One of the most challenging things I believe a christian student has to go through is understanding other religions. In high school it was simple to read, recite what each certain practice signified, take a test and forget. However, in college I’ve come to truly enjoy the act of understanding new religions. This semester, I’ve had the privilege to take CC 102 which is a class in which we study the individual and we seek to answer the question, What matters to us and why? One of the ways we aim to that is by reading various authors, most of whom are well established and considered experts in their fields. We reference Plato, study Aristotle and Confucius and Lao-Tzu (so far).
I’m familiar with Aristotle but the other two were complete new ideas to me. They focus heavily on the action or inaction of the individual and through discussing the two philosophies this allowed me to appreciate my christianity more while simultaneously appreciating two others. Engaging in debate with fellow classmates and interpreting the two ideologies made me desire to interpret and flesh out the bible even further. Some may argue that conflicting ideologies may lead you to heated and aggressive arguments but I would disagree. I think you can find beauty in all religions and in turn find more beauty in your own religion.
My experience in class dealing with Confucius and Lao-Tzu have influenced me to dive into some places of the bible and challenge the text that I’m encountering. I’ll end with speaking about Luke 5 1:11 where Jesus gets on the boat with Simon and tells him to put the net back into the clear Lake of Gennesaret after he had been fishing all night and hadn’t caught anything. Simon tells Jesus that he had worked all night and that they won’t find anything. However, despite his lack of faith he cast the net regardless and the net overflows with fish. Simon after seeing this says, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man”. Jesus responds and tells Simon don’t be afraid because he will now fish for people. Reading this a few things struck me: First, why would Simon even entertain the suggestion of Jesus after fishing all day? Maybe he had a sudden change of heart or maybe he wanted Jesus to see that no fish would be found. Second, why does Jesus reward Simon for his lack of faith and him telling Jesus to go away?
I think Jesus knew the heart of Simon and judged him for that and not his actions at the immediate moment. One of the most amazing things I find about Jesus is his ability to take your failure and not only make it a success but elevate you to a level you never imagined for yourself. Simon went from a fisher of fish to a fisher of people. A provider of his family to a deliver of Jesus’s word. Perhaps Lao-Tzu and Confucius don’t impact the way I read the Bible but they made me desire a deeper interpretation of the text.