Читать книгу Religious Implications of Atheism - Konstantin Gennadievich Volkodav - Страница 12

Many Christian theologians [44] have expressed the idea that “Christ is the end of religion,” “Christianity is not a religion,” “Christianity is a judgment on religion,” or something similar. However, when comparing Christianity and other religions, one can come to the conclusion that Christianity is a paradox that is above religion and transfigurate religion.

Even Friedrich Engels, who was not a specialist in Christian theology, quite correctly noted an obvious historical fact, that Christianity “entered into a resolute antithesis to all previous religions.” [45] Indeed, for the whole world, Christianity has become a paradox, requiring a complete revision of all religious doctrines.

A paradox [46] is a phenomenon that can exist in reality, but has no logical explanation. Paradoxicalness is unexpectedness, unfamiliarity, contradiction with the generally accepted, traditional (orthodox) view. Antinomy is a kind of paradox—a combination of real facts that logically contradict each other. The antinomies of Christianity were very fond of emphasizing Christian theologians and hymnographers. Especially many paradoxes are illustrated by the liturgical hymns of Christmas and Easter. For example, the Kontakion of Holy Nativity [47] or the 15th Antiphon of Holy Friday: “Today he who hung the earth upon the waters is hung on the tree . . .”

A separate thick book could be written about the paradoxes of Christianity. In Christianity, at every step, at each dot, at every point, there is an amazing paradox. For example: the Incorporeal incarnates; the Beginningless begins; Virgo gives birth; the Sinless one suffers for the sins of the world; the Righteous Judge is condemned by criminals of the law; the Immortal dies; God experiences God’s forsakenness on the Cross (Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34); the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords washes the feet of the disciples; the power of God “is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9), etc.

It is impossible to understand this with the help of ordinary human common sense and logic. That is why the apostle Paul wrote, “We proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Cor. 1:23). Even the apostles, the chosen disciples, after three years of daily teaching from Christ, still did not understand and did not accept much, their logic was too human. The apostle Peter rebuked him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you” (Matt. 16:22). The apostles James and John, sons of Zebedee, asked to be on the right and left sides of Christ, i. e. receive the highest honor. The other apostles were indignant at them, since and they would like the same (Matt. 20:20–24). But Christ taught them exactly the opposite, “It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:26–28). And he himself “for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame” (Heb. 12:2). And he offers the same to his followers (John 16:2). Instead of the honor they justly deserve, they often endure dishonor (2 Tim. 3:12).

The voluntary suffering of good for the victory over evil is not only “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,” but the apostles themselves for a long time remained “impervious” to this new teaching. And then in history everything repeated itself. The hierarchs of many churches are still arguing with each other over the primacy of honor and will argue until the Second Coming, although Christ taught something completely different (Matt. 23:11; Mark 9:34–35). Beautiful chants, rituals, godly traditions, etc. for many may be attractive, but not self-deprecation, dishonor and suffering, even for the truth.

Therefore, no man could have invented the teaching of Christ. It’s just that no one would want it. And no one would want to follow this without inspiration from above. God whom he loves, he reproves and disciplines (Rev. 3:19), promises his followers persecutions (John 16:33). Well, who will like it? Christian teaching surpasses any human logic and common sense. Krauss says that if a voice from heaven said something to a multitude of people, it would be convincing. However, nothing supernatural, no voice from heaven, is required to distinguish the divine from the human. People without external miracles perfectly feel and understand what is in accordance with their nature and what is higher than this nature. Nobody before Christ taught to love enemies, this is contrary to human common sense.

In any religion, its adepts who can prophesy, cast out demons and perform many miracles will certainly be considered religious leaders. But this is not the case in Christianity. By performing miracles in His name, Christ can say, “I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers” (Matt. 7:23).

All religions require worship and service to a certain deity. This is completely logical, and according to the religious idea, the Roman emperors, the Egyptian pharaohs, the Babylonian kings demanded to be worshiped as gods, they self-deified themselves. However, in Christianity, the opposite is true. The King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Tim. 6:15) wants love, not sacrifice, believes in man (in his potential for deification), becomes a friend to human (John 15:14) and “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45). Christ proclaims the anti-religious teaching that God and the supreme authority in general, and His disciples too, should be like servants, and “the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Thus, Christianity is, in fact, in every point opposite to other religions.

While religion is a socio-cultural phenomenon, in Christianity God looks at the heart, addresses the depths of the personality of each person individually. Sometimes He asks provocative questions or even gives provocative commandments to see the response of a person’s soul. For example, when Christ said to Judas, “Do quickly what you are going to do” (John 13:27), he did not want to push Judas to betrayal, but on the contrary, he wanted his conscience to awaken in him. And when Jesus said to the twelve apostles, “Do you also wish to go away?” (John 6:67) he certainly did not push them away. Does God look wherever the heart of a human bows, for good or for evil?

In the Old Testament, many religious ordinances were given. For example, about the Sabbath or the fact that harlots should be stoned. But Christ did not condemn the harlot whom they wanted to stone (John 8:11) and often provocatively violated the Sabbath in front of Jewish religious leaders. They were indignant at him, and he was at them, saying, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?” (Mark 3:4) God, as it were, provokes people: will you fulfill a religious commandment if it will lead to evil, or will you break a religious commandment if it will lead to good? Perhaps, the Old Testament commandment to destroy seven nations in the land of Canaan was just as provocative: do you want to become executioners?

Thus, it can be sayed that Christianity is a paradox that is above religion and transfigurate religion. And if one tries to explain Christianity rationally, logically, its meaning, so to speak, for atheists, then its most basic core, its essence, its paradoxicality will inevitably be lost. It is logically inexplicable. Myths and legends of different peoples, no matter how fantastic they are, in any case contain traces of human psychology, elements of human logic. In Christianity, at its core, this is not the case. It is impossible to invent it. In it, at every point, there is a paradox and a contradiction to human common sense. Even the chosen apostles did not understand it at first. The former persecutor of Christians, the apostle Paul, labored more than them in the preaching of Christianity. And this is also a paradox.

44

. For example, Karl Barth, Thomas Merton, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Fr. Alexander Schmemann.

45

. Engels, “Bruno Bauer and Early Christianity.”

46

. Gr. παράδοξος—contrary to the established opinion, unusual, incredible, extraordinary.

47

. The Christmas Kontakion describes five antinomies in five verses: Today, the Virgin bears Him who is transcendent, and the earth presents the cave to Him who is beyond reach. Angels, along with shepherds glorify Him. The Magi make their way to Him by a star. For a new child has been born for us, the God before all ages. Greek text: Ἡ Παρθένος σήμερον, τὸν ὑπερούσιον τίκτει, καὶ ἡ γῆ τὸ Σπήλαιον, τῷ ἀπροσίτῳ προσάγει. Ἄγγελοι μετὰ Ποιμένων δοξολογοῦσι. Μάγοι δὲ μετὰ ἀστέρος ὁδοιποροῦσι· δι’ ἡμᾶς γὰρ ἐγεννήθη, Παιδίον νέον, ὁ πρὸ αἰώνων Θεός.