A Shot at Life
I've been thinking a lot about the world and the culture that I live in. I'm not sure if I'm going to express these thoughts very well.
I don't know if some of it is because I'm lazy right now or if its because my writing skills are limited:
Idea #1: The world turns Christian things against them
I've been thinking about how all higher education institutions were established by religious people. The majority of American colleges and Universities were established under Christian world views. As a matter of fact Harvard is named after John Harvard who was a minister!
Not just education but also hospitals, most hospitals start with a Saint (insert name) Hospital or (Insert name) Methodist hospital. Yet medicine today laughs christians not understanding that Christians were the pioneers in medicine!
Orphanages were first founded by Christians. During the first century prior to abortion if a family didn't want a child they would simply discard the new born on the street along with the rest of the trash. The Christians were the ones collecting the unwanted children and showing them love.
Helping the poor, It has been God's focus to care for the poor and the oppressed!
why am I saying all of this? I guess I am venting because when America thinks of Christians they don't seem to think of a well educated, generous, pro-modern medicine, kind loving person. Instead it seems that the smartest in America are atheist, it seems our best doctors are atheists, it seems our nonprofits and government programs for the poor and the parentless are majority of the time run by atheists.
Christians have this stigma of being judgemental and dimwitted. Both of which Jesus was nothing like.
Idea #2: The use of the word love
All You Need Is Love - The Beatles
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Same Love
NAT KING COLE - L-O-V-E
What is love? we toss it around like all you need is love. and Just love everyone. Love Love Love, it is by far the most over used word I've heard But what the heck does it even mean? What is it to love someone? What does love look like? Why do other languages have many different words for it but we simply have the one...Love... are we even all on the same page when we talk about this thing, is it a feeling? Is it a verb? Is it a noun? Does love mean leaving everyone as they are? Does love mean helping them achieve more? Does love mean determining what's best for someone? What is love? I think love is a great idea in the same sense that the "American dream" is a great idea the problem is no one knows what the hell either of them really are!
this leads me to my next idea
Idea #3: We worship love instead of God but the definition of love is in the individual's eyes
Everyone seems to agree what we ought to simply love everybody. But the system starts to break down when you ask the question what does it mean to love someone?
Everyone has their own idea of love.
Sometimes I think some people believe they have the ability to actually display love better than God can. I think they find themselves thinking they show more compassion, more grace, more forgiveness, more love than God Himself.
The problem of course being that God is love.
Therefore God is the definition of love thus we cannot be more loving than God for we would be more godly than God, which is impossible.
Our culture today reminds me of God's words to Job:
Do you still want to argue with the Almighty?
You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?
Brace yourself like a man,
because I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.
Will you discredit my justice
and condemn me just to prove you are right?
Are you as strong as God?
-Job 40
This idea that love is in the individual's eyes could be taken another route to say the individual believes they are the ultimate judge. The individuality mentality in our culture has created millions of gods walking the planet saying I can "have it my way" and the customer (being me) is always right. It's to the point where God makes the statement "You are God's critic" but then asks "but do you have the answers?"
We don't have the answers some of us are convinced we do but ultimately as we each read chapter 40 in the book of Job we all seem to find the universal reaction to the chapter, the very same response Job expressed
I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers?
I will cover my mouth with my hand.
I have said too much already.
I have nothing more to say.
-Job 40
The thing I like about God is that He has a backbone and a pretty badass one too! He is able to say here are my laws, this is where I stand and if you don't like it...here are the consequences. Everything it our culture screams THAT'S NOT LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!! But Love himself simply smiles back asking "and tell me what do you know of love?"
The truth is the stuff that sounds awesome when we hear people say "all you need is love" and just love everyone and everything, its actually very cowardly and people pleasing. It doesn't stand for anything. It is like a fairy tale, it sounds perfect but it isn't true and it isn't possible.
Idea #4: Human rights only for people who agree with ideals.
What does the yellow equal sign in the blue background mean? Human rights?
according to the HRC website their mission statement is:
The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.
achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all?
It isn't possible.
Whenever you say yes to one thing you are saying no to another.
for instance if you allow the LGBT community to get married then you are taking away human rights for those who believe marriage is between one man and one woman.
If you abolish slavery, you take away the human rights to own another human.
If you want a cheap cell phone, you take away the human rights of children in sweat shops.
The door swings both ways.
Of course I don't agree with slavery in any form whether that be human trafficking, sweatshops, forced labor. But I hope if you have any sort of brain in your head at all you understand my point.
The goal of human rights, the goal of "Love" isn't possible because some will always be treated unfairly.
So the question comes into play:
Who gets to decide which humans will be treated the way they want and which will not?
It essentially become human rights for whoever agrees with my point of view.
How is that any different than the thinking of the bigots and the oppressors you are fighting against?
Instead of pretending to have this noble cause of love and "human rights" why not instead come out and make a stance that says LGBT community should be able to get married with tax benefits and such, if you disagree fuck you you can get out of this country!
This leads me down a rabbit trail that my mind always seems to go down when considering the idea of "human rights"
pro-choice
the term seems contradictory, choice for who? the human carrying or the human being carried? What rights does the human who isn't born yet have? none, they don't get a vote on whether they should live or not? So by saying pro-choice, you are also saying no-choice... does that make sense?
The thing I love about Jesus is that He drew lines. He said this is where I stand either follow me or not. He has a backbone. He made the hard calls that pissed people off. He said I know who I am and I know what I believe and if you don't agree too bad.
It feels to me as if the humans rights and the love people in our culture today would look at a strung out coke head and think "live and let live" "who am I to say what is good and what is bad for this guy?" but Jesus on the other hand says "let me help you get out of that, it isn't good for you!"
And that I think is love. Discipline is love. Laws are love. God is love.
Sigur Rós: Dauðalogn
I've been thinking a lot about the world and the culture that I live in. I'm not sure if I'm going to express these thoughts very well.
I don't know if some of it is because I'm lazy right now or if its because my writing skills are limited:
Idea #1: The world turns Christian things against them
I've been thinking about how all higher education institutions were established by religious people. The majority of American colleges and Universities were established under Christian world views. As a matter of fact Harvard is named after John Harvard who was a minister!
Not just education but also hospitals, most hospitals start with a Saint (insert name) Hospital or (Insert name) Methodist hospital. Yet medicine today laughs christians not understanding that Christians were the pioneers in medicine!
Orphanages were first founded by Christians. During the first century prior to abortion if a family didn't want a child they would simply discard the new born on the street along with the rest of the trash. The Christians were the ones collecting the unwanted children and showing them love.
Helping the poor, It has been God's focus to care for the poor and the oppressed!
why am I saying all of this? I guess I am venting because when America thinks of Christians they don't seem to think of a well educated, generous, pro-modern medicine, kind loving person. Instead it seems that the smartest in America are atheist, it seems our best doctors are atheists, it seems our nonprofits and government programs for the poor and the parentless are majority of the time run by atheists.
Christians have this stigma of being judgemental and dimwitted. Both of which Jesus was nothing like.
Idea #2: The use of the word love
All You Need Is Love - The Beatles
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Same Love
NAT KING COLE - L-O-V-E
What is love? we toss it around like all you need is love. and Just love everyone. Love Love Love, it is by far the most over used word I've heard But what the heck does it even mean? What is it to love someone? What does love look like? Why do other languages have many different words for it but we simply have the one...Love... are we even all on the same page when we talk about this thing, is it a feeling? Is it a verb? Is it a noun? Does love mean leaving everyone as they are? Does love mean helping them achieve more? Does love mean determining what's best for someone? What is love? I think love is a great idea in the same sense that the "American dream" is a great idea the problem is no one knows what the hell either of them really are!
this leads me to my next idea
Idea #3: We worship love instead of God but the definition of love is in the individual's eyes
Everyone seems to agree what we ought to simply love everybody. But the system starts to break down when you ask the question what does it mean to love someone?
Everyone has their own idea of love.
Sometimes I think some people believe they have the ability to actually display love better than God can. I think they find themselves thinking they show more compassion, more grace, more forgiveness, more love than God Himself.
The problem of course being that God is love.
Therefore God is the definition of love thus we cannot be more loving than God for we would be more godly than God, which is impossible.
Our culture today reminds me of God's words to Job:
Do you still want to argue with the Almighty?
You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?
Brace yourself like a man,
because I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.
Will you discredit my justice
and condemn me just to prove you are right?
Are you as strong as God?
-Job 40
This idea that love is in the individual's eyes could be taken another route to say the individual believes they are the ultimate judge. The individuality mentality in our culture has created millions of gods walking the planet saying I can "have it my way" and the customer (being me) is always right. It's to the point where God makes the statement "You are God's critic" but then asks "but do you have the answers?"
We don't have the answers some of us are convinced we do but ultimately as we each read chapter 40 in the book of Job we all seem to find the universal reaction to the chapter, the very same response Job expressed
I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers?
I will cover my mouth with my hand.
I have said too much already.
I have nothing more to say.
-Job 40
The thing I like about God is that He has a backbone and a pretty badass one too! He is able to say here are my laws, this is where I stand and if you don't like it...here are the consequences. Everything it our culture screams THAT'S NOT LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!! But Love himself simply smiles back asking "and tell me what do you know of love?"
The truth is the stuff that sounds awesome when we hear people say "all you need is love" and just love everyone and everything, its actually very cowardly and people pleasing. It doesn't stand for anything. It is like a fairy tale, it sounds perfect but it isn't true and it isn't possible.
Idea #4: Human rights only for people who agree with ideals.
according to the HRC website their mission statement is:
The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.
achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all?
It isn't possible.
Whenever you say yes to one thing you are saying no to another.
for instance if you allow the LGBT community to get married then you are taking away human rights for those who believe marriage is between one man and one woman.
If you abolish slavery, you take away the human rights to own another human.
If you want a cheap cell phone, you take away the human rights of children in sweat shops.
The door swings both ways.
Of course I don't agree with slavery in any form whether that be human trafficking, sweatshops, forced labor. But I hope if you have any sort of brain in your head at all you understand my point.
The goal of human rights, the goal of "Love" isn't possible because some will always be treated unfairly.
So the question comes into play:
Who gets to decide which humans will be treated the way they want and which will not?
It essentially become human rights for whoever agrees with my point of view.
How is that any different than the thinking of the bigots and the oppressors you are fighting against?
Instead of pretending to have this noble cause of love and "human rights" why not instead come out and make a stance that says LGBT community should be able to get married with tax benefits and such, if you disagree fuck you you can get out of this country!
This leads me down a rabbit trail that my mind always seems to go down when considering the idea of "human rights"
pro-choice
the term seems contradictory, choice for who? the human carrying or the human being carried? What rights does the human who isn't born yet have? none, they don't get a vote on whether they should live or not? So by saying pro-choice, you are also saying no-choice... does that make sense?
The thing I love about Jesus is that He drew lines. He said this is where I stand either follow me or not. He has a backbone. He made the hard calls that pissed people off. He said I know who I am and I know what I believe and if you don't agree too bad.
It feels to me as if the humans rights and the love people in our culture today would look at a strung out coke head and think "live and let live" "who am I to say what is good and what is bad for this guy?" but Jesus on the other hand says "let me help you get out of that, it isn't good for you!"
And that I think is love. Discipline is love. Laws are love. God is love.
Sigur Rós: Dauðalogn