In either the third or fourth episode of the series they talked about extreme acts of faith.
In Mexico people journey for hundreds of miles on horse-back, eventually climbing a mountain (on horse-back) because they believe that God will grant them a miracle at the completion of the journey. One woman has a son that was in an accident and sustained a traumatic brain injury. His communication and mobility are now severely limited. She didn't even own a horse, much less had she ever ridden horse-back, but she secured the animal and the skill and made the journey. They even took the son along in a truck. The whole way she had him foremost in her mind. Every time they stopped she would explain to the son what they were doing and why. He seemed to have cognizance and comprehension and made some replies that the mom claimed to understand. The mother was doing the journey so that her son might be healed.
Another segment in that episode was about the Pentecost islands where the men land-dive from a tower with a vine tied around their ankles. It's almost like bungee jumping except that the vine doesn't have elasticity so it doesn't pull you back up. They each chose their own vine. Depending on age they dive from higher and higher up. A boy of 12 or less was making his first dive from the lowest platform. Obviously the key is choosing a vine that is just long enough but not too long. Ideally their hair should brush the ground and that ensures a good harvest. The documentary showed the young boy diving and landing. I thought it was quite insane. He literally landed on his head. I watched his neck bend at an awkward angle and then bend back the other direction as the rest of his body caught up to gravity and he splayed on the ground. Then he hopped up!
As I was watching this episode, I kept thinking how stupid these people were. As a mom I think I would do anything for my kids, but would I borrow a horse and put my life on hold to train and go on a long horse ride. Or would I let them grow up in the traditions of the tribe even though I knew it could kill them?
I wondered how the woman could logically think that a horse ride would convince God to grant her miracle. And how would she feel when it didn't work? Or worse, how would the son feel? Would it cause him to lose his faith entirely? (The mom had told the viewers the son had already wanted to give up and die soon after the accident but she told him he had to keep trying and after that he did make some progress towards recovery.) Or would they hold on to any slight advancement he made after the journey and call that the miracle? Mom did acknowledge that the healing might not be God's will.
And what about the island people? Were they just too remote and uncivilized or uneducated to know how dangerous it is? Surely in all their years of land-diving, someone has been injured to the point of paralysis or death. According to Wikipedia fatalities only occurred in 1974 and 2006. That sort of makes me think God is watching over these people and rewarding their efforts - if not with harvest at least with protection from injury. Of course, not having been raised in the village it is probably impossible for me to get my mindset alongside the women of Pentecost island - but I just don't know if I could let my child do it. I didn't even want my son to play football with pads and helmets. The mom did admit she was a little nervous but she tried to focus on the rite of passage and not the danger.
In the early 2000s I was one of the early users of online dating - back before Match.com when it was Yahoo Personals. In 2003 I changed my screen name from BrasilGirl17 to walkingbyfaith2003. I committed the whole effort to God, vowing not to refuse a date to anyone who asked, and I even took a break from dating for Lent. Towards the end of Lent a man asked me out and I explained that I couldn't meet him until next week because I had given up dating for Lent. Today I call that man my husband.
So I am no stranger to acts of faith. Yet I have a hard time reconciling some of the big acts of faith as anything more than stupidity. After watching the episode I felt rather embarrassed and ashamed. Actually, I'm not sure those are the right words. I'm not sure their is a word for what I felt. Logically I think they are stupid but emotionally I don't want to think that. I feel bad for thinking bad of them. I feel bad for judging someone else's faith. I know how big God is, I know what He is capable of, but I just seem to be more tied to logic the older I get.
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