My Sunday Thought for 032617: Out of Someone Else's Mouth

“Do you not know that God entrusted you with that money (all above what buys necessities for your families) to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to help the stranger, the widow, the fatherless; and, indeed, as far as it will go, to relieve the wants of all mankind? How can you, how dare you, defraud the Lord, by applying it to any other purpose?”

--John Wesley (1703-1791), cleric, theologian, founder of Methodism

Last I read, studies put the number of Christian sects in the world at 33,000 plus; all of them think they are more right and, therefore, more worthy of salvation than their brothers. I have found, in discussing scripture with Christian leaders around me, most of them read their scripture, they believe in it, and seemingly do not understand what they read. They read, and yet they do not see. Perhaps it's because they put all of their unwavering faith in what they believe is the 'Word of God' on earth, that contradictory, vague, open to interpretation, 1500 page user's guide for the Ten Commandments - the Bible.  I've always wondered why ten very easy to understand commandments, from an omnipotent God incapable of making mistakes, had to be clarified by the ignorant children, created by said God, to whom this very same omnipotent God aimed those commandments.  "What God really meant to say was..."  So, were they second guessing God's perfection, or looking for loopholes in God's laws? We all know how much mankind loves a loophole, and who better than those in control of religious fervor to find loopholes to ensure their control continues unabated.

In Dan Brown's fiction novel, The Lost Symbol, he explains man's relationship to God's Word and clergy in a way which I totally agree:  "The moment mankind separated himself from God, the true meaning of the Word was lost.  The voices of the ancient masters have now been drowned out, lost in the chaotic din of self-proclaimed practitioners shouting that they alone understand the Word... that the Word is written in their language and none other."  I ask you to consider those 33,000 plus sects of just Christianity alone, and the 33,000 plus clergy, the 33,000 plus self-proclaimed leaders of millions of self-proclaimed practitioners, all shouting that they, alone, are right.

Holy Scripture is, for the most part, a 'word of mouth' history of the Abrahamic faith, our belief in God.  It tells us of our beginnings,  God's gift of His Ten Commandments, the miracles of true faith, the struggles of those who went before, and of the Christ, his prophet here on earth, given as a sacrifice for our sins.  It also predicts for us a future when the mysteries of the universe are 'unveiled' for all who wish to see; the coming age of enlightenment.  It is a book inspired by man's belief in a supreme being, but written by man.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the short epilogue, the last 25%, of this holiest of books.  All of Holy Scripture, regardless of religion based on it, holds great secrets within the writing which mankind strives to understand but is not yet ready to discover.    

A 19th century poet and educator, Matthew Arnold, once wrote: "Protestantism has the method of Jesus with His secret too much left out of mind: Catholicism has His secret with His method too much left out of mind; neither has His unerring balance, His intuition, His sweet reasonableness.  But both have hold of a great truth, and get from it a great power."

The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose.

-- C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), novelist, theologian, apologist

The great power Matthew Arnold speaks of, is the power the Church wields over their congregations, a power to control faith, thinking, and leadership. The power to interpret, without question, what scripture says. Whereas organized religion derives their great power from scripture, only within ourselves can we truly discover the unerring balance, intuition, and sweet reasonableness which are Jesus Christ. Everything we need is already within us, the rest are just words on paper or in someone else's mouth. Treat others as you would have them treat you, love the Lord God with all your heart, walk in peace, speak truth from the soul, and love all, in this way only will the teachings of Christ truly touch the hearts of others.

Use your ministry to build people, not people to build your ministry.

--Jacquelyn K. Heasley, minister, writer

We listen to the preaching of the evangelists; showering them with monetary offerings to build churches and cathedrals.  We buy our way into heaven because the preachers tell us to open our purse and give until it hurts.  These "men of God" travel around in expensive cars and private jets while many in their own congregation scratch for food.  It would seem of great importance that we show up to church and give and offering, or at least send a check through the mail to ensure our place in line for salvation.

I am constantly trying to convince clergy to come and volunteer time with patients at the medical center, to visit with them, to lend a friendly ear, and help them to pray.  Again, I am trying to convince clergy to do that which they pledged to God they would willingly do, but they're too busy running the business of religion to find time to fulfill their role as shepherd for the lost and the sick, poor, hungry and homeless.  Many of them remind me of the Catholic priest which I found had asked that he only be called to attend the sick between certain hours, and then only if the sick were Catholic and then only if they were members of his own congregation.  We all remember the biblical parable where Jesus hung a shingle stating his hours of operation and that he would only see the faithful, right?  It would seem power is the fertilizer of hypocrisy in religion.  I'm the religious leader so don't call me, I'll call you.

“Let eloquence be flung to the dogs rather than souls be lost. What we want is to win souls. They are not won by flowery speeches.”

-- Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892), the "Prince of Preachers"

We can listen to all the televangelists, go to all the meetings, and it will not benefit us if we do not hear and if we do not act.  But then, if we simply read the very simple Ten Commandments which God gave us, we would be as rich, if not more so, and certainly more worthy of heaven than if we expect others to do the work for us.  Faith must come from within us, not others.  We must give thanks to God; we must ask for God's help and we must earn our place at the table.

It is now possible to live a "Christian life" without doing the things that Jesus commanded us to do. We have hired people to go into all the world, to visit those in prison, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to care for widows and orphans. The average Christian doesn't have to do it.

-- John Calvin Thomas, columnist, author, commentator

I find it interesting that the Bible is a collection of writings, Hebrew and Christian, compiled under orders of Emperor Constantine by a council of religious leaders in Nicaea.  Included are parables, tales of miracles, and conversations with angels and with God.  Most of these stories being an oral history handed down for several thousand years with no proof other than the stories themselves.  Yet , it seems none of today's faithful find any of this worthy of discussion or critique because they take the validity of it all on faith.

Mohammed receives another Testament directly from an angel of God, or Joseph Smith receives another testament directly from an angel of God, and no faith or credence is forthcoming from the rest of the faithful, only denial and ridicule.  Islam and Mormonism are also faithful to the same God of Abraham.  They get their scripture from the same angel, the same God, and suffer persecution from the rest of God’s children.  Christianity and Islam would agree Allah is not the Christian God, and vice versa, even though both claim direct descent from Abraham as do, obviously, the faithful of Judaism.  We all have the same creator; we simply differ in our interpretation of this 'Father' of man.  The same God, one omnipotent God, to which we have assigned different names and different ways of showing our faith.

Mormons are ridiculed simply because of their lack of proof that Smith is anything more than an author of fiction; there are no golden tablets.  And the Christian proof is where?  There are no nails from the cross, no crown of thorns, and no cross for that matter.  The Hebrew proof is where?  There are no stone tablets, no staff of Moses, no Ark of the Covenant. We all claim to have belief steeped in the same history, based on a belief in the same deity, and without any physical proof.  We base our beliefs on deep, unwavering faith.  Yet, we are constantly at odds with any new miracles which present themselves, as with Mormonism or Islam.  What will Christians believe when Christ returns?  Where will our faith be at the Second Coming?  Will history repeat, or will Christ, indeed, come fully armed to kick ass and take names?

“The Church expected the Second Coming of Christ immediately. The converts had known a first coming. And then? And then! That was the trouble — the then. He had come, and they adored and believed, they communicated and practiced, and waited. The then lasted, and there seemed to be no farther equivalent Now. Time became the individual and catholic problem. The Church had to become as universal and as durable — as time.”

-- Charles Williams (1886-1945), theologian, poet, author

Will a lowly shepherd on some far horizon, living a morally righteous life, in all humility and praising one supreme deity above all others, be any less worthy of God's grace than the multitude searching for salvation by packing stadiums to throw money at a wealthy evangelist in order to reserve their place in line at the gates to paradise?  Is the faithful beggar less worthy than the merchant, the faithful idiot less worthy than the intelligent, or the faithful student less worthy than the teacher?  I think not.  This is one situation where less can actually equal more.

In the preface of The Gospel of Thomas, Didymos Judas Thomas writes, These are the hidden words that the living Jesus spoke, and that Didymos Judas Thomas wrote down. And He said: "Whoever finds the meaning of these words will not taste death."  In reading these supposed words written as Christ spoke them, I was interested to note in this Gospel how generally clear and easy to understand Jesus describes our path to enlightenment and salvation.  At times confusing and contradictory, it seems not more so than all other scripture.  Does it really take 1500 pages of Holy Scripture and a degree in divinity to follow the path and teachings of Jesus?  Jesus Himself would simply ask that we give away our material belongings and follow.  How difficult did God make it to attain grace and paradise? Was it just for the learned? Was it just for the 'chosen' to maintain power over all others?  I think not.  Perhaps it was simple enough for a simple people to understand.  Maybe it was intended to be simple enough for all of us to understand we only answer to one higher power.  Maybe the answers we seek have been inside us all the time.

Of course, this is just food for thought, My Sunday Thought, for March 26, 2017.

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 another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the 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 23 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 an Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects 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, to wage 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 Liaison, at a regional medical center.