Faith, Hope and Love...should all come with Lasik

(1st Corinthians 13:13)

How can it be, that these great and beautiful gifts from God, can make us blind. They can blind us to the point of working for darkness, working against the greater good of man-kind, for ourselves.

More later, just a thought for now.

"You love Jesus, I Like him"

(...in light of all this talk about Religion...)

I know that love can exist between a Muslim and a Christian. Is it sustainable is the question? Is a marriage between any two opposing religions sustainable in the long haul? I suppose the answer to that question lies within the two people in the relationship, their personal level of faith and commitment to their faith, how they want to raise their kids, their lifestyle...

My thought on religion so often is that instead of unifying people, it is devisive. But then again, as somone just reminded me, Jesus was devisive. I myself am not super religious, but was raised in a Christian family, schooled my entire life in private Christian schools, went to church, was part of my youth ministry program, it has been engrained in me, 'I love Jesus' and, I do. Like many, (including in most recent news Mother Theresa), I have gone through periods where I question my faith, entertain other theologies but yet, I find that Jesus...yup he was onto something.

I still find that the educated, open-minded part of me knows and accepts that the Holy Bible (and Catholic Church) may be questionable in content (many books within the Bible were written decades after Jesus lived, and the book was basically 'assembled' at the Nicean Council). Christians through time have killed, been killed, waged in war...they are just like all religions so perversly intertwined with power and politics. The cerebral part of me screams, "Christianity is only your roots- that's why you believe it!" "This is your tradition, of course it is going to feel like the right path!"

But one thing I do know, is that I just love Jesus.

There is is also a greater part of me, that goes beyond checking a box that reads: I am a _____ religion. That part of says, there is a God and all this division is merely the work of man. God provided diffrent tools, for diffrent people to find him. He has instilled not only common law (the Ten Commandents) but outlined a way of good living for each religion to follow, yet even still with all these directions to follow, some do not follow any path to God.

So if I feel that way, does it really matter what religion my children are raised or only that they are close to God and lead moral good lives? Muslims believe in Jesus- as The Messiah too!! Born of the Virgin Mary and the whole shibang. There are of course some parts they just don't buy (The Trinity, God's Son situation and they believe that he never died on the cross but that God raised him to heaven and allowed a common soul to die in his place) So is it more important to me to raise my children with the faith that I was raised with, or just make sure they are raised with a faith in God? (and thankfully, a faith in Jesus too)

more later

Christianity- minus 600 years

This morning I had a discussion with someone whom I consider to be extremely knowledgeable, cultured and tolerant. In discussing the extremist viewpoints on all religions ( but specifically radical Islam) and expressing my concerns, he made a statement “but look at Christianity, minus 600 years”.

I am not capable of reading all of the history I would like to in the time I would like to post this article, but I know there is a wealth of it out there.

I will start with this, a pious fraud is nothing more than fraud, and it is based on false premises and lies and given respect only by those who believe the lie. Therefore it is their own ‘truth’ and they would never be able to view it as a lie. Religious wars throughout time, the Crusades, Milhemet Mitzvah, The Thirty Years War, French Wars of Religions, or modern day (radical) Jihad, all have adopted versions of pious fraud for their own basis to kill, conquer and relinquish back what they see as theirs…they wholly believe they are fighting for truth and this is not only radical Islam, this has been done for centuries within religious context.

Being that the roots of Judaism, Christianity and Islam all fall under the hand of the same God, how could all claim that ‘their’ war is different, their war is good or have a call to arms in the name of God? It’s baffling. I am not getting it, missing the point.

If a pious lobotomy could be possible, perhaps they could see themselves in a mirror and look at it from a different perspective, ‘see’ what is being done and what is being lived, passed on to the next generation. The greatest of all religious offense is that their actions are causing re-actions, and all in the name of God. When you take those actions and re-actions out of the context that people believe they are acting in and look purely at the act itself- how is it not clear that so much of this is wrong. Killing is wrong, taking property of others is wrong, disrespecting any human life is wrong. Acting on behalf of God and in the name of God while disrespecting the life, people and the world that God created, is that not only acting on behalf of God, but as God? How can any one person deem righteousness over another? Make or take value to a human life?

CNN God’s Warriors

Last night and tonight, I watched the first and second segments of Christian Amanpour’s documentary entitled 'God’s Warrior’s'. Watching this, I found myself engulfed in disbelief, awe and amazement at what faith can accomplish. When faith is used to try and transform the masses, it destroys civilizations, neighborhoods, homes, cities, kills children and demolishes peace- to say the very least.

Contrarily, faith can also establish peace, renew hope that has been lost, build the impossible…yet what I feel we must realize, is that these types of transformations can only happen successfully on a personal level. We can share our personal faith en mass, but to try and transform the mass with faith, is a loosing battle.

I am focusing my thoughts on the Abrahamic religions, featured on this CNN special, all of which are built upon one another, Judaism being the first, followed by Christianity and Islam. Without Judaism and the Torah, none of the others exist. If taken from an agnostic standpoint, it is the greatest trilogy of all time.

The Fundamentals:

Judaism, beginning with the covenant between God and Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish people (as well as the patriarch of Christianity and Islam), prophesied the coming of a Messiah.

Christianity thereafter was born with the faith in Jesus and in the belief that he is the Messiah. (Jews are still awaiting a Messiah to come and do not recognize Jesus). Christianity is a faith centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Christians believe Jesus to be the Messiah and the Son of God

….within this very point is where Islam was born. Although Islam supports that Jesus as the Messiah, born of the Virgin Mary, it also denounces the Trilogy (as it is contradictory to the One-ness of God) and further supports that believing in Jesus as God or any God-like counterpart, is where Christians were led astray. Muhammad is believed by Muslims not to be a founder of a new religion, but rather the restorer of the original monotheistic faith of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets.

Rooted not only in one God but also in the same patriarch, this by far is the greatest dysfunctional family of all time, and yes, I believe we are family. Each synagogue, church or mosque is rooted in the same stone, and built all in the name of the same God, a shared Father.

Since all three of these faiths have roots in The Torah, in the prophet Moses and his purpose, I would like to call to mind The Ten Commandments (read these slowly)

1) I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other Gods before me
2) Thou shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth
3) Thou shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name
4) Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy
5) Honor your father and your mother
6) You shall not murder.
7) You shall not commit adultery
8) Neither shall you steal
9) Neither shall you bear false witness against your neighbor
10) Neither shall you covet your neighbor’s goods

Focusing on these Ten Commandments, they seem so simple to follow. Yet the practicality of following them is almost analogous to John Locke’s view to the (perfect) State of Nature. If every person consulted these ten statements before making each decision in their day…what a world it would be. However reality (as we have come to know) is that there is no perfect state to nature. Adam and Eve bit that apple a long-ass time ago.

Human nature by definition is a vice. We desire, we seek power (not only from greed, but for protection or persuasion). In fact, protection of our human, or faith-filled existence in and of itself breeds a basis to break these commandments. War and politics of any sort, breaks these commandments, yet without them there is no guideline…Think about that impossible irony.

The reason I focus on these Ten Commandments, these rules of our (collective) faith, is because I am beside myself with how all “warriors of faith” as featured in this CNN special, not only break these commandments, but do so in the name of God- so blindly breaking yet another commandment in the process (see commandment 3 people!!)…. Double whammy.

The story of the “Fallen Angel” (a.k.a. the guy with horns), reads that he is real and seeks to tempt the other side at all times. Although unequal in Greatness, it should be noted that the story reads he/she/it is just as ever-present as God, working against goodness, always there to show you the flip side of the coin. Knowing this, these ‘soldiers of God’ should ask themselves, which side of that coin they are actually on, cause doing what they do in the name of God somehow, seems counter-intuitive.