My Sunday Thought for 05292016: A Word from Our Sponsor?

“Do not recite words just to prove to yourself and others that you know and love God; for he already put his breath and light inside you. Instead, put truth in your every word and action, and always let your conscience steer and guide you.”

-- Suzy Kassem, writer, poet, philosopher

There is much truth in what Suzy Kassem says in her quote, above.  It is also in Hebrews 10:16 that, "...says THE LORD JEHOVAH: I shall put my law into their minds, and I shall write it upon their hearts," and God did this because the written Word was susceptible to so much misinterpretation due to the ignorance of man.  Christians might argue this, which would only further evidence the point.  If the Word of God, as written in biblical scripture, were so straightforward as to not be open to interpretation, why are there so many Christian sects arguing over who is correct and practicing the most righteous path to salvation?  This is the very reason God, in the second covenant with man, wrote: "not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.  Such confidence we have through Christ before God.  Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.  He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.  Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?  If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!  For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.

-- 2 Corinthians 3:3-10

So, why is there a Bible, a collection of Holy Scripture which God was obviously opposed to having, and felt was unnecessary if the Spirit of the Word was written across the hearts and minds of mankind?  There seems to be some contradiction in the interpretation and argument for all sides.  Let's take a look at a Catholic view:

Protestants claim the Bible is the only rule of faith, meaning that it contains all of the material one needs for theology and that this material is sufficiently clear that one does not need apostolic tradition or the Church’s magisterium (teaching authority) to help one understand it. In the Protestant view, the whole of Christian truth is found within the Bible’s pages. Anything extraneous to the Bible is simply non-authoritative, unnecessary, or wrong—and may well hinder one in coming to God.

Catholics, on the other hand, recognize that the Bible does not endorse this view and that, in fact, it is repudiated in Scripture. The true "rule of faith"—as expressed in the Bible itself—is Scripture plus apostolic tradition, as manifested in the living teaching authority of the Catholic Church, to which were entrusted the oral teachings of Jesus and the apostles, along with the authority to interpret Scripture correctly.

-- Catholic Answers - Scripture and Tradition

Having been baptized, endured Catechism, and celebrated my First Communion as a Catholic, I recognize the opinion presented above.  But it wasn't until 1962 that the Second Vatican Council’s document on divine revelation, Dei Verbum (Latin: "The Word of God") determined that clergy, in particular, Catholic clergy, were blessed with the God-given "authority to interpret Scripture correctly."  This would be the same scripture which God felt unnecessary after writing the Spirit of the Word across our hearts and minds.  Basically, the clergy is telling mankind what an omnipotent God seemed incapable of making crystal clear. "What God really meant to say was..."

The Protestant view that "anything extraneous to the Bible is simply non-authoritative, unnecessary, or wrong—and may well hinder one in coming to God" also has its problems if we understand what this "Holy Scripture" is gleaned from. How Was the Bible Written and Created?, is a link some might find informational in getting a basic understanding of Bible history. Add to this understanding accepted facts that much of the text was gleaned from bits and pieces of damaged documents and documents translated from numerous languages of the day by monks and scholars that weren't the brightest bulbs and didn't understand that any these languages didn't translate directly or clearly into one another. We also have come to understand that some elaboration of the text might have happened due to historical political and religious agendas, not to mention the overactive imaginations of celibate monks. So, where does that leave our final interpretation of "Holy Scripture" as a book of faith? Well, I guess we really have to take it on faith then, don't we?

When we add to all of this the tenor of remarks in scripture which seem to reflect more the attitudes and agenda of the age in which these books were written, translated and chosen, than the Prophet we have come to revere, we are left with unquestionable faith in God's decision to not give mankind written scripture to muck up and misinterpret.  Yes, we are left with unquestionable evidence that we are truly stupid and God has chosen not to cure it.  God expects us to wake up and heal ourselves.

Let me give you an example of Christians being asleep at the wheel.  First, I will give you an excerpt from an essay, link included, from R.C. Symes (I still haven't found out who he is, so don't ask), then I will follow the excerpt with a "reader comment" responding to another "reader comment" concerning the Symes essay.  I found it all very interesting:

Before we attempt to answer the question whether the Bible was the divine word of God or a man-made myth (only men wrote the Bible – women were viewed as inferior and unworthy), we should first be clear about which Bible we are talking about. Surprisingly, Christian denominations cannot agree on what constitutes inspired Holy Scripture. Is it the Bible of Roman Catholics, Protestants or Orthodox Christians? Roman Catholics claim that the Bible contains 73 canonical (authentic) books, while most Protestants accept only 66 because they reject the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical books, and Orthodox Christians accept 76 books. Each denomination claims its Bible is the true word of God. Which one is to be believed?

-- R.C. Symes, "Is the Bible the Word of God or Myth of men?"

"The author, R.C. Symes, is not a Christian, but he knows how to sound convincing when passing himself off as an authority on scripture. 

You can do it too. Stand up straight, lift your chin, and speak rapidly in organized coherent sentences. Doesn't matter what you say, so long as you use a confident voice and a forward-leaning attitude.

Having established a posture of authority, R. C. Symes now tells you that he's right and you're ignorant. End of story. He has his facts together and you don't, so (insert rim-shot here) he must be right. For every question you ask he has an answer. For every answer you give, he has another question.

Symes says Jesus got a prophecy wrong so he must not be God. He gets even blunter a little further down. Jesus made a false prophecy, so he's also a liar. Symes, of course, is right, because Symes has thought this through and he has a disciplined mind and he understands the fundamental truths that you don't pay enough attention to.

[Mr. X], are you starting to get the idea? When you come across arrogant, ignorant tripe like this, stop trying to refute the statements unless you like swimming in quicksand. If the source is not credible, the rest of the blog can be safely disregarded."

I cannot attest to Mr. Symes credence.  He does sound convincing as he offers "organized coherent sentences" with commas is appropriate places - the commenter does not.  Mr. Symes does "establish a posture of authority," and "has his facts together," where the commenters do not.  "For every question you ask he has an answer... Symes, of course, is right, because Symes has thought this through and he has a disciplined mind and he understands the fundamental truths that you don't pay enough attention to."  

It is at this point, in my reading, I had to chuckle.  I found myself thinking that, when you come across arrogant, ignorant tripe like this "comment," from people having no ability to refute the statements being made in an essay, other than to give kudos to the writer for having his ducks lined up, the only thing saving them from going under the quicksand is an undying faith which they seemingly lack the intelligence to elaborate on or explain.  Many would find the comments not credible and safely disregard the sources tout de suite.  These are Christians who like swimming in quicksand.  They seem to enjoy going out of their way admitting Symes is right, to the point of complimenting his "disciplined mind" and his understanding of "the fundamental truths" prior to showing their ass by calling his essay arrogant and ignorant after rightfully praising his "rim shot" simply because of their own inability to prevent it by speaking intelligently to the credibility of their own faith and refuting Mr. Symes statements.  As for me, I have no idea if Mr. Symes is correct, and I will let you make your own opinion of the posted comment.

Perhaps a better tact for these charter members of the League of the Perpetually Offended would be to refute this essay with facts, quotes, and reputable sources of their own.  Showing one's ability to make an organized, coherent, cogent, and convincing argument, and doing so while in control of your emotions, is a great part of that authoritative persona this person recognized in Mr. Symes yet was too busy showing his ass to emulate.  Just saying.

Personally, I believe God was right.  I am a Christian.  I believe there are certain parts of the scripture which get it right, just as I believe much of it was written, translated, and included by clergy with Godless agendas in mind.  When you read what makes sense, what reflects that which is in your mind and your heart, listen to it.  Pray in the privacy of your own room, not in a church.  Do not judge the servant of another.  Love others as you love yourself, and praise God always.

Always remember, what God wants from us isn't as difficult as many would have us believe.  If you feel God dominates your life, this is a good thing.  If you feel the church dominates your life, not so much.  Give credence to what God wrote across your heart and your mind, not that which is written down.  I also believe, with all my heart, you must question everything and everyone.  Belief is something earned by learning the truth of a thing; the truth will set you free.  God wants us to have faith, but God does not want us to be blind to the truth.  Satan is the great deceiver.  Evil will build cathedrals instead of feeding the poor.  Evil will live in luxury instead of giving everything to the poor and following Christ.  Evil will use the Bible as an instrument of God without truly understanding the simple Spirit of the Word of God which man, with all misplaced vanity, has dared to try and reinterpret - again.

God put the Word in our hearts and minds so there would be no misinterpretation of meaning and intent.  We know what is right and wrong, so choose right.

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. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, 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 learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center..