Religion. Webster's defines religion as: "The service and worship of God or the supernatural. Relating to or manifesting faithful devotion to an acknowledged ultimate reality or deity."
Okay, for the purpose of me moving on and not yammering all day, let's just say, that it is "The worship of God." I mean after all, isn't that what most "sane" religions do? And over eighty percent of ALL United States citizens believe in the Judeo / Christian God Almighty, so let's leave out the, less than twenty percent, that don't, okay? Last time I checked, that is what our country was built on. Majority Rule and, of course, our God based laws. So, you less than twenty percenters and non-believers, keep your traps shut while I finish this stuff. Just sit back and listen for a change because you dang sure been yappin' long enough. Your "squeaky wheel" ain't getting no more grease. At least, not from this fella. Now go ahead and call me a name. Go ahead, get it over with, so I can finish.
Now, we've established, that all "sane" (Sorry Oprah, yours don't make the "sane" list.) religions believe in and worship God. We've established , that over eighty percent of United States citizens (That's 280 million folks) believe in the same God. Really the one TRUE GOD, but I won't get into that now. But you and me know who he is. We've established that the Majority is supposed to rule and that our laws are based on the God that we all believe in. Pretty good consensus, huh? Of all the things we all disagree on, we can come together on this. Isn't that wonderful? Isn't it the greatest thing you can imagine? 280 million people coming together on God! Wow!
So why in the heck are we griping? Yes griping! God brought us together and we might as well be spitting in his eye. Hey, don't shoot the messenger guys. This is why we can't come together in America and take are country back. We are way too picky! Oh, shut up! You know we are! God brings us together and we start analyzing the good book. You know what I mean. We have all heard it and we may be guilty ourselves. "The Bible or Torah says you shouldn't dance! The Bible or Torah says you shouldn't drink! The Bible or Torah says you should pray this way! The Bible or Torah says you shouldn't eat meat on Friday! The Bible or Torah says you can have a bunch of wives! The Bible or Torah says that black people are bad! The Bible or Torah says that women should obey men!" And on and on and on and on! This "picking" is what formed our different religions. Isn't that amazing? We have treated the Bible/Torah just like a politician talks about laws. They "PICK" out what they want or don't want and they hide the rest from you. And we're doing that with the Bible/Torah? The Good Book, of all things holy? Whew, I know it bothers me and it has been for some time.
You know, I may be completely out of my mind and, if I am, I'm sure y'all will call me out on it. Hey, go ahead I can take it, but I have to get this off my chest. God gave us THE WHOLE BIBLE/TORAH! The whole book and not just a paragraph here or there. I can't speak for God, but my heart tells me, that he never intended for HIS BOOK to be used like a "pitchman's sales pitch". Just pick out the good parts or the bad parts depending on what you're selling. Naw, he gave us a WHOLE BOOK! To be taken as a WHOLE BOOK.
What have we done? We took God's plan. His Commandments. His teachings. And we have used them to DIVIDE US into thousands of SEPARATE religious groups, so we can set around Sunday dinner and talk about how our particular, PICKED OUT, religion is the only good one. You know, you've heard the talk. Heck, I used to do it myself and I'm ashamed of myself for it. Religion, the service and worship of God, has DIVIDED us. It's hard to believe. The very thing we ALL believe in, GOD ALMIGHTY, and we let that belief divide us. All because of some very minor and unique practices, that may or may not actually be in the Bible.
Look, I know most of you are not going to just drop what you're doing and run out in the street and get your neighbors and start hugging each other. All I'm trying, in my old dumb way, is to let you see how easy we let ourselves be DIVIDED. It is just a shame. We have so many BIG and IMPORTANT beliefs in which we MUTUALLY agree. Far too BIG and IMPORTANT to let some small differences get in the way of our MUTUAL goals. Division is a very terrible thing, if it allows us to be conquered and more important, allows us to lose those BIG and IMPORTANT beliefs.
So, next time you see a Baptist, Catholic, Jewish, Methodist, Pentecostal, or any other church that you know believes in the same GOD ALMIGHTY, in which you do, think to yourself, "Those folks in there are just like me. They are worshiping my God. Our God. It is only SMALL beliefs, that makes us any different. They are good people and they are to be respected as such." And think about the WHOLE BOOK and the WHOLE MESSAGE. That vision can take us a very long way and who knows, may someday, even bring us all the way back together. Wouldn't we be a force to be reckoned with then?
Okay, now it's off my chest. Bring it on if you must. As I stated earlier, I can take it. Boy, but do I feel better now. I've given you my feelings straight from the gut and I know it did me some good. It made my beliefs even stronger and I know they will never go away. They are too BIG and just too IMPORTANT.
....and there you have some true beliefs from TH' DUMB OL' EAST TEXAS BOY.
Great observation, Brother John. Jesus often taught in parables. The Holy Bible quite often does this as well. While many passages are written literally and should be understood literally, a great many passages need to be interpreted allegorically. I believe that God did this for a very wise reason. He knew the vast amount of temptation we would face. He also knew that we could get bored, thus having too much time on our hands. He gave His Living Word the way it is written to give us a lifetime of study to understand it. He wrote it in a way that it would make us think, and occupy our free time, in order to protect us from the temptations we would face when we had nothing better to do (bored). If everything was written literally, we would have gotten through it too quickly. The problem is that men are arrogant. When men, through their own conceit, profess to understand more than the next, we get division, rather than understanding. That is not God's fault; it is man's sin (arrogance, conceit) that makes the problem. Religion and faith are two completely different things. Religions are probably all infiltrated by those that hate God, and they wield the power of the religions to get men to war with each other. You are so right, John. Until people get to a point of true selflessness, as taught in the Bible, they will still be worshiping Satan, without even recognizing the fact that they are. As you stated, John, people need to reach out to each other with love and understanding in order to achieve true communion with each other, as Christ taught us to do, and God commands us to do. I appreciate you writing this piece. It needed to said. I pray that people open their eyes to the truth in your words, and come to the Lord. God Bless.....
ReplyDeleteGood article, Brother! Keep doing the good work and pursuing the mark of the high calling in Christ!
ReplyDeleteAMEN!!
ReplyDeleteHi John, This is Kurt from Las Vegas, and until my finical aid ran into challenges, I was going to school for my degree in Christian Ministry.
ReplyDeleteWhat you have posted here are the same thoughts that I have been having for a very long time, and have even brought them up in my classes.
I believe that Christians are our own worst enemy because of the divisions within our faith! We need to start remembering that we all are Christians and not a certain denomination.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
you must be from the woods and hills down near Nagodoches....lol....God made that country....and He spoke well when He did...
ReplyDeleteGood post! You remind me of Moses leading a bunch of opinionated people headed in the same dirrection with minor detours.
ReplyDeleteBe encouraged! In the end, they get to the Promised Land (after many battles) but they do!
Sarah Palin's in MI tonight 45 min away from us...can't wait $59.00/ ticket.
It would be a lot better if people would realize it is not "religon", it is not the church name above the door that gets you into heaven. It is a "relationship" with Jesus Christ- 1) know we all have sinned Romans 3:23 2) Christ died for all John 3:16 3)Admitt you are a sinner, in need of a Savior and Repent Rom. 9:10.
ReplyDeleteNo not all of us worship same God- some Oprah even some in so called organized religon- make up their own God, it's not the God of the Bible. Like you said through the WHOLE Bible is for all of us- we need to follow that instead of "man's ideas, rules, etc." This picking and chosing isn't right.
CARY - it's all about The Book. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteKIRK - glad you agree and Amen to you.
ReplyDeleteJESSE & JENNIFER - I'm a very far cry from Moses, but thanks for the compliment. Don't worry, my encouragement won't stop, I mean, after all, I have THE BOOK.
ReplyDeleteJOURNEY - Yes sir, if I have a choice between Obama's words and God's words, well, I will take God's everytime. I is a great shame that a lot of folks do the opposite.
ReplyDeleteEXCUSE ME THE BIBLE DOES TOO SAY YOU CAN DANCE, ESPECIALLY PSALMS 150 PRAISE HIM IN THE DANCE, HELLO FROM A WORSHIP DANCE CHOREOGRAPHER
ReplyDeleteHey John, can I have your permission to link this article on the Pensacola Tenth Amendment site? BTW you forgot 2 things the Bible/Torrah says. #1 - Men are to treat women as Christ treats the church #2 Men are to make the coffee, in fact their is a whole book devoted to it. Which one you ask???? "He brews"! ROFLOL Through humor we will get by!
ReplyDeleteAmen! John, this is great. You hit it right on the mark.
ReplyDeleteTerri
Esther Sage - the point of the article was not to pick THE BOOK apart. This is just what you are doing. I never stated the Bible does or does not say you can dance. I was giving examples of what people might say about THE BOOK.
ReplyDeleteBonita - you thouroughly cracked me up! Love the "He brew" remark. Of course you can link this article to any site you would like. Thanks for the support.
ReplyDeleteTerri - glad you agree with it.
ReplyDeleteGlad you went there! Truer words never spoken. I think if everyone would heed the scripture: work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, the world (and church) would be a much better place to live.
ReplyDeleteJesus came to set us free from the law, but many churches want to put people back under the law by preaching a list of do's and don'ts to their members. Many churches are caught up in religion, yet Jesus hated religion and religious people. It bugs me to no end when someone says, "I'm very religious..."
None of us are perfect, no not one. Would be good if we would just take on the role of Jesus and ACCEPT people for who they are, hang out with the outcasts and sinners, and actually do the work of God by loving those who many "churches" shun.
We left the "church" long ago after seeing so much judgment, rules, etc., as well as tithes and offerings being squandered by those "over the sheep." What a mess. Feels a whole lot better to be free from the religious junk and now we are able to see our monetary offerings actually make a difference in the quality of life for many people.
I have renewed hope that places of fellowship (which we miss) are springing up. One has a slogan:
"Get real, not religious...real people who love God and accept each other for who they are."
What a concept! :-)
karen steward - yes, there are so many churches, that are misguided by selfisness, greed, fraud, and mismanagement. And, as much as I hate to admit it, are growing in number. However, God will take care of those that just keep seeking the truth. So keep seeking.
ReplyDeleteHey there John:
ReplyDeleteDid God leave a book to lead us or a Spirit. Do we take the words in or are they written on/in our hearts.
Jerry - in my opinion, the BOOK is for non-believers and guidance to believers. Personally, I believe with out any book. It is in my heart. Anyone who can look at a blade of grass, I mean really look, and think things happened by accident, well, I can't figure 'em. But that's just me. I believe the BOOK 100%. Just sayin', without it, I still believe.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! It's a shame that so many "righteous" preach from the pulpit to condemm other Christian faiths and "pick apart" the Good Book. The almighty evil dollar fuels their fire. It's good to know that so many others can see through this! The only reason I go to church today is for the spiritual encouragement from some like minded folks. I had to search through a great many of churches and faiths before I found one that felt like home, and not so much a business or place to spew any feel good message to gain those dollars.
ReplyDeleteThe church can't save me (as some seem to think), only me knowing and having a relationship with Jesus can. I wonder how many sitting in pews across the nation even know the Word?
Keep up the good work!! You are a great encouragement!
Jeanie ;)
Thanks for your blog! I'm gonna go dust off and open my Book! You've inspired me!
ReplyDeleteSue
Well Said John, Is not the greatest commandment: Love. to love thy neighbor as thyself.If there is love for one another there should be no conflicts to great to overcome. Thanks for posting this ,Ol' Boy.
ReplyDeleteLynn
Hey, thanks Jeanie. I think you definitely GET IT! We may have seen the bottom of the unenlightened. I feel the TRUE BELIEVERS are on the rise, once again. Funny thing is, after all is said and done, the whinning, fighting, politicin', and false promisin', God will prevail.
ReplyDeleteGo get 'em Sue! Glad you're back on board.
ReplyDeleteLynn - you are 100% correct. I even love my enemies. I just wish that they weren't so darn ignorant.
ReplyDelete