The side that said 'we don't need religion' won the debate, not because they were right, but because people no longer know what it means to be a Christian.
Always easy to get the answer one wants if the question asked is framed “correctly”.
I am barely at the beginning of my journey however all I see is hubris and arrogance.
The more I learn, and unlearn, the more I know I do not know. It surely works wonders to make me practice humility and awe.
On the flip side a certain (evil) loud microcosm of humans seems to think they know everything. How long before they either self destruct or destroy us.
I can relate to this as a martial artist of over 30 years training. It is when you attain your black belt that you realize how little you really know (or at least that's how it should be). Each step along the way is supposed to humble you. The problem is that when I attained my second-degree black belt, it started to become about politics, everyone was jostling for power, so I bowed out at that point and went on to learn other more practical arts, Eskrima (Filipino stick and knife fighting) and full contact boxing and kick boxing. I never again belonged to any one school of training.
It's always the same, the higher people go, the more arrogant and power hungry they become. I'm really thankful I had true Christian parents. My dad spoke out against the prosperity preachers, at great personal cost, he didn't care who he offended or how powerful they were. He was a highly respected Christian author who would go anywhere, for example, to the Soviet Union, pay his own way and sleep on a pastor's sofa and preach in an underground church. God blessed him with success as a writer and public speaker, but before that happened, he (we as a family) lost everything, and we really had to live by faith. When he became successful, he gave away most of his earnings to those less fortunate, to missionary friends--directly to them, not to organizations--, he absolutely cared little for money. That is how I was raised. It was unusual then and even more so now.
I do my best to pass this wisdom down to my children and grandchildren and to my readers.
Thank you for this. It’s truly disturbing to watch the level of confusion all around in regards to God, eternal values, and especially Christianity. Jesus is not smiling about it, that’s for sure. I think I will also start calling myself a follower of Jesus.
I would have liked to see Bishop Baron, Dennis Prager, Hilary White (from here on Substack), Oz Guinness, and Jonathan Pageau on that debate team. And you’re right, it’s about God and Christ and not “religion”. My only disagreement is that I could sit in a beautiful church in Rome or Florence or France for hours just as easily as I could sit in a forest. Beauty - music, art, literature - is God’s cousin. It helps us experience the first steps of transcendence which, if followed, can then bring us to the point where we passionately desire to enter under God’s roof.
And yes, any of those would have been better. Although I love Aayan Hirsi Ali, but she is newer Christian, but still, she speaks with such calm assurance, I love the way she speaks.
Oh, yes, churches are magnificent. I am just saying my preference. I fell in love with churches when I lived for a few months in Sucre, Bolivia. On almost every corner was a Spanish-style Roman Catholic Church of such solid beauty and I would do as you say, go in and sit there for hours and meditate. In a city, there is not much nature--although Sucre is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. There is nothing like music, either, for taking us into God's presence, so I agree with all you say. For me though, nothing can beat spending the night in the desert, staring up at the stars in complete silence. Or climbing a mountain and looking down at the beauty of creation spread before me.
I think organized religion has done more damage to individual beliefs than all the atheists or non-believers combined. In my experience many (most?) churches operate more like a business than a spiritual guide or caring entity. Often the church is more interested in your wallet than your soul. One of the worst acts of government (there are so many) is giving churches tax exemption. Now churches fear losing that exemption so much that they often skirt the truth, and obey the narrative of the government.
As you so eloquently states, organized religion has been involved in persecution, perversion, and acts more akin to satan (I refuse to capitalize that word) than God. After attending every church in our small town, our family no longer attends a church, but have a strong belief and reliance on God.
So sad yet so true what you say about your small town. What church has the courage to speak up for the truth. They won't do it because, as you say, they operate as a business and they have to keep the cash flowing in. It isn't like the Christians who gathered together in the New Testament in order to genuinely help one another. Jesus would not be in these churches, except in the way he was in the synagogues of his time, to call out the hypocrisy. My dad speaks out against the Catholic Church and people get angry at me for that. But he doesn't pick and choose, as anyone can see from his talks and books, nor do I. He speaks against the Catholic Church because it is the biggest most powerful religious institution of the planet. We should be able to criticize it.
I don't want to pick on the Catholic church, but because of their size, they have had their share of horrendous behavior. While the focus has often been on the pedophilia, many people don't know about the orphanages where cruelty and sexual deviancy has been prevalent. The native Americans suffered here and in Canada in these kinds of institutions. The role of the Catholic church, more during and after WWII, was despicable. Most people don't know about Operation Paperclip. I personally don't like the idea of an hierarchy in churches; I think it's not what God intended.
Keep writing about all of the above, and more. If people get butt hurt, that's not your problem. I am so sick of people getting offended about what others say. After all, I can't control what anyone else says, but I can control how I react.
I'm in the same place while living in a metro area of nearly million. I use the excuse I'm too old and feeble to deal with that stuff. That's just more BS, and I'm fluent there. The truth is that I'm no longer attending a church, because there is nothing there. Jesus left a long time ago. IMHO >chortle<
a real brilliant an' thought provokin' piece, Karen. The bee dance lady is a hoot but not in the way 've garnerin' respect or followerz, she seems like a contestant on the Gong Show, that's an "act" an' I enjoyed it (campy an' reDICKuLust). An' that makes me find funny yer little typo--it's Benny HINN the preacher (not HILL) but if he's a buffoon (an' a cheat) as it seems he is--then sayin' Benny Hill! (a dear, funny, delightful British comic whose over-the-top style always made me smile!) (https://www.goldenclassmovies.com/en-us/blogs/news/benny-hill ) is a bit've a Freudian slip that wuz apt!
Now, it wouldn't be fer me (as a chew) ta state that those that "say they're Christians... but ain't!" ta paraphrase... but like you an' yer dad (wowee, that was sum' viddeo) I skritch my head at the hippo-crisy that is on display an' seems ta represent a schism 'tween true faith an' the insty-2-shun of religion. When I wuz a kiddo that 700 Club an' PTL were on the teevee an' some've us thought it wuz the funniest most absurd thing we'd ever seen... I think Jim & Tammy Faye Baker (I really did think she meant well an' loved her spunk) were the nadir of this whole teevee Christian movement. I never understood that smack-down healin' but it's either all thee-ate-'er (what I even sawr as a kid) or "devilry" like yer dad said... either way, that's not what I'd say is bein' a Christian. (Of note: Jerry Lee Lewis--a moosician I adore tho' his behavior was jaw droppin'ly bad, wuz first cousins with preacher Jimmy Swaggart who...ironically... was even more of a sinner in all ways than cousin Jerry an' equally famous)
We joos also have some nutcases as rabbis, few (thank gawd!) tho' none quite as funny as the Queen Bee Laydee (who looks like an' old tart up there--sorry ta laydee-shame but man those Dolly heels are just too much!) tho' Schmuley Boteach runs her a close 2nd in emBare-Ass-Mint (he's reviled by all joos I know)....BUT what I find odd is that nobuddy talks much ('cept yer dad mebbe?) 'bout these power-hungry "Christian" leaders that are clearly leadin' their flocks astray. Online everyone sez that rabbis are pedos (there have been some just as priests an' others SADLY are guitly of such horrors) but there's like a WALL not lettin' folks do what yer doin'--perntin' out hypocrisy an' tryin' ta bring it down to each individual...
I like & detest some stuff 'bout all "organized" religion but high-handed egos aside, one thing I like about the torah ('specially when Naomi Wolf translated it so bee-u-tee-fully from the original hebrew) is that the original intent is clear. We humans are ALL a divine creation an' we don't need anythin' special ta speak to god/g_d/our creator... that's not new, that's the original message. Rabbis (an' I'd say preachers, priests, pastors too) are just teachers an' helpers an' leaders--interpreters (if they do so honestly). What struck me is that for an ordinary man or woman to pray they kin be in rags an' poor as...church mice!...an' no "middleman" is needed. Judaism has a lotta ritual (hand washin' head coverin') when folks (rabbis too) are in a house of worship an' that indeed is in the torah BUT it's not necessary for the one-on-one personal connection that got WRITTEN OUT of the Torah & Bible (ours at least) in translation! IMHO the ritual is not because it's holy in an' of itself... it's ta do stuff that shows honor, respect, an' sets the tone for meditation an' prayer---no more no less. Just as bein' in a secular space of honor (like the White House) means puttin' on a suit (which makes Zelensky's athletic wear all the more outrageous) an' havin' thinks look nice--literally... how would it look if they were in some rec-room with a dirty couch an' ripped up lazyboys an' black light posters on the walls? So imho the "trappins" are just to set a mood of respect, honor, contemplation in the case of faith but NONE are needed fer an ordinary man--like Tevye the Milkman!--to speak to god, his maker. When folks like our Queen Bee lady feel they are somehow CON-DOO-WITS fer Our Creator, they're just gettin' caught up in all the trappins' which most of us see thru.
I think ye got yer finger on the right pulse Karen. It's not religion (which kin be dun right 'er dun wrong... very...like when ye see trannies struttin' in church aisles when they belong in some kinda adult nite-club!)... it's a far higher connection with God however we define "him" (need not be literal or manifested in expected renderin's) that folks need ta know that we are ALL so much more than what meets the eye an' no amount of "evolution" (however legit or not) kin splain. We are TRULY amazin' "beans" that no amount of "show" or drama (includin' the "healed" folks fallin' back like they wuz zapped)... kin ever be equated with... I think a lotta hate would dissolve if folks stopped listenin' ta the power-hungry "leaders" who are no more blessed than any one've us!
Like I said, a GREAT essay an' I'll sign off with sum luv fer the late GREAT Benny Hill (while this crookster Benny Hinn seems ta be destined fer the dumpster). I consider the GIFT of humor a blessin' btw!
ps mebbe this is a mite too crackpotty but d'ya think that the "cabal/gloablists" on purpose funded the looney-toons preachers ta make "religion" a joke?--an' threw gobs of money their way (mebbe they didn't even know they wuz bein' roped in?)... could that've happened? Lotta them got really rich an' that ain't by "accident..."
Spot on with everything you said. I don't have anything against realistic rituals, that give comfort because you can repeat them and they recenter you. It's as you say, making them into some kind of proof that you are the "right" religion and if you don't say a certain prayer at such and such a time, you are going to hell. If we just look at the basics, at what makes sense, it's pretty clear.
100%! My fave-o-rite part of temple sunday skool wuz singin' together... different from say doin' it alone without a piana an' all the voices--voices lifted in song felt good an' right ta me. (Melodic moosic didn't "hoit" either!) So some rituals CAN be important but only ta bring folks together... the line ta god is direct--no "Ma Bell" 'er ring tones needed!
addin' too--dressin' up fer temple 'er church was kinda nice ta see.. I used ta LOVE watchin' the laydees in Harlem all dressed fer church in their fine suits & hats (men folks too...but the laydees ruled the day!)... it wasn't they were bein' show-offs, it was just how they got ready fer worship but my oh my they looked "fine!"
ps... I have friends that really keep the sabbath an' I think it's a wonderful "ritual"--they really go "offline" an' spend bee-u-tee-full time with their famblies...
pps, wuz just thinkin' bout some of our chewish rituals an a lightbulb went off! So ye might know that in some orthodox synagogues (or ultra-orthodox) the laydees an' the men folks sit separate fer prayer even though the prayers are the same, they all hear the same "sermon" & attend the service the same way... SO it occurred ta me this wuz done not ta discriminate or fer arbitrary purpose but ruther ta keep the men & laydees from distractin' each other at a time where their hearts & minds were ta be centered in faith an' prayer... cuz there were likely a lotta "singles" perhaps not ready ta patiently wait fer the matchmaker! I 'member how many classes I had when I was SO distracted with this 'er that boy I liked an' it was durn hard ta think 'bout the lesson! (harder if he wuz flirtin' back!) I jus' wonder... milk & meat kept separate had ta do with botulism! shellfish, bottom feeders! OK that's my moment of zen fer the day!
I replaced that video of my dad with a more comprehensive one. I didn't realize it ended so abruptly. I had a lot of disagreements with my dad growing up, and it took a long time for me to return to my faith, but one thing I always knew was that all the add-ons of religions, enslaving people to rules out of fear, cannot be right. Reciting prayers because it is comforting is one thing but saying if you don't recite this prayer you're going to hell, is absurd.
True. I tend to think girls and boys' schools have their advantages, too. In Luxor, I asked Mohamadin how girls and boys got to know one another because the rules of keeping them separate are so strict. He laughed and said, oh, they always find a way. Even at weddings where women are on one side and men on the other, just by a look or a gesture, they know who likes them. That part is kind of nice, and old-fashioned. Except unfortunately, in Islam, as in any strict religion, if a girl goes too far and gets pregnant, that's pretty much the end of her life. In fact, in Islam it can be the end of her life. And the of course, there is the horrific practice of FGM. There is a big business among wealthier families (villagers cannot afford it) for women to get reconstructive surgery to the hymen (however they do it), so they look like virgins again. The whole thing creates impossible expectations, everyone becomes a hypocrite living a lie because no one can possibly live up to all the expectations without making mistakes and so many tragedies.
I did NOT enjoy having to dress up for church LOL! My mom wanted everything to be perfect. I liked it better when the Jesus Movement came along and I could wear my hippie clothes!
Oh, wow, I haven't finished reading your comment but I'm laughing so hard. Benny Hinn, not Benny Hill, Haha, I know who Benny Hill is, oh my goodness, so hilarious!
"There is no doubt that religion has been the cause of the greatest bloodshed down through history."
Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot and other secularists killed easily 100 million people in the twentieth century. I'm not sure "religion" can hold a genocidal candle to them.... ?
I'm not going to argue who killed more people. If you look at religion all down through history, and indeed, one could argue that communism is a type of religion, too, it is that desire to usurp God's authority and become like God that drives most of the wars in the world. Hitler wanted to create the "master race" and that's a religion too, as I pointed out with Bryan Johnson.
Communism is the Antitheses of the teachings of Jesus Christ! It is man's sin nature that changes and distorts what was laid out in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. It is even in scripture (Revelation 22:18-20) that changing a single word in scripture God will add to that person the plagues described in the Bible.
The term Christian was born out of the world. Nowhere in Scripture do followers of Jesus refer to themselves as Christians. The best term to use would be followers of The Way. In Act 9, Saul describes the people he was persecuting as those who were following The Way.
True. However, I can't think of anything that makes it clearer than to say I am a follower of Jesus. Since there's so much confusion these days, most people wouldn't know what The Way meant.
Belief in God, the Creator, is the bedrock of most major religions (except Islam, which is not really a religion). It is the belief in God, what is often called spirituality, that is of importance, not the religion of the church you attend, or don't attend. It is spirituality that gives us respect for God's creations, ethics, morals.
For many people God has been replaced by science or government or materialism. These have nothing to build respect, ethics, morals in people. Many believe this is the work of Satan, the Devil or whatever you call the anti-God.
Is civilization experiencing its downfall because people have abandoned God or spirituality? That's a safe bet, though not proven. Would people going back to God improve humanity? That's the likely conclusion. False gods have nothing of spiritual substance to offer.
I'm not sure whose bible Trump believes in, but it sure is not the Holy Bible when he gets his advice from a female pastor. It is in scripture that a woman does not lead the church, and when you leave abortion up to the states, that gets Trump off the hook to cater to both sides! If he were against abortion, he would be unelectable in the United States. The United States, along with China, leads the world in abortion, which puts the United States under divine Judgement.
Always easy to get the answer one wants if the question asked is framed “correctly”.
I am barely at the beginning of my journey however all I see is hubris and arrogance.
The more I learn, and unlearn, the more I know I do not know. It surely works wonders to make me practice humility and awe.
On the flip side a certain (evil) loud microcosm of humans seems to think they know everything. How long before they either self destruct or destroy us.
I can relate to this as a martial artist of over 30 years training. It is when you attain your black belt that you realize how little you really know (or at least that's how it should be). Each step along the way is supposed to humble you. The problem is that when I attained my second-degree black belt, it started to become about politics, everyone was jostling for power, so I bowed out at that point and went on to learn other more practical arts, Eskrima (Filipino stick and knife fighting) and full contact boxing and kick boxing. I never again belonged to any one school of training.
It's always the same, the higher people go, the more arrogant and power hungry they become. I'm really thankful I had true Christian parents. My dad spoke out against the prosperity preachers, at great personal cost, he didn't care who he offended or how powerful they were. He was a highly respected Christian author who would go anywhere, for example, to the Soviet Union, pay his own way and sleep on a pastor's sofa and preach in an underground church. God blessed him with success as a writer and public speaker, but before that happened, he (we as a family) lost everything, and we really had to live by faith. When he became successful, he gave away most of his earnings to those less fortunate, to missionary friends--directly to them, not to organizations--, he absolutely cared little for money. That is how I was raised. It was unusual then and even more so now.
I do my best to pass this wisdom down to my children and grandchildren and to my readers.
That's called getting advice from a fortune teller!
Thank you for this. It’s truly disturbing to watch the level of confusion all around in regards to God, eternal values, and especially Christianity. Jesus is not smiling about it, that’s for sure. I think I will also start calling myself a follower of Jesus.
Yes, because of the fog, the confusion, we have to be very clear on what we mean, so, follower of Jesus says it all for me.
I would have liked to see Bishop Baron, Dennis Prager, Hilary White (from here on Substack), Oz Guinness, and Jonathan Pageau on that debate team. And you’re right, it’s about God and Christ and not “religion”. My only disagreement is that I could sit in a beautiful church in Rome or Florence or France for hours just as easily as I could sit in a forest. Beauty - music, art, literature - is God’s cousin. It helps us experience the first steps of transcendence which, if followed, can then bring us to the point where we passionately desire to enter under God’s roof.
And yes, any of those would have been better. Although I love Aayan Hirsi Ali, but she is newer Christian, but still, she speaks with such calm assurance, I love the way she speaks.
She is an incredible person. What a journey she has had!
Oh, yes, churches are magnificent. I am just saying my preference. I fell in love with churches when I lived for a few months in Sucre, Bolivia. On almost every corner was a Spanish-style Roman Catholic Church of such solid beauty and I would do as you say, go in and sit there for hours and meditate. In a city, there is not much nature--although Sucre is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. There is nothing like music, either, for taking us into God's presence, so I agree with all you say. For me though, nothing can beat spending the night in the desert, staring up at the stars in complete silence. Or climbing a mountain and looking down at the beauty of creation spread before me.
Yes. Experiencing God’s profligate love and abundance in nature is another sparkling pathway to the Divine as well, no question.
100%, we are not to worship creation, but the creator God/Jesus Christ!
I think organized religion has done more damage to individual beliefs than all the atheists or non-believers combined. In my experience many (most?) churches operate more like a business than a spiritual guide or caring entity. Often the church is more interested in your wallet than your soul. One of the worst acts of government (there are so many) is giving churches tax exemption. Now churches fear losing that exemption so much that they often skirt the truth, and obey the narrative of the government.
As you so eloquently states, organized religion has been involved in persecution, perversion, and acts more akin to satan (I refuse to capitalize that word) than God. After attending every church in our small town, our family no longer attends a church, but have a strong belief and reliance on God.
So sad yet so true what you say about your small town. What church has the courage to speak up for the truth. They won't do it because, as you say, they operate as a business and they have to keep the cash flowing in. It isn't like the Christians who gathered together in the New Testament in order to genuinely help one another. Jesus would not be in these churches, except in the way he was in the synagogues of his time, to call out the hypocrisy. My dad speaks out against the Catholic Church and people get angry at me for that. But he doesn't pick and choose, as anyone can see from his talks and books, nor do I. He speaks against the Catholic Church because it is the biggest most powerful religious institution of the planet. We should be able to criticize it.
I don't want to pick on the Catholic church, but because of their size, they have had their share of horrendous behavior. While the focus has often been on the pedophilia, many people don't know about the orphanages where cruelty and sexual deviancy has been prevalent. The native Americans suffered here and in Canada in these kinds of institutions. The role of the Catholic church, more during and after WWII, was despicable. Most people don't know about Operation Paperclip. I personally don't like the idea of an hierarchy in churches; I think it's not what God intended.
Keep writing about all of the above, and more. If people get butt hurt, that's not your problem. I am so sick of people getting offended about what others say. After all, I can't control what anyone else says, but I can control how I react.
Amen.
I'm in the same place while living in a metro area of nearly million. I use the excuse I'm too old and feeble to deal with that stuff. That's just more BS, and I'm fluent there. The truth is that I'm no longer attending a church, because there is nothing there. Jesus left a long time ago. IMHO >chortle<
a real brilliant an' thought provokin' piece, Karen. The bee dance lady is a hoot but not in the way 've garnerin' respect or followerz, she seems like a contestant on the Gong Show, that's an "act" an' I enjoyed it (campy an' reDICKuLust). An' that makes me find funny yer little typo--it's Benny HINN the preacher (not HILL) but if he's a buffoon (an' a cheat) as it seems he is--then sayin' Benny Hill! (a dear, funny, delightful British comic whose over-the-top style always made me smile!) (https://www.goldenclassmovies.com/en-us/blogs/news/benny-hill ) is a bit've a Freudian slip that wuz apt!
Now, it wouldn't be fer me (as a chew) ta state that those that "say they're Christians... but ain't!" ta paraphrase... but like you an' yer dad (wowee, that was sum' viddeo) I skritch my head at the hippo-crisy that is on display an' seems ta represent a schism 'tween true faith an' the insty-2-shun of religion. When I wuz a kiddo that 700 Club an' PTL were on the teevee an' some've us thought it wuz the funniest most absurd thing we'd ever seen... I think Jim & Tammy Faye Baker (I really did think she meant well an' loved her spunk) were the nadir of this whole teevee Christian movement. I never understood that smack-down healin' but it's either all thee-ate-'er (what I even sawr as a kid) or "devilry" like yer dad said... either way, that's not what I'd say is bein' a Christian. (Of note: Jerry Lee Lewis--a moosician I adore tho' his behavior was jaw droppin'ly bad, wuz first cousins with preacher Jimmy Swaggart who...ironically... was even more of a sinner in all ways than cousin Jerry an' equally famous)
We joos also have some nutcases as rabbis, few (thank gawd!) tho' none quite as funny as the Queen Bee Laydee (who looks like an' old tart up there--sorry ta laydee-shame but man those Dolly heels are just too much!) tho' Schmuley Boteach runs her a close 2nd in emBare-Ass-Mint (he's reviled by all joos I know)....BUT what I find odd is that nobuddy talks much ('cept yer dad mebbe?) 'bout these power-hungry "Christian" leaders that are clearly leadin' their flocks astray. Online everyone sez that rabbis are pedos (there have been some just as priests an' others SADLY are guitly of such horrors) but there's like a WALL not lettin' folks do what yer doin'--perntin' out hypocrisy an' tryin' ta bring it down to each individual...
I like & detest some stuff 'bout all "organized" religion but high-handed egos aside, one thing I like about the torah ('specially when Naomi Wolf translated it so bee-u-tee-fully from the original hebrew) is that the original intent is clear. We humans are ALL a divine creation an' we don't need anythin' special ta speak to god/g_d/our creator... that's not new, that's the original message. Rabbis (an' I'd say preachers, priests, pastors too) are just teachers an' helpers an' leaders--interpreters (if they do so honestly). What struck me is that for an ordinary man or woman to pray they kin be in rags an' poor as...church mice!...an' no "middleman" is needed. Judaism has a lotta ritual (hand washin' head coverin') when folks (rabbis too) are in a house of worship an' that indeed is in the torah BUT it's not necessary for the one-on-one personal connection that got WRITTEN OUT of the Torah & Bible (ours at least) in translation! IMHO the ritual is not because it's holy in an' of itself... it's ta do stuff that shows honor, respect, an' sets the tone for meditation an' prayer---no more no less. Just as bein' in a secular space of honor (like the White House) means puttin' on a suit (which makes Zelensky's athletic wear all the more outrageous) an' havin' thinks look nice--literally... how would it look if they were in some rec-room with a dirty couch an' ripped up lazyboys an' black light posters on the walls? So imho the "trappins" are just to set a mood of respect, honor, contemplation in the case of faith but NONE are needed fer an ordinary man--like Tevye the Milkman!--to speak to god, his maker. When folks like our Queen Bee lady feel they are somehow CON-DOO-WITS fer Our Creator, they're just gettin' caught up in all the trappins' which most of us see thru.
I think ye got yer finger on the right pulse Karen. It's not religion (which kin be dun right 'er dun wrong... very...like when ye see trannies struttin' in church aisles when they belong in some kinda adult nite-club!)... it's a far higher connection with God however we define "him" (need not be literal or manifested in expected renderin's) that folks need ta know that we are ALL so much more than what meets the eye an' no amount of "evolution" (however legit or not) kin splain. We are TRULY amazin' "beans" that no amount of "show" or drama (includin' the "healed" folks fallin' back like they wuz zapped)... kin ever be equated with... I think a lotta hate would dissolve if folks stopped listenin' ta the power-hungry "leaders" who are no more blessed than any one've us!
Like I said, a GREAT essay an' I'll sign off with sum luv fer the late GREAT Benny Hill (while this crookster Benny Hinn seems ta be destined fer the dumpster). I consider the GIFT of humor a blessin' btw!
ps mebbe this is a mite too crackpotty but d'ya think that the "cabal/gloablists" on purpose funded the looney-toons preachers ta make "religion" a joke?--an' threw gobs of money their way (mebbe they didn't even know they wuz bein' roped in?)... could that've happened? Lotta them got really rich an' that ain't by "accident..."
Spot on with everything you said. I don't have anything against realistic rituals, that give comfort because you can repeat them and they recenter you. It's as you say, making them into some kind of proof that you are the "right" religion and if you don't say a certain prayer at such and such a time, you are going to hell. If we just look at the basics, at what makes sense, it's pretty clear.
100%! My fave-o-rite part of temple sunday skool wuz singin' together... different from say doin' it alone without a piana an' all the voices--voices lifted in song felt good an' right ta me. (Melodic moosic didn't "hoit" either!) So some rituals CAN be important but only ta bring folks together... the line ta god is direct--no "Ma Bell" 'er ring tones needed!
addin' too--dressin' up fer temple 'er church was kinda nice ta see.. I used ta LOVE watchin' the laydees in Harlem all dressed fer church in their fine suits & hats (men folks too...but the laydees ruled the day!)... it wasn't they were bein' show-offs, it was just how they got ready fer worship but my oh my they looked "fine!"
ps... I have friends that really keep the sabbath an' I think it's a wonderful "ritual"--they really go "offline" an' spend bee-u-tee-full time with their famblies...
pps, wuz just thinkin' bout some of our chewish rituals an a lightbulb went off! So ye might know that in some orthodox synagogues (or ultra-orthodox) the laydees an' the men folks sit separate fer prayer even though the prayers are the same, they all hear the same "sermon" & attend the service the same way... SO it occurred ta me this wuz done not ta discriminate or fer arbitrary purpose but ruther ta keep the men & laydees from distractin' each other at a time where their hearts & minds were ta be centered in faith an' prayer... cuz there were likely a lotta "singles" perhaps not ready ta patiently wait fer the matchmaker! I 'member how many classes I had when I was SO distracted with this 'er that boy I liked an' it was durn hard ta think 'bout the lesson! (harder if he wuz flirtin' back!) I jus' wonder... milk & meat kept separate had ta do with botulism! shellfish, bottom feeders! OK that's my moment of zen fer the day!
I replaced that video of my dad with a more comprehensive one. I didn't realize it ended so abruptly. I had a lot of disagreements with my dad growing up, and it took a long time for me to return to my faith, but one thing I always knew was that all the add-ons of religions, enslaving people to rules out of fear, cannot be right. Reciting prayers because it is comforting is one thing but saying if you don't recite this prayer you're going to hell, is absurd.
True. I tend to think girls and boys' schools have their advantages, too. In Luxor, I asked Mohamadin how girls and boys got to know one another because the rules of keeping them separate are so strict. He laughed and said, oh, they always find a way. Even at weddings where women are on one side and men on the other, just by a look or a gesture, they know who likes them. That part is kind of nice, and old-fashioned. Except unfortunately, in Islam, as in any strict religion, if a girl goes too far and gets pregnant, that's pretty much the end of her life. In fact, in Islam it can be the end of her life. And the of course, there is the horrific practice of FGM. There is a big business among wealthier families (villagers cannot afford it) for women to get reconstructive surgery to the hymen (however they do it), so they look like virgins again. The whole thing creates impossible expectations, everyone becomes a hypocrite living a lie because no one can possibly live up to all the expectations without making mistakes and so many tragedies.
I did NOT enjoy having to dress up for church LOL! My mom wanted everything to be perfect. I liked it better when the Jesus Movement came along and I could wear my hippie clothes!
Oh, wow, I haven't finished reading your comment but I'm laughing so hard. Benny Hinn, not Benny Hill, Haha, I know who Benny Hill is, oh my goodness, so hilarious!
"There is no doubt that religion has been the cause of the greatest bloodshed down through history."
Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot and other secularists killed easily 100 million people in the twentieth century. I'm not sure "religion" can hold a genocidal candle to them.... ?
I'm not going to argue who killed more people. If you look at religion all down through history, and indeed, one could argue that communism is a type of religion, too, it is that desire to usurp God's authority and become like God that drives most of the wars in the world. Hitler wanted to create the "master race" and that's a religion too, as I pointed out with Bryan Johnson.
Communism is the Antitheses of the teachings of Jesus Christ! It is man's sin nature that changes and distorts what was laid out in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. It is even in scripture (Revelation 22:18-20) that changing a single word in scripture God will add to that person the plagues described in the Bible.
Very well said. We follow Jesus, the Word of God, who shows us the Father.
Karen, give your voice a little more rest. Listening to what you said made me think of this classic music video:
https://youtu.be/EprQGmZ3Imw?si=0YlRU0CAhOTqxTBB
That's hilarious. But in such a creepy way
They recorded that at the height of the televangelist craze. Even rock musicians saw through them and knew they were false prophets.
The term Christian was born out of the world. Nowhere in Scripture do followers of Jesus refer to themselves as Christians. The best term to use would be followers of The Way. In Act 9, Saul describes the people he was persecuting as those who were following The Way.
True. However, I can't think of anything that makes it clearer than to say I am a follower of Jesus. Since there's so much confusion these days, most people wouldn't know what The Way meant.
Amazingly comprehensive and persuasive arguments Karen.
I know you're proud of your Dad, quite rightly.
He would be very proud of you.
I absolutely hate the TV evangelism we see everywhere and the commercialisation of our churches.
God Bless you.
Alan
Thank you. I feel like in these dark times, people need to hear what my dad had to say. I wish he was still alive. We need more like him.
Beautifully done. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Belief in God, the Creator, is the bedrock of most major religions (except Islam, which is not really a religion). It is the belief in God, what is often called spirituality, that is of importance, not the religion of the church you attend, or don't attend. It is spirituality that gives us respect for God's creations, ethics, morals.
For many people God has been replaced by science or government or materialism. These have nothing to build respect, ethics, morals in people. Many believe this is the work of Satan, the Devil or whatever you call the anti-God.
Is civilization experiencing its downfall because people have abandoned God or spirituality? That's a safe bet, though not proven. Would people going back to God improve humanity? That's the likely conclusion. False gods have nothing of spiritual substance to offer.
I'm not sure whose bible Trump believes in, but it sure is not the Holy Bible when he gets his advice from a female pastor. It is in scripture that a woman does not lead the church, and when you leave abortion up to the states, that gets Trump off the hook to cater to both sides! If he were against abortion, he would be unelectable in the United States. The United States, along with China, leads the world in abortion, which puts the United States under divine Judgement.
Sadly, I don't think Trump knows the Bible. I had hoped for something better from him.