Yesterday we sat for our daughter's promotion from elementary school. She looked so grown up as she went forward to collect her awards. We were proud of her and the other children in her 5th grade class who have worked so hard this year. I noticed a factor that seemed to separate the class down the middle and that was poise. Some of the kids were round-shouldered, head down, feet dragging while others walked tall, head up and confident. Every child in the ceremony received several awards, so none of them are unsuccessful. I learned years ago that a good smile and a confident step will take you places. I hope in the next several years, the slumping children will find a reason to rise above whatever is burdening them and walk tall.
I don't like labels- never have. Sure it's a cute little tradition, but I fully disagree with having a 'Most Popular', 'Most Likely to Succeed', 'Most Attractive', 'Most Intellectual', 'Most likely to be a Librarian' and so forth. The dumbest one to me is 'Most Athletic'- in what? Kickball & dodgeball?? My daughter is not so good at those games, but she could outride & outswim any of them. First of all, the ones who get the nicest labels aren't always deserving of them- their parents have money, or they are related to the teacher, etc. Those who get the more unfavorable labels (like I did) often come back and surprise everyone. My daughter was voted 'Most Courteous'- which was nice. But 3 of the slumping children were voted as 'Most Bashful'. What kind of label is that?! It's almost like they couldn't come up with anything genuinely good to say about these 3, so they came up with 'Bashful'. My daughter says that 2 of the 3 aren't even shy. Labels are misleading. They give people a false sense of worth, or an undeserved sense of inadequacy.
When it comes to religion, there are MANY labels- almost like glorified gangs. Instead of Crips & Bloods, you have Baptist, Catholic, Adventist, Lutheran, Methodist, etc. If that's not enough confusion, then you have Liberal & Conservative factions of each. These labels divide- despite Jesus' desire that we be unified. While at Christian gatherings someone asks what denomination I am- if I tell them, immediately the wheels are turning in the other person's mind as they judge ME based on past interactions they've had with my church. Now, if it's only a "minority of extremists" causing my church to have a bad reputation, why such general distaste for my denomination?? When I state affiliation with one church or another, there's an immediate bias. Royce brought up a good point and that being Christ preached no denominaton- if you say He did, then I'd say He was a very poor example of a "Jew"- since He did not cater to the many attitudes/traditions which the Jews of that time upheld. Jesus didn't go around spouting religious rhetoric. He didn't say, "Don't wear this, don't eat that, drums are a sin, Jews are supreme in God's eyes." Jesus didn't point fingers at anyone- except the proud & self-righteous. NO, He simply taught relationship with God & Man, based on the principles of a Heavenly kingdom. "The greatest of these is LOVE". Fact: we don't need to be affiliated with any church in order to do this. Fact: Heaven won't be divided into ghettos based on religious affiliation. The turf will belong to ONE unified body of believers.
I can tell you why so many have a bad taste in their mouths toward my denomination. Sadly, it's because for years this church has boasted & blasted. "We're the remnant. WE have the truth everyone else should follow. WE have a better understanding of God than anyone else in the world. If your name isn't on OUR church roster you're lost." We have bulletin boards and bumper stickers- what about the love? For decades, we've been good at passing out pamphlets and putting on seminars with hair-raising images, but have we been kind to our neighbors? (You know, the ones who go to different churches) I visit other churches regularly- they're NOT slackers who intend to be disobedient to the Word of God. The vast majority are friendly people who love Jesus. I was encouraged never to mingle with other denominations because it would "confuse me" and I'd be "contaminated" by false beliefs. I WAS confused, but not for the reasons they thought. I was confused to find that other churches also seek to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. I was confused that often other churches are far more hospitable and service-oriented than my own. hmmmmmm??
I don't know what God's greater purpose for my life is. Perhaps I am not meant to know? My desire is to grow in relationship with Him and follow where He leads me. To keep asking, seeking, knocking. I cannot tell anyone to leave their religion. All I can say is, be brave enough to ask your questions and follow truth as it is revealed. It's scary, I know! Sometimes I feel as if I'm standing in the way of a freight train- about to be crushed by the weight of a well-oiled machine. But here I remain, because I want to know the Great Mystery we call, God.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
10 comments:
Life is all about finding your purpose of life and when you know it then its about growth and self-improvement and the path about which you are talking that God leads.
This post strikes a particularly large chord in my heart.
I never understood why one religion would choose to say another religion is spawned by Satan. And the persons in that religion will die because of their false beliefs.
I never understood why one set of people who followed the Bible would degrade or even attack ( Catholics vs Protistants ) each other.
I meditated on this for many months and I noticed a pattern.
ALL human endevors follow the same pattern. ALL human endevors are tribal, let me explain. The Bible is static, it has one set of rules. Lets say for the sake of this conversation that the Bible is a true source of knowledge ( although I personally prefer the writings of the Dhali Lahma, that all holy books are inspired by one source ). So back to the Bible, one set of rules, one book, one way, yet look at how dissected it has become, look at how it has been used to justify so many wrongs.
The Magna Carta (wich I consider to be one of mans finest acheivements) and its more refined brother the US Constitution. Look at the suffering done in their stead, look at the contraversy caused, look at the factions that were made because of them. Look at the problems that man has wreaked upon himself.
For every person that says the Magna Carta meant this, someone will say, no it meant that. Yet the rules of law are constant.
Greenpeace, what a noble idea. Untill someone drives spikes into tagged trees to shatter the blades of loggers to turn them into shrapnel, killing people who are just trying to feed their family.
One of my favorit books "Still Life with Woodpecker" by Tom Robbins summed the whole deal up in a sideline to the main idea in the book. Let me explain.
The cliff notes version is this, A very well intentioned very earth friendly princess falls madly in love with an outlaw bomber ( they represent the extremes between man and woman ). Although she despises the fact that he is a bomber, she begins to see his objective. He destroys things that will have a negative impact on this world the longer they survive (kind of like killing baby Hitler, he is a baby but he is still Hitler, read the book I am not doing it justice ).
Well they happen to be heading to the same convention hall, she assumes he is going to bomb a convention of people who are waiting for aliens to rescue them, she is horrified to find out that he is planning to bomb an international, inter-societal, inter-orginizational convention of Earth First type folks. When she presses him for his reasons he gives them.
The Earth First people will come up with amazing ideas, they will come up with things that will change the hearts and minds of everyone listening. Then those people will filter out into the world and some of them will notice their opinions of how people treat the earth is wrong. Then they will become eco-terrorists to enforce their ideas. Innocent mill workers or fishermen or farmers will die because someone decided it was ok based on the fact they learned that they had to do what is nessicary to save the planet.
There has never been a boat sank or farmer murdered in the fields or mill worker attacked because someone who believed in aliens thought aliens didn't like the way the earth was being treated. Alien lovers just wore funny hats made of tin-foil and talked about being genetically enhanced by the aliens. They were happy in their beliefs, they were content to BE.
This powerfull metaphor sums up all religions for me. Christ was not christian, Mohammed was not Muslim, Zarathustra Spitama ( John the Babtist preached his teachings. 3500 years ago he was the first person to preach the fact that there was one god, before christ and before Muhhamed) was not Zoroastrian. These are sections of people that read or heard the amazing ideas and made up the "rules" basically becoming spiritual-terrorists, beleive my way or be damned.
People made religion, people decided how to enforce "gods" will, people judge according to their own values.
Read the Bible, read the Koran, read the writings of Depak Chopra, read Dan Millman, read, follow and believe what you want. Just realize I have the RIGHT to believe what I want and NO ONE has the right to try to chastise me over it.
If I wanted to take the Bible to Saudia Arabia it is my right, they would be wrong for trying to punish me. If I wanted to read the Koran at Ground Zero in New York, that is my right. If I read the bible and think the rapture is symbolic it is my right, If I believe the Sabbath was done away with it is my right. A group of people getting together to say that only they are right and no one else is is wrong.
Royce,
I can appreciate your desire for freedom. I agree, we all have the freedom of choice and freedom of conscience to worship God as we understand Him. This country stands as the great leader in the world for this very freedom. Other governments may have mostly of what we have, but many don't have any of it. This is what has made America such a good place to live (in spite of the extremism and damning in the name of God, which hasn't yet gone to the point of terrorism.) And woe be the day when church unites with state and the freedom of conscience goes away. As we hear more and more that "there never was a separation of church and state," we should be on the guard to speak out against it. Its the uniting of religion and secular governments that bring physical force to religious fervor, and persecution and terrorism always, always result.
But let me also ask this, Does God have specific requirements, or is He content to let troubled humans come up with whatever they want to offer Him?
I have dogs, and I have to keep them in line. I served the US Navy for 20 years, and we were always kept in line. We couldn't do just as we pleased. Even during off-duty time, we were "Government Issue," and accountable to the US military for our actions.
If God is so much greater than any earthly government, military, or organization, He must so much the more expect obedience to requirements He establishes.
The atheist says, There is no "God", that "He" is just a figment of superstitious imaginations.
The Wiccan says, "god" is the enemy of all the animals ever sacrificed to "him", that the "god" is the real enemy.
The agnostic says, If God does exist, He doesn't have any requirements that affect me and the life I want to live.
Then all the people from accepted worldwide religions say, God has requirements and I understand them, even though other religious people don't agree with me! So He is unsettled with them and doesn't love them as much as He loves me.
Yet, as sad a commentary as that is on Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Wicca, Animism, Druidism, etc. God must have His established requirements, and He must be perfectly capable of revealing them to whoever will listen. He must also have the power to execute judgment, if He ever expects to enforce His laws against murder, theft, etc.
I'm only taking a logical approach to this because I don't want to be thrown into a category, but it seems that everyone who is religious, including those who don't affiliate with any group, have a notion that God has certain expectations. And they want to please Him. Am I out in left field on this?
If there is one God, and He is capable of showing His will to humans, then all we have to do is follow up on His voice, obey our understanding of His righteousness, keep our eye on Him, and we will eventually turn out to be some pretty loving and good folks, no matter what direction we came from. If God has an enemy, and that enemy likes to impersonate Him, God is fully able to expose His impersonator, if we are honest. And when the day of judgment comes, all His honest children will pass His criteria, and everyone who just wanted to do his own thing will fail.
I haven't studied deeply into all religions, but I do believe they all at least espouse a divine Judge, a judgment, Hell, and Heaven.
Thank you for the comments. I think my answer deserves it's own post...
David, you and I are saying the same thing kind of. I am saying that if you believe the bible you are held to certain rules of law, and you are held to certain moral codes.
Jesus did not establish any church, people did. All people are fallable, all religions are fallable. You can be a christian and not attend a church, just as the first and second century christians did.
Organized religion is simply the ideas of one person or a group of people enforced on others. It is not nessicary.
One of the beliefs I stand by is the fact that if you know what the right thing to do is, you MUST do it.
Very well thought out response David, I applaud the fact that you actually sit and think about your beliefs. Most christians I have encountered in my daily life use the bible and their religion as a means to eliminate though not enhance it. COOL
When we love, we will NOT murder, steal, tell lies, commit adultery. We are keeping God's law, but the focus is not on obeying the rules. Yes, some of us with the best of intentions mess up, God offers forgiveness for that. Certainly society needs some kind of structure- some ground rules or you would have chaos. What I'm saying is "Love covers (or keeps us from) a multitude of sins.
Too often people get hung up in the denominational pride, focus more on the beliefs of their church than on learning what love is.
Royce, I must agree that the core belief of a Godly person is to do what they know is right. People are convicted differently on what is right & wrong. That's why we must respect & not judge one another.
ahhh kids grow up so fast. Well we can have labels as long as we use them constructively .. i mean .. i don't belive in .. no one looses .. everyone wins (in sports) .. that will actually .. well .. demotivate people .. not wanting them to try .. no will power to win ..
so the .. well see .. one only falls to rise up again .. kids need encouragement .. as well as dicipline and kindness towards other .. the problem is that we only teach the first .. and forget about the kindness and ethics and what not.
Hi Nabeel, Yes, ethics are VERY important for children to learn.
When it comes to sports, there HAS to be a winner and a loser. I don't like it when in the Olympics, medals are given, then taken away or both competitors are given a medal to please both. Interesting thoughts...
Hi trailady,
I think many people's eyes are being opened to denominational pride. It isn't necessarily that they have to leave their churches, but rather that they develop a bigger picture and appreciation for the body of Christ in other denominations and expressions. This should be a good thing as it produces unity in the body of Christ rather than competition and division.
Amen, well said Grace! BTW, I like your cute little photo. :o)
Post a Comment