Muzi says

‘Myth is not falsehood; it is a product of mental activity, as instructive and rich as any later product, but its characteristic is that it is not yet distinguished into history, poetry, and philosophy’, writes Charles Gore in his essay on The Holy Spirit and Inspiration. Historians have proved that myth, far from being valueless, is of unique importance to religious faith. Religions were made for security and not truth. I have chosen truth over security. As you read on, you will discover that the truth in this book is actually known truth. Truth is free and costly at the same time. The uncovering of truth is unwelcome and discomforting. In many cases it is a career ending and friendship ending exercise. However, truth has become common property (ask any question on ask.com; Wikipedia or Google.com ). Nobody has copyright or propriety to truth anymore, not even this book. You no longer need a Priest or an institution to tell you truth. Truth, however, brings its own insecurity, a lot of insecurity and turmoil into our lives. Religion does not give truth, but it does give security. Some choose security and peace of mind over truth. I have embraced the insecurity of life and have come to terms with my situation. Just over a hundred years ago, a man now described as the prophet par excellence of the new age, Friedrich Willem Nietzsche said these words, ‘if you wish to strive for peace of soul and happiness, then believe: if you wish to be a disciple of truth, then inquire’. He pointed out that, though the traditional belief in God might bring peace of mind and spiritual satisfaction, it did not necessarily mean that it was true.

I am careful that I do not destroy anyone’s religion. We have to tread carefully on issues of religion. Paul Tillich suggested that religion is that which gives culture its depth and its strength. He wrote, ‘religion is that which concerns us ultimately. Religion is the state of being grasped by an ultimate concern, a concern which qualifies all other concerns as preliminary and which itself contains the answer to the question of the meaning of life’. No definition of religion is likely to prove entirely adequate, however. The unfolding of the Kingdom of God through religious thought since the book of Genesis has always been a source of depth and strength. I would hate to see you reader, lose your peace of mind, your depth, strength and become insecure. I am the first to admit that belief in God does bring spiritual satisfaction. I came to Jesus looking for security for my insecure soul; I found, not security, but the expansion of life. Having said the above, I add that, as much as belief systems are a source of meaning and peace of mind for many, we also have to acknowledge that these are no longer a source of meaning to non-religious and irreligious people like us. Religious beliefs do provide meaning to many, but it has to be stated also that the greatest freedom (freedom indeed) one can enjoy is to have one’s mind free from the grasp of religious beliefs. It was Karl Marx, in 1865, who first prophesised that the truly democratic state ‘can discard religion because in it the human foundation of religion is realized in a secular way. He went on to write, ‘Religious distress is at the same time the expression of real distress and the protest against real distress. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world...It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is required for their real happiness’. Though Marxism has evolved, flourished, and entered into decline under the weight of ferocious capitalism, within a century, Marx’s prophecy on a secular religion has flowered in the same century. Christianity has indeed become the most secular of all global religions.  This has set up Christianity in direct conflict with conservative Islam. Islam was, in part, established as a protest against the secularization in the Christian tradition and the division of God into three (trinity).

I have written this article in such a way that atheists and agnostics will become spiritual and the religious will become irreligious. I however, do this with great caution. I do not want you to believe what I believe, especially if this will bring insecurity into your life. Allow the new evolution of the God concept to take cause in its right time. God has been an integral part of my spiritual journey. He knew me before I was born (Jer. 1:5). ‘If you have a false idea of God, the more religious you are the worse it is for you. It were better for you to be an atheist’, said British scholar, Kenneth Leech.

 Someone commented after my first book, ‘Why write a book when you do not want people to believe what you believe?’ The reason is that some people may not be ready for this. To be human is to be a Humpty Dumpty sitting on a wall in freefall; all The King’s men and all the King’s horses cannot put Humpty Dumpty together. Humpty Dumpty cannot fix himself/herself. Humpty Dumpty cannot stop bleeding! I would hate for anyone to read this book and fall apart like Humpty Dumpty, thus; do not believe what I believe! For some people this artcle might as well be totally out of sync with the assumptions of the world they live in. I write from a totally post Christian and post evangelical perspective. I say more on this perspective later. This is the world I live in, and suspect the majority of Christians in denial live in. Thus I invite you to see the world through my eyes. I write as an evangelical looking from outside. You will realize that along the way the contents of my artcles vacillates between the God who exists and the God who does not exist; a God who is there and a God who is not there; a God we can believe in and a God we cannot believe in; hope and despair; belief and doubt; optimism and pessimism; freedom and bondage; exile and homecoming; Egypt and Canaan; sense and nonsense; kingdom now and kingdom later, etc. It is an artcle about our life and tension! The happy state for a human being to live in, and the one we always seek, is the state of easy, unquestioning loyalty. This book unfortunately disrupts that state. Jesus always disrupted the status quo. Allow me disrupt your status quo. Allow the subversive content of this book to unsettle you in your comfort zone. Hope all that I have said in this chapter has raised your interest in the book and hope it will help you to absorb any shocks from the contents.

I am suggesting a three-fold approach to reading these articles, namely: 

1.       What do I agree with in these articles?

2.     What do I disagree with?

3.     What don’t I understand?

I allow Pastors to use the same approach, should they desire a conversation on the contents of this article. I am aware of the misunderstanding these articles might cause and the further questions they may will raise. Observe the universe as it unfolds and you begin to live answers to these questions. Nothing in this article makes claims of final words and infallibility. Examine carefully what I say here and weigh it in the light of your own experience and what you see around you. Make your own decision whether this book has a ring of truth. Before I take you on the journey of my life, my story, I want to start the next chapter by giving you an opportunity to be a part of this book. All human beings have life-stories and all human beings are stories. All stories form ‘the road less travelled’ individually. 

 

 

 

 

10.   We, Evangelicals will have to abandon the idea that we are the chosen people, we posses ultimate truths, our gospel is the truth, and we alone have privileged access to eternal salvation. We must give up our nationalism, ethnocentrism, and our exclusive religious allegiance. We are not a ‘chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation’ (1 Pet. 2:9), everyone is. This is indeed a recipe for future wars against the un-chosen and the un-holy. Look at the Middle East! We should be aware of any group whose members all claim to be ‘brothers and sisters’ of each other. Remember, the first murderer was a brother (Cain).