FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 2022, SPIRITUAL THOUGHTS

 FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 2022, SPIRITUAL THOUGHTS

Some thoughts from the Center for Action and Contemplation: The quotations are not mine.

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POINT 1: “To state the obvious: Jesus never tortured or killed or ruined the life of anyone, but the same cannot be said for the religion that claims to follow him.”

WOW - that statement cut right through me.  Jesus never tortured anybody.  Okay - that is true, but in his parables, he described some people who allowed themselves to be outside the bounds of faith. 

The woman at the well was outside the faith with five husbands and the man she wasn’t married to was her current man.  

The woman taken in adultery was outside the faith by being unfaithful to her husband - and yet Jesus didn’t condemn her.

In general, humans ruin their own lives.  Humans choose to be prideful, greedy, lustful, envious, gluttons, wrathful, and slothful. 

But the comment about the same cannot be said for the religion that claims to follow him hits home.  

Has the Christian church ruined the lives of people?  (The Christian church has killed people ‘in the name’ of being ‘holy’).  Yes, it is hard to take the Gospel and apply it to every situation.  

Let’s look at marriage.  Can a legally married “Christian” couple get divorced?  Does it require a (religious) court case to get an annulment?  Did one of the persons (or both) violate the sacredness of the marriage?  Was there abuse?  Was there adultery?  Was there fighting and misery for some married couples?  

How about ‘love one another.  I remember one member of a Christian denomination saying another member of that same denomination was evil.  

“But anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness.” (1 John 2:11).  

Or 1 John 3:15 “Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.”

Or 1 John 3:8 “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.”

LOVE is a requirement.  

Can we love the unlovely?  Can we love those who are different from ourselves?

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POINT 2: “Today many people talk a lot about people leaving churches, giving up on Christianity, and rejecting Jesus. In reality, they have given up on the white supremacist brand of Christianity that cares more about power than Jesus.”

Our society has politicized Christianity.  I mentioned that two pastors told me that I must be ‘delivered’ from my sins/errors and they were going to confront me and pray with me.  I did not stay and therefore I probably haven’t been delivered in the way they thought I should be.  

Are there some Christian Churches that promote a “white supremacist brand of Christianity that cares more about power than Jesus”?  

What about the immigrants at the Mexican/US border - many of whom are fleeing oppression and/or seeking a better life in the United States.  Are these people made in the image and likeness of God?  Do we care for the sick or poor?  Can Ukrainians be assimilated into our country, while people from Latin American countries can not be accepted?  

Religion can become (and not always) more economic than spiritual.  “We can’t allow certain people into our county, they will take away our jobs”.

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POINT 3: “If Jesus himself says the church is falling into ruin, I guess we can admit it also without being accused of being negative or unbelieving. Maybe we have to admit it for anything new and good to happen.”

Jesus summed up the law with two statements:

Statement 1 - Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength

Statement 2 - Love your neighbor as yourself.

AND - how did Jesus point out who is our neighbor?  He used the story of a “half-breed Jew” - a Samaritan - who saw to the care of an injured man THAT HE DIDN’T EVEN KNOW.  

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I have written about politics (maybe too much).  I have to / I am required to / I am commissioned to / LOVE BOTH BIDEN AND TRUMP.  I even have to LOVE PUTIN.  

I am NOT allowed to hate - by my own convictions.  (Maybe you can justify ‘hate’ but I can’t justify it - [aside - I still fail on this ].

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Pogo (an old cartoon character) said “We have met the enemy and it is us”.

Unfortunately, we are humans - and we aren't perfect (yet). But, maybe we can work more at love (and let it begin with me!!)

LOVE WINS

Karen - June 17, 2022