Spiritus Sanctus non est scepticus

Continuing the concept of faith and doubt,
Since some people that I care about
Had some nice things to say
About my blog yesterday.
.....
I've recently had the opportunity to exercise blind faith in onions.
I couldn't bring myself to do it of course but I did have a momentary
feeling.  That rush of WOW when you read something that sounds revolutionary.
.....
My friend re-posted something she read that somebody else got from someone.
When I first read it, I thought "wow, now that's amazing - sounds to good to be true!"
So I went over to SNOPES and sure enough, another miracle cure debunked.
This one was about the preventative health power (and correlative danger) of onions.
You can read the debunking of both HERE and HERE...
a crushing demythologizing effort to be sure.
Old wives beware, the Mikkelson's are out to turn your tales on their tails.
.....
Now, I used to work on an onion farm and my family can certainly confirm
that come harvest time I smelled so bad that no one would get close to me.
This would indeed prevent me from infecting anyone with my germs, and vice versa.
Other than this repellent power however
I'm afraid onions are nothing more than very tasty tubers.
No matter what your grandmother or her ancestors said, that's about it, sorry to say.
.....
Part of me really wanted this to be true,
since most of my family just fought off the cold I had kindly shared with them,
and since none of us wants to get the flu...
I'd hoped that there was more to this than ancient superstition.

Wouldn't it be great if the ordinary flesh of a humble bulb,
could, once cut and hung in the presence of our sickness
absorb all the disease inducing bacteria that invade our homes?
.....
This indeed was the claim of the story:
a recounting of some anonymous doctor from the pioneer past
discovering healthy farmers homes full of freshly sliced roots
while all over town people were dying of influenza.
And then an anecdote from even darker days when garlic & onions
were employed to stop the plague in its deadly march across Europe.
Next thing you know someone will suggest wearing them to ward off vampires.
What's that?  Psh. I'm always the last to find out.
......
Again, I was really wanting to see a green light of TRUE! at Snopes
or at least a yellow button verifying that the humble onion had SOME superpowers
that could be verified by scientific inquiry,
even if not to the extent of this incredible claim.

But then I got rather irritated that this popular person was
posting medically inaccurate information...
that 155,111 people liked it
and that 568,710 people had shared it.
Over half a million sharing a sham,
distributing digital snake oil?
This cannot go unanswered.
.....
So in a fit of ... irritation... and in hopes of quelling a dangerous rumor.
I wrote the following:

Hi _______, I don't know who you are, but apparently a lot of other people do.
 You've got over 2700 subscribers who seem to love liking, sharing, and reposting your advice.  I saw my friend ______ post your bit about onions... and I thought WOW that IS amazing... in fact that's so amazing that I'll bet somebody has already researched it.
Sure enough. Both of the ideas in your post - the "onion germ sponge theory", and the "blame the onion not the mayo" idea were quickly debunked in 30 seconds by fact checking over at SNOPES. ... may I suggest that in the future, since a whole lot of people seem to take your advice for some reason, that you do a little fact-checking before you post something that perpetuates a superstition?
I read through people's responses and I was shocked to see several people suggesting that they're going to "try onions" to keep from getting sick at work, or to help their child heal. They're a healthy veggie but nothing more, some people may think they're engaged in real prevention when in fact all they're doing is smelling up their house! Thanks for listening!

 .....
Self-satisfied and smug, I wasn't yet done with my debunking club.
I randomly selected a half dozen of her gullible disciples
and hit them with the Snopes links, hoping they'd see the error of their ways.
.....
Several realizations followed this frenzy of fact checking and "onion faith" stomping:

1. this may be exactly the same sort of thing my non-theist friends think when they see me post something about my faith in the God of the Bible.
2. there is great need for healthy skepticism among humans in general and among Christians in particular
3. faith may be beautiful, but blind faith can be deadly... 
4. and fact checking is a wonderful exercise that a rigorously faith-filled person ought to engage in on a regular basis.

I received a wonderful email from my dad in response to my last post.  He suggested among other things that what we Christians claim is actually impossible to believe without divine intervention.  Human reasoning as great as it is, can never convince a person that the Almighty God would take on human flesh to save us from our sins... unless the Spirit of God gives someone the gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8).

Dad writes:  "there is  no human being who can believe this.  That God would come in damned human flesh and go to  hell in the place  of his children--this story line is more  than any human being should be required to accept.  Faith is not a human  possibility.   The truth is: it  is only a divine possibility.   ...  Doubt is our natural state as we react to the Bible's gospel, but the same Dove who descended on our Savior when he was baptized must take his place within us and he must believe in us and through us, and we believe through him.   

As Luther said: Spiritus Sanctus non est scepticus--the Holy Spirit is not an sceptic...  We can be nothing but unbelievers in ourselves, but when the Spirit of  the living Christ takes his place within our sin damaged hearts, we become believers in spite of  ourselves.  

I take great consolation that in the age of skepticism...
Spiritus Sanctus non est scepticus 
Lord save us from ourselves.
.....
I am a believer in spite of myself, not because of any virtue inherent in me.
I believe that the second person of the Trinity emptied himself of all heaven's glory
and became a human embryo, carried to term by a surprised virgin,
a Jewish girl, incredulous yet obedient,
an unplanned pregnancy that was planned before the dawn of creation.

This unique being, fully human and fully divine, in obedience to his Father,
entered this sin infested world, died a humiliating death, and was raised up Lord of Life.

Having been given the gift of faith to believe that this absurd story is true,
I now ask my yet-to-believe friends:
Wouldn't it be great if the ordinary flesh of a humble human teacher,
could, once cut open and hung in the presence of humanity's sickness
absorb all the disease inducing effects of sin that invade our hearts?
.....
It is every bit as absurd as the onion tale, I know.
Worse yet, if you fact check me,
or any other Christian for that matter,
you'll find ample evidence to declare my story FALSE.
The plague of sin seems, often, to be raging unchecked
among even the best of us.
.....
I can only offer you this:
My healing is just beginning.
.....
You see, like some omni-potent onion cure,
I must recommend both an external and internal remedy.
I point to a blood soaked body impaled to a cross outside ancient Jerusalem...
...believing this event absorbed the penalty not only for my sin but yours...
I also must point within me, for the same Spirit who gave me the gift of faith
now dwells within, regenerating the decaying cells of my soul, and declaring
"behold I am making all things new".

Under a blood-red sky... I will begin again

Saw a big bright shooting star at 1am.
I was on the front porch, new pipe in hand,
welcoming the new year; missing family & friends.
Stunning view of the city, calm.
Even the gunfire & fireworks of Oakland had ceased.
Didn't make a wish, but had the following thought:
The beauty of the lights of my City by the Bay
are only surpassed by the splendor of the lights above.
......
Sad that the world probably sang Imagine as one voice last night,
along with the million cheerfully tipsy voices at Times Square...
It is truly a godless and vain anthem of a generation lost in an empty dream.
The folks now wielding power in this world have grown up believing
(or at least acting as if) "no hell below us, above us only sky"
is the most accurate and honest way to look at the world.
......
The year gone by has had gut wrenching moments of unbelievable pain.
Globally and personally it seems few were calling it a VERY good year.
I've felt the cold grip of doubt seize my mind and attempt to strangle my heart.
The love of many grows cold in these latter days.
The very existence of a Divine Community, a loving Three in One,
seems at times to be a vapor, especially when the Father's favor feels remote.
......
Doubts crept in even during Watchnight service,
to shadow my prayers, and mock my songs...
but the Word from the psalmist rang true:
"My heart and my flesh may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever"  (Ps.73)
.......
This song from scripture is relentless in it's depth, honesty and beauty.
It's not a merry melody or a looney tune for new year's eve...
but it makes a great anthem for living out the new year.
If you're already tired of my rant, take a break and go read it now.
......

With zealous vigor a young Bono once sang:
"So we're told this is the Golden Age,
and gold is the reason for the wars we wage...
though I want to be with you night and day,
Nothing changes on New Years Day"
......
Then he promptly went out and made incredible changes in this world,
convincing himself and others that Lennon was wrong.
Peace will come not by eliminating religion, or imagining higher consciousness.
Peace will come when the billion or so who claim the name of Christ...
stop pelting each other with Pharisaical pebbles,
and casting stones at those who sin differently from themselves.
Peace will come when we, the doubting;
the tiny-faith followers of a mighty Savior
chase away the shadows with deeds of justice and mercy,
and stomp the unholy trinity - devil, flesh and worldliness,
with the difficult boot of faith, hope and love.
......
There.  Now I've gone and done it.
I turned what was to be a two line facebook status update
into a blog for New Years Day.
...and in the process I've felt the Spirit rise within me.
"We were meant to live for so much more"
than the fickle, wave tossed sort of doubts that so often bewitched me last year.
God owes me nothing, but has promised everything.
I will go on serving, obeying, and trusting
even if I never feel the warmth of his embrace this year.
......
I think I'm longing for certainty, but in this moment I see
If I can merely remember the promise "Lo, I am with thee"
it will be enough.
We want more than this world's got to offer.
......
That shooting star was no mere rock falling from space through empty sky,
nor was it some portend of luck upon which I should pin a wish,
it was a little piece of creation, set in motion long ago,
by a Majesty so infinite and wise
that knew precisely when it would enter our atmosphere,
knew I would be looking up precisely at that moment,
knew it would make me smile, and inspire me to keep writing today,
writing my way out of doubt to be delivered through the door of renewed faith.
......
Go be the change you want to see.
It won't happen because of your resolutions or your resolve.
But Christ in you, the hope of glory, and the zeal of Lord will accomplish this.
Stop doubting, just believe, trust... and obey.