on the one hand....but on the other hand.....TRADITION!
I've been thinking about that scene from Fiddler on the Roof lately, as the Father had to decide just how low he was willing to lower his standards. But there's one basic principle the play left out which bothers me: Scripture.
We have a lot of traditions of man which we follow. There's a lot of things that are not clearly spelled out in Scripture. But there are many things that are (or at least spoken of derogatorily enough that in my not so humble opinion it's clearly not a good thing).
When forced to make the painful decision on whether or not to accept his daughter's marriage to a non-believer, the father resorted to the fact that he had to uphold tradition. And that bothers me. Why didn't the playwrights or screenwriters have him revert to Scripture and the Judaic law? The only answer I can come up with is that deep down people recognize the sacredness of spiritual writings. Had the father said, "The Scripture says this is wrong" and proceeded with the historical precedents of people who had done such things and suffered for it, the ending would have had a totally different feel.
But tradition? We all have traditions, and traditions can change or morph over time without anyone suffering for it.
I'm finding that as I age there are more principles that are harder to hold. I'm also finding it harder to keep my attitude in line when faced with such situations. I want to be like Daniel in the foreign land and gracefully maneuver my way through the darkness which surrounds him. Yet so many times it seems my light only creates chaos to the darkness around me instead of the welcome glow I desire. ON THE OTHER HAND, this can be good, for it forces me to re-examine myself AGAIN to see what I'm lacking, which is often painful to see.
And so I struggle in this world. I struggle to live according to the principles I find in Scripture, to abstain from certain things and yet at the same time to live peaceably with all men. And those two commands don't always easily mix.
I've been thinking about that scene from Fiddler on the Roof lately, as the Father had to decide just how low he was willing to lower his standards. But there's one basic principle the play left out which bothers me: Scripture.
We have a lot of traditions of man which we follow. There's a lot of things that are not clearly spelled out in Scripture. But there are many things that are (or at least spoken of derogatorily enough that in my not so humble opinion it's clearly not a good thing).
When forced to make the painful decision on whether or not to accept his daughter's marriage to a non-believer, the father resorted to the fact that he had to uphold tradition. And that bothers me. Why didn't the playwrights or screenwriters have him revert to Scripture and the Judaic law? The only answer I can come up with is that deep down people recognize the sacredness of spiritual writings. Had the father said, "The Scripture says this is wrong" and proceeded with the historical precedents of people who had done such things and suffered for it, the ending would have had a totally different feel.
But tradition? We all have traditions, and traditions can change or morph over time without anyone suffering for it.
I'm finding that as I age there are more principles that are harder to hold. I'm also finding it harder to keep my attitude in line when faced with such situations. I want to be like Daniel in the foreign land and gracefully maneuver my way through the darkness which surrounds him. Yet so many times it seems my light only creates chaos to the darkness around me instead of the welcome glow I desire. ON THE OTHER HAND, this can be good, for it forces me to re-examine myself AGAIN to see what I'm lacking, which is often painful to see.
And so I struggle in this world. I struggle to live according to the principles I find in Scripture, to abstain from certain things and yet at the same time to live peaceably with all men. And those two commands don't always easily mix.
Comments