Is it all about me?
I have been away for a while because this week I went home. I got to see my family and friends and watch my children enjoy playing with their cousins and grandparents. It has been a very enjoyable week so far. As many people around me know, one of the things I miss most about my home town is my church. I miss my minister and spiritual leader and the love that the congregation shows for one another and the world around. The thing I miss most is hearing Randy dissect the Bible, myths, gospels, poetry, history, Old Testament or New Testament. It does not matter which section he is breaking down. He has a way of making it not only come to life but of making me see it in a way I would not have without him. One of the things I found most interesting about this weeks sermon was the use of the word “churchianity”.
I, for a long time, have been trying to somehow distance myself from the Christians that claim to have a stranglehold on Jesus and the Bible and what it all means and what God requires. I don’t claim to have all the answers, or any for that matter, and truly think that anyone who does is full of shit. If you think that our “Bible” has all the answers spelled out in black and white then you just do not want to actually think.
Could it be as simple as stop being selfish and think about someone else? Could it be that heaven is not actually about us?
This week I saw a cartoon in the local paper that had Milosevic on the end of the devil’s pitchfork in an elevator with the caption “going down.”
Just because it is human nature to want to judge each other constantly, do we really believe that any of us could stand up to God’s judgment. Do we really need to believe that God is sitting there on his throne, hand extended, either giving us the thumbs up or down? Does She take the time to explain Her verdict? Do we get to say anything in our defense? (Have you ever seen the movie Defending Your Life?)
What if heaven is that feeling you get when you go out of your way to help someone, to sacrifice your time and needs, for the good of someone else? I think if we did this everyday, we could actually experience heaven on earth. We as Americans could actually fall asleep without the aid of the pharmaceutical companies. We would not need the approval of a Priest, Father, Rabbi, Cleric, or Minister. All we need to know is that I did not live my life for me.
As for “churchianity”, all religions tend to get bogged down with details. We get mired down in the minutia and the definitions and miss the big picture. It doesn’t matter if you are Christian or Muslim, Jew or Gentile, black or white, homosexual or heterosexual, Democrat or Republican, the bottom line is that we all think that we deserve more than someone else or that we are better than someone because of what we think or how we act, but in the eyes of God none of us measure up. So what do we do?
The only thing we can do, as Randy taught these past two weeks, is start our day with Help, Help, Help and end our day with Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.
Help me to be a better person.
Help me to find a way to help someone else.
Help me get over my insecurities and see what You want me to see.
Help me to preserve this planet for my children.
Help me find Your voice in the crowd.
Help me help You. (a line from Jerry Maguire)
Live, live, live, then
Thank You for helping me see.
Thank You for helping me hear.
Thank You for opening my heart.
Thank You for opening my mind.
Thank You for walking with me.
Here is the link to last weeks sermon if you are interested. If you want to read more just go to the link on the side All About Love.
Link
posted by ROMA @ 9:47:00 PM
8 Comments:
Sorry I missed you last Sunday. We were all set to go when my daughter begged to go to her grandmother's church. I read the Sermon from last week and was blown away. I think I could have written it. Going to this church reminds me of working for the Kerry campaign in 2004. It is so refreshing to know that I'm not the only person in the world that feels and thinks this way.
I'm not sure that I am ready to name myself a Christian just yet. But I'm closer than I have been since the choice was left to me. I will never embrace certain aspects of the dogma, but SPC is showing me that dogma isn't of prime importance anyway. Unfortunately, the word Christian is still a loaded term. It ranks up there with "traditional family values," "patriotism," and other good ideas which have been hijacked by fools, fanatics, and fundamentalists. At some point, good people have to stand up and take these ideas and symbols back. SPC is doing their part, perhaps it time for me to do mine - the weather in Santa Fe be damned...
We need all the moisture you can send our way.
I had hoped to see you guys there.
I'm glad someone has taken my spot. If you actually want my seat, it is second row on the right, right behind Randy.
axis you have stated your position pretty well from what I can see. You and roma have a hatred towards the traditional and fundamentalists ideologies of “this country”, the ideals that have made this country great.
If you play sports seriously and are not playing up to snuff you go back to the fundamentals.
This country is the same; the USA is great because of the ideals it’s founded on. If we are having problems, which we are, it’s because we have moved away from those principles that we knew to be important when we built this country. We are severely lacking the basic truths that we know to be self-evident. The “traditional family values,” “patriotism,” and other good ideas which have been hijacked by fools, fanatics, and fundamentalists is the only thing that will put this country on the right path.
Christians care more for the heart and mind of the individual than humanity on the whole. Look at any great society in history and you will see where the desires of humanity take us.
To care truly for someone you must have their best interest in mind. I don’t know if either of you have children, but if you do, you know that the easy way out is not always the best choice with them. You can not always let them choose what is best for them; if they want to play in the highway you tell them no.
I can not and would not tell another adult how to live their life, but I will not accept a lifestyle that is immoral and unhealthy; unlike you more enlightened “christians”. You act like you are concerned with others by accepting and promoting those things that are detrimental to the spiritual, mental and physical well being of others under the guise of rights of the individual. In truth you are saying go ahead and play in the highway, oh no you won’t get hurt, those people who tell you it’s dangerous are just religious fanatics and fundamentalists. Don’t listen to them, their caught up in their dogma and don’t care about you.
o.k. I’m done ranting.
I really don’t understand your way of thinking; as I browse through your site, listen to the TV or radio, or read other “progressive” liberal blogs you all repeat the same hate speech.
Love your brother…, right.
Take the plank out of your own eye…, right.
If someone asks for your coat…, ya right.
I am a Christian conservative, I am a registered republican, but I’m not blind. I don’t care for Pres. George Bush, haven’t really liked him since he first ran and I don’t like him any more now.
If you read your Bible, not that you believe it, you’ll see:
Romans 13: 1-2
Obey the government, for God is the one who put it there. All governments have been placed in power by God. So those who refuse to obey the laws of the land are refusing to obey God
So why does Jesus get to rant against the "law of the land", and the government "that God put there" and I don't? That is my point. You have to think, to follow blinded has you following a fool's path. You say that you do not like Bush but I am sure you voted for him. So did God put Bush in power to destroy this country or did people loyal to an ideology (an ideology that I truly believe Bush does not believe in)put Bush in power. Christian fundamentalist have been manipulated into believing that Republican's have a monopoly on "family values" and if you do not vote Republican then you are going to "hell."
If Jesus taught us anything it is not to follow leaders blindly. Not to read the Bible the way it always has been read. There are some verses more important than others. 2,000 or so verses dedicated to "rich and poor" and 7 or so to homosexuality, which is more important to Jesus?(As far as I know Jesus could care less about homosexaulity, but that is not what fundamentalist would want you to believe.) Republican leaders are using the Bible just to get re-elected and anyone who falls for it is blind.
As for your statement that Christians care more for the individual than the society. I think that is totally false, and the problems with our society as a whole. If we can raise our minds to the next level and care for society and not the individual then we can raise more people out of poverty and hopelessness. If we can get our society to stop its materialistic nature and focus on what would make society better, not individual happiness, then and only then will our greatness and Jesus's vision of heaven on earth be seen.
I know you think tolerance is a dirty word, but without it we are all doomed. I'm sure you would like to see religous tolerance for your Christian brethern in Muslim worlds but if we are not willing to be tolerant of other ideas here then why should they.
Let me guess:
"Just because we think we are right, My Bible tells me so."
Why is it that every time someone dares to disagree with a fundamentalist, they are accused of being hateful and persecuting Christians?
If we really want to go back to the fundamentals that this country was founded on, we would stop reading the Bible and start reading the Constitution - which, by the way, mentions Jesus Christ a some total of 0 times. Or we could read the Declaration of Independence which mentions Jesus Christ 0 times. Then we could let evryone truly choose their own religion and thei own course in life instead of forcing our beliefs on others.
And by the way, I absolutely believe in traditional family values and patriotism, just not the intoleration and nationalism they have been co-opted into. In my house, tradtional family values means we love each other, respect each other, and love and respect our neighbors. We know right from wrong - that which harms another is wrong, that which enriches our lives or those around us without taking from or hurting another is right. We don't want or need to judge our neighbor, only help him if he so desires. Family values aren't about what movies or TV shows you watch, but how you learn to be a better human - not just Christian - but human being.
A patriotism means loving what this country was truly founded on - FREEDOM. Not intolerance or judgement. The anonymous poster utilized the analogy of the child. This is on point for patriotism. Being a patriot means having the courage to question your country when it does something wrong, not tolerating bad behavior in name of unity or support. If my children misbehave, I call them on it, not turn my head and claim that everyone else is just jealous of them. The current form of patriotism is centered around the notion of Uncle Sam - a wise old man whom we should defer to right or wrong. My form of patriotism sees the country as a child, its my responsibility to speak out when it does something wrong. Dissent is not unpatriotic - it is true patriotism: the love for a country and set of ideals so great that I'm unwilling to simply become a mindless cheerleader.
What you may not understand, or do not wish to admit, is the Declaration of Independece was written by Thomas Jefferson - a Diest, not a Christian. And the Constituition was written by James Madison - a Diest. Despite what you may BELIEVE (after all its only faith) Christians do not have a monopoly on God. The attempt to paint the founding of our country on solely Christian ideals is an absolute fallacy. To insinuate that it was founded on Fundamentalist Christian ideals is a farce. Even those fouders who identified themselves as Christian (which by the way was a definite minority), were liberal Christians in the Quaker or Unitarian mold. The Purtians had been completely marginalized in American politics by the mid-1750s. The wave of fundamentalism in this country did not begin until the revival movements of the 1840s. Of course, why bother with historical accuracy when the "truth" is on your side.
As for the Constitution not being a "living a breathing document" I suppose to you its a "dead and decaying document". The Constitution, just like your precious Bible, was written by human beings and is open to interpretation. Of course, we could be fundamentlaist in our interpretation of both documents, but then we would have to: practice animal sacrifice, sell our daughters into prostitution, condone slavery, and reduce black Americans to 3/5 of a person. My true objection to fundamentalism is that only certian passages or ideas are deemed to be the "truth". Those that don't fit the overall agenda (like slavery and animal sacrifice) are thrown by the wayside.
Christians being persecuted did not start with Jesus. Jesus did not see himself as a Christian. He was a Jew. By your way of reading the Bible I am allowed to question the Church but not my government. Isn't the Church today a form of government. How do you draw the line?
As for Jesus speaking against the Roman empire, what do you think Mark 5:1-20 means? It is a metaphor to the Jewish people. Jesus sends a herd of swine to their death. Why do you think the people ask Jesus to leave? They knew the swine belonged to the Roman "legion" and the Romans would kill Jesus for doing this.
If noone every spoke out against the government and the power of the day then we would still be ruled by Romans today, or Hitler, or whoever has the military might to try and control the world. (Which right now is the USA) Why is our answer to everything look at my military and I am not afraid to use it? "No option is off the table." We run around threatening the world to see things our way or else. Suffer the consequences of our military or of sanctions. And who always suffers, the poor. They are the first to feel the crunch of the sanctions and to feel our military wrath.
As for your vote, I commend you for seeing through the lies.
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