The [Abused] Power of Faith

"A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything."
Friedrich Nietzsche 

I'm not dissing faith.  But uninformed faith, faith in nonsense, faith that seeks to enslave others, and faith that is the result of mental dysfunction has the ability to take a person, or a group of persons, into hazardous realms.  I think of Jim Jones' cult that led to mass suicide.  All, or most, of the folks in that group had faith.  It took them to suicide, and it took them to causing massive grief to those who cared about them who were not in the cult.  

I was visiting in the hospital one afternoon when a man I had met outside the hospital accosted me, pushing me against the wall.  "You talk about Jesus Christd!" he bellowed.  "Well, you have met him.  I'm here in front of you.  Do you understand?"

He had "faith" that he was Jesus.  He was wrong.  His medications were off, or he wasn't taking them.  He was a great guy when he took his meds, and somewhat dangerous when he did not.  

I suspect that many of the people who carry suicide bombs into public markets and to the gates of institutions they fear or hate have faith.  Faith in Allah, faith that they will be rewarded in paradise, faith that they are doing the "right" thing.  But this is an abuse of faith, in my opinion.

What is your opinion?  What do you think about faith?  If faith is not tempered by agape' [love] which respects and wants good for others, would that be an abuse of 'faith'?

Leave a comment.  Let us know what you think.

God only rested. He didn't quit

So many people think the "seventh day" was the end of creation.

Baloney!

Without being a literalist we can let the words actually used speak to us.  On the seventh day God rested.  Then He/She continued the work of creation.  I believe that the evidence suggests that the work continues through the day your are reading this.

New life, new planets, new galaxies, new cures for diseases, possibly new diseases and many other creative expressions of God continue.

So conservative Christians have to struggle, to really work, to overcome their innate reach into yesteryear to in order to embrace the continually creating God.  The true Christian (or Jew or Muslim, for that matter) who believes in the Creator disclosed in Genesis 1 and 2 has to assume that yesterday's work is "old hat" to God.  Today and tomorrow will see new stuff.

Try this on for size:  embracing the concept that no person should be enslaved, in spite of societal acceptance of slavery in the Old Kingdom of Israel and Judah is part of the "new creation" of God.  Embracing the concept that women are equal in many ways to men, superior in other ways to men and usually less muscular than men is a way of embracing the continuing creativity of God.  Embracing that concepts that gays, lesbians, and transsexuals are loved by God and should be accepted by God's creation as valuable and worthy human beings is a way of embracing the God who continues to create. 

We should not be surprised that our culture is changing, that societal norms are changing.  In fact, from a faith perspective, they must change.  The Curia of the RC church has it all wrong.  Those who appeal to "the way it used to be" or "look to the old ways" have a fundamental flaw in their perspective.

God rested.  She/He did not quit.  Change is not a threat.  He keeps moving us towards the end game where we actually live somewhat like people created in the image of our Creator.

What do you think?  Leave a comment and let us know. 

Honor Your Father and Mother - 6 (final)

From the Urban Dictionary:

1.	Respect	923 up, 181 down
	It means valuing each others points of views. It means being open to being wrong. It means accepting people as they are. It means not dumping on someone because you're having a bad day. It means being polite and kind always, because being kind to people is not negotiable. It means not dissing people because they're different to you. It means not gossiping about people or spreading lies.   Yet more: 2. respect 1439 up, 304 down A quality seriously lacking in today's society And, finally. . .  3. respect 576 up, 168 down Something everyone expects, but has no willingness to show.  There is a spreading phenomenon through suburbia here in the Denver area where middle aged daughters are dissing their mothers, cutting their mothers off, refusing to speak to their mothers and generally exercising a lack of respect.   Sadly, most of the middle aged mothers I know call themselves people of faith, usually Christian, while acting as if their faith stinks.   At any rate, respect may mean honesty -- "This is what you do that really, really annoys me" -- but respect by it's inherent nature works to maintain, even enhance the relationship.  One more definition: 4. respect 233 up, 85 down To treat people in the manner in which you expect to be treated. To show consideration for another person's feelings and interests. An attitude demonstrating that you value another person. You should treat your friends with respect.   This is the heart, I believe, of "honoring [respecting] your father and mother.     Jesus seems to have expanded the concept to more than father and mother:  "Do to others what you would have them do to you."   How do you see it?  Leave a comment and let us know.