In
the Tulana Centre in Colombo
in Sri
Lanka there are a series of
sculptures and paintings worked by Buddhist monks. They were invited
to depict a Gospel story. One shows the boy Jesus in the Temple
. The figure emerges out of a
wall, and as you look closely so you see in the wall scrolls and
tablets of stone containing commandments, and faces. As you look
more closely you see that these faces are of the founders of world
faiths and philosophies. The boy Jesus is asking questions, debating
with philosophers and faith founders. The Buddhist saw that a distinctive
thing about Jesus was his willingness to think and to ask questions.
In the sculpture Mary, his mother is trying to get the child home.
Mary is the symbol of the church, which does not want too many questions,
too much debate, but Jesus knows that he 'has to be about his father's
business'.
When
Jesus was asked what were the greatest commandments he quoted Leviticus.
But he changed Leviticus. He added to it 'you shall love the Lord
your God with all your mind '.
So
it is a core feature of the Christian faith that they think, explore,
debate, use their minds.
These
pages may help you to do this......
|
