I wonder if we have a problem between our opinion, free will and simple, clear facts? This is true whether we are thinking secular or religious. Conflicts have brought stress and divisions, have taken away from the building up of our nation and our own spiritual growth.
It seems we just can’t learn. God tells us that religion is man-made, but he says we need to learn from each one, for each is unique and has value. But, what do we do? We manufacture still another one. Seems that nearly 50,000 different slants on God’s word isn’t enough. If I were to tell you that God told me, that He was the original Jewish mother? What would you think? How would you process that? Boggles the mind, doesn’t it? What does He say is the most important of all His creations? You guessed it, Love.
But, get this, He told me that He did NOT create any religion! Not one! Not yours, not mine. Now, don’t get upset, He made it clear that each of those man-made “slants” on His Word has a purpose. He implies that we made complex that which is actually very simple – Love others as He has loved us. Period. No catechism. That one’s for us. No 613 laws. That, too, is for us. Those set prayers? They are for us. No Apostles Creed. That, too, is for us. His creed? Are you paying attention? Just love.
There are a lot of small minds out there, many who are influenced by the propaganda that has bombarded us and caused us to think a certain way, rendering our free will, moot. That’s right, when we embrace and blindly follow a certain voice, our free well is removed from the equation. In effect, we cancel God’s gift. Is that what we really want to do?
Small mindedness, narrow and incomplete thoughts that are lifted like a banner, often exposing petty thinking. John Blasé, in a recent post, cited an opinion piece in the New York Times that called for churches to do away with streaming services. Was it to get those people in the pews? “Flesh and blood, needs flesh and blood”, whatever that means? Is it a call to beef-up the collection plate? But what about the shut-ins, those, who, for a variety of reasons, are unable to attend. Is the price they pay for their inability to make it into church — not getting the word of God? Pretty narrow thinking, don’t you think?
John Blasé started his post with “Lord, it’s hard to think. The ten thousand things have multiplied…” That’s true. The moment we think our way through a complex question, there’s a tendency to slide into still a different question just as an answer to the first is at hand. Should we be concerned about streaming services, or what church requires certain things for baptism, or that one political stripe is better than another, or pasta is better with Alfredo sauce, or that a vaccine that saves millions of lives is evil?
“And those ten thousand things have multiples into ten million and our wayward heads are tossed about like a ship on the ocean…” And we hear that Higher Power of ours tell us that there is only one thing that matters…accepting others, respect, compassion, in other words, Love. True?
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