Friday, March 31, 2017

CHOOSING BETWEEN BEING FREE OR SLAVERY

Choosing Between Freedom or Slavery

    Being Human is not easy. On one hand, we're basically lazing, yet on the other  hand we're always striving for more. We often chose to evade responsibility and yet bridle and complain when we don't get our own way.
    The myths of the ancients, those old stories that tell of universal truths, remind us of these conflicting forces that are within us. The biblical stories tell of this struggle. At first, the ancient Hebrews (Jews) had no king (unlike all other peoples around them), only Yahweh. They were free to figure out things for themselves. They couldn't pass on responsibility to any other. But, eventually, they chose to choose a king. From then on, they could blame all their problems on that figure.
    Jesus plainly thought of himself as a child of God, a teacher, not an authority figure in any way, not one who longed for or sought power or control. Many around him were searching and longing for a messiah, a king to  lead them in a revolution against Roman occupation. He declined, time and time again. He couldn't have been more plain and direct.
    Yet, even in his death, he was re-created as a risen Messiah, and came to be thought of as being even as part of God by later Greek-thinking followers The churches still proclaim him as such. The only responsibility Christians have is to 'believe'. All else is the Will of God. We PRAY. God DOES.  Such a shame. And completely against all that Jesus said, lived and died for. (You can see why Good Friday is not my favourite time.)
    Each of us lives in this dilemma. We want to be free, whatever that means to us. And yet we'd much rather leave the 'heavy lifting' in most areas to others. When these two forces meet within us, we feel much discomfort. We are well aware of the great powers that influence our lives, powers that we can do little about. Yet we usually do little in those areas we CAN affect. Few of us are active in any real political way but we rarely hesitate to complain about those exact same areas. Many of us are still 'going to church', listening to 'priests' of one stripe or another who 'tell us like it is' from an official point of view, but we rarely share spiritually with each other or take the risk of questioning, learning and growing like Jesus of Nazareth urged us. Leave the 'spirit stuff' to the paid/trained staff.
    In other words, we're just human. That's both a hope and a curse. It's up to each of us, and us together, to chose which force will be given the most power. If we believe in the kind of God that Jesus knew, we'll know that we've got to do it ourselves. LOVE shares that responsibility. The slavery and powerlessness that we might feel is self imposed, although traditional. It is still chosen. Let's not waste our time, but choose for freedom. It might be costly (the Cross demonstrates that fact), but it's worth it.
    Again, thank you for your time and thoughts.
    Anthony

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

What To Do With Another Year


LOVE DOESN'T ALWAYS WIN

SO LOVE  ALWAYS WIN?

       Sorry, friends. I just don't buy it. I know that 'God' is Love. I believe the concept of God being 'forever' and hence, 'Love' must be forever and therefore. But does that men love must win in the end, if we just wait long enough? Using the same argument, death always wins, because we all die in the end. So nothing we do in live makes any difference.
       I'm having a running conversation on Facebook regarding this, a no-win situation, but one where both of us really have a great deal of hope and faith. We're coming from two very different positions. She believes in the absolute power of LOVE, of God being both eternal and all-powerful, and therefore, where all we have to do is have faith and believe, because in the end, LOVE will prevail.
     I hope she's right. She's spending her time and life doing nothing but just living and enjoying her situation (a rather good one). I envy her in many ways. What a comfortable and worry-free existence. To her, everything in the world, her country, her city and neighbourhood is unfolding as it is preordained to do. It is all beyond her influence. Even more: if she interferes, she is disrupting God's plan, hindering the Way of Love that will all become plain to us, in the end.
    What does she think of the innumerable examples of hatred throughout the eons? She doesn't thing,  really, saying only that "They all ended, didn't they?", thus proving, in her mind, that evil doesn't last and that love always wins.
    As I see it, and I have to think that God's Creation gave me a brain with which to think, that the power of hatred is getting even stronger with time. Ten-thousand years ago hatred might have killed a dozen or so persons, or at the most, a neighbouring tribe of a few dozen. Then we became 'civilized' and hatred could kill many thousands. In the 1940's hatred killed fifty million. Now, one person has 'the button' and can kill the world. How can anybody really believe that the power of hatred/evil is not growing? As our technology has grown, the power of one hate-filled person has grown exponentially. I know without a doubt, that if I wanted to, it would be so very easy to kill many hundreds of people. I only have to look on the  Internet to find many ways.
    But yet, I believe in LOVE and the God of love. I also know that true LOVE has no CONTROL, as all parents eventually discover. By the time their children reach the age of  sixteen (give or take), a loving parent has long given up any idea of control. All they have left is LOVE. The child has by then the choice to accept that love or not, to live in ways of love or to chose others for themselves.
    In this age, I know that love CAN win. The facts, however, tell us that only where many join together in LOVE, do they have a chance at combating hatred. Our books are filled with quotations of people from the past and present who exhort us with warnings of 'good people' doing nothing, of how good wishes, thoughts and prayers allow evil to grow, flourish and spawn. Churches and many 'feel-good' organizations abound, patting themselves on the back in the firm knowledge that because they are loving and helping people, all is well in the world and God is in His place. And hatred grows. If there is a Devil, he must be ecstatic with this self deception and ignorance.
     I am as appalled as any with the rise of Trump and his kind but I am so pleased with the thousands of 'nice' people who are being prodded into action. Hatred can be defeated, time and time again, but only by much, much work and love. Hatred is alive and well all around us, and even within us. This is reality. This is who and what we are. Only if "two or more of us are gathered" in love, can we grow and work for life and against the force of hatred and death. Please, people of good will, however you name yourselves, do not stay alone. If you remain so, you are wasting your lives, allowing hatred to grow in this time of change and crisis. Now is the time to grow yourselves, to reach out and find your life, no matter your age or background.
     Churches, before you die out completely, re-discover your roots of loving action. Lay aside your mere 'beliefs' and need to control. Learn to live in love, to share. We all need your ancient heritage that rebelled against hatred so long ago.
     Yes, dear friend, LOVE can win. Just don't count on it. Count only on people who will empower LOVE. There is always a chance and a hope. I'm trying.
     Continuing to live in hope,
     Anthony