Vol. 3/11
A sturdy foundation is necessary for building. What does the bible say?
Taken from Matthew 7:24-27, I learned this song as small child:
The wise man built his house upon a rock, the wise man built his house upon a rock,
the wise man built his house upon a rock, and the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down and the floods came up, the rains came down and the floods came up,
the rains came down and the floods came up, and the house on the rock stood firm.
Now the foolish man built his house upon the sand, the foolish man built his house upon the sand,
the foolish man built his house upon the sand, and the rains came tumbling down.
The rains came down and the floods came up, the rains came down and the floods came up,
the rains came down and the floods came up, and the house on the sand went SPLAT!
It was a fun song to sing, especially when we got to the SPLAT!
According to Google, foundation is:
1. the lowest load-bearing part of a building, typically below ground level
2. an underlying basis or principle; justification or reason
3. the action of establishing an institution or organization
It seems that all three of these meanings would be relevant when building, re-constructing, or deconstructing a system of belief.
#1 The lowest load-bearing part of a building, typically below ground
Foundation in this part of the definition leads me to think of the beginning of life. The roots of learning behaviors and norms. A child is taught to bathe, to brush his teeth, and to put on clothing. We are taught to eat food when our body needs nourishment. Without these foundational practices, suffering is inevitable. My belief system went hand-in-hand with the basic functions of life. When a faith-based belief system is paired-up with life’s basic functions in this manner, it’s all that is known to the child. It becomes the core system which is embedded, that which you do not consider stepping away from. However, many foundational practices placed in a child from infancy can only carry a limited amount of weight before cracking under pressure.
Personal Note: In my circumstance, independent thought or expressions were not permitted, which is the same type of indoctrination practices that are used by cults. Like most, I became the product of my environment. In recent years, I have discovered that I have major trust issues. I may not be clinical, but the upheaval of my foundation has certainly created suffering.
In the faith-based environment, the child will do one out of three things with this type of foundation:
1) Grow in knowledge stemming from that foundation. All in. Seeking and thriving. Living by faith.
2) Cannot gain traction. Indifferent, apathetic, confused, then walking away.
3) Conform apathetically. Belief becomes a way of life. Why buck the system? A Pascal’s wager.
#2 An underlying basis or principle; justification or reason
According to Google, justify means to show or prove to be right or reasonable.
I need solid reasons to believe. Living on the foundation that was laid out for me, which was built on sand, caved. I came to realize that no one can do this for me. My heart and mind will never accept any belief system if it is not reasonable to me. Never again will I partake in religious practices without justification.
Justification without unyielding proof is faith. Faith is not foundation.
#3 The act of establishing an institution or organization
I served in the youth ministry for years. I acted as an extension between parent and child during the formative years. This is when parents expect that the roots that they have embedded into their child be cultivated and become grounded. Scriptures and songs are etched into the memory of each child until it is as recognizable as the ABC’s. The bible was the only tool provided.
All three factors of foundation have been used by Christians to establish the church.
This writing is to record the re-building or complete destruction of my foundation. Brick by brick. I hope to find that there is something to believe in. This is a journey. I cannot say where it’s going to lead.