The Mark

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

homas leaned back and put his arm around his wife. A little move ment was all he needed to return his focus to the preacher. He'd have to remember to get more sleep next week because it can be embar rassing to doze off in church.

"I liken religion to a village full of blind people," Reverend Dale Blackmore continued, standing behind his large, wooden pulpit. "One day a man leading an elephant came to their village. As they heard the elephant coming, one villager said, "There must be a storm on the way I hear thunder.' Another villager said, 'No, there is an earthquake-can you feel the ground shake?' When the elephant ar rived in the village, the man leading it gathered the people around it and told them it was an elephant and to touch it. Some touched its ear and decided an elephant is like a rough, hairy curtain. Others touched its large trunk and concluded that an elephant is made up of long, snakelike appendages. Still others touched the large, hard toe nails of the elephant and decided elephants are hard like rocks." The reverend paused and stepped from behind his pulpit, leaving

April

Thon

his left hand still resting on the side trim. "Why do I share this story with you? Because it is a beautiful il lustration of what religion is. God has revealed Himself to all peoples

and cultures in many ways but we are like the blind villagers. We can only know God in the small context of our own experience. An ele. phant is much bigger than a toenail or an ear. So, too, God is much bigger than just Muhammad, Buddha, or Jesus. Just as an ear, a toe nail, and a trunk are all aspects of an elephant, so are the various religions of the world."

He returned to his pulpit. "One day we will see the big picture, but for now we are limited. Therefore, we will join with believers all over the world, celebrating what God has revealed specifically to us, knowing He has chosen many different ways for many different peo ples. Isn't our God something else?" He raised his open arms, direct ing a response from his congregation.

"Amens" and a generous applause spread throughout the sanctuary that morning at Creston Bible Church. As the congregation stood to leave, Thomas leaned over to his wife and asked what was for lunch.

"After a message like that, all you can think of is food? Perhaps you might want to nap first." Robin gave him that look that let him know he hadn't fooled anyone.

"You should know me by now," he said with a smile. "But for lunch-I was thinking about all those Hindus in India, which made

me hungry for your curried chicken."

She gave him a smirk and bent over to retrieve her purse from the floor. She stood as Thomas waited for a response.

"I'll go get Christie and Sarah, if you pull up the car. And sorry, there's no curried chicken today."

Thomas frowned. "So what should I look forward to?" "Tacos, burgers, or pizza-it just depends which one you want to pick up for lunch."

Robin flashed the same smile that made Thomas fall in love with her eleven years earlier. As he walked to the parking lot, he thought how her green eyes tend to sparkle when she is truly happy. He was glad the girls had her eyes. Thomas pulled the car around and stopped where his family was standing on the sidewalk just outside the church. When they got in the car, the girls, eight and six, started chattering about their classes at the same time.

"Whoa! Slow down... one at a time." His heart warmed to the sound of his daughters retelling Bible stories with excitement and wonder. It was so freeing to be able to come to church and know that his children were learning from the Scriptures in the light of tolerance. Christie's teacher was actually a Muslim on loan from the mosque on State Street. She came every year to talk to the third graders about Islam. It was part of the multi religion training third graders went through before their confession of understanding.

"Daddy? Today in class the teacher said that Jesus was a prophet

like Muhammad. Is that true, because I thought Jesus was God?" "Well, of course He was God, honey," Thomas answered. "I think the Muslims believe He was just a good teacher, but we know He was God... I mean, is God. But that's fine if they think He was a good teacher because they can learn a lot from His teaching."

"Do they need to trust that Jesus died for their sins to go to

heaven?"

"We've talked about this before, Christie. We believe in Jesus be cause we believe the Bible is a letter from God to us. But God has written other letters instructing other things to other people. We don't need to worry about them, we just need to be sure we believe in Jesus."

Thomas glanced over at Robin, feeling a bit guilty at his answer. This was not exactly how either of them was raised, but it was the easiest way to teach tolerance to their children.

And the safest.

Robin smiled at Thomas and raised her eyebrows as if to say he had done a good job. Thomas pulled into the local taco stand and parked. Robin went inside to order, while he stayed with the girls. As they sang their Sunday school songs in the backseat, Thomas reasoned through his guilt. Life had changed since he was a child. Intolerance, even toward another religion, was punishable by fines and even jail time, so in the interest of his children's safety, he had no choice but to sugarcoat all religion. As long as his children knew Jesus, he knew their eternity was secure. He was not so sure about the others, but then again, who was he to claim to have a corner on truth?

Anna Warners sat across from Henry Greer at the café around the corner from their place of employment, Smith and Brumsby. She no ticed his hand casually grasped his soft drink, but his eyes were fixed on hers as she told him about the elephant analogy she had heard at church.

"I really thought it was ingenious! It gives such a practical illustra tion of how little we know about God!"

Now that Anna was again attending church, she chose to share things with Henry, as if she had been there her whole life. She was amazed that in the two weeks since they met, they already knew that the other was a believer. Most conversations didn't get around to reli gion that quickly. She hadn't told him, however, that since she gradu ated high school she had avoided church like the plague. She didn't think that would impress him. She was back in church now, and that was all that mattered.

"Well, I have to admit, that's an interesting take on religion." Henry didn't seem overly enthusiastic, as he lifted the straw of his soda to his lips.

"Don't you agree with it?" She wondered what she had said wrong. "Well, that illustration would work if Jesus hadn't claimed to be God. If He had just been a good teacher or a prophet, then other re ligions could possibly fit together with Christianity. The problem is, Jesus wasn't just a great teacher. He is God. So what He says bears

more weight than other so-called prophets and teachers." Henry picked up his burger and took another bite. "But morality is really just morality." Anna continued. "And reli

gion in general promotes good living and strong morals. That sounds

like a god-thing to me."

"But Anna, Jesus made claims that you have to deal with. He said nobody comes to God the Father, except through Him. That means, unless you go through Jesus, there is no access to God."

Anna glanced around the café, concerned their conversation would be offensive to other patrons. "But don't you think God could reveal Himself to different cul tures in different ways?"

"Then Jesus was a liar. He said He is the only way."

Anna didn't like the tone of his response. She put her fork down beside her salad and shifted in her seat. She leaned over her plate and purposely lowered her voice.

"So, as my pastor says, you believe you have a corner on the

truth."

Henry lowered his voice, too. "Jesus said 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.' You've either got to take Him at His Word or walk away, Anna. As a matter of fact, before Pilate, He said He came to testify to the Truth." He picked up a fry and dipped it in ketchup. "Truth has always been up for grabs and today, when life has become so man centered and subjective, truth is hard to find." He popped the fry in his mouth. Anna was starting to get annoyed at his judgmental attitude.

"I won't go so far as to say that truth is relative. I believe the Bible

is truth." "Then how can you sit there and tell me there are other ways to God and that He is too big for us to really know or understand?"

"But the law clearly states... Anna began.

Henry quickly interrupted. "Which law?"

"Our law."

"As in American law?"

Anna had just about had enough. What began as a nice lunch with a friend was now somewhat adversarial.

"It is illegal to be intolerant of other religions, and if God has set this government over us we should comply. And furthermore, if God is love, shouldn't we..."