So here are a few cool things that I found right off the bat:
-The major religions that have dominated history began somewhere between 650 BC and AD 650. Why?
-Christianity began in a Western Society. Yes, it sprang out of the Jewish culture which is Middle-Eastern, but Christianity launched into the Graeco-Roman world. This had a major effect on how the structure of the Church developed with hierarchies of leadership, logic, and other Western ideals.
-There was very little success of Christianity in the non-Occidental world (non-Western). Why?
-In the 8th and 9th Centuries, the Church experienced a prolonged struggle with the use of images. Does this have a connection to the struggle of the use of images while the Israelites were wandering through the desert in the time of Moses? Maybe there is a pattern to how people and God are in a tug of war over understanding God in a tangible or intangible way?
7 comments:
I think you will find that one of the greatest barriers between far eastern culture and Christianity is that there is an aesthetic lack of filial piety (reverence for parents ancestors). This has been a barrier for many religions that have made the attempt to enter China and other far eastern societies. The ones who have made it (Buddhism, Taoism, and Confusianism) either have a built-in posture of filial piety, or as they were brought into the culture they were ratified and emphasis was changed to more suit the culture.
This is harder to do with a religion based on a teacher who said you must hate your parents to inherit the kingdom of heaven.
Well said.
what about: honor your mother & father? one of the ten commandments. kind of important. also, Jesus included it when the rich young ruler questioned him on which commandments to keep. yes, robbie, Christ has to be our sole love.
Luke 14:26-27 reads: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters - yes, even life itself - such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." we do have to wrestle with reconciling these two ideas.
having been in east asia, family is incredibly important, in fact the most important thing, entirely above self. the same is true in ghana - and much of the non-western world. i suspect family was similarly important in ancient western culture & in Jesus's palestine. that's why one guy asked if he could go bury his father, why people were shocked when Jesus said his mother & brothers were those who "hear God's word and put it into practice"(luke 18:19-21). perhaps it is not fair of me to weaken Jesus's statement of hate, but it seems inconsistent with the rest of his teachings to simply take it at face value. i would venture to guess that Jesus meant that we have to follow him, even in the face of family pressure, which can be incredibly huge (especially in eastern culture). i think his "hate" also has something to do with the required individuality of Christianity.
so what have i said?
1. honor father & mother is still a command
2. following Christ takes priority over family - which can be incredibly hard
i would argue that there are "barriers" that are equal or greater in western culture. also, based on the later history of Christianity in China, where family loyalty is still important, it seems to me that would not be the main reason for why it did not take root there earlier. i don't know the answer to that question, but i wonder if it has to do with where missionaries (like Paul) travelled.
I definitely agree with matt that respect and love of our family and ancestors is very important in Christianity. Which is why I called it an "aesthetic lack of filial piety". It is definitely there but you have to dig a little deeper than in Confucianism for instance, where it is one of the very cores of the religion . In Christianity where "Christ is our sole love" and everything else falls under that umbrella including love and respect for our parents and family, in eastern culture the family is the umbrella. So when you present Jesus, who in some ways threatens that system, it is a barrier.
It is definitely not the only barrier, and I think matt's idea about where the early missionaries went is probably also huge.
Also check out how Buddhism came into China from India, and you will find out how it was essentially rejected, until it changed to include filial piety. And it is now one of the largest religions in China.
brent i dig it
Brent,
Great research project idea. . . Check out any book written by Rodney Stark.
Two that I'm familiar with are:
Discovering God: A New Look at the Origins of the Great Religions,
Cities of God: The Real Story of How Christianity Became an Urban Movement and Conquered Rome
Thanks Ken!
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