reading:

The gospel begins with the resurrection

Living the resurrection

Resurrection and the Missional Impulse

Negative Theology from a Christ Centred Perspective

What is an Anabaptist Christian?