I've been reading the most engaging book this week, "The Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. The story of a young indian boy who is at once a Hindu, Muslim and Christian and his adventures on the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal Tiger. Discribed as a story that will "...make you believe in God" it's full of magic realisim, adventure and faith. Even if that faith does seem a little conflicted...
The first thrid of the book establishes Pi and his life as the son of zoo keeper in a changing India. His encounters with three of the world's major religions and his passion to know God. A little confusing at first I was soon drawn in by his simple childlike attraction to faith. His account of getting to know Jesus had me in tears:
"Father Martin... served me tea and biscuits... and told me a story. Or rather, since Christians are so fond of capital letters, a Story.
And what a story. The first thing that drew me in was dissbelief. What? Humanity sins but it's God's son that pays the price? I tried to imagine my father saying to me,
"Piscine, a lion slipped into the llama pen today and killed two llamas. Yesterday another one killed a black buck. Last week two of them ate the camel. The week before it was painted storks and grey herons. And who's to say for sure who snagged the golden agouti? The situation has become intolerable. Something must be done. I have decided that the only way the lions can atone for their sins is if I feed you to them."
"Yes Father, that would be the right and logical thing to do. Give me a moment to wash up."
"Hellelujah, my son."
"Hallelujah, father."
What a downright weird story. What perculiar psychology. I asked for another story, one that I might find more satisfying. Surely this religion had more than one story in it's bag... religions abound with stories. But Father Martin made me understand that the stories that came before it, and there were many, were simply prologue to Christians. Their religion had one story, and to it they came back again and again, over and over. It was story enough for them...
That a god should put up with adversity I could understand. The gods of Hinduism faced their fair share of thieves, bullies, kidnappers and usurpers. What is the Ramayana but the account of one long, bad day for Rama? Adversity, yes. Reversals of fortune, yes. Treachery, yes. But humilation? Death?
I couldn't imagine Lord Krishna consenting to be stripped naked, whipped, mocked, dragged through the streets and, to top it off, crucified, and at the hands of mere humans to boot. I'd never heard of a Hindu God dying. Brahman revealed did not go for death. Devils and monsters did, as did mortals, by the thousands and millions, that's what they were there for. Matter too fell away. But divinity should not be blighted by death. It's wrong. The world soul cannot die, even in one contained part of it.
It was wrong of this Christian God to let His avater die. That is tantamount to letting a part of Himself die. For if the Son is to die it cannot be fake. If God on the cross is God shaming a human tragedy, it turns the Passion of Christ into the Farce of Christ. The death of the son must be real. Father Martin assured me that it was.
But once a dead God always a dead God, even ressurected. The Son must have the taste of death forever in His mouth. The Trinity must be tainted by it; there must be a certain stench at the right hand of God the Father. The horror must be real. Why would God wish that upon himself? Why not leave death to the mortals? Why make dirty what is beautiful, spoil what is perfect?
Love, that was Father Martin's answer."
The conversation goes on with Pi argueing all the reasons why it's a terrible for God to allow himself to be so vulnerable and to every questions Father Martin replies, it's love. By the end of the story, by the time he accepts Jesus as his Lord and savior I have masacara streams lining my face.
The Gospel is an incredible thing. It is our one Story that no matter how many times I return to it I cannot be unmoved.
The Life of Pi (though please understand me isn't a Christian book and is actually very pluralist in it's perspective of God) is fast becoming one of my top five books this year and I'm only three quarters through. I highly recommend it to anyone with the patience to allow a good story to unfold before them and draw them slowly into the mind of one chld.