You don’t have to be a Bible-reader to appreciate this cartoon about modern times.
Tag Archive for Bible
Talk and Action
Today’s Thursday Thought is a Biblical one that struck me because of how much inhumane action is going on in our world today in the name of doing what’s best for people.
“Grow up!” says God
So many people say that God has told them what He demands to be done in order to honor and obey Him: kill all non-believers; convert people to your concept of Him, and do so by whatever means necessary; enslave people of specific ethnic groups or gender; kill people who kill others (except, of course, when in the process of “cleansing” the Earth); occupy land because He promised you a homeland, then proclaim it as the specific location He promised; treat people of different religious beliefs as inferior and misguided; and interpret the Koran or Bible or whatever your holy book is to support such actions.
Well, God talks to me, too, and I hear Him saying this: What I really want is peace among all My children. Grow up, people, and work on getting along rather than destroying My creation!
Jesus and Topless Dancers
I’m going to be slightly irreverent today. Read no farther if that bothers you.
I read about a pastor in Ohio whose church is near a topless establishment. He organized his parishioners to carry protest signs, take down licence plate numbers of the bar’s patrons, yell out hell-fire warning to customers, and call the topless dancers whores, prostitutes, and worse. His reasoning for this was that he takes seriously his duty to see that the “Gospel of Christ is lifted up.”
That sent me to my Bible, which I’m already quite familiar with. I especially looked at the words attributed to Jesus Christ. Nowhere do I see Him preaching against toplessness. Going back to before His time, it isn’t even in the 10 Commandments.
What I do see, though, is His teaching about tolerance and love. Even if these women were prostitutes, Jesus was known to forgive them, showing them love and support; He didn’t call them names, harass them, or condemn them.
That pastor and I have very different Bibles, as well as views on Christ’s teachings.
Those Satanic Winter Games
“Satanic Winter Games” is what a militant Islamic leader called the upcoming Olympics in Sochi, Russia. He feels that, because the games are the work of Satan, bombs should be set off and people killed.
Let me understand this. The Olympics are games that bring people together from all over the world, forgetting their national grudges for a time. They require people to agree to abide by rules that foster cooperation and peace. Their participants actually root for others from different countries, encouraging them to do their best, taking joy in their victory and weeping with them in their defeat. They bring young people together in ways that offer hope for a war-weary world. In short, the Olympics celebrate the wonder of the human spirit.
Now, that’s not the Satan I’ve ever heard about. In fact, it’s a whole different Satan than any of my Bible-believing Christian or Koran-devoted Muslim friends would recognize.
To that leader quoted above I say, “May you enjoy an eternity with your friend, Satan!”
Gay Marriage: Leviticus Loses
An upset to the Christian world. That’s what the Supreme Court delivered today with its decisions on DOMA and Prop. 8. Lucky for the Supremes, they just had to decide on Constitutionality. The religious debate is a quagmire, sucking some into Hell, others into righteousness, and divorce lawyers into more money as homosexual couples embrace divorce.
The problem comes between the Old Testament and the New. Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13. clearly and vehemently state that homosexuality (therefore gay marriage) is BAD, BAD, BAD. In the New Testament, Paul is obviously no fan of it, either. But Jesus–the New Law–had His chance and blew it. He kept preaching love for one another (no, not in that way)–His main message was love. When cornered, yes, he referred to Adam and Eve, when answering a question about divorce in Matt. 19. And He touched on adultery, fornication, and sexual immorality (without details). I know that He admitted that He didn’t have time to teach people everything they needed to know (enter the Holy Spirit for that job). I just wish He had been clearer and more definite about homosexuality/gay marriage so that we didn’t have to depend on our own interpretations of passages to prove whatever side we’re on.
Verse From Politicians’ Bible
Here’s a version of a passage/passages from the Bible, translated from a politician’s point of view:
“There’s more joy when we get one to switch over to us than there is for the ninety-nine we’ve already got in our pocket.” (Richard Stark, in his book BACKLASH)
OK, Bible scholars…what passage(s) is this a very rough translation of?