Christian Living Archives - Page 20 of 21

Take Up Thy Cross

March 17, 2010 by EnnisP 1 Comment

One of the most consistent influential elements in human society over the past three plus millennia is the Bible. It has been the longest lasting, most copied/printed, most read and most taught book in history and its influence grows rather than fades in spite of significant detractors.

It is a classic. It is universal. It is foundational to many disciplines: literature, literacy, logic, art, law, hygiene, justice, social order and has been used to encourage many personal virtues the greatest of which is love. Those who refuse it are frustrated by the vast recognition it receives even across many diverse cultures.

Schools of thought, along with enduring educational traditions, have developed in response to the Bible.
Governments have shifted philosophically under its influence.
Wars, inevitable due to the basic nature of humans, have been fought directly as a result of biblical influence.

Yes, unnecessary conflict, abuse and rivalry have been initiated in the name of the Bible but we can hardly blame the Bible for the fallacious thinking of those who spawned it and quoted the Bible for justification. If anything, we learn from this that the Bible forces us to think. The experience of others helps us see that reading the text and understanding it are two vastly different things.

But, one piece of evidence demonstrating the Bibles influence – closer in time and more easily recognized – is the many English language idioms developed from it. You can find a long list of phrases taken from the Bible, almost verbatim, here. [Read more…] about Take Up Thy Cross

God Blesses Israel

January 23, 2010 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

I Still Enjoy Eating Matzo Bread

The neighborhood in which I grew up was very middle class. We had all types living there from professionals to laborers but everyone got along, at a distance, and it was “safe.” There were no drugs or serious mischief of any kind and the parents let us kids romp freely without worry. We rode bikes in the street (very little traffic), played baseball or football, depending on the season, and we even had woods and a creek nearby that gave us many opportunities to do a bit of safe exploration.

Our street was a long slow curve the ends of which attached to a moderately busy throughway but we always felt comfortably isolated from the mainstream. From our neighborhood, we could see the world without being in it and yet we were very close to every possible amenity. Within two minutes “walk” we had a drive-in theatre, a children’s hospital, a church, a community hall (we had Cub Scout meetings there) and just a bit further away was an orphanage (with a dairy farm), a well-developed shopping center and most of the kids could ride bikes to the local elementary school. It was a nice neighborhood situated close to everything you might need.

From the age of 8 to 16 I lived some of the most formative years of my life in this neighborhood. It was there that I developed some of the closest friendships I ever had and experienced many personal firsts: kiss, smoke, caught a fish, fight and there are a few I won’t mention. That neighborhood molded the perspective I have on life and the world. Even today, many years later, my experiences there are still the reason for many of my idiosyncrasies.

The one interesting thing about this neighborhood was the presence of several Jewish families. I recall at least six but there may have been more. Of the six, two lived on either side of us. The Rothenbergs lived on the left and the Aptakers lived on the right. We were close to these families. The kids from all three houses played together. The adults talked across the fence. My dad and Mr. Aptaker often discussed their common interest in gardening. From my youthful point of view I thought they were the only two people in the world who could enjoy gardening. I’ve since learned there are many other people with this same affliction. [Read more…] about God Blesses Israel

Jesus – Good Citizen or Collaborator

December 28, 2009 by EnnisP 6 Comments

Answering An Atheist

Original arguments are found in the post “Top Ten Worst Bible Stories”
On the web site “Not A Potted Plant” (NAPP)

I recently came across a blog post entitled “Top Ten Worst Bible Stories.” The blog goes by the name “Not A Potted Plant” (NAPP) which obviously says nothing about the author or the content but he does explain the reason for the title in the FAQ’s and a little additional perusing helps to fill in other gaps. He goes by the pen name of “Transplanted Lawyer” and I refer to him by the acronym LT.

From the profile you learn the author is a normal sort of guy and the content clearly indicates he is coherent, observant and thoughtful. He is an atheist and a bit glib on occasions but always fair. The fair part is what got my attention.

Any person can pick a side and be belligerent about it and there are many who do exactly that. They are completely intolerant toward and offer no fair discussion on points of difference. Fortunately, that description doesn’t fit LT. Unfortunately, that is particularly true of the “religious right” (RR¹).

Actually, RR are my roots but honestly speaking, I have to admit that the most dominant characteristic of this political sector is the inability to carry on a fair discussion regarding any issue. They don’t talk nicely to each other and they don’t discuss issues with an open mind.

Taking the “half loaf” approach to negotiation doesn’t figure into their political or religious strategies.
The capacity to “agree to disagree” is dwarfed.
Building relationships around common issues in the hope of influencing change on others is not a skill they own.
If ideologies don’t match up to the letter, the differing parties are shunned or worse, run out of town, the modern day equivalent of burning at the stake. Thank God better minds have changed that trend.

It would be nice if the RR folks would just “take their ball and go home” but unfortunately that isn’t an option. Humanized religious chivalry requires a fight to the death, although they wouldn’t admit to the humanized part.

Anyway, back to the “Top Ten Worst Bible Stories” by LT.² I’ve decided to answer a few of his observations. I chose him not because Bible critics are few but because he is articulate (unlike some atheists, he actually knows and uses words longer than “four” letters) and he spars the issue rather than the opponent.

I doubt I will change his mind on the issues or anyone else’s for that matter but debate, when healthy, fair and respectful, is always useful.

I’ll answer only one (or a few) issues at a time, not in his order and not necessarily in consecutive posts. Here goes. Hope you enjoy. [Read more…] about Jesus – Good Citizen or Collaborator

THE BLIND SIDE, by Michael Lewis

November 16, 2009 by EnnisP 4 Comments

If you enjoy real life stories about individuals improving themselves against great odds then you’ll love this book.

Mr. Lewis tells the story of a young African-American boy, Michael Oher (pronounced “oar”), born in the worst section of Memphis, TN into one of its most dysfunctional homes as he makes the gargantuan leap from the arm-locking embrace of disadvantage to celebrity. The book also gives witness to the fact that these transformations don’t happen easily. It takes the will power, resolve, love, interest and effort of every possible person you can imagine and some good fortune too.

Born to a drug-addicted mother, Michael bounces in and out of school and various hideouts in an attempt to avoid foster care, which was more oppressive than the gang infested housing development he managed to surivive, for the better part of his first sixteen years of his life. [Read more…] about THE BLIND SIDE, by Michael Lewis

Mercy One Person to Another

November 10, 2009 by EnnisP 3 Comments

Maintaining Relationships
Without Mercy
Is Like Washing A Car
With A Dry Cloth

It is no surprise that Jesus mentions mercy in the Sermon on the Mount. Of all the characteristics attributed to God mercy predominates.

God was merciful to:

Adam and Eve when they ate the forbidden fruit.
To Cain when he murdered his brother Abel.
To Abraham when he lied about his wife Sara, not once but twice.
To Joseph when he was in prison through no fault of his own.
To the Israelites when He delivered them from Egyptian slavery.
To David when he committed both adultery and murder.

And there are many statements in the Bible which declare mercy to be one of God’s most outstanding qualities. It certainly is the one that most defines His relationship to humanity. [Read more…] about Mercy One Person to Another