While I don't necessarily agree with all the comments posted to my blog, I do value each opinion, including yours. Thus, you are welcome to express your opinions, but I ask that you do express an opinion - not attack someone elses'.
If you feel that "religion" is actually an addiction or a crutch, then please just say so and let us have an intellegent and civil discussion on that topic.
I, for one, would like to clarify for you that much of what is discussed on this blog is not actually about religion at all – in fact, I do know some of these people personally and we are not what would fit in a standard “religious” profile. Do we go to church – in most cases yes, do we profess that there is a God who created us and therefore has a right to rule over us, yes. Do we believe that he has a plan for our lives that is for our good, yes.
We also believe that we cannot, due to our own sinful nature, access that plan because he is a holy god and we would not be able to stand in His presence – the contrast between his nature and ours would simply cause us to die immediately in our own sin, to be consumed. As he is a loving god in addition to being a holy one, he has made provision for us to come into his presence and know and experience his good plan for our lives without being consumed by his holiness. That provision is the propitiation of our sin through the perfect sacrifice of his perfect son, Jesus, the Christ: and it is only through our personal relationship with him through acceptance of his sacrifice that we can access this relationship – to Jesus himself and therefore back to God.
It is rather like a Christmas gift – or a birthday gift if you don’t give and receive Christmas gifts. It may be a wonderful gift that I have for you. In fact, you may know that it is a wonderful gift because you know my character so well that you know I love to choose extravagant, wonderful and thoughtful gifts. It may be wrapped in wonderful papers and a glittery bow and may have a tag with your name on it. I may be holding it out to you to receive – alas, the gift does not become yours until you reach out, take it for your own, claim it as it were, and open the package and receive what is in it.
It is the same with Jesus – He is offered to all, but not all receive personally. Not all choose to open and possess.
So, perhaps what it is that you call religion and appear to loathe may actually be religion – and if so, I would agree with you – it is a thing to loathe, for it is a set of rules that kills and gives no life at all.
If you feel that "religion" is actually an addiction or a crutch, then please just say so and let us have an intellegent and civil discussion on that topic.
I, for one, would like to clarify for you that much of what is discussed on this blog is not actually about religion at all – in fact, I do know some of these people personally and we are not what would fit in a standard “religious” profile. Do we go to church – in most cases yes, do we profess that there is a God who created us and therefore has a right to rule over us, yes. Do we believe that he has a plan for our lives that is for our good, yes.
We also believe that we cannot, due to our own sinful nature, access that plan because he is a holy god and we would not be able to stand in His presence – the contrast between his nature and ours would simply cause us to die immediately in our own sin, to be consumed. As he is a loving god in addition to being a holy one, he has made provision for us to come into his presence and know and experience his good plan for our lives without being consumed by his holiness. That provision is the propitiation of our sin through the perfect sacrifice of his perfect son, Jesus, the Christ: and it is only through our personal relationship with him through acceptance of his sacrifice that we can access this relationship – to Jesus himself and therefore back to God.
It is rather like a Christmas gift – or a birthday gift if you don’t give and receive Christmas gifts. It may be a wonderful gift that I have for you. In fact, you may know that it is a wonderful gift because you know my character so well that you know I love to choose extravagant, wonderful and thoughtful gifts. It may be wrapped in wonderful papers and a glittery bow and may have a tag with your name on it. I may be holding it out to you to receive – alas, the gift does not become yours until you reach out, take it for your own, claim it as it were, and open the package and receive what is in it.
It is the same with Jesus – He is offered to all, but not all receive personally. Not all choose to open and possess.
So, perhaps what it is that you call religion and appear to loathe may actually be religion – and if so, I would agree with you – it is a thing to loathe, for it is a set of rules that kills and gives no life at all.
However, what we have been discussing here – and the whole point of this blog, whether we all agree on the fine points or not – is not religion at all – but relationship – to a real person, Jesus the Christ.
8 comments:
Methinks the lady doth protest to much!
Sorry, Shakespear misquoted...
The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
Shakespeare, that is...
Why thank you so very much, for:
1) calling me a lady
2) calling it protesting too much
Using, people just say that I am quite wordy. Or, they simply say that I take quite a while getting to a point. However, as a scientist, the logic, the thought process by which one comes to a conclusion, is frequently as important to me as the conclusion.
And I do like Shakespeare
haha, Good one, Susan.
I agree with your picture as to how this takes place, and I like to consider other pictures as being valid Scripturally, as to what's going on here.
God is a relational being as Trinity in an eternal love relationship. And he creates, redeems, reconciles and renews to bring us and all things with that, into harmony with this love relationship and dance as Father, Son and Spirit.
But your thought is so apt to, I believe. But some would have a hard time seeing both and more, but I believe they're all there, in the Story of God we find in Scripture.
Hello Susan,
I really think I am out of my depth here.
Was that Shakespeare quote from Othello?
I hope you have a brilliant holiday away from grants and stroppy comments!
I'll be in touch again when I have a new email address. I have given up on the other one. Even a friend of mine who is an IT expert couldn't sort it. I'm very upset as I have kept all Jemima's emails from three years ago from Peru and Bolivia on line and now I'll never see them again.
I may have to ask your address again as my address book is also out of reach, but I may have made a note of it somewhere.
Bon Voyage as they say in Russia!
Lorenzo.
Hang on, it was Hamlet wasn't it?
Another famous quote from Hamlet was 'get thee to a nunnery'. When I was a little girl my big brother used to regularly say that to me when I had been naughty!
LtL
Dear Halfmon.
Hope you are having a lovely holiday.
I discussed 'anon' with my big brother maalie, and he says that people who leave anonomous comments on the blog are attention seekers and they should be ignored.
He wrote a very cruel comment about one of my commentators, which I deleted, as although in theory I happened to agree with the sentiments of his comment, I was not allowing my blogsite to become a place for spite or hurtful comments.
Post a Comment