Missing the Message (Updated from 8/2/2015)

 

“You’re awesome, remember that.” She continued, harsh and bitter. “Who cares what anyone says about you? And they will talk shit. People are going to verbally destroy you, plaster your image all over the Net, say hateful things about you as if they’re facts, and you need to be indifferent. Got that? You don’t give a shit. About anything.”

-- Jesikah Sundin

Philip Burns recently sent a shout-out to everyone at the monastery site, "Some people miss the message because they are too busy checking the spelling."  My first blush comment back to Philip was, "Many people checking the spelling have no real clue what they're looking for and go straight to Spellcheck like a sinner to a priest."  

I think we do this, by and large, because we're much too lazy to do the research ourselves, we feel the priest can truly give us some absolution. We feel the priest is closer to God, or some other sad, pathetic reasoning, for not accepting ownership. For our duty to ourselves... and God.

Think about the analogy, spellcheck and priest.  How many times have you used spellcheck, just to discover the document contains correctly spelled words... that are wrong?  How many times has a priest been married, an addict, arrested for theft, or committed rape, etc.?  Okay, I'll give you that many of them actually do, but, for the most part, the priest might check the spelling. But, does the priest even know really know what they're looking at?  Do they even recognize a tree in their own search for the forest?  Yet, many of us feel comfortable transferring responsibility for our eternal souls to them, without knowing anything about them other than they are priests, ministers, or just "men of the cloth."  Many of them have committed, and are committing, sin.  Many are gay, child abusers, alcoholics, addicts, and such.  Hell, the head of the Christian Church, the Pope, has even admitted to pilfering a small cross from a corpse. Proof that none of us is without sin.  

If you have a trusted friend with a doctorate in aeronautics, have they ever flown a plane?  Would you let him fly your family?  All the higher education in the world is no substitute for the lowly "school of hard knocks."  There is nothing like the voice of experience, especially when it comes to one's soul, and who better to relate to your experiences than... you?   

I feel your pain. No, you don't.  It is my pain.  I've been where you are.  No, you haven't, because if you have, why in God's name would I be listening to your dumb ass?  There are only two that can truly state understanding; one is you, although you may have to work on acknowledging it, and the other is God almighty.  Everyone else is just too busy flapping their lips to see they've stepped right in front of the speeding "ego" bus.  

They are missing the message.

All of the education, intellect, and pharmaceuticals in the world cannot help you... unless you want to help yourself.  We keep going to others to do our own work for us.  You go to a medical doctor to tell you you're sick, a psychiatrist to tell you you're mad, a priest to tell you you're lost, and a hooker to tell you... well, what you want to hear, and, sometimes, what you don't.  

Not that I would know, but, when was the last time you spoke to God and said, "Hi, how ya doin?  Read your biography.  You might want to choose different writers next time.  Yeah, well, I'm no critic, but it seems they took an awful long time to give us one page of meaningful information.  I mean, a lot of people missed the message for all the extraneous bullshit.  And then there was the Qur'an.  Really?  Twice?  Just saying..."

God loves to entrust the Word to morons.  Why?  Well, most humans are morons. I think this shows God's faith that man might, someday, get it right.  How about we stop listening to man's interpretation of God's word, Holy Scripture, and just listen to God.  We can all hear, we just need to listen.  The message was never meant to be difficult, I mean, really, look at what God was working with.

“Humans. For the most part, you are dull and blundering. But occasionally, you can be remarkably bright creatures.”

-- Shelby Van Pelt

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 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 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 in 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