Hobbies

 As would be a surprise to no one, I have a new hobby these days, which is cycling.  I like to visit online fora, I know the jargon, and I love to tinker with my trike, etc.  Most of all, I really enjoy riding (1,100 miles and counting).  If I had to stop riding, I would be really depressed.  I'd probably gain the weight back that I've lost.

However, my inability to cycle anymore would likely have little impact on my salvation.  Although everything in life has the ability to impact one's salvation, this probably is not a significant contributor.  At any rate, I say that because I had occasion to day to ponder Christianity and hobbies.  Perhaps this applies to no one but me, which would be good (except for me), but I suspect it does not.  It seems that its far too easy to treat Christianity as a hobby.  Especially for those of us in the blogosphere, or those of us with sufficiently large ego's to consider ourselves Christian apologists of sorts.

What I mean by this is the tendency to treat Christianity as a hobby.  If you're Orthodox, that might mean collecting lots of neat icons and vigil lamps.  Maybe a censer, which gets lit periodically.  You also need lots of cool service books, and plenty of theology books.  I can spend hours discussing the right way to set up icon corners, and which icons I don't have, but I would like.  I can spend even more hours discussing finer points of doctrine and apologetics.  Much like I can do with cycling.  The question I have to ask is if I can spend hours in prayer and fasting.  Can I spend hours in service to my fellow man without a lot of back patting - as opposed to thinking that I'm really cool if I spend 5 minutes helping somebody else.  I'm sure other religious groups have similar sorts of hobbyist trappings (like my evangelical friend who keeps a bible prominently displayed on his dashboard.  I've never figured out why, but given his driving style, maybe its not bad to have one there for his passengers).

I'm not denigrating theology, or icons, or incense.  Far from it.  I find them very helpful in focusing my nous on God.  However, I far too often turn them into hobbyist items.  If, at the end of the day, I've spent an hour or two pondering doctrinal topics, but continue in the same old sins, of what has it availed me?