Musings …

Category: Religion

  • God’s cleansing is not thoroughly. It is squeaky. There is no process since it is instantaneous!

    Wash Me Thruly

  • It would be wrong to say “gop” instead of GOP.

    It is wrong to intentionally mispronounce anyone’s name.  It is just a matter of simple respect!

    Many years ago when I was taking a private bus to work, I was the first passenger and was alone to chat with the driver for several minutes every day.  He may have been a Black Muslim since it seemed by his way of talking about it that he might be.  Be that as it may, one day, with my world saving answer at the ready, I asked, “What is the most fundamental principle by which people should get along?” His instantaneous answer was RESPECT!

    YES!!!

    My answer, whatever it was, was immediately swept away.  RESPECT is the “most fundamental principle by which people should get along” and beyond that, to the limit of the beyond:

    RESPECT for every thing and in every sense is the ultimate principle of LIFE!!!

    I would love to say, “gop” instead of GOP, but aren’t there so many things that we might want to do, but don’t because we know they are wrong to do.

    In this narrow case it is only the simplest respect to call people how they choose to call themselves and want to be called.

    The shoe of this particular subject is on the other foot when Democratic is intentionally and meanly mispronounced.

    We should all honor and respect RESPECT!

  • Quodlibet – A little piece of heaven!

    Quodlibet – A little piece of heaven!

  • What a Difference Context Makes! A passage cited by vicious people addressed!

    Romans 1:18 through 2:5

    The Condemnation of the Unrighteous (captions by Net.Bible.Org)

    1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness, 1:19 because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 1:20 For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made. So people are without excuse. 1:21 For although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or give him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened. 1:22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for an image resembling mortal human beings or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.

    So what follows applies to idolaters!

    1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their bodies among themselves. 1:25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

    And to creation worshippers!

    1:26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged the natural sexual relations for unnatural ones, 1:27 and likewise the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed in their passions for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.

    To whom does what follows apply? Just “particular men and women,” as if the preceding verses did not exist? Or idolaters and creation worshippers? Or everyone who is guilty of the following?

    1:28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done. 1:29 They are filled with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips, 1:30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, contrivers of all sorts of evil, disobedient to parents, 1:31 senseless, covenant-breakers, heartless, ruthless.

    Does the next verse apply only to “particular men and women” or to all of the above?

    1:32 Although they fully know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them.

    Besides, they may deserve to die, but does this verse authorize going out to kill them!

    The Condemnation of the Moralist

    If we ignore the division here from chapter 1 to chapter 2 and appreciate that verse numbers and chapter divisions were not specifications made by the scripture writers, but later by editors who made these divisions for our convenience and theirs, we will get an entirely different message from the passage taken as a whole!!!

    2:1 Therefore you are without excuse, whoever you are, when you judge someone else. For on whatever grounds you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things.

    Each and every thing? so if you practice some of them but not all, you are exempt from this? or this applies to you if you practice only some of them? perhaps only one!

    2:2 Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth against those who practice such things. 2:3 And do you think, whoever you are, when you judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape God’s judgment? 2:4 Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed!

    Romans: From the New American Standard Bible as found on Net.Bible.Org

  • The Epistle of James 2, in the New Testament asks: “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?” James says, No!

    2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

    2:15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 2:16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

    2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

    2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

    2:25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

    Authorized King James Version

    Since no one can escape picking and choosing from the scriptures, I pick this!!!

  • The Epistle of James 2 says, “Who the hell do you think you are?”

    2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: 2:9 But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.

    2:2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 2:3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 2:4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

    2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

    2:11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

    That is: Who the hell do you think you are!!!

  • What does it mean to be religious?

    Psalm 26 – King James Version

    26:1 A Psalm of David. Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide. 26:2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. 26:3 For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth.

    26:4 I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. 26:5 I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.

    26:6 I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD: 26:7  That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. 26:8 LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.

    26:9 Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men: 26:10 In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.

    26:11 But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity: redeem me, and be merciful unto me. 26:12 My foot standeth in an even place: in the congregations will I bless the LORD.

    This is what I hope it means!

  • How much can one know about someone else’s religion? Not enough to claim knowledge!

    During last night’s Rosh Hashanah service, the Rabbi, in his sermon, referred to Paul saying that Jesus did away with the law. A common view surely, but the reality is certainly not so cut and dried.

    When we are not insiders, shouldn’t we all be very careful, even in our own minds, not to claim knowledge of someone else’s religion?  Even serious scholars, from the outside or the inside, can’t know about the religions of others or perhaps even their own.

    To represent the religions of others from the pulpit is inappropriate:

    • It is disturbing to non-members attending the service who are offended by misrepresentation of their beliefs.
    • Worse! It misinforms and reinforces prejudices of the congregants!