Gazing
over the sea from New Zealand, while trying to maintain some detachment from
America's election process, has brought forth observations that illustrate the
old adage: "one bad apple spoils the whole bunch."
Elections bring forth many examples of how prostelytizing the talk rather than
"walking the walk" can send folks running from the messenger. That said, I
want to make it clear that I love being around Christians and folks of other
religious traditions that preach their message by walking the walk--being a
living, breathing example--and I am fortunate to know many.
Many
observers have commented on the intermingling of religion and politics and how
un-right that feels, and since the taste is still in my mouth, I'm doing what I
do, spitting it out on paper:
It's important to remember that most everyone
gets that it's God that is the authority . . . not you.
Please
don't expect that anyone will want to get to know "your" God, if you consistently use verbiage about what "Your God" is doing or thinking, or who they are damning to hell.
In and of
itself, the term "My God" implies others are not special enough to
have a relationship with yours. And take note, "my God" is most
typically used when making a point that is disrespecting someone, something, or
others' beliefs.
Many of
the folks you are preaching to have figured out that God is everyone's God and that God even loves those that choose not to believe.
And by presenting
yourself as the authority on God's motivations, when it is absolutely clear
that you are doing so to make your own political or moral convictions known and
coerce others, you bring your direct-line-to-God-relationship in question.
And God
does answer to differing names and religious traditions, because God is of love.
When you make your religious point for
arguments-- against others--you are starting a war. Knowingly and with
intent. A seed of hate and discord and
ugliness is sent out into the Universe. The Bible has many teachings that can
be interpreted in myriad ways to make myriad points, but to spend energy doing
that to encourage despise of others' lifestyles or choices or political
practices belies the essence of what Christianity, or any other religious
tradition, needs to be teaching: love.
Of
everyone.
Nowhere
do these Commandments exist:
• Bear witness
to others in an arrogant manner that claims that you are right and others are
wrong.
•
Use
My name to get your way and coerce others to vote or think or wallow in disgust as you
do.
•
Pick
and choose scripture and skew it in a way that makes me a vengeful God while
minimizing my messages of love. Oh, and ignore those bizarre passages because
you are the authority and know what I would want covered and preached to the
world.
•
Shame
others for not thinking the way you do and let them know that your relationship
with Me is better than theirs.
•
Speak
of Me and for Me in the midst of claiming despise for factions and actions of
people unlike yourself, because I do not want people to live in harmony.
•
Claim
to know who I would vote for in one of your stupid elections.
•
Oh,
and unfriend people who don't think like you, but call yourself a Christian
while you are doing it.
•
And
about Deuteronomy 21:18-21 where I have inferred that all stubborn and
rebellious sons that don't obey their parents or are drunkards or gluttons be
stoned to death . . . ? Now come on-- you
knew I didn't want you to kill your kids--I give thee permission to Use. Your.
Brain. And heart.
You get
how endless this list could be, right?
Come on
folks. Make Your God proud.
Don't
have Him up there conjuring ways to send you to time out for using your power
for evil and not good.
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard
shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling
together; and a little child shall lead them.
And no,
in no way am I insinuating that the little child's name is Obama.
But one
thing I know for sure is that it is all
about love. Not pity, not despise,
not even "I hate their actions but not the person."
It is
about a love bigger and broader, and an understanding and compassion far beyond
our comprehension, and if we attempt to be guided and live by that love each
and every day, we will be one step closer to The Truth.
Amen.
Blessed
Be.
Namaste.
Addendum:
Within minutes of writing this, I had a telephone conversation with my 90 year
old amazing mother who lives in the states.
She told me an unbelievable story.
One of her church friends, of almost 40 years, called her the day after the election and asked her how she felt. Mom
simply replied, "relieved." And with that her "Christian"
friend went on a tirade about how evil the President of the United States of America is, how any Christian in their
right mind would never vote for him. And this went on and on. This "Christian" verbally abused my
90 year old mother who has lived her entire life "walking the walk."
To hear the hurt in her voice, her sense of betrayal, her dismay in someone's behavior that professes Christianity. . . unbelievable. Just after I wrote this piece, minutes before talking to my mom, I thought: there, I
got it out of my system, maybe I won't publish it.
You see, I think people that believe in the power of Love go out of
their way not to offend others . . . even the haters. I read this to my mom and she was comforted
by these words. She couldn't believe that I
had just written it, "this just illustrates how telepathically you and I
communicate." She asked me to publish it.
This one is for her . . .
