The Noise, Zombies and Thoughts on Fatih

I had a crazy epiphany this summer. It took me by surprise. At first I thought that maybe my mind had been taken over by aliens in another dimension. I like to think about reality in another dimension. It also occurred to me that maybe I had turned in to a Zombie and had eaten another brain. I think about Zombies a lot too. They are fascinating.

Tonight I enjoyed spending time with a friend I don't see often. She was sharing all about what her life has been like for the past 9 months or so. I was listening raptly while still thinking about zombies and dimensions and so on. My friend did have lots to share and it was all interesting and joyful and painful and real, but one thing she said really stuck out for me. She mentioned that someone had told her that her faith in God was a result of being brain washed her whole life. Of course she was very hurt because it was a terrible thing to say. 

But what about it? What if most of us are brain washed? What if what we think being a Christian is, is wrong? What if we all have got it wrong? It's not a very peaceful thought. You can see why I thought maybe it came from another dimension but being the person I am, I have been giving it a lot of thought.

After a whole summer and fall and most of winter I have decided to call it "The Noise". "The Noise" are the thoughts we have about how to be good Christians. These thoughts come from many places and lots of those places aren't consistent with the teachings and person of Jesus Christ. When we let "The Noise" guide our lives it's like letting a zombie eat your brain. Henry Nouwen has a lot to say about it in his book "Finding My Way Home".
  "The devastating influence of power in the hands of God's people becomes very clear when we think of the crusades, the pogroms, the policies of apartheid, and the long history of religious wars up to these very days. It might be harder though to realize that many contemporary religious movements create the fertile soil for these immense human tragedies to happen again. In these days of great economic and political uncertainty, one of the greatest temptations is to use our faith as a way to exercise power over others and thereby supplant God's commandments with human commandments. It is easy to understand why so many people have turned away in disgust from anything vaguely connected with religion. When power is used to proclaim good news, good news very soon becomes bad, very bad news." Henri Nouwen

I have a dear one who has lost faith. It is a blessed thing for me to behold. Although she mostly disagrees with me, I like to tell her that she is closer to the pure and humble truth of Christ than many many Christians. She woke up one day and decided to stop listening to "The Noise" and realized that all the Christianity she had ever known was about power, greed and manipulation. She has never experienced freedom, joy and hope in religion, only rules and propaganda. I am so glad she decided not to let the zombies eat her brain. They did some serious damage though.

I wonder how many of us have any brains left at all?