Sunday, September 10

NARROW IS THE WAY

More and more, Christian progressives are challenging the religious right.

Yesterday, sitting shiva with the family of my Jewish friend who was buried on Friday, the rabbi who led the service said something so meaningful and relevant to our materialistic society, which has affected our religious communities so greatly as to sometimes make them almost indistinguishable from the secular. I share it now with all of you.

"God instructed us to build him a beautiful sanctuary," he said, "and if you look at Temple Emmanuel, you see a grand structure and appointments. First Baptist Church of Dallas, the same. But that is not what God meant." Rabbi Kaplan touched his heart. "This is the sanctuary that God meant. We are to create a beautiful heart in which he can reside." He went on to urge us to acts of charity to our fellow man, ignoring our differences, insisting that there are no real rules of religion, "but it is the heart of man that God judges."

It is there, in the simple words of a 73-year-old man of peace and love, that we find the essence of spirituality. Christ himself said that the essence of religion is caring for the widows and orphans. A religious community that values the suppression of what they define as "sin" above the pursuit of justice and charity, and openly aligns itself with a political party that promotes war, hatred, intolerance, division and economic inequality, is treading on dangerous ground. Jesus said (my shorter version), "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Enter the narrow gate, not the broad gate that for many will lead to destruction. Only a few will find the narrow way that leads to life. Beware of false prophets who are really wolves in sheep's clothing; inside they are ravening wolves." (Matthew 7:12-15)

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1 Comments:

Blogger Seven Star Hand said...

Hello Motherlode and all,

Two Ways, Paths, and the Narrow Gate

Be aware that what I say is intended to make people uncomfortable with the status quo so we can finally forge that long promised new path to the future. Here is the chance to truly understand the Creator’s expectations. The truth will be a bitter pill to many, so remember that patience and humility are wise virtues and scoffing causes blindness.

Many Christians speak of the straight and narrow gates, doors, or paths without comprehending the true meaning of this symbolism. Thanks to historical and doctrinal errors resulting in confusing language in the New Testament and other sources, the true meaning of these verses and other philosophical discussions of dualism are so poorly and vaguely presented that people have been forced to rely on the interpretations of religious leaders, that have unfortunately been the primary sources and perpetuators of confusion.

Read more....

7:08 PM  

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