Is the Bible a storybook? Granted, it does have many stories in it ranging from sappy love stories to betrayal most foul. Christianity is based within all of this, and we claim all within the Bible to be historical fact. Millions of people follow the teachings found in the Bible, and we seek to spread the good news to as many people as we can. It would seem that our theology is attractive, but the question is, “Does Christian Theology owes its attraction to its power of arousing and satisfying our imagination? Are those who believe it mistaking aesthetic enjoyment for intellectual assent, or assenting because they enjoy it?” (p.11) In other words, is our theology poetry?
The Christian Theology is not just a story, as stated above, but has been shown to be historically based. It is not the mythology like that of the Greek or Norse gods, but “represents the life of the universe as being very like the mortal life of men on this planet.” (p.11) We believe that the things mentioned in the Bible take place, and we make note that if we believe in an idea, it feels different than one that we do not believe in. To Lewis, Theology is indeed poetry. In saying this, he mentions that it is poetry because he believes it, but he does not believe it because it is poetry. In this, he is saying that, because he believes in Theology, and, in doing so, it becomes more attractive and satisfying. Theology is not always attractive, and arousing at first. In a poetical standpoint, one could say that the Old Testament is more poetic than the new. Look at all the things that happen in the Old Testament. If I were to compare it to anything, I would say the Old Testament reads like the “Game of Thrones” series by George R.R. Martin. There is deceit, conspiracies, love, hate, and many more fascinating things you can find in the Old Testament that makes it all the more attractive to one who seek aesthetic enjoyment. In comparison, the New Testament is quite dry. Granted you have the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus told from four different perspectives, but the rest are more like church sermons in which you sit in and try not to doze off. Once we accept Christian Theology as a whole though, it becomes livelier and even more poetic. “We cannot, therefore, turn down Theology, simply because it does not avoid being poetical, All worldviews yield poetry.” (p. 15) The more we study, the more attractive it becomes.
One thing we must be aware of as we come to study Theology is our attitude toward the subject. If we are to come in with the mindset that Theology is wrong, then we will see facts that prove and solidify our prejudgments. If we come in believing that it is fact, then we will see the things that prove it. We must be cautious with our mindsets in any case. We also should remember that Theology shares poetry’s use of metaphorical and symbolic language. In this, we ask ourselves if the early Christians base their beliefs on this symbolic language? Was the symbolism taken literally and the sole reason that they gave their lives to Christ? Though they probably took the symbolisms literally, they did not base their belief just on this alone. The final point Lewis makes is this, “I believe in Christianity as I believe in that the sun has risen not only because I see it but because by it I see everything else.” (p. 21)
This was a hard paper to write, and I believe my rhetoric may have shown it. I will say that he makes an excellent point in which, though theology has its poetic attributes, it is because we see it as poetic. Poetry does not automatically entitle something to be a mythology, rather it is an attractiveness we put upon something. In the end, I find that we should follow Christian Theology not because it is attractive, but because it serves the purpose of glasses. By this, I mean that through Theology, we are able to see a clearer picture of the world.
The Christian Theology is not just a story, as stated above, but has been shown to be historically based. It is not the mythology like that of the Greek or Norse gods, but “represents the life of the universe as being very like the mortal life of men on this planet.” (p.11) We believe that the things mentioned in the Bible take place, and we make note that if we believe in an idea, it feels different than one that we do not believe in. To Lewis, Theology is indeed poetry. In saying this, he mentions that it is poetry because he believes it, but he does not believe it because it is poetry. In this, he is saying that, because he believes in Theology, and, in doing so, it becomes more attractive and satisfying. Theology is not always attractive, and arousing at first. In a poetical standpoint, one could say that the Old Testament is more poetic than the new. Look at all the things that happen in the Old Testament. If I were to compare it to anything, I would say the Old Testament reads like the “Game of Thrones” series by George R.R. Martin. There is deceit, conspiracies, love, hate, and many more fascinating things you can find in the Old Testament that makes it all the more attractive to one who seek aesthetic enjoyment. In comparison, the New Testament is quite dry. Granted you have the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus told from four different perspectives, but the rest are more like church sermons in which you sit in and try not to doze off. Once we accept Christian Theology as a whole though, it becomes livelier and even more poetic. “We cannot, therefore, turn down Theology, simply because it does not avoid being poetical, All worldviews yield poetry.” (p. 15) The more we study, the more attractive it becomes.
One thing we must be aware of as we come to study Theology is our attitude toward the subject. If we are to come in with the mindset that Theology is wrong, then we will see facts that prove and solidify our prejudgments. If we come in believing that it is fact, then we will see the things that prove it. We must be cautious with our mindsets in any case. We also should remember that Theology shares poetry’s use of metaphorical and symbolic language. In this, we ask ourselves if the early Christians base their beliefs on this symbolic language? Was the symbolism taken literally and the sole reason that they gave their lives to Christ? Though they probably took the symbolisms literally, they did not base their belief just on this alone. The final point Lewis makes is this, “I believe in Christianity as I believe in that the sun has risen not only because I see it but because by it I see everything else.” (p. 21)
This was a hard paper to write, and I believe my rhetoric may have shown it. I will say that he makes an excellent point in which, though theology has its poetic attributes, it is because we see it as poetic. Poetry does not automatically entitle something to be a mythology, rather it is an attractiveness we put upon something. In the end, I find that we should follow Christian Theology not because it is attractive, but because it serves the purpose of glasses. By this, I mean that through Theology, we are able to see a clearer picture of the world.
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