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Christianity: Doxa? |
Kylie Mitchell |
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Eng 1020 |
10/31/2013 |
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Contrary to the “free bird” inside of us all, we are all programed with thoughts and ideas. Whether it is the concept of creation vs. evolution, global warming, the five pillars of morality, or what religion you worship, we all have a basic central idea of what is behind it all. We are all theologians. We all have a basic thought of God, whether it be agnostic, atheist, or you chose a particular sect of religion, you believe something about God. If we all are feeling the same thing naturally, that is called a doxa. We all fit perfectly together in an unconscious thought of how the world is to be. Once that idea is questioned and disagreed upon, it enters the parameters of orthodoxy. There is now a ‘right’ and ‘wrong.’ If everyone can agree to disagree without any single idea or thought being “wrong”, we enter heterodoxy, living in perfect harmony amongst one another. As these may sound impossible and theoretical, we have many examples of doxa-like elements in our societies today. Christianity has fought long and hard the past couple thousand years to reach doxa. At one time, the doubt of the God of the Bible was scarce. Although it was never completely universal, it was highly accepted, and seemed natural to believe for a majority in parts of the world, until the death of Christ.
The universal and popular religion was Judaism. The God of Abraham and of Moses was the God that ruled over all. Few doubted this existence. There were Jews and Gentiles. The Jews were the chosen people of God. They were enslaved and God set them free. Even Gentiles feared this God, though they were on the outside of the covenant. Their God promised he would redeem the Jews from their sin. God sent many prophets to help turn people from their sin. The law of Moses was law and this was upheld. This was a doxa. Few doubted the existence of the God of the Bible. After the prophet Malachi, there was...