Irony in The Rock: God well-poised

In the last couple of months I’ve been appreciating more and more the irony that graffitis all over life. Maybe better: the irony that adds colour to life. I’ve been reading Dark Nights of The Soul, by Thomas Moore, and he suggests that in some of the darkest places we find ourselves in, a sense of profound irony in our human condition and situation in life can be like breathing in a rush of fresh air. Regardless, it’s everywhere.

Today, out of the blue, the idea of God being a Rock came to me. The image of God as rock is given throughout the bible, and I often hear a Christian say that she can be sure of God when all else fails. This rock is the foundation of her life, shelter from the storm, a solid framework to interpret the world into, the one, ultimate surety.

I wouldn’t want to argue against the existence of God; I’m currently mute on such issues. But this seems to be one of the deepest ironies I’ve yet come to appreciate. Of all the debatable truths and half-truths, constructions, ideas, concepts, objects, dreams etc., the one that is most fervently defended and most incomparably relied-upon is surely the most eternally enigmatic. The divine, the supreme being that has eluded theologians and philosophers for countless centuries is that which people pin their whole lives on. How did it come to be this way? Why not something a bit more tangible, like happiness, or goodwill?

I can cynically argue that ‘God’ is poised perfectly for this. God is sufficiently transcendent, sufficiently far removed from my life to evade refutation or criticism. If God were toasters and I tried to refute her, my atheism would quickly evaporate, because toasters aren’t very transcendent. Someone would throw one at me. God is like a puff of smoke, if you try to grab onto it you fail, and your hand just passes through. No-one can put God on trial. People can (and do) get very hot and bothered, thrashing around trying to pin-down and dissect the smoke, but all the time they fail in completing this task. However, ‘God’ is also sufficiently close for people to theorise and find confirming evidence. When I was young I prayed (in hearing of my Mum, incidentally) that I would get an electric car for Christmas. I did. Thank you, God.

If people made Newtonian physics the rock of their lives, they would be disappointed: Einstein came along and showed Newton’s physics to be only an approximation that was not true in all circumstances. Although everyone appreciates Newtonian physics in their everyday lives (though probably without a formal knowledge of the rules), it is too close. Newtonian physics can, and has, been refuted.

If people made bubblewortle (an omnipresent slime that cannot interact with anything other than itself) the rock of their lives, they would be disappointed, not because anyone can show them to be wrong, but because it makes no difference. Bubblewortle is too far away. (Have I just created a google-whack?)

So, God happily sits on God’s throne, enjoying perpetual mystique whilst also being praised for good things that happen, and for the pure greatness of being God. Of course, people’s ideas of God are doubted and overthrown all the time (*Kit raises his hand*), but on the whole, people are safe to base their lives on this concept because it inhabits a space that is just beyond reach, but only just beyond reach. This is truly a God well-poised.

Or, maybe, that’s just the way it is, one of life’s (God’s?) supreme ironies to stop us getting too serious about ourselves.

Ps 94:22:
“…
God (a metaphor for that which transcends all levels of intellectual thought ~ Joseph Campbell)
the (definite article, used to indicate uniqueness)
Rock (One that is similar to or suggestive of a mass of stone in stability, firmness, or dependability)
…”

Technorati Tags: god