LOVE WINS, Friday, October 30th, 2020

 LOVE WINS, Friday, October 30th, 2020

LOVE VERSUS HATE - in the form of Good Versus Evil

In whatever culture you look at, there is the concept of Good versus Evil (or Love versus Hate).  

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Let me look at two cultures that I know something about (better to write about something you know than something you don’t know!!!)(

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Judeo-Christian Culture.

In the Judeo-Christian Culture, God is infinitely Good (although he does punish his people from time-to-time). 

In this background, God creates everything - and then creates man (Adam) and then creates Woman (from Man).  He puts the two humans in a beautiful garden, but the serpent (or Satan) tricks the humans into disobedience by eating fruit off a forbidden tree.  

(Let’s go on that)

It is pretty hard to set up somewhat arbitrary rules and then expect people to follow them.  “Don’t eat this fruit” is a difficult concept for Adam and Eve.  I’m guessing they were thinking “Why doesn’t God want us to eat that fruit?”  

Genesis 2:16-17 “And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

There is a game where somebody says “Don’t think of pink elephants for the next five minutes”.  And, (yup) where does your brain go - pink elephants!!!  

To me, it almost seems to be a setup.  Can the creatures that God created - in which he gave them brains and free will - be trusted to obey His laws?  Don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t desire your neighbor’s things (or wife), and honor the seventh day by not working and only resting.  

It has been millennia since Moses wrote the laws that God gave him - and - guess what, people kill, people steal, people cheat in their marriages, people want what the neighbors have - and, in modern America, Sunday is one of the busiest shopping days - and many people do work on Sundays too.  

In the basis of understanding, there is good and evil in the world. <period>.  I can be good, nice, kind, loving, or I can be bad, naughty, nasty and hateful.  I do get to choose what kind of life I lead.

In the Judeo-Christian view, there are more characters than just God and humans.  On God’s side, there are angels (and if you get into angels there are different kinds of angels (Seraphim and Cherubim)- and maybe others.  On Satan’s side, there are demons and demonic spirits.  Humans can have God’s Spirit or have evil spirits. Generally speaking, we get to choose who we will follow.  Joshua 24: 25 says “Choose this Day Whom You Will Serve. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”

Good - (in the Old Testament) was following the laws.  There were (according to one source), 613 law in the Old Testament with 365 of those as “Thou shalt not <rule>”.  

Good - (in the New Testament - as I understand it) God stamps good into our brains.  When asked about what are the important laws, Jesus said “Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, and all your strength” and followed that with “Love your neighbor as yourself”.  Indirectly this is a summation of the Ten Commandments - with four of which relate to following God and the other six relating to how to live (love your parents, don’t steal, cheat, covet, lie, etc.).  So, loving “your neighbor” in effect means, “love everybody”.

Evil (hate) - is pretty much this list (from Galatians 5) “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition(greed), dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. 

And Good (love) is from this list: “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

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Let’s try a second “philosophy” - Star Wars “The Force”

To me, “the Force” from Star Wars is a good or evil philosophy.  There is the regular Force, trying to keep the peace; and the “Dark Side of the Force” (Darth Vader and Sith Lords) that are evil.  The evil Empire has gone to the Dark Side - even to blowing up planets seeming “just because we can”.  When Obi-Wan suggests telepathically to Luke “Use the Force”, it is like using the good in the world - (maybe like working a miracle or being in-tune with the Holy Spirit).  

So, as we end this Halloween season, there IS good and there IS evil.  I am choosing GOOD (but, let’s face it, GOOD is a pretty high expectation - but I’m trying!!!)

LOVE DOES WIN!!

HUGS!!

Karen