Thoughts on prayer
So I've been reading A Wrinkle in Time and am fascinating with it. I read this book as a kid in third grade or maybe fourth and the concepts of physics and literature and faith in it are so amazing that I have to wonder what I was thinking way back then.
And then I came across an interview with the author, Madeline L’Engle in Newsweek magazine that gripped me.
Here's an excerpt:
"Sometimes I think God is a s--t." Wow. Not the sort of thing you hear very often.
And then I came across an interview with the author, Madeline L’Engle in Newsweek magazine that gripped me.
Here's an excerpt:
What are you working on at the moment?
A book about aging: enjoy it, you might as well. And it’s not all bad. I can say what I want, and I don’t get punished for it.
Such as?
Such as I sometimes think God is a s--t—and he wouldn’t be worth it otherwise. He’s much more interesting when he’s a s--t.
So to you, faith is not a comfort?
Good heavens, no. It’s a challenge: I dare you to believe in God. I dare you to think [our existence] wasn’t an accident.
Many people see faith as anti-intellectual.
Then they’re not very bright. It takes a lot of intellect to have faith, which is why so many people only have religiosity.
"Sometimes I think God is a s--t." Wow. Not the sort of thing you hear very often.
posted by bl at 3:08 pm
3 Comments:
I guess it depends on where you live. I hear similar things more often than I care to.
Although it usually seems like it's said just to get a rise out of people.
Hmm. I wonder what the context is out there in California.
I mean, it's one thing to at least affirm the existence of God.
And then there's the question that L'Engle wrestles with as to whether faith is a comfort or a challenge. For L'Engle, she says challenge and that presents faith completely differently than most other people.
If someone's just trying to get a rise out of people, then they're not interested in true dialogue. However, when I hear L'Engle say it, I get the feeling that she's not just being vulgar.
L'Engle's opinion reminds me of St. Teresa of Avila's exasperated statement when, after getting tipped out of her cart into a muddy stream while she was traveling said to God, "God, if this is the way you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few of them!"
I think both L'Engle and Teresa demonstrate a deep, wide love and intimacy with God, in their willingness to express all kinds of emotions with Him/Her, as one would with the closest kind of family member or friend. God isn't at a remove; He's loved enough to argue with!
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