I definitely would have blown right past this one. I really appreciate how RevolverOcelot chisels it down to a specific narrative that I can focus on instead saying go read book of whatever because although every little bit helps, the odds are I probably won’t be able to do it. Needless to say, I have a tiny bit of friction going on in my life right now and have very little time to indulge in fairy tales. Yet, for reasons unbeknownst to me I am working diligently to keep this project alive. That being said, on with the sermon.
Another thing is this prayer business. Apparently, this is really serious stuff. There is practically a whole page dedicated to it with precise directions on how to invoke the chant correctly in this “Lord’s Prayer”. Almost as if to summon some sort of spirit or something. I don’t think that Christians truly understand what this looks like to someone like me who's on the outside looking in..
I walk into a room or building of “sacred” grounds..
I see a bunch of people in uniform, normally some sort of formal attire..
They begin prostrating themselves to harmoniously chant sacred scriptures from their mystic book in reverence to their majestic overlord of the afterlife..
At which point I am strongly urged to participate..
“Come join us in worshiping our Master..”
Nooooooooo Thank You.. I won’t be worshiping any majestic overlords any time soon.
And it seems that I really can’t turn the page without being smacked in the face with it on some level. The moment this book starts to make sense.. in shoots the God commercial.. right when I am about to hit the climax of something that could be thought provoking..
Then it srikes –
Way to go Jesus, you just killed the moment (again). I’m starting to wonder if this entire book isn’t just one big plug for worship.
“When you do something for someone else don’t call attention to yourself” Matthew 6:1(Message)
Then why does God want people to like him so badly. Because I’m starting to get some major vibes of insecurity here. Maybe he wasn’t cuddled enough as a baby deity. Or, perhaps he is the misfit deity of the universe and none of the other deities will play with him. So, he needs the worship of creatures far inferior to fill some sort of void in his eternity. Poor guy. There, there God it’ll be okay. Everything is going to be okay. I don’t know about the whole falling to my knees and begging for forgiveness stuff, but I’ll be your fwend.
“You’re blessed when you are content with just who your are – no more, no less” Matthew 5:5 (Message)
Well, I’m pretty content with being just a Heathen.. no more, no less..
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" Matthew 7:7 (King James)
Well, that’s what I’m trying to do. Tirelessly I scour the internet for clues. Ask questions of those that know more about this book than I do. I even take time out of the day to engage in impromptu conversation with local missionaries on the street that I would normally ignore and fly right past while on my way to something more important. But what if the answers that I find are not in the bible? Am I still going to Heaven?
I really don’t know enough about this book to dive headlong into any of these practices. But there is one verse in this sermon that stands tall above the rest in my opinion. So until I learn more, I think I am going to keep it simple and just stick with that one..
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged." Matthew 7:1 (New International)
..and that’s good enough for me.
1 Corinthians 13 New International Version (NIV)
ReplyDelete13 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When
I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I
reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.Not sure if this is going to be helpful or will just confuse the issue even more...and it comes from someone who is likely as confused as yourself with it comes to the topic of Christianity but it has helped me in the past to see the simplicity of this message...to just love.
"Then why does God want people to like him so badly?"
ReplyDeleteNot because He needs it, but because He knows we need it.
Because we were created to be in fellowship with God, we will never have true peace, love or joy, apart from Him.
So he reinforces it with the threat of eternal damnation.. supposedly for our own good. hmmm..
ReplyDeleteA little confusing I'll admit, but I think I get the best of it. That's the one thing about the concept of love.. it is universal.
ReplyDeleteThreat? no. Warning? Yes.
ReplyDeleteI've told my children not to play with guns or they could wind up dead from a gunshot wound. That was not a murderous threat, but rather a loving warning of potentially lethal consequences of their own actions.
God does not threaten us with eternal damnation. He warns us of the potentially eternal consequences of our own actions.
He is not in the business of damning people to Hell, but rather of rescuing us from Hell.
Jesus's instructions with fasting and prayer are directed at
ReplyDeletepeople doing these acts for the wrong reasons; like people who pray very loudly
for dramatic effect. "it's the thought that counts" is a big message of Jesus.
"Why does God (yadda yadda)?" It's his nature to do so. I mean, why does anyone do anything?
Like, why do we even try to live? We just do. Asking why God does something is like... asking why gravity pushes objects to one another.
So what is His nature? The most common conception of it is that God is love. Everything he does, even the hateful things, is because He loves us. So God can get away with making us suffer because He is pure love. And after all, all's fair in love and war. As his nature is pure love, and all of his actions are driven purely by his nature, he is absolutely in the right.
Another opinion I'd like to throw in is that God is not a person, He is His nature. Think of him as nature itself if you like, Buddhist do.
You missed your calling, sir. Shoulda been a car salesman.
ReplyDeleteInteresting approach. So instead of this being or entity He(it) is supposedly more of a force of nature. Driven solely on instinct doing whatever it wants because it basically can and there is nothing that we can do to stop it. Plausible.
ReplyDeleteWhoops, I meant to post as Revolver Ocelot. I didn't even notice. Throw me any question and I'll try to help you through it, this stuff fascinates me.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, it's hard to believe in a God and also believe you can do anything to influence it. Some beliefs get around that, like Godhead, but that's a whole other story. Just keep trying to get a feel for Jesus's character for now.
Interesting this Godhead theory. I'll have to include it in my research (props on the cool Metal Gear Solid handle btw)
ReplyDeleteHi... a bit off-topic here, but I have a question and I thought you might have an insight.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading a series of articles about translating the Bible in a way that makes sense to Muslims, and I keep thinking to myself that this is an odd endeavour - that the issue is translating the Bible in a way that makes sense to ANY person who is not culturally Christian (that is, who didn't grow up with some familiarity with this stuff). Or, alternately, just letting the whole thing stand on its own and let the reader accept or reject in their soul, without us Christians trying to write easier-to-understand (or friendlier?) translations.
So... the question is along the lines of the following: Do you think different translations are helpful for understanding? Do you think the issue is more comprehension of what it says, or is it more acceptance of the message? Or are they one and the same? Do you think accepting the Bible is easier for someone who grew up hearing its teachings and so maybe isn't bothered by some of its more extreme statements?
Yeah, that's a lot of questions... if any of them spark any thoughts, I'd definitely appreciate your thoughts.