Jesus Against Christianty - Introduction to Chaptre 13

Luke Timothy Johnson said that the search for the historical Jesus is “dangerous because information it reveals threatens Christian orthodoxy and creates doubt among believers”. I feel this statement suggests us to do something outrageous, denying any faith exploration. To question and discover is an essential part of one’s faith life, especially for one to grow in their faith. A faith life is a constant journey, where there are many paths to take. Often there are people on the side of the path, where others have found comfortable places to settle, but I have continued on, not quite ready to settle down as I am still discovering, still questioning, and still growing. I feel as my faith life has become more open, my spiritual life has taken a strong upturn . I am often asking people about their faith views to gain new and different perspectives on what faith is, and this in turn helps me define my own spirituality and faith.

I find it strange that people often use God’s name in such strange circumstances. As the book pointed out, we often misuse God’s name, and may not actually be referring to God in the first place. I also feel it is important to notice that people tend to misuse God’s name in times of some extreme emotion or event. For example, after 9/11, across the nation, a word that was once considered taboo suddenly found its way on to signs, bumper stickers, flags, and verbal statements that all proclaimed “God Bless the USA”. Before this time, I hardly remember if I had ever seen a public proclamation to God as advertised via these means. I found it almost angering that people all of a sudden turned to God (which may not have even been God at all) in their moment of need. For many, it may have been the first time they have mentioned God in a long time. Though it would seem hanging a sign or slapping on a bumper sticker can relieve on the duty of