My Sunday Thought for June 7, 2015: The Bible? Uhh... Bonjour!

Uhh... Bonjour

Have you seen this commercial for State Farm Insurance?   You Can't Lie on the Internet is one of those commercials that is so memorable as a cliché, you can't remember what product it was selling.  Because of it, Bonjour has become the new retort to anyone that says something evidencing their gullibility, in particular when it has to do with information found on the internet.

The Holy Bible has been getting a lot of bad press of late with all the reports of historical inaccuracies, contradictions, multiple and bad interpretations, and the like.  Most recently the Old Testament has come under fire by religious scholars for being a fabricated history of the Jewish people.  It has gotten bad enough that when Christians throw the bible up as proof of faith you can almost hear the crowd cry in unison, "Bonjour!"

For those that have read my posts since the inception of my blog, it is known that I make no secret the Holy Scripture and I are at odds.  Science and the scholars are simply coming to grips with what many of us have known for years - the Holy Bible has issues.  For all intents and purposes, it is just a book.  The Qur'an is just a book, as is the Talmud and the Old Testament.  Hidden in these texts are the directions to God's kingdom.  So, why are they open to so much bad interpretation by the leaders of said religions?  Maybe the better question would be, why do you believe leaders that have made faith so difficult?

Set the books aside.  We all know what the intent of God is.  Scripture has become a device by which to excuse bad actions by religious leaders with agendas for control of the faithful.  Take a step back and ask yourself where you place your faith.  Is it placed in books of questionable parables that are open to wide interpretation, or is your faith resting squarely with the obvious intent of God?  Every major religion has the same basic precepts that mirror the Ten Commandments.  Even Buddhism has the "twelve fold path to enlightenment" which touts similar philosophies of morality, kindness, love, and the like.  God made the path very simple with very understandable rules for faith and life.  The path is easy and understandable because it was never intended to be open for interpretation.  We all know the difference between right and wrong, morality and immorality, righteousness and a lack thereof.  God's path is very simple - do what is right!

We are in the midst of what could become our greatest battle between the forces of good and evil.  The forces of evil have taken their faith from philosophy to physical action.  The forces of evil are killing innocence at a rate not seen since the Third Reich.  We need to come together and strike a blow that will rock evil back on its heels for eons.  We need to come together and show God we understand where our faith lies.

If you open your bible today and sit in moral judgment of other peaceful faiths, gays, your neighbors and others, just remember you place yourself in the egotistical position of those religious leaders that would dare to speak for God; those that would dare to reinterpret for their own purposes the very simple path which God has laid before us.  Who are we to sit in judgement of another's servant?  If this servant is doing us no harm, show them hospitality and let them continue on their path.  After all, it is their path, placed in front of them by God, and they alone must travel it.  It is only when their path strays into an evil, which threatens the whole like a disease that we should come together as a force of good to protect the innocent and those that cannot protect themselves.  Our leader's only concern should be to ensure, through our actions in battle, we do not become as bad as the evil we are up against.

When you find yourself believing everything you read, or hear, and when that information condemns peaceful innocence to eternal damnation and orders you to sit in judgment, maybe it's time for you to close the book, look up to God and say, "Bonjour!"

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

Frank Anthony Villari (aka, Pastor Tony)

Pastor Tony is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path."