WARNING: vulgarity ahead. i’m sure you’ve heard it, and will hear it again. i use it to make my point. i do not apologize for it’s usage, as it accurately represents my feelings towards the issue.
what life is, and isn’t, is defined solely by human experience.
for instance, the rich man may see life as tough, that everyone exists solely to steal his money.
the poor man may be happy that he has no trappings of wealth, and has learned to live on the small things.
the sick may be pissed that they are, and look at life downcast.
or perhaps not. see, the entire idea of life, God, and everything else is the sum of our experiences. if we happen to see miraculous healing or spontaneous speaking in different languages, we might be led to believe in the supernatural. or, if all we see is pain and suffering, we might be led to believe in no God, for we believe that no God is capable of this. what if the entire idea of God, the perception of Him on earth, is not up to him but up to us?
that raises a very large question. have we, and are we, portraying an image of God in agreement with Christ’s command to love Him and love others? perhaps so. many great missions exist to serve the poor, the weak, the infirm, using God’s great wealth to bring a little happiness to a suffering world. and then again, perhaps not. we have “preachers” using the television, internet, and good old fashioned guilt trips to boost the offerings. if you’re in doubt as to the greed of your church, be sure to ask your pastor for a budget report and a report of funds available to the church. and make sure he includes the savings account figures, as well. oh yes, churches have savings accounts. not just the special ones they use when they’re raising funds for a new building, oh no. churches have permanent savings accounts for their excesses. we are, and are not, portraying the image of Christ in how we act.
charity has given way to benevolences. we no longer give to the poor, we give to the church, and ask them to give to the poor. meanwhile, the poor are asking for benevolences and getting little assistance. the church needs that new media center worth 2,500 warm meals for the poor to stay “relevant.”
fuck relevance. you want to earn the respect of the people back, and bring in more people? actually care. support Christian and secular advances alike to lessen the suffering of the poor and defenseless. projects such as (red), organizations such as UNICEF, any way to be truly charitable. support missionaries that have specific causes in mind, and not just “conversion.” Sponsor a few doctors in the medical labs, working hard for a cure for cancer, AIDS, and every other ailment. work with a few here in the states to raise support. just be charitable. and forget this “saving the world” nonsense. people will be more convinced with one kind action than a million passionate words. take this from a jaded american.
