Big Purple Dinosaur

“We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.” - Jonathan Swift

Homophobia. Sexism. Racism. Antisemitism. Classism. This list of categories we separate people into for us to hate or discriminate against can go on and on if I were to let it because, often, we can and do hate people based on a variety of distinguishing factors like the following: race, religion, culture, hairstyles, tattoos or no tattoos, gender, sexual orientation, weight, height, occupation, class, political party, marital status, salary, sports team, birth location (i.e. north or south, etc...), IQ, family size, family situations (divorced, widowed, etc...), age, and so many other things. Because there is no end to our differences there is no limit to the reasons we can choose to like or dislike someone. These kinds of prejudices are the reasons behind many of the great tragedies in history. The Crusades were religiously motivated campaigns against Muslims, heretics, and pagans. The Holocaust was the result of one mans' desire for an Aryan race. The Civil War was, though admittedly along with a number of other factors, fought in part because of a disagreement on whether or not to allow the enslavement of others to continue. The attack on 9/11 was brought about because of certain religious hatreds and disagreements. This list, too, could go on an on. 

So what does this have to do with me? What does this have to do with anything since we are all very aware that there is hate and discrimination in the world and are all probably aware, at least to some degree, that it's wrong? Well...it kind of has to do with everything. Everything, that is, that relates to us as Christians. In my last post I talked about not being a so called "convenient Christian." I talked about how we can't choose to say we're saved but then choose to walk however we please right after. It doesn't work that way. Well, this ties into that whole conversation of not picking and choosing when we do or do not do the right thing as we are so called by God. When we take on the mantel of "Christian" we accept that there are certain requirements or commandments that we are expected to follow. So, following this logic, doesn't it make sense to know what exactly those commandments are so we can do them? Well, in Mark 22:35-40, a question was raised concerning those commandments: 

"Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked Him a question, tempting Him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." 

Reading this, we now know what the two most important commandments that we, as Christians, are to follow. I realize there are eight others, but a blog post pertaining to all of them could take forever and so I will simply be focusing on the two most important ones as they pertain to the subject at hand which is hate for our brothers and the complete lack of understanding I have for it. This is a hard subject for me, I must admit, because, starting out, I have to admit I'm guilty. I don't write posts that don't apply to me or begin with me first and foremost. That's a hard thing to come out and say; that I'm racist or homophobic or sexist or whatever the case may be. I don't feel the need in this particular area to designate to you which of the ones I struggle with because I feel its more info then needed to get my point across. I hope that it will suffice simply to say that I struggle and that you struggle and that everyone else does as well whether they come right out and admit it or not. We all have our biases and we all discriminate or have preference for or against someone and its a problem that encompasses the world.


I was reading through some of the smaller books of the Bible and it surprised me just how many times loving one another was mentioned and the strong language used to drive the point home. Here are some of the examples I found:

1). "He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes." - 1 John 2:9-11

2). "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him." 1 John 3:10-19

3). "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us...We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also." 1 John 4:7-12, 19-21

All of those verses are from the tiny book of 1st John alone. So many verses on the one subject of loving one another and what it means if you don't...all crammed in a few chapters. It seems to me that this matter is of great importance to the God who inspired the Word. This subject was so important that God made it the second greatest commandment! Second only to loving Him! More important than not lying, murdering, adultery, and all the rest because it all comes back to those two commands. If you love God and you love your brother as yourself then you'd never lie against them or to them, you'd never kill them or commit adultery with them and so on and so forth because it wouldn't be right or loving or in accordance to His Word.

And yet...

And yet some of us still drive through certain areas of town and see some kids with saggy pants and instantly lock our car doors as we drive past, you know, just in case. And yet some of us still walk right on past that homeless man in the street without a second thought because he should go and get a job instead of begging me for my hard earned money. And yet some of us still look at a person with a turban or head covering and begin creating scenarios in our heads where they are the villain in some made up terrorist plot. And yet some of us still look down on homosexuals as if they are less then the creatures God made them and, because we know we couldn't possibly be anything other than justified because homosexuality is a sin, we treat them like scum not worthy to come in our churches and not worthy of love and grace and the same all-sin covering salvation that we ourselves have but never once deserved! And yet some of us still cling to the old-school racism that our parents taught us because somethings never change and we are not willing to learn any different. And yet some of us still look at the rich people on Wall Street and feel entitled to everything they have worked for because no one who had honestly earned that money would ever think that keeping it for themselves was a good idea! Spread the wealth! And yet some of us still look at people from other countries and think they most certainly must have come here illegally and are not paying taxes and are stealing our benefits and jobs and everything else they don't deserve!

And yet and yet and yet! Whether we hate someone because of the job they hold, where they are from, whether they love cats or dogs, whether they drink or don't, it doesn't matter. Its all wrong. God was very clear when He said that he who says they love and don't is a liar. He was clear when He said that he who hates his brother is a murderer. He even went so far as to say that he who doesn't love doesn't know God because God is  love. This is serious stuff! Newsong, the singing group, has an older hit called "Living Proof" and I think it helps shed some light into this subject.

Verse 1

Slow down for a minute. Take a look at the love He gave.

Just hold on for a minute. Look at how we’ve gone our separate ways.

We’re building walls of confusion and doubt out of pettiness and pride.

While all the while the world we’re here to love just passes right on by

Chorus

If we could stand together this world would be a better place

If we could love each other we’d be living proof of the love He gave

Of the love He gave

Verse 2

Slow down look around you. Is that your brother you see standing there?

Just hold on think about it. How can you say you just don’t care?

It’s up to us we can change this world when they see love in me and you.

How can we say that we love our God if we can’t love each other too?

Chorus 2

If we could stand together this world would be a better place

If we could love each other we’d be living proof of the love He gave

We’ve got to get close enough to our brothers heart

To feel his fear and doubt and know that’s what it’s all about

If we could love each other we’d be living proof, living proof, living proof of the love He gave

I think that song both asks the right questions and gives the right directions. We need to stop and take a deep breath and think about everything we know to be true according to God's commandments. Are we doing everything we can to share the love that Christ exemplified by His death on the cross? Are we looking above and beyond our own preferences for perfection and seeing Christ's preferences keeping in mind the whole time that God is no respector of persons (Acts 10:34)? I don't think I have been and I don't think many of you have either if you're anything like me. I hope you'll take some time to consider all of this information. I hope that you'll take the time to figure out what it is in your life, what hatred or prejudice or difference, that is keeping you from loving those around you. We are all made in the image of Christ (Genesis 1:27) and God makes no mistakes so where does that leave us and our pettiness and pride? Out in the cold and no longer welcome.

(Eli360.com)



The 7-Eleven

"Hateful to me as the gates of Hades is that man who hides one thing in his heart and speaks another." - Homer

Today I have decided to come back to the series I started a few posts ago. I was writing not just about things I've personally experienced but about things I felt were affecting everyone. My last post of this nature was about drinking and all of its problems. Today I want to discuss something that I feel is worse: the idea that we can live one way on Sunday and another way the rest of the week. More specifically, I guess, is the idea that we would go so far as to call ourselves Christ followers and never act like it. I call this, though I'm sure I'm not being original in doing so, convenient Christianity. 


I guess the easiest way to start this whole conversation is to give an example of just what I mean. We don't have to go very far; all we have to do is look at how the attendance numbers at all the local churches skyrocket on Christmas and Easter. People flock in droves and it's standing room only almost every where you look. I never understood this concept. So...you don't go to church 363 days out of the year but, because you go on those two holidays, you're set? You're Christian duties or obligations are met for the next 363 days? Where does it say that in the Bible? It doesn't. In fact, it says the opposite. In Hebrews chapter 10 verse 25 it says that we are not to "forsake the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is..." So why only go twice? Why go at all on those two days if you don't feel the need to do so the rest of the year? What exactly is the point? Do they think that going and playing religious and spiritual will erase all the bad they do the rest of the year? As I said before: I just don't get it. That's what I mean by "convenient Christianity." It's convenient for these people to attend on the holidays; a time when family gathers and it just feels like the thing to do. Maybe because everybody expects it. I don't know. 


What I do know is that you can't choose when you want to be a Christian and when you don't. You can't decide that you are saved and then decide not to follow anything Christ has said you must in order to fulfill your purpose as His child. Christianity should not be treated as some sort of twisted fire insurance; there to protect you in case of an emergency but otherwise ignored. In other words, you can't keep living your life as if you never accepted the sacrifice Christ made for you on the cross. That kind of gift demands a certain amount of respect and awe and honor. How can we act so indifferently towards something that is beyond extraordinary? He died a gruesome and horrific death not so that we could continue living our lives in the same manner as before but so that we could have life more abundant (John 10:10). It's insanity the way we behave. That's like having the lottery tell us we won the jackpot when we never even bought a ticket and then going home and eating the same ramen noodles! What possible sense does that make? 


The point is that it doesn't. The point is that some people like to have that religious or spiritual label but don't want any of the responsibilities that come with it. They don't want to give up going to the bars on the weekends and getting wasted with their friends because it might make them look dull. They don't want to let go of those nasty habits of profanity and smoking because they just don't see why they should have to. They don't want to go to a "boring" church service on Sundays or Wednesdays because then they might miss their favorite t.v. show (because you know it's not the same when you DVR it). They don't want to give up sexual immorality because they never want to be mistaken for anything but sexy and cool and free spirited. They don't want to do Bible study or daily devotions because who really has the time to sit and analyze the King James version, or any other version, with all those big words? They don't want to give up their racism and hatred for their brother because that goes against all they were ever taught growing up and they don't want to be the kind to sit around a campfire and sing kumbaya. They don't want to be faithful in their marriage or even work at it because that would mean letting go of everything in the past and opening up and possibly being mushy.They don't want to tithe 10% of their income because, gasp, that would mean not going out to eat every night or not going to the movies or buying coffee at Starbucks. 

They want their cake and they want to eat it too. Truth is you can't do that. Not in this instance anyway. You can't walk around with your "light under a bushel" so to speak because the nature of thing is in complete opposition to that very idea. The gospel begs to be shared not hidden in your heart to be called upon on a rainy day. It begs to be brought into the darkest regions of humanity so that its principles may bring sunshine to even the most depraved. We are called for that very specific purpose in Mark 16:15: "And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Nothing about the verse, or any verse for that matter, says we should keep the gift of life to ourselves! Now, this particular post is not really about the actual spreading of the gospel because that's a whole different post all together, but it all ties in one way or the other. If we are only going to church on holidays, or even once a month, but we refuse to live as new creations in Christ the rest of the time then we are neither fulfilling our purpose to witness to the lost nor doing ourselves or our personal lives any favors. Indeed, we are kidding ourselves in this awful game of sharades and we will pay the price eventually.

You either are a Christian or you are not. There is no middle ground. God talks about this straddling the fence of sorts in Revelation chapter 3: "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou were cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth." I think that He's making Himself pretty clear: you can't play the field here. You're either fully in or you're out and to be in the middle is spew-worthy. If you want the spiritual or Christian "label" you have to accept that with it comes the responsibilities due a child of God. You have to accept the mission as well as the blessings and gifts that God is so desperatly trying to give you. It says this in 1 John 2: "And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him. He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked. Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning." Basically everything I've mentioned to this point was said here first. You can't say you are abiding in Christ and not walk that way too. To this end, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John as well as 1st and 2nd Peterare amazing books to read on the topic.


So now, you have a decision to make. Are you in or out? Are you ashamed and unwilling to go the distance or are you proud and willing to be the salt of the earth? We need to be willing to cast off our old sinful selves. As Christians we need to step up and be what we are called to be...do what we are called to do. If not us then who?