Doug Van Pelt

The Gaze of RA

I've been getting press releases and multiple copies of a band called Ra. They are kind of a mixture of reggae and metal. It's okay. Don goes off on a description of the sun and starts talking about different explanations cultures have come up with to explain the sun. He discusses Egyptian history and a Hindu explanation, about two romantic gods, one having its eyes covered by the hands of the other. This romantic story must've made Hindu children blush, thinking the gods were romantic every night.

One description I can't remember hearing before is how light is kind of like a parallel to a characteristic of God. He is apart from matter, yet He spoke matter into existence. Light is something we don't really see, as much as we see what it lights up. It's hard to define, as it travels with an almost metaphysical property. It's kind of neat to think of God giving us something that reflects His character.

It's kind of daring for Don to talk about other religions. I like it. I took an English class in college that was called something like "History of Western Literature," yet we studied Buddhism, Hinduism, Judiasm, and other panthiestic religions. I think some Christians are afraid of studying other religions, for fear of "losing" theirs or allowing someone to be deceived by a false religion. I have confidence in the truth -- that it can stand up to any scrutiny. If it could not, then it's not much of a truth, huh?

I'm quite thankful that I've got a tiny little perpsective on some of the major religions of the world. Being able to see the differences and similarities kinda helps me understand people and the world a little better. I'm not afraid of them.