Usually, I try to avoid sharing my more serious thoughts in a public format but I have been unable to shake some disturbing thoughts and just need to send them out into the great unknown. Please comment if you have anything to add or contradict, I would like to hear some other perspectives.
Being a much more sociable person than I would like to be, I come into contact with various people. I have learned over the years that no one is perfect and that I don't need to be pointing out splinters in others eyes, when no doubt I have my own plank to worry about. However, that doesn't stop me from feeling perplexed or even disturbed by what I see and hear.
Quite honestly, I don't know what has happened to our society? We now have a world where each individual has their own moral standard on which to judge themselves. There are no longer drawn lines or virtues based on something greater than us. It is as if we have all walked into a giant moral buffet and picked and chosen what 'works' for us. "I liked what Oprah said over here." and "I think I like this idea that Jesus pointed out there." oh and "Look the healing colors of the Divine" "Wait is that Old Testament Law? yuck! I didn't even know that was still available." I guess the point I am trying to make is that we have decided what works for us and what doesn't and the result is a world where there are approximately 6 billion shades of gray. I don't know why this disturbs me so much. But, I can make a pretty good guess. We are all living for ourselves and ourselves alone. I believe there was a time when you could tell the difference between a Christian, Buddhist, Atheist, etc. Now they are all one in the same.
We are all just trying to be 'good' people. But, it is actually sickening to see mothers of young children drinking and cursing like sailors and then patting each other on the back because their kids made the honor role. Or, grown women lusting over their teenage sons' friends, while making a 'healthy' home cooked meal. And, when did casual sex become so casual? Christians and non Christians alike, throw it around like hugs at a sorority party. If things aren't going our way, we 'deserve' to feel desirable. Hey, and even if they are, why not celebrate the sexual beings that we are. Nothing has any meaning or depth. When did we become so flippant about every and anything?
I am afraid that everything we see, read, and hear comes with an agenda and we have been brainwashed into believing all of them even if they contradict each other. Maybe that is the heart of what bothers me; we are truly just behaving like a bunch of hypocrites.
As I read over what I have just written, I realize that I am not nearly as coherent as I planned to be. But, I have laid out my heart even if it sounds as confused as I feel.
I am trying to comment in the hopes that Google has gotten it's act together.
ReplyDeleteI think the "gray" has always disturbed me as well. It must be why my home is black and white and I have a deep rooted love for rules and adherence to them. Tell me what they are and I will obey. That is why I love reading the "red letters" in the Bible; what more do we need to know? Everything is there. Jesus is truthful, blunt and direct. It is only our interpretations that cloud his words. We think it's too challenging or hard and then we say His words are symbolic not literal. I don't know, He seems literal to me.
ReplyDeleteThe hardest of all His literal commmandments - Love your neighbor as yourself. That means all those hypocrites should be loved by us. Loved, not condoned, loved. How can we do that without Him? How can we see what He sees so that we love as He loves? We can't without knowing Him, experiencing His love ourselves so that we can then give it out without judgement.