It isn’t often that I read the scriptures from which our prompts are inspired, but today I decided I’d give it a shot. As an atheist who grew up Christian, my experiences with the bible are also interlinked with a sense of hatred, rage, and anger. It was this ancient written work that was the cause of so much pain and torment between my parents and I, this book turned what could’ve been happy years of my life into times of misery and sadness. Regardless, I’ll delve into my thoughts on the reading: Today’s reading focused on three characters, Abraham (a saint), Lazarus (a poor man), and a rich man who remained unnamed. In the story, (Luke 16:19-31) the rich man was described as eating luxurious meals daily while the poor man, Lazarus, sat outside the rich man's house starving. When Lazarus and the rich man die, the rich man ends up in hades (hell) in eternal torment, while Lazarus is carried away by angels to be in a place of peace and happiness with Abraham. (Abraham, in this story, seems to represent god and heaven.)
I read this story and found myself at a loss for meaning. What is the moral message the author was trying to convey to the reader by writing this story? Is the intended message that the rich man should’ve fed the poor man? Because if so I disagree. Why is Lazarus entitled to the riches of the rich man? What makes him worthy? Why isn’t Lazarus trying to work or better yet asking for food rather than simply expecting it? Why is this the rich man's problem? If this man worked hard to earn his wealth and Lazarus spends his days soliciting outside of the rich man's house what entitles him to any riches that he has not rightfully earned? Why is Lazarus allowed to escape the torments of hell and make his way into heaven when the bible is all about following the teachings of Jesus in order to EARN your way into heaven? What did Lazarus do in order to earn entry into Jesus’ kingdom? Is being poor simply enough?
This story has left me with many questions; I spent some time doing some research but did not reach a clear conclusion. Based on the evidence in the story I don’t believe that either man had earned a place in heaven or hell, more information is needed for a verdict to be reached.
I choose to read today’s biblical story because I was at a loss for words. I had some ideas about what I could write about but I didn’t really want to explore any of the topics I had in mind, some seemed too personal, others too repetitive, and so on. When I shared my lack of belief in Christianity with my parents several years ago, they asked me if I’d read the bible… Of course, I hadn’t, nor did I have any interest in reading it. Similar to this story, every story I’ve read from the bible was left up to interpretation. These stories always inferred that there was a hidden meaning behind their words, but never truly made clear what it was. Which begs the question, why bother? As someone who doesn’t believe in the existence of a higher power, I simply don’t believe trying to understand this ancient work is worth it, If the author wanted it to be understood, perhaps they would’ve considered making it more clear.
— March
I read this story and found myself at a loss for meaning. What is the moral message the author was trying to convey to the reader by writing this story? Is the intended message that the rich man should’ve fed the poor man? Because if so I disagree. Why is Lazarus entitled to the riches of the rich man? What makes him worthy? Why isn’t Lazarus trying to work or better yet asking for food rather than simply expecting it? Why is this the rich man's problem? If this man worked hard to earn his wealth and Lazarus spends his days soliciting outside of the rich man's house what entitles him to any riches that he has not rightfully earned? Why is Lazarus allowed to escape the torments of hell and make his way into heaven when the bible is all about following the teachings of Jesus in order to EARN your way into heaven? What did Lazarus do in order to earn entry into Jesus’ kingdom? Is being poor simply enough?
This story has left me with many questions; I spent some time doing some research but did not reach a clear conclusion. Based on the evidence in the story I don’t believe that either man had earned a place in heaven or hell, more information is needed for a verdict to be reached.
I choose to read today’s biblical story because I was at a loss for words. I had some ideas about what I could write about but I didn’t really want to explore any of the topics I had in mind, some seemed too personal, others too repetitive, and so on. When I shared my lack of belief in Christianity with my parents several years ago, they asked me if I’d read the bible… Of course, I hadn’t, nor did I have any interest in reading it. Similar to this story, every story I’ve read from the bible was left up to interpretation. These stories always inferred that there was a hidden meaning behind their words, but never truly made clear what it was. Which begs the question, why bother? As someone who doesn’t believe in the existence of a higher power, I simply don’t believe trying to understand this ancient work is worth it, If the author wanted it to be understood, perhaps they would’ve considered making it more clear.
— March
Comments
Post a Comment