Is the Test You? (Updated from 7/8/2014)

 

"This is your moment of test of your faith. You're not a victim of circumstance but a winner of predicaments. Don't lose hope. Hold onto your faith and trust in God."

-- Ritu Ghatourey

Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac (Genesis 22:1-19), has always been appalling. That an all-knowing and omnipotent being would contrive such a test for which, being all-knowing, the outcome would only prove what both of them already know. This seems, to me, cruel and pointless. God even admits that the test proves Abraham's fear of God, which is seen as "appropriate" by this version of God. Why are we meant to fear a loving God, especially one who already knows what is in our hearts? Sometimes I wonder if God isn't doing a kind of "taste test" to ensure his recipe for mankind turned out as planned. The thought doesn't make sense, though, if God is perfect and all-knowing. Right?

Do you think God testing you, or are you the test for someone else? And, is being the test for someone else also a test for you? God's 'twofer special' is to see if you realize you are the test and if you're up to taking on the challenge. 

We are all on a path of discovery and, with every experience, we learn more which we can pass on to others. Each of us is a mentor, a minister, a shepherd, and a pastor to each other. One of the first tests is to realize this truth, the next test is how you put it into practice.

“Those who are determined to be ‘offended’ will discover a provocation somewhere. We cannot possibly adjust enough to please the fanatics, and it is degrading to make the attempt.”

-- Christopher Hitchens

Someone's "judgment" of your righteousness is, also, a judgment of their own. Where you see judgment, you might be better served to find the lesson in the predicament and show others the error in judging. You can try to explain it to them, but words rarely sway a person's ego, especially the ego of the perpetually offended. It is very easy to judge others, but there is a fine line one must walk in order to have an opinion and not judge others for their opinion.

Our varied opinions on morality are an obvious test for each of us. Our view of morality can be the impetus for disagreement, and can, very often, create a negative "judgment" about us. I find this happens most often with "hot-button" topics, like abortion. Can both sides of this debate, pro-life and pro-choice, equally offend each other? I've had problems understanding how. "Pro-choice" defends the right of women to choose what happens with their bodies, while "pro-life" stands to defend unborn children from being murdered in the womb. Two totally different arguments, right? I see pro-choice as a, well, choice, while pro-life is a moral imperative.

“I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born.”

-- Ronald Reagan

I try not to judge, but it is a hard task. I am a hypocrite in that I am "perpetually offended" by the League of the Perpetually Offended. I am especially offended by those members of the League that are offended when I take exception to any excuse they can drum up for the murder of innocent life. Yet, we are all a party to this when we allow the government to define, with questionable science, when life begins and when it is deemed appropriate under the law to approve the slaughter of innocent life which doesn't meet their poor definition of when life begins, or whether it should be allowed to continue. This very definition, of when life begins, is a test of our civilization. Even science can't agree on the definition as it seems to change constantly. What do we say to those innocent we allowed to be slaughtered under a previous ruling? Sorry about that?

"Last but not least among serial killer methodologies, we have women who kill their own children."

-- Pat Brown

The health and welfare of the woman is one thing, but unwanted pregnancy can now be terminated at the onset. We no longer have an excuse to wait until just before our definition of when life exists before we opt for murder in lieu of termination. It seems just as easy for a doctor to do harm one way as the other, providing a doctor is even involved. Why don't we just elect an executioner to snap the baby's little neck as it emerges?

I see no reason why people who abhor abortion of the innocent should be forced to pay their tax dollars to support the lunatics behind the act. This amounts to forced immorality. Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote, "The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons." I offer that the true degree of civilization can be judged by how we treat the least of us, our "at-risk" populations. For the most part, we don't even acknowledge them, unless we have to, and, even then, we'd rather not. We would sell our souls for a life of faux peace and serenity rather than waste any effort to protect those unable to protect themselves. Our very lack of humanity seems to be evidence of the waste of "humanity" that we have become. I don't see this as judgment, as much as it seems to be a sad fact.

“It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.”

-- Saint Teresa of Calcutta

I try not to argue with the "perpetually offended" about any issue, much less moral ones, because, well, they are going to be offended, regardless, and perpetually. These are people who might firmly believe the Holocaust never happened; the historical evidence, firsthand accounts, and photos are all a fraud perpetrated by, well, it really doesn't matter who, because it offends them, which is all that does matter for them. If they could change history, they would. If they could kill God, they would. If they could kill everyone who doesn't agree with them, they would. And then, having offended themselves by killing everyone else and having nobody left to feel offended by, they would start killing themselves. Hallelujah...

“I cannot understand anti-abortion arguments that centre on the sanctity of life. As a species, we've fairly comprehensively demonstrated that we don't believe in the sanctity of life. The shrugging acceptance of war, famine, epidemic, pain, and life-long poverty shows us that, whatever we tell ourselves, we've made only the most feeble of efforts to really treat human life as sacred.”

-- Caitlin Moran

In the case of abortion, the offended seems to be offended by anyone who would dare to limit a woman's ability to make decisions where her own body is concerned. Oh, I totally agree with them, as long as her decision doesn't involve murdering another human life, especially one within her, for no sound reason other than, "Oops! I made another mistake... again." 

 One question stands out for me if sex was consensual, is this going to be her first test or a perpetual one? Only she can judge, right? If she even cares. But, her ability to make sound moral judgments would seem to be already questionable.

The only sound reasons I can envision for abortion are rape, the mother's health, or the child's health. Again, rape can be dealt with immediately. Termination of innocent life due to health concerns for the mother is no fault of her or the child and is an understandable decision only the mother can make. As to the health of the child, I will leave that to be answered by the numerous handicapped children who might have been aborted but are so very happy to be alive and bringing joy to the very parents who considered abortion and opted for the life of innocence. 

Was this the mother's test? Maybe. God bless them for making the right and moral call. Pro-life advocates wait to see what monumental changes these "saved" children can offer the universe.

“If a mother can kill her own child - what is left is for me to kill you and you to kill me - there is nothing between.”

-- Mother Teresa of Calcutta

As well as being a test, our moral beliefs are, most importantly, personal judgments of ourselves. How other people judge us for our views on personal morality is of little consequence since we don't answer to those who feel they have the right to judge us. This concept offends the perpetually offended (no shit) who think they have the right to judge and that we should answer to them for even daring to take the moral high ground. I see no problem making good use of this ground, and the test, both of which they seem to have rejected.

Having said all this, the definition of when life begins is our test. It should be the purview of civilized science and not those who have the most money or the most to gain, or the most political influence. It certainly shouldn't be left in the hands of those immoral intellectual titans who can't say no, keep their legs together, their manhood in their pants, or take a pill or wear a condom.

“More than a decade ago, a Supreme Court decision literally wiped off the books of fifty states' statutes protecting the rights of unborn children. Abortion on demand now takes the lives of up to 1.5 million unborn children a year. Human life legislation ending this tragedy will someday pass the Congress, and you and I must never rest until it does. Unless and until it can be proven that the unborn child is not a living entity, then its right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness must be protected.”

-- Ronald Reagan

People have berated me for my stand on abortion. I absolutely own it, and without hesitation, so berate away! I have been called many things, none of them nice, and I can live with the bile that issues from other people's pie holes much easier than I could live with the murder of unborn children. I've seen it, watched it, and pushed the bile back down my throat until I couldn't watch it anymore. I have broad shoulders when it comes to standing up against the immoral murdering of innocence and, in doing so, I'm beyond certain I will perpetually offend those who find any excuse to allow it. I'm as certain that this is my test as I am that abortion is theirs. Good luck!

"God is testing people so they will know what is in their own hearts."

-- Matt Slick

God knows what is in your heart; knows what you will do and, therefore, knows the outcome of every test. The test is for you, not for God. God wants you to learn what is already known, understand that which is already understood, conclude what is already foregone, and have faith that what is, is.

“Tough times don't define you, they refine you.‪”

-- Carlos A. Rodriguez

There will always be times of trial; times that stress us to the breaking point, and beyond. Yet, things seem to work out because, in the end, you are still here to complain about it or be offended by it. The complaint or offense is evidence we have missed the point. Wouldn't it feel better to work through it with faith and a positive attitude? Wouldn't it feel better to admit that, once again, at the end of the day, you will still be here to witness your faith in God and God's faith in you? This will trump all the complaining or doubting one can muster. Things will always work out. Well, things will always work out except for the perpetually offended. For things to work out, you simply have to understand the outcome may not be what you expected, yet. You need to have faith.

I have faith that those who do evil to others will have evil done unto them. Everyone will be graded according to their work. The test of good or evil is a simple one: Good benefits everyone while evil only benefits those who support and perpetuate it. It is an unfortunate universal rule that we must have both good and evil. There must be balance in the universe, so, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, in order to maintain this balance.

Each day is a test allowing you to move forward, or backward, on your path through your infinite existence. Evil, at times, might seem to move you forward faster, but to where, and at what cost to the immortal soul? We are not intended to travel in circles, reliving the life we damage. We should always do good, and trust in the ultimate power of the universe to guide us on a good and righteous path. We know the difference between right and wrong, so lying to ourselves just compounds the damage we do to our souls.

"Sometimes God pushes us to our limits...He tests us beyond our endurance because He has greater FAITH in us than we have in ourselves."

-- Nishan Panwar

While traveling your path, never give up, never surrender, never lose faith, never lose hope, and never feel like you are alone in your trials. Everything is being watched. In times of strength, give some of that strength to others. In times of weakness, watch for those who will come to mentor and minister to your needs. These mentors and ministers might be friends, family, and even total strangers, who might say the one thing you need to hear. Good and evil take many forms and are not, usually, easy to see. We need to start seeing good and evil for what they are, and the angels and demons for what they are.

They may be us.

"When you are going through something hard and wonder where God is...remember, the teacher is always quiet during a test."

-- Anonymous

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 view any more right or wrong than the other. Opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form their own opinions, 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.

I fervently 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 offered. After twenty-three years of military intelligence, I have come to believe that engaging each other in this manner, and in this arena, is a 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. Following his service career, he spent 17 years working with the premier and world-renowned Western Institutional Review Board, helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. He also served 8 years on the Board of Directors for the Angela J. Bowen Foundation.

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 a weapon for his war on intolerance... he chose the pen. He 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 personal, spiritual path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony at: tolerantpastor@gmail.com