Creativity

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While reading some blogs on lunch today I came across this one by NakedPastor. While I didn’t have time to watch the video I was struck by something the writer said. He was talking about a presentation by Ken Robinson about how education kills creativity because we are taught that we can’t be wrong and Ken Robinson said it this way,

“Unless you are prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original.”     How true is that!

NakedPastor went on to say:

“I believe this to be true in religion as well. Creativity is not allowed because mistakes are not allowed. We are urged to become new creations, while the religious cultures we are a part of add on: “As long as you look like something we’ve seen before!” “

I have felt this oppression a lot lately. When I first started to question things I had been taught about Christianity I felt like an awful person because I was questioning the “unquestionable”. As I started to express these questions to fellow believers I thought I could trust and would have answers for me I found out that most of them had never questioned. They simply believed because they were supposed to believe so they didn’t have any answers except to say that’s just how it is and you just have to have faith and believe. And on top of that they thought I was a terrible person for questioning.

NakedPastor then shared a verse from “Selling Advertising“ by Davis Bazan:

“I know it’s hard to be original.
In fact, nothing scares me more.
Because Jesus only lets me do
what has been done before!”

When I read this I was shocked! How can anyone look at Jesus life and say he only lets you do what has been done before. His whole life was about breaking rules and recreating ideas and ways of doing things. Jesus went against the religious leaders of the day and told them they were wrong and refused to do what they said. If Jesus was sent as an example of how we are to live our lives then we to should be rethinking and recreating things not just settling with what others tell us because that’s what they think is right. We need to question we need to explore. It is time to stop being armchair Christians as they say and get out and rediscover things!

I have recently started reading several books (Letters From A Skeptic and Velvet Elvis to name a couple) that have helped me to realise that these questions are good and healthy and help you to develop a deeper understanding and closer relationships. From what I have seen people who are open to questions and to striking out on their own to find the answers and blaze new paths are much more confident and have much better relationships then those who simply believe to believe. Those people only have skin deep “faith” and when hard times come and things don’t go exactly the way they think it should their weak foundation is tested and often crumbles. Those people are the ones that wined up looking like hypocrites to the outside world because they appear to be happy and have it all together when life is good but as soon as things get a little tough they fall apart.

I don’t want to be that kind of Christian. I’m not even sure I want to be a Christian. Not to say I don’t want to believe in the bible or Christ I just don’t like the way that “religion” looks and how “Christians” have given it a bad name. I was one of those Christians and I am tired of it so I am in the middle of recreating my religious beliefs and I am being looked at much like a scientist or discoverer is. I’m being told not to question because this is just the way it is. Many people have even told me to stop messing with it cuz it’s not broken but I beg to differ! I’m not happy and I don’t have things all together so I’m not going to pretend I am and do just so you can feel better about yourself and your religion.

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