Before I get started on this blog entry I MUST add a disclaimer. This post is not an attack on folks that attend church every Saturday or Sunday. Much respect to the people that attend diligently. While I applaud the loyalty, I have a few thoughts and reflections on flaws that I have witnessed with my own eyes within the church community.
Now that I have that out of the way, let's get "back to bidness".
I find that there is a misconception among people that go to church on a regular basis (not all of them) that by going faithfully this will earn them brownie points into heaven. Taking great pride in their attendance some of these folks hold their noses in the air and have a tendency to incessantly judge people outside of the church community. Brings to mind what happened a few months ago when I posted a controversial article on Facebook. As you know New York is one of the few states that has legalized gay marriage. To me, this was a matter of human rights and saw it a good thing that gay and lesbian couples were afforded the same rights as their hetero counterparts. My goodness, the level of hate I received was appalling! People particularly in the church flipped out and used the bible as basis of hate and condemnation. I believe in God wholeheartedly. Prayer has changed my life and I understand that God is a constant force in my life. Now, I know most people will jump on my back and use commandment that says remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy as a reason why attending church regularly is important. If this means going to church for you every Saturday or Sunday then GREAT but for some it can also be used a day of peace, of family and of rest. Keeping the Sabbath involves much more than abstinence from labor, it requires the acknowledgment of the sacredness, the sanctity, of this day because of God’s deeds and declaration.What's as important is your behavior outside of the sanctuary. Regardless of who you praise God, Allah, Buddha we should all seek to embody the spirit of love. In the words of Epictetus All religions must be tolerated... for every man must get to heaven in his own way
Treat people with respect and love. Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself. Accept people for who they truly are. Keep your relationship with God intact. Be a positive influence in the world. It is my belief that God doesn't care about you going to church every Sunday, what he really cares about who you are as a person.
Thoughts?
Makho. As a regular Sabbath (Saturday) keeper, I could not agree with you more. There are many people who attend Church regularly (Sat/Sun) that do not reflect the love that Jesus had for people and do not live a Christian walk outside of Church. Those people "play church".
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand my dear, we are encouraged to regular fellowship. Prayer does change our lives, and I also believe that the fellowship of fellow believers and hearing the spoken word is also important.
The bible does not mention anything regarding 'going to church' simply because the 'Believer' is the 'Church'. The bible, through various apostles & prophets encourages the Believer not to 'neglect gathering with other Believers' for the purposes of 'edifying, encouraging each other and corporately praising & worshiping God Almighty' Attending church service(s) is no more a form of belief that guarantees entry to heaven than wishing to pass an examination but doing nothing about it!
ReplyDeleteHaving a good relationship with God takes more than being a congregant in some building or tree, it takes intimacy with God in one's private time and life, and intimacy can only be measured and determined by each subject. Now with the issue of gay rights, inherent free will means that each of us is responsible for the choices they make as much as they have the right to make any decision as long as they do not impinge on the next person's free will. Ethics and religion are to help us make better and Godly decisions, however that does not negate the fact that each of us has the free will endowed by God himself. I do not agree with 'gayism' or any such thing.
God cares about everyone, including gays & those who go to church every Sunday thinking that is a guarantee ticket to heaven, and equally those who do not go to church because of disbelief or self-righteousness. I am not quite sure whether He is impressed about these kind of people?
What you are saying makes sense. It is important that people must not promote hate in the name of religion. Beside this is not heaven. I do not support gays and lesbian but are human too. There must be a line, where we respect all human being regardless of their sexual orientation and origin.
ReplyDelete