As I listened to Brother Griffin’s (my new testament
professor) explanation on the background of the Greeks, 1 Corinthians became
clearer. I remembered reading about their beliefs and traditions in the bible
dictionary but I did not entirely connect to the verses I had read until Brother
Griffin reinforced it.
He
referenced verses 22 and 23 in the first chapter of 1 Corinthians, which described
that the Greeks seek after wisdom. They considered the crucifixion of Christ to
be foolishness too. The Greeks had a tradition steeped in the philosophers such
as Aristotle and Plato. They believed in wisdom as the source of enlightenment.
And neither could they believe in a God suffering death as they supposed all
gods were invincible. As Paul was attempting to correct them in his epistle, I
could picture him feeling so frustrated as his writing was laden with sarcasm. But
then again, I felt for the Corinthians as they were probably surrounded by
these beliefs and even taught about these beliefs in their schools. Changing
one’s beliefs is so challenging.
I have seen
that in some of my friends and relatives who desire to live the principles of
the gospel fully but old habits die-hard. With traditions and cultures that
encourage such habits to return namely, that of drinking alcohol, tea and
coffee, it is always a struggle. The scriptures give us a great example of the
Anti-Nephi-Lehites who “buried” their weapons deep. However, they, too, were
tempted due to the turmoil and war they were facing (for good reasons) to dig
up the tools that brought pain into their lives. Conversion is definitely a
gradual process especially when it comes to forsaking traditions that hold us
back from progressing. Ultimately, the least we can do help each other forsake
our binding traditions and cultures would be to be patient and supportive to
each other.
