F
Fate
Guest
I’ve often heard people speak of ‘hearing’ and that the act of having ‘heard’ gives a person more responsibility.
I remember that I often “heard” my mom yelling at me to do the dishes, and could probably even tell her “yea, I’ll do the dishes”, without even realizing she just asked me to do it. (I’ve since learned better after moving out and having some romantic relationships…)
A man growing up in ancient rural China or Japan might not have any knowledge at all of Christianity. A Native American before colonization would not even know about Judaism.
On the next level, we might find someone in a more urban area that has heard of Christianity, but only in passing - basically just the name.
A level above that we might find someone that has heard of Christianity and its basic teachings, but they don’t make any sense due to their culture or upbringing.
The next level we might find someone that has grown up in a non-Christian family in a Christian area. They have constant exposure to Christianity, the teaching, everything, but the parents limit that exposure by not teaching as well.
Then there is the child that grows up in a Christian family, but never really “gets” Christianity due to the parents. They know Christianity, but never ‘accept’ the belief system as they can not, for whatever reason, make it work out in their mind/heard/whatever.
And finally, there is the person that grows up or recieves Christianity, and fully understands - spiritually, emotionally, physically, the teaching and accepts it.
Only the last situation can I really feel confident saying that person has “heard”, and only the first situation (and perhaps the second) am I comfortable saying the person has not heard. The other situations leave a very uncomfortable area of gray, and I’m inclined to say, that there is a lot going on in determining if those people ‘heard’ or not.
So, what does it mean to hear? Is having knowledge enough, or does it require something slightly more?
I remember that I often “heard” my mom yelling at me to do the dishes, and could probably even tell her “yea, I’ll do the dishes”, without even realizing she just asked me to do it. (I’ve since learned better after moving out and having some romantic relationships…)
A man growing up in ancient rural China or Japan might not have any knowledge at all of Christianity. A Native American before colonization would not even know about Judaism.
On the next level, we might find someone in a more urban area that has heard of Christianity, but only in passing - basically just the name.
A level above that we might find someone that has heard of Christianity and its basic teachings, but they don’t make any sense due to their culture or upbringing.
The next level we might find someone that has grown up in a non-Christian family in a Christian area. They have constant exposure to Christianity, the teaching, everything, but the parents limit that exposure by not teaching as well.
Then there is the child that grows up in a Christian family, but never really “gets” Christianity due to the parents. They know Christianity, but never ‘accept’ the belief system as they can not, for whatever reason, make it work out in their mind/heard/whatever.
And finally, there is the person that grows up or recieves Christianity, and fully understands - spiritually, emotionally, physically, the teaching and accepts it.
Only the last situation can I really feel confident saying that person has “heard”, and only the first situation (and perhaps the second) am I comfortable saying the person has not heard. The other situations leave a very uncomfortable area of gray, and I’m inclined to say, that there is a lot going on in determining if those people ‘heard’ or not.
So, what does it mean to hear? Is having knowledge enough, or does it require something slightly more?
