Faith comes by hearing

Taste and touch and vision to discern thee fail;
faith, that comes by hearing, pierces through the veil.
I believe whate're the Son of God hath told;
what the Truth hath spoken, that for truth I hold.

I started putting the prayer book and pew bulletin down during church my second year of college. I had discovered something old to the church and new to me: Faith comes by hearing. Interpretation is a corporate act. Individual interpretation leads to stupid thinking about scripture.

I'm not saying we shouldn't be allowed to read scripture privately. I'm saying we shouldn't make any life altering decisions without consulting a few other Christians to see if we're really being 'touched by the Holy Spirit' or we're just touched. A person reading scripture aloud is interpreting it. As passage can take on a whole new meaning depending on who's reading it. You may notice things you didn't before---pick up on little details you were too young or too distracted to notice the last time.

For those of you who are life long members of your religious tradition, try it. Put down the book. Put down the bulletin. Chances are your pastor/priest/rabbi isn't fudging. It's slim to none they're making this stuff up unless you just hang out with creeps, so put the book down. Listen. Hear. Respond. Be there in the moment.

You just might find yourself a little more open to what God is trying to tell you.