Conversion
10/04/16 05:13
The book of Acts reports of the dramatic conversion of Saul. The former persecutor of Christians had a radical change of mind and heart as he traveled the road to Damascus. In the end he became one of the most ardent Christian missionaries, spreading the faith to a string of communities and writing a series of letters that became Christian scriptures. The transformation of Saul into Paul is reported as a series of fantastic and miraculous events. He starts out thinking an speaking of murder of Christians intending to arrest members of the new sect to bring them to Jerusalem for trial. Then a bright light flashed about him. He fell to the ground struck blind. He heard a voice asking him why he persecuted Jesus. The voice identified itself as Jesus. He remained blinded for three days during which he neither ate nor drank. It isn’t until he receives a reluctant visit from Ananias that his sight is recovered. Immediately he becomes a preacher and promoter of the Christian faith. Like other Biblical accounts, there are certainly details that have been left out and the whole story is difficult to discern, but the basic information is pretty clear. Saul experiences a dramatic and sudden conversion of his beliefs and worldview that comes from outside of his own mind. He is forced to change.
We speak of this as a miracle and believe that it is unique to Saul. Tellers of the story rarely point to other stories in which such conversions have taken place. I don’t mean to in any way discount the dramatic experience of Saul, but in my experience, people are forced into a new worldview on a fairly regular basis.
A teenage couple, young and exploring the nature of love, through inexperience and a touch of carelessness or a sense of “it couldn’t happen to me,” engage in risky behavior. In the amount of time it takes for an instant pregnancy test, their entire world is turned upside down. Their vision of their own future is forever changed. They are forced to do a whole lot of growing up in a very short amount of time. A year later their lives have been permanently changed.
An elder, with years of solving his own problems behind him, who is independent and competent and managing all of his own affairs and viewed by his family and friends as a very successful person, consults with a doctor concerning some pain he has experienced. Tests are ordered. A diagnosis is made. Treatment begins. In a matter of weeks the independence is completely lost. This person who is used to doing all of his own driving and cooking and cleaning is no longer able to do any of those tasks. He ends up in the hospital where he needs assistance for every basic human function including bathing and going to the bathroom. There are stories of recovery, but even when treatment is successful, things have changed in such a way that there is no going back.
A sharp headache causes alarm and the more the person tries to work through the pain the more problems arise. Vision becomes blurred and sounds seem different. Lying down doesn’t bring sleep and the pain seems to increase. Normal activity seems impossible and by the time the victim realizes that the condition is serious, even the process of calling 911 is a huge chore and explaining distress to the dispatcher is nearly impossible. Paramedics arrive and make an initial assessment that is quickly confirmed in the emergency room. A major stroke is taking place. Surgery is quickly scheduled. The pressure is released, The pain is decreased. Sometimes a vessel can be repaired in the surgery. The stroke redefines the entire personality of its victim. Memories are permanently lost. Basic skills like talking and walking have to be relearned. For those who do recover, years and even decades of work lie ahead to simply regain the basics of adult living. Everything changes in little more than the blink of an eye.
A couple eagerly awaiting the birth of their child receives an indication from the doctor that something is abnormal. Sometimes this information comes in the middle of the pregnancy. Sometimes it is not known until the birth occurs. The vision of a child who will be easy to care for and will grow into a productive adult is altered. The child has a host of special needs that strain the finances and patiences of the parents. New plans have to be made for an individual who may never have the capacity to live independently. Names are given to conditions and diagnoses are made. The image of what it means to be a parent is forever changed. In some cases the child’s life is shorter than the time remaining to the parents. The basic order of life and the vision of the future that once existed have to be abandoned in the face of the new reality. Things are different and cannot go back to the way they were.
I don’t know exactly what happened to Saul on the road to Damascus. I do know that events that completely change a person’s beliefs and way of thinking occurs on a fairly regular basis. I’ve experienced such events in the lives of the people I serve. One moment things seem to be one way, the next they are dramatically different.
The realities of life have left me a bit suspicious about religious leaders who stage dramatic rallies and events intended to force people to change their beliefs and undergo conversion. They openly speak of saving other people. My experience has taught me that radical conversion is rarely the product of human manipulation. If human officiants are required, it is almost by definition something quite different from divine intervention in human experience.
I’ve witnessed a lot of conversions. I’ve caused none.
My role seems to be a bit more like that of Ananias. I find myself reluctant to go to the places of suffering, but when I do my role is simply to lay my hands on the other and to try to share the pain and confusion and witness the change that is occurring. As a result, along with the dramatic conversion, I have been witness to amazing healing.
The conversion of Saul to Paul may be far more common than we think.
We speak of this as a miracle and believe that it is unique to Saul. Tellers of the story rarely point to other stories in which such conversions have taken place. I don’t mean to in any way discount the dramatic experience of Saul, but in my experience, people are forced into a new worldview on a fairly regular basis.
A teenage couple, young and exploring the nature of love, through inexperience and a touch of carelessness or a sense of “it couldn’t happen to me,” engage in risky behavior. In the amount of time it takes for an instant pregnancy test, their entire world is turned upside down. Their vision of their own future is forever changed. They are forced to do a whole lot of growing up in a very short amount of time. A year later their lives have been permanently changed.
An elder, with years of solving his own problems behind him, who is independent and competent and managing all of his own affairs and viewed by his family and friends as a very successful person, consults with a doctor concerning some pain he has experienced. Tests are ordered. A diagnosis is made. Treatment begins. In a matter of weeks the independence is completely lost. This person who is used to doing all of his own driving and cooking and cleaning is no longer able to do any of those tasks. He ends up in the hospital where he needs assistance for every basic human function including bathing and going to the bathroom. There are stories of recovery, but even when treatment is successful, things have changed in such a way that there is no going back.
A sharp headache causes alarm and the more the person tries to work through the pain the more problems arise. Vision becomes blurred and sounds seem different. Lying down doesn’t bring sleep and the pain seems to increase. Normal activity seems impossible and by the time the victim realizes that the condition is serious, even the process of calling 911 is a huge chore and explaining distress to the dispatcher is nearly impossible. Paramedics arrive and make an initial assessment that is quickly confirmed in the emergency room. A major stroke is taking place. Surgery is quickly scheduled. The pressure is released, The pain is decreased. Sometimes a vessel can be repaired in the surgery. The stroke redefines the entire personality of its victim. Memories are permanently lost. Basic skills like talking and walking have to be relearned. For those who do recover, years and even decades of work lie ahead to simply regain the basics of adult living. Everything changes in little more than the blink of an eye.
A couple eagerly awaiting the birth of their child receives an indication from the doctor that something is abnormal. Sometimes this information comes in the middle of the pregnancy. Sometimes it is not known until the birth occurs. The vision of a child who will be easy to care for and will grow into a productive adult is altered. The child has a host of special needs that strain the finances and patiences of the parents. New plans have to be made for an individual who may never have the capacity to live independently. Names are given to conditions and diagnoses are made. The image of what it means to be a parent is forever changed. In some cases the child’s life is shorter than the time remaining to the parents. The basic order of life and the vision of the future that once existed have to be abandoned in the face of the new reality. Things are different and cannot go back to the way they were.
I don’t know exactly what happened to Saul on the road to Damascus. I do know that events that completely change a person’s beliefs and way of thinking occurs on a fairly regular basis. I’ve experienced such events in the lives of the people I serve. One moment things seem to be one way, the next they are dramatically different.
The realities of life have left me a bit suspicious about religious leaders who stage dramatic rallies and events intended to force people to change their beliefs and undergo conversion. They openly speak of saving other people. My experience has taught me that radical conversion is rarely the product of human manipulation. If human officiants are required, it is almost by definition something quite different from divine intervention in human experience.
I’ve witnessed a lot of conversions. I’ve caused none.
My role seems to be a bit more like that of Ananias. I find myself reluctant to go to the places of suffering, but when I do my role is simply to lay my hands on the other and to try to share the pain and confusion and witness the change that is occurring. As a result, along with the dramatic conversion, I have been witness to amazing healing.
The conversion of Saul to Paul may be far more common than we think.