Monday Morning Rant (17)

Reading this weekend has raised several issues which are both heartening and disturbing. I guess I shall have to accept the fact that we live in an increasingly polarized world. If you haven’t been out of your shell much for a while you may have, mercifully, missed much of it. The laws of probability have visited me with a recent avalanche of opinion pieces which pit black versus white.

The first was an offering, surprisingly on a faith based board, of Naomi Wolf’s screed about George Bush leading us toward a fascist existence. That required a rebuttal of about two thousand words to counter the lies, inaccuracies, innuendo and generally cavalier treatment of truth in her offering. What alarmed me most were the subsequent comments to the original which ran the gamut from “interesting” to “boy, I heard that.” Do people actually believe this @$#%? Don’t they realize they are reading political tripe?

In any discussion between Saints, we hear and read nearly every opinion backed by endless references to scripture, biography, church literature, and histories. When offering argument for doctrine we search, research and prod resources for verification to present in support of our understanding. Yet, they somehow manage to accept invalidated agenda driven demagoguery without even checking on just who is making the case. I offer no apology in calling and apple an apple, and not an orange.

For the record, I have no difficulty finding areas of disagreement with the President. His posture on stem cell research and immigration, and former failure to exercise the veto power has caused me no end of angst. However, being a gnarly old cynic, I rarely agree with everything anyone says or does. This is my problem, not theirs. My tolerance level does increase when opposite opinions are presented in a reasonable manner and substantiated with a measure of logical thought. The key for me is to counter the message and love the messenger. Jesus Christ has informed me of this in so many ways that I had best not ignore it.

The second stimulating piece was a treatise on commonality between believers in God and atheists. It was disarming at first because it turned out to be a serious essay on what is normally a humor blog. I kept waiting for the punch line – it didn’t come. The crux of the conflict came in the definition of belief. My Webster’s Ninth Collegiate in the entries for belief and believers uses the word truth as relative on several occasions. The proponents of God have no difficulty being referenced as believers since they acknowledge God as true. The atheists rankle at the thought of “believing” in non belief. I don’t blame them for their ire; proving a negative can be daunting.

Examining the comments on the entry (there were dozens) I found most were associating belief exclusively with a higher power, most often God. Many seemed to ignore the more prosaic notion of recognition of truth as a function of the mind. Truth is learned. At the age of one I put both hands on an open oven door seeking the cake. The truth learned is with me to this day. I have a scar from the burn in the center of my left palm which can easily hide a lima bean. That learned truth has prevented further recurrence. Others may also benefit from my testimony that hands on an oven door equal pain.

The author of the mentioned article then brought us to a logical conclusion. Our beliefs are on display constantly in that corner of the world we occupy. The entirety of our actions exists for the world to see and represent that which we hold to be true. As such, our daily life becomes an ongoing testimony of our belief. Our interaction with others mirrors that which we believe to be true. Can truth be changed? No, but our learned perception can. As Christians, we are on an everlasting quest to enhance our knowledge of that we hold most dear: Jesus Christ. Let us earnestly pray our behavior always follows our belief.
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When a sister called to say church had been cancelled again because of weather, I was naturally disappointed. This then presented a review of options available to occupy that five hour (we live forty miles away) time span. Five hours to study scripture, watch the early football games, or get a head start on the “Rant” all went through my mind. Instead, I opted to go to nearby Freedom Christian Center and worship with the Baptist (?) neighbors. I believe them when they say God comes there on Sunday morning too.

I was richly rewarded for my decision. They had their children’s program Sunday morning and it was marvelous. They had an extravaganza typical of a mega church. Singing, dancing, and instrumental music within the framework of a play were presented with the enthusiasm only the youth can bring to the celebration of Jesus Christ. The message was clearly directed to the King of kings. My discomfort over being severely over dressed for the occasion melted as I became involved in the service. My good neighbors provided a wonderful replacement Sunday activity. When I arrived home, I found the Packers in the lead so, all is well.
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My brother Craig continues to require your prayerful entreaties to God for relief from the ravages of his cancer. I plan to head north to the Chicago area this week to help, if possible. Fortunately, I have a reliable 4X4 with new oversized tires so weather shouldn’t become a factor. Whatever the outcome, I know that God’s wisdom will prevail. Thank you all for your previous efforts on his behalf.

In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

Note: The church he attended is not Baptist. It's one of those "non-denominational" ones with the horns, bells and whistles.