Respect!

I am a Christian. However, I'm also a Sabbath-Keeper. In many ways, I identify with the Adventist church, but in others, I do not. Of all the sabbath-keeping churches, the Adventists are the only ones I found that contain and spread the Grace of Jesus Christ.

So, I was invited and went to a Women's Tea at a local Christian church that a friend attends regularly. She invited me last year, but I got sick and could not attend. At our table, there was a woman, M, who asked a lot of invasive questions about how I met my friend, that I did not wish to answer. My friend answered them, and this bothered me. The woman had no business asking such personal questions.

She then went on to ask about my beliefs, which I shared, and my business, which I shared. She wanted to argue with me about the Sabbath, and tried to quote me chapter and verse, which I turned against her. The Bible is very clear on this for me, and I won't be swayed.

So, she turned to the other topic, my business. She wanted to know how much I charge, and I told her that the information was on the website, and gave her my card.

Mind you, this was ON the Sabbath, so money is not a topic I cared to discuss. I don't shop, answer e-mail, or practice any business on the Sabbath. I will worship, rest and honor my God in the best way I can, including going to a church I don't normally attend with a friend for breakfast and worship.

M pressed me again about my pricing later, and I said it was Saturday, and I again referred her to the website. She said "Oh, I get the JOKE" and totally pissed me off. She did apologize later, but this kind of closed-minded thinking and dissonance in the Christian system is rampant. Nobody can agree on anything, and everyone is convinced they are right. Even me.

If she should contact me to build a website for her, I will price the work very high, to encourage her to find someone else. A person who does not respect my privacy or beliefs, is not the kind of person I want to have as a client.

Mixing Religion and Politics

This post is partly to clarify something I said earlier and is meant to elaborate on it. I seem to not be alone, if the NPR interviews I heard yesterday mean anything.

The Bible talks about the "end times" and "rapture" and the final confrontation of the anti-christ and christ at megiddo.

This scenario is filled all kinds of signs and portents. Some of these (a lot of them) seem to be happening right now. There are some serious deficits, but most folks don't even know about them so just jump on that bandwagon and say "Hey Jesus, Here I am! Come get me!"

The Bible also says that "No Man" may fortell the day of the end of the world.

However, our more fundamentalist Christian politicians seem to want to bring about the end times by producing some of the missing elements in the run-up to the end of the world. Are they the anti-christ? Are they his agents?

What about some of the more important missing elements - like the Temple of Jerusalem standing smack-dab in the middle of the dome-of-the-rock that is the Muslim holy site?

Most folks seem to forget about that. The Temple needs to be standing. It isn't standng.

Anyway - that's getting off track, and that was not what I had in mind.

I have a real problem with religious fanatics who don't read the texts they say they are following. I have a real problem with politicians trying to manage world affairs according to their warped religious views - whether jewish, christian, hindi, muslim or ?? (fill in the blank). I am really afraid of a head of state, such as the President of the United States, the Prime Minister of England or the President of Russia, arranging and managing the world to fit some Biblical end-of-world scenario.

Think about this -

If these folks are wrong (and there is a strong possibility they are), the world they want to bring about is everyone at war, everyone out for himself, and desparately needing salvation or God to step in to fix the mess. All because of delusion.

Now, let's just say for argument, that God or the Supreme Intelligence of the Universe, or whatever you choose to call it; does NOT step in to fix it.

What then?

We will be living in a world that is so far removed from the one Christ pointed out to us. It will be near to impossible to live by the Ten Commandments - even to survive a day will be difficult in such a world.

To not worship any other God than God (money is what most people worship),
No graven images (money again, sex, phallus, etc.),
No swearing, using God's name in vain (not even Sheesh!),
Keeping the Sabbath (most people don't, even the church goers mostly keep Sunday, instead),
Honoring your parents (most berate and blame their parents for what/who they are),
No murder (Not even state-sanctioned death penalty),
No adultery (fornication outside of marriage),
No stealing (not even a paperclip),
Don't bear false witness (gossip, tales, lies),
Don't covet (envy) others for their possessions (donkey or wife) means be happy in your place and leave the other person to his & quit trying to "Keep up with the Jones'", which is what brought about the economic & financial mess we are in now. Everyone needs a home, yes, but not a McMansion!

Where are you in that list?

So, back to the topic....

I don't want to live in a world where we are constantly at odds with each other. Christ said he came not to bring peace, but war, and I think I am beginning to see the greater picture.

God wants nothing more than for us to rely on Him. That's all he wants. Quit trying to manage our own lives and the lives of others and allow Him to work his magic. Several of the Bible lessons I've run across lately are of us petty little humans manipulating situations to bring about the word of God as it was guaranteed to begin with. Not having faith, but having to manipulate things. Allow God the time and space to create his miracles!! God does not promise and then not deliver. Have the faith it takes to give God room to work.

I've seen some real miracles. Hearts and lives changed because of letting God do what needed to be done. Stepping out of the way, letting go (not even a hair holding on) and watching with interest but not being ready to step in and help things along if they went sour. Sometimes, things do go sour for a while. Then, just when we have reached the end of our tolerance, patience, and the very end of our wits, here comes the miracle. Unexpected resolutions to problems and challenges. There is NO WAY a human could have dreamed up something so amazing! So much MORE than we could think of. That's God. More than we can dream.

So, my religion and my politics won't be mixing anytime soon. Except for trying to keep other people's religion from messing up the world even worse than it is, my votes are purely secular.