Aunty explores issues of faith.

Dear Aunty,

The Bible says, wives should ‘accept the authority of their husbands’. I’m not married but will be one day. My boyfriend wants me to get a tattoo like his to prove I love him. I don’t want a tattoo, not now or ever. I believe in the Bible. What should a say to him? Ruth

Dear Ruth,

You have raised two important issues. What do you mean when you say you believe in the Bible? The ‘Holy Book’ of Christianity contains a wide variety of ancient literature that explores concepts of God along with many stories, including the teachings of prophets before and after Jesus. It is the Jesus (Christ) content that makes the Bible ‘holy’ to Christians. The New Testament seeks to explain what the teachings of Jesus mean for those who want to follow the ‘Jesus Way’. Some explanations are helpful for us and some are not. Jesus gave two commands, Love God and Love your neighbour. The night before he died Jesus told his special friends that they should love each other as he loved them. All other rules as to how Christians should behave must be measured against these commands. In Biblical times men believed it was their role to protect women. Some presumed this meant they owned them. This attitude is unacceptable to us in our time.

The second issue is your body. Your body belongs to you. No one should be manipulated or coerced into submitting to something they don’t want done to them. The Bible says ‘the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit’. It is helpful to think of your body as holy when considering how you use it and care for it. Anything you don’t want done to your body such as consuming alcohol or drugs, cosmetic enhancement, a medical procedure, sexual act, or a tattoo, should be your decision. Your question began with a quote from Scripture my answer is in this one, Romans 12:9-10 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection.

Aunty

Dear Aunty,

Why is it that when you pray, you only say it but you don’t feel it? Pono

Dear Pono,

There is no ‘right way’ to feel when you pray. What is boring, meaningless or irritating for some can be comforting and uplifting for others. Expand your thinking on prayer. When you see something beautiful you don’t have to put it into words to feel close to God. Explore, discuss, and experience different ways of praying. Reflect on a flower or a painting, read and ponder famous prayers, relate to the poetry of NZ hymns, ask Catholic friends what the Rosary means to them; walk to the rhythm of a mantra ... A definition of prayer that appeals to me is James Montgomery’s hymn that begins, ‘Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire uttered or unexpressed, the motion of a hidden fire that trembles in the breast...’

Aunty