The Sagrada Familia is simply stunning. A remarkable feat of architecture and what could have been gaudy being littered with carvings, statues and scenes was made a piece of beauty by Gaudi who began the project in 1882. The Nativity entrance tells the whole story of the incarnation while at the newest entrance you can follow the Gospel from the Upper Room, to the betrayal, to the crucifixion and the resurrection.
As I took in the expanse and the detail I noticed something that seemed out of place in such a holy story. At the base of two columns marking an entrance are turtles, one under each. I don’t recall a tortoise being prominent in either the birth or resurrection dramas.
The myth of the giant tortoise comes to us from a variety of sources, with many cultures having a story that the whole world is supported on the shell of a tortoise. But why is it here? Why put the tortoise in a mythological position of prominence at the entrance to a place of Christian worship?
Over 35 years of following Christ, I have stumbled upon a number of non-Christian elements that are held up with core Biblical beliefs. It’s called synchronistic Christianity or synchronism, the combining of pagan elements with Christianity to form something that isn’t either.
In the Bible we read in Galatians that Paul is arguing against this kind of infiltration. There were a group called Judaizers teaching that converts to Christianity needed to become Jews first in order to become Christians. First obey the Law of Moses, then accept the grace of Jesus. They’re approach may seem innocent enough to many. But where does it lead?
I was talking with David & Ellen about this, crafting the post through our conversation and thoughts. They referred me to a book called “Pagan Christianity?” which deals with some of the pagan rituals that have crept into Christian worship and theology over time. They found it a transformational and challenging book. (Regardless of your thoughts on the scholarship of the book, it does help spark the mind to consider what is really in the Bible and what is not).
If I believe that saying: “In the Name of Jesus” at the end of a prayer is required for the prayer to be a prayer, then I am probably allowing magic to infiltrate my practical theology. The Scripture does say that “if you ask anything in My Name, it will be done for you.” But it’s not the phrase itself that is somehow magical; for if prayer comes from a self-centered heart that wants a thing to benefit the flesh, then saying “in the Name of Jesus” isn’t going to transform the prayer because it does nothing for the heart.
How many times have you said - I know I have - something that finds its basis in karma? Playing racquetball, when we can’t determine whether a low shot was good or not, we’ll play the point over. If the person making the first shot wins the point we say: “It must have been good.” Karma. When a parking space opens up or all the lights are green instead of red, we might say: “I must be living right.”
In the U.S. we often equate the blessings of God with the American Dream. If I can buy a house, have two cars, go out to eat often and have nice vacations, then God has blessed me. And God certainly isn’t a North American, yet we often put our U.S. culture right up there with what is Biblically correct. The creep of culture into Christianity is subtle and strong.
In Barcelona Catholic Churches there is usually a black virgin as one of the icons or statues. She is
revered most especially in this city. Centuries ago the original statue was taken to be cleaned and it was found her face was simply dirty, not black. Today she remains black because that has been the tradition.
Is something like the tortoise simply cute, a harmless depiction of the myth? Is it ok to pull in fun, minor elements, setting them alongside Christ? Santa Claus is a happy thing, is he not? The Easter bunny is just a cute bunny, and the eggs, well, they’re just eggs connected to a rabbit that doesn’t lay eggs. Nobody really believes in the Easter bunny. It’s harmless, silly fun. Right?
The Galatian Judaizers were saying that Jesus wasn’t enough. Something more had to be added, in this case Moses. Moses would complete the work of Jesus. Silly to Biblically literate people. But lest we are too quick to dismiss the creep in our own lives, we would be well to consider the formula: “Jesus + ?? = Salvation.” Hymns led by an organ? Pews versus chairs? A certain time of prayer each day? A particular method of worship versus another?
Suddenly, Jesus + my personal preference = salvation and we’ve slid into the pit with the Judaizers.
It is my opinion that allowing the creep of myth and culture into Christianity weakens our faith and lessens the understanding of how much we need Jesus. My question is, can we ever get rid of all the things that have crept in? I’m not sure. Things probably vary from local church to local church, from person to person (like insisting it's more spiritual to pray at a certain time and so the form begins to be worshipped more than God Himself).
The turtle made me think. What about you?
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