I won’t gain fans with this article, except maybe for people among the communities where I’m not seeking fans. Not that I write my blog to seek fans. If I really cared about the numbers of people who read my stuff, I would post tabloid stories about Michelle Obama cheating on her husband with aliens, with pictures. Or I would write about sex.
What I have to write about is religion, and here I will use the example of Christianity because I’m far more familiar with it than I am with other faiths. I have no desire to prove or debunk anything. I don’t care what you believe (this would be true whether or not I were a blogger) or don’t believe.
Let me first cite some items from Scripture:
Genesis 1:1- In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Romans 6:23- For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
John 3:16- For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
Revelation 22:18-19- For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
If the Bible is held to be the unalterable word of God, then these words are true no matter what era of history we live in. They cannot be altered to accommodate new social standards or human rights activities. Scripture itself prevents modifications due to modern human interests. The Bible declares itself the truth, which means little unless readers lend themselves toward agreement. It is a self-contained truth. It declares itself an authority. Humans must not change it, take away from it, or modify it, because that is making an untruth out of the truth. If you believe the Bible is the unfailing word of God, you must agree.
These days, we have a better understanding of the world around us, and that includes morality. We believe that we don’t need the kind of guidance we needed at one time. Today, as a population, we understand more about personal liberties and we value them more. We don’t do slavery. Homosexuality has become far more accepted. As a whole, we are more willing to look out for the weak. We know much more about the heavens and about nature. We can explain the world without the need for God or any other supernatural being.
Many members of the religious community have practiced tolerance, which to me means progress. There have been efforts across faiths to connect and understand one another. We now have female clergy. Openly homosexual people are being embraced in many parts of the Christian world. A logical sequence of events has happened in history, leading us to where we are now. I doubt that things could have happened in a much different way.
However, if one places God above all else, and accepts the Bible as the infallible word of God, then all of human progress must take a back seat, and in many cases it needs to be discarded altogether. Scripture describes, in more than one place, homosexuality as an abomination. Women are to be subservient to men, and they shouldn’t speak in church. The Bible preaches violence in a number of areas. When we try to explain it away, we are watering down our own love of the truth.
This is a place where I’m forced to say something positive about Westboro Baptist Church. It’s obvious that they believe in a literal translation of the Bible, and to them there is nothing more important. They believe that all good is of God, and that the only one they need to please is God. They (correctly) say that there is more hate in the Bible than there is love.
When we say “the wages of sin is death,” we might ask how that might be interpreted in our modern society to mean something a bit less savage. But the Bible is quite clear that damnation without salvation means condemnation to Satan’s nation, and that isn’t a nice place. God puts people there without reservation if they are without salvation. Is there breathing room there? Another opinion in the Heavenly court? Well, Genesis 1:1 says God created the heaven and the earth, and it sounds like he was playing for keeps. Scripture has definite expectations, and, if we hold it to be the perfect word of God, we can’t have any expectations of God unless we fulfill Scripture’s expectations.
The point is: know what you believe. Think about it. Read about it. If you are a Christian, read your Bible. If you are a Muslim, read your Koran. If you are Jewish, read your Torah. Then examine your priorities. If you aren’t willing to put your faith before human values, then maybe the faith community isn’t for you at all.
WBC, I’m not your friend. I doubt you concluded that I’m your friend, and I really doubt you’re even reading this. I’m only saying that if everyone prioritized their faith as highly as Fred Phelps did, the entire world would probably be Westboro Baptist Church.
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