Love and Compromise

Love & Compromise 
“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 
Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.” 
                                                                                        Proverbs 3:1-4.
Do you let love guide your way?
The apostle Paul writes of love,

“Love is patient, love is kind. 

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,

 it is not easily angered, 

it keeps no record of wrongs. 

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

Love never fails....

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. 

But the greatest of these is love.”  

                                                                                1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13.

Martin Luther King jr said,
“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.”
                                                                                            Martin Luther King, Jr.
More and more I see within North American society confrontation taking place simply because people disagree with what someone believes. We are becoming a confrontational society.
Be they Christians, those of other faiths or atheist we see confrontation happening over disagreements in everything from prayer in the schools, to what is being taught in schools, to abortion to same sex marriage, to the wearing of the face coverings by some Muslim women, and more. The list seems to go on and on.
Perhaps it’s time to take a break, save some money by not hiring lawyers and going to court.
Perhaps it time to come together in love as a society and have free and open dialogue over these things with out resorting to the courts.
To show respect and understanding of others. To respect one another’s beliefs and point of view. To live and let live.
I as a Christian wish to tell people of my faith. But I do not wish to impose my faith on anyone. That would be wrong and contrary to my faith.
At the same time I have no objection to listening to what an Atheist or those of other faiths have to say. Quite honestly I believe it’s a good thing.
As long as the government or individuals do not force anyone to do something contrary to what they believe we should live and let live.
The apostle Paul says something that is good for all people to do. When he wrote,
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” 
                                                                                                  Romans 12:18.
Jesus said,
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” 
          Matthew 7:12.
These while Christian words of wisdom are words I believe everyone can understand and put into practice.
Sadly in North American society it seems the very thing the founders of the constitutions of both Canada and the United States wrote to help people live in harmony, the assurance of “our rights” seems to be causing conflict.
People are demanding their rights without thinking that others have rights. They seem to fail to realize that living in the free secular democracy demands compromise from time to time.
Please think about it.

Freedoms, Rights, and Respect

Freedom, Rights and Respect
The apostle Paul wrote,
“Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive.  
Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.” 
                                                                    1 Corinthians 10:23,24.
In a previous blog I wrote that especially here in North America we have a habit of worshipping rights. Particularly the bill of rights. Some Christians and non-Christians are out there yelling about “THEIR RIGHTS!” .
They demand their rights while failing to realize others in a democracy have their rights also.
Sadly all to many people Christian and non. Hold their rights and freedom higher than the rights and freedom of others.
From the beginning of the world God gave man freedom. It is a fundamental right of every man and woman on the planet.
God gave this freedom to man, knowing that to truly have freedom God had to give man the right to even reject Him and deny His existence.  That is the nature of true freedom. The right to believe what we wish.
Freedom also has another aspect,
Nelson Mandela said,
“For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
                                     Nelson Mandela
I quoted above the apostle Paul who said,
“Everything is permissible”—but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”—but not everything is constructive.  
Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.” 
                                                                    1 Corinthians 10:23,24.
No matter who we are, we should be respecting the rights and the freedoms of others. No matter how much we disagree with them.
The apostle Paul wrote,
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
                                                                                                            Romans 12:18.
That to me means allowing, even people whom we vehemently disagree with, to have the freedom to believe and do as they wish. The only proviso being they are not hurting or restricting the freedoms of others.
Francis of Assisi wrote,

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love,

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” 

                                                                                              Francis of Assisi
This to me should be the something we as Christians should take to heart.
Please think about it.

On Rights

On rights

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
                                                                                                            Romans 12:18.
Over the past few years there have been several court cases in the United States that have caused scripture quotations to be removed from the walls of schools, public buildings and courtrooms.
To my knowledge these cases have been brought before the courts by Atheist groups not religious groups.
One Atheist I heard interviewed on the news said she was offended because it came from “the bible”.
Christians particularly in the United States do the same.
They demonstrate and use the court system to strike out against things they believe wrong.
I think people no matter who they are Atheist, Christian, or those of other faiths who are offended by some words on a wall are out of line.
Particularly when it comes to Christian saying on the walls of courthouses and other government institutions here in the west.
Those words were put there when Christianity was much more a part of our western heritage than today.
I would even go as far as saying some of the people at least, that voted to put the word on the wall were not even Christian. For them it was a cultural thing.
The words sounded nice and appropriate to the situation at the time.
Judeo-Christian thought has contributed much to western culture as a whole over the centuries. Today other religious and ethnic groups are starting to contribute to our culture. This in many ways makes it richer.
I personally find it disturbing that someone would want to remove any religious quote or symbol from any public place.  This to me shows a lack of tolerance. The “I HAVE MY RIGHTS” syndrome.
It’s like Christians wanting to restrict the rights of groups they object to.
An extreme example of removing “offensive symbols and words” is happening in Syria and  Afghanistan where the Taliban and Islamic state are destroying religious images and icons that had been around for centuries simply because it offends them.
I know it seems extreme to compare the actions of an Atheist and some Christians in North America who is using the courts to stand up “for their rights”to the Taliban and Islamic State, but whether done through the courts or violence it is being prejudicial.
I as a Christian see things daily in the media and where I travel that I disagree with but that is a fact of life in a free and democratic society.
I personally and I believe every true Christian would never demonstrate against the rights of others unless it restricted my rights as a Christian to worship and practice my faith.
Those who claim to be Christians and demonstrate against the rights of others are in my opinion not following the teachings of Christ. They should take a closer look at the life and teachings of Christ.
Jesus and his disciples lived in a multicultural society. The Roman empire. Yet Jesus never spoke against the secular Roman authority.
He a Jew, spoke against the teachings of other Jewish teachers of the law. Men who were not following God’s teachings. But never against those outside his faith.
I’m sure the framers of the Constitution of the United States never wished to restrict anyone’s right. The bill of rights was to ensure freedom for all. To promote tolerance.
Sadly over the years, and particularly in this century people have become it seems self centred. They regard their rights above all others. Rather than showing tolerance and understanding. And that goes for both Christians and Atheist alike.
The apostle Paul wrote,
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
                                                                                                            Romans 12:18.
This is a truth everyone can appreciate.
Please think about it .  

Rights and Freedoms and the Christian

Rights and Freedoms

Tony Campolo the American evangelist wrote,
“I contend the state ought to do its thing and provide legal rights for all couples who want to be joined together for life. The church should bless unions that it sees fit to bless, and they should be called marriages.”
           Tony Campolo.
Campolo makes a compelling point, after all we live in a secular democracy. And it is the government and people of that democracy that choose what is called what under the law.
The democracies we live in, in the west are at least as diverse as the Roman Empire.
The Roman Empire had things going on that Christians and Jews would have found contrary to their moral and ethical standards. Yet the Bible does not mention anywhere that the disciples or Jesus spoke out against Rome’s authority.
In fact with the Emperor Nero in power and persecuting Christians the apostle Paul wrote,
“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”  
                                                                                                                                     Romans 13:1 
The Gospel of John records this exchange at the trial of Jesus between Pilate and Jesus,
“Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” 
 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above...” 
                                                                                                                                      John 19:10,11a
As Christians we need to respect the government and the beliefs and lifestyles of those around us.
Only when governments or others start to restrict our rights or the rights of others should we be speaking out against them.
For me the best way to ensure our rights as Christians to practice our faith is to stand up for the rights of others even if we don’t completely agree with them.
It is only when, not just Christians, but men of all faiths, beliefs and lifestyles fail to stand together for the God given right to freedom of choice that oppression can arise. We only have to look at Nazi Germany to see that.
At the height of World war two Martin Niemoller a German cleric wrote,
“When they came for the Communists, I did not stand up, because I was not a Communist. When they came for the Jews, I did not stand up, because I was not Jewish. When they came for the Catholics, I did not stand up, because I was not a Catholic. When they came for me, there was no one left to stand up.”
Martin Niemoller
In order to be effective as Christians I firmly believe we need to stand up for the beliefs and lifestyles of others. Only by doing so do we keep dialogue between ourselves and others. And upon  that dialogue could depend the eternal resting place of the people we meet
Please think about it