| Papasmurf: On Religion |
| Religion. To many it's a touchy subject and not one too many people relish to discuss. I, however, have no such misgivings. Of course, for those of you who know me, you know I'm pretty much game for jumping into anything. First of all let me lay some groundwork. I am a Christian. I am an ordained minister. I have a PHD in Theology. I grew up Methodist. I have attended almost every type of Christian church there is. I am not actively involved or employed as a minister or pastor at the present time nor do I intend to be again. With that said, I can now safely cover the two main points that seem to set me apart from and at odds with most Christians and Ministers of the faith. The first is in the way we pray and what we pray for and by reaching the conclusions I have reached. I have changed my life. When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, he gave them The Lord's Prayer. When I read the Lord's Prayer, I don't see a lot of gimme-gimme there. We ask for daily sustenance, forgiveness, protection, and salvation and we ask for it in very general terms. The rest of the prayer is spent exalting God for who He is and affirming our deference to His will.. Somehow, most of us seem to have gotten away from this. Rather than "Thy will be done", we pray for raises, new homes, cars, boats, vacations, etc... Aside from the fact that this seems to show a lack of faith, I have found that God does very little for me if I just sit around and pray and make no effort to get what I need for myself. In other words, I have come to know God will help me if I first try to help myself. Since this plan has allowed me to see God working fervently in my life, I have come to regard my faith as more a concrete knowlege than a shadowy belief. Now when I pray, it's very simple. I exalt God for who He is and thank Him for the wonders He has worked and will work in my life. I confirm with Him my complete faith in His guidance, protection and whatever plans He may have for me. Then I set sail through my day listening for directions from my Captain. The other situational belief is not so easy to explain to some. I have my own personal relationship, covenant if you will, with my Lord. That relationship is personal and does not apply to anyone else. Now here's the tricky part. The Bible is a tool God uses to guide us as Christians. Depending on our circumstances, the same verse may hold two completely different meanings for you and me. As a minister, I can preach all day long about what the Bible actually says and the basic tenets it portrays. I cannot and should not preach what it should mean to others. That is something each individual needs to determine for himself. I use the Bible often for counsel and have at different times and under different circumstances received different meanings from the very same verse. God uses this instrument to guide me. The basic undeniable truths are self evident. Jesus Christ was sent here to suffer and die for the sins of mankind. Acceptance of this is our ticket to Heaven. Then, in order to keep our ticket current, Jesus implores each of us to emulate Him. This is where it is important to communicate with Him so he can guide us toward that goal. Through that communication a relationship is formed. The more that relationship is nurtured, the easier it is to understand his directions to us. My personal beliefs are very simple. I should act always in as complete faith as humanly possible that God is guiding me and try to do what I honestly believe is right. I should pray selflessly not selfishly. I must respect the beliefs of others as long as they do not infringe on my rights or the rights of others and are within the law. |
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