We all have one... The book that turned our world upside down and made everything, well different! For many of us this happened during the formative years of college. This was certainly the case for me. At 21 years old, I found myself in one of the most conservative Christian liberal arts colleges in the country, Hope College, home of the Dutchmen. As a religion major I was required to take one course in World Religions (how embarrassing is that, only one!)
People had warned me that class was dangerous, some people apparently started to question their TRUE Christian faith from taking that class...
The last day of the semester, Boyd Wilson, the wonderful professor of this class, read us this excerpt, from Diana Eck's book, Encountering God. Now this was after, months of honest, sincere inquiry into not only the world's religions, but also those religions followers. I was so deeply moved by this class, but the impact hadn't hit me until he read us these words...
"In Chaim Potok's novel, The Book of Lights, a young rabbi from Brooklyn, on leave from his post in Korea during the Korean War, travels for the first time in Japan.
"One afternoon he stands with a Jewish friend before what happens to be a Shinto shrine with a clear mirror in the sanctum or perhaps a Buddhist shrine with an image of the Bodhisattva of Compassion. We are not told which, and really it does not matter.
"The altar is lit by the soft light of a tall lamp. Sunlight streams in the door. The two young men observe with fascination a man standing before the altar, his hands pressed together before him, his eyes closed. He is rocking slightly. He is clearly engaged in what we would call prayer. The rabbi turns to his companion and says,
"Do you think our God is listening to him, John?"
"I don't know chappy. I never thought of it."
"Neither did I until now. If He's not listening, why not? If He is listening, then--well, what are we all about, John?"
Now my memory was that my professor closed the book there and wished us all a good summer. (Upon discussing this with him recently, he said their was quite a bit more lecture to go on that last day, but apparently this is where my mind was full and stopped retaining what was happening.)
So he might as well closed the book right there. I remember stumbling out into the daylight in totally confusion.
If He's not listening, why not? and if He is, well then what are we all about...
The book and the question that changed my life.
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