Religion is an art show, not a final exam.

Ben Crawford
Jul 20, 2017 · 3 min read

Most of my failure in practicing religion comes from a misunderstanding of what category the practice belongs in. The category makes all the difference.

Let’s contrast two categories.

Chicago 2015

Category #1: Art Show

def— a collection of goods, works, or art for public display

Here’s a weird question…What does success at an art show look like?

  • Enjoyment or appreciation of the art
  • Attaining a greater enjoyment or understanding of the world
  • A greater connection and understanding to others including the artist

So, on the flip side….

What does failure look like?

  • Not observing the art
  • Lack of appreciation or understanding of the art
  • Lack of connection or understanding with the artist
  • (That’s it. It’s pretty hard to f*ck up going to an art show.)

This is obvious. Are you bored? One more category.

Category #2: Final Exam

def — a set of questions or exercises to evaluate ones skill or knowledge

Same questions…What does success at a final exam look like?

  • You study or practice the material ahead of time.
  • During the test, you answer all questions and/or perform every duty to the best of your ability.
  • You get high enough results that you pass.

so on the flip side… What does failure look like?

  • Not knowing enough before hand
  • Not performing well during the exam
  • Not getting a high enough score

What if you walked into an exam and you thought it was an art show?

Although quite different, please note how simple these bullet points are. Given enough resources and motivation success can be easy for an art show or an exam. But, what if you walked into an exam and you thought it was an art show? You looked at the CPR mannequin and marveled at it’s construction, instead of performing CPR? FAIL. What if you walked into an art show and went right to work with a legal pad writing down all the factoids trying to impress the artist with all of your preparation? By our definition you have failed in experiencing the art show. Although art appreciation appears more subjective and recreational failure is no less sever.

God is an artist. He was a master Creator. He made a world for us to enjoy and to understand him better. When we experience this we walk away changed and we are ALL qualified enough to experience the show.

Rules are important but keeping the rules does NOT equal success

The Rub

Along the way God gave some rules for how best to enjoy the art. No flash photography, don’t touch, no outside food or drink. Rules are important but keeping the rules does NOT equal success (see our bullet points above). While rules are simple and can dominate our mentality (especially if you break one), the rules are just there to facilitate the success of the individuals and environment in experiencing the goal. Rules will always be a secondary feature.

When we treat religion primarily as an exam: a set of things to know and do properly. We’re not just adding to the purpose of an art show. We’re changing it. We’re minimizing our chances of being able to observe and enjoy the art or to understand the artist. Exams bring with them different actions and expectations. You will always be wondering if you studied long enough, if you answered all the questions, and if your score is high enough. But these are terrible things to be wondering at an art show. So put your pencils down, stop obsessing, and please, no flash photography.

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Ben Crawford

Written by

Father of 6 writing lessons from parenting, business, and adventure. Dad vlogger at https://www.youtube.com/c/fightfortogether

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