This blog concerns the injustice of class warfare being waged against us globally by the top 1% and what the Bible has to say about it. The cadre of bankers, Wall St. money brokers and their Washington lobbyists, who have brazenly hijacked the American government and its monetary system, will not return the power they have taken away voluntarily. Are you ready for revolution? Are we even going to need any guns? This follower of Jesus doesn't think so!
Sunday, March 30, 2014
My Are So Many Young Adults Leaving Churches These Days?
Why
Are the World's Young Adults
Leaving
the Church?
Someone
recently asked my opinion about why so many of the millennial
generation are leaving the church, and what can be done about it.
After doing some reflection, prayer and meditating, and based on some
personal observations, there are quite a few reasons why this is so.
To begin with, the fact of the matter is that young Christians often
feel forced to choose between their logic and their faith, between
evolution and Creation, and between compassion and piety, as if they
are mutually exclusive of each other. Meaning, churches who are
losing members do so due to politics and religion being merged into
one faith while missing any semblance of the crucifixion, death and
resurrection of Christ. This attitude dates all the way back to the
time of Christ, when the high priests and the Hebrew religious
establishment of that time were expecting the Jewish Messiah to
arrive as a conqueror who would set up his Kingdom in Jerusalem –
in opposition to the Roman Empire – and rule the entire world (That
day is coming, but not until all the scriptures have been fulfilled).
A
second and equally noteworthy reason that churches are losing
America's young professionals is that young adults perceive
evangelical Christianity to be either too political, too exclusive,
old-fashioned to the point of being and thinking backwards,
unconcerned with social justice and hostile to liberal, progressive,
environmentalist and LGBT people, among others. Most of all, I have
met modern Christians who refuse to congregate and worship with
anyone other than their own race. Rev. Dr. King said it best back in
the 1960's when he stated, “The most segregated place in America is
at church on Sunday morning”. To a large extent, this has not
changed much over the last 50 years or so. Does organized religion
think that young adults don't see this for the hypocrisy that it is?
A
third reason that some well-established churches are driving
millennials and young adults away is the time-honored tradition of
abstinence from alcoholic beverages. There are at least a few
well-known Christian denominations – which I will decline to name –
who “teach” that abstinence from alcohol is essential to
salvation in Christ. But they have forgotten all about the twin facts
concerning this subject; the first is that Jesus' first miracle was
changing water into wine, and the second is that there were at least
two glasses of wine – and possibly more – that were served at the
Last Supper on the night before he was crucified. America's young
adults look at this and see it for the spiritual sophistry that it
truly is.
While
we're at it, let's not forget those who are in favor of
decriminalizing drugs that are currently illegal. It's not just
marijuana for medical purposes alone. Legalize, regulate and tax all
illegal drugs, and watch the existing black market for these
substances evaporate almost immediately. Portugal, the Netherlands,
and Uruguay down in South America are three well-documented examples
of what happens after drugs are decriminalized. Legalization – like
the repeal of Prohibition in the US in the early 1930's – has cut
drug consumption by more than half.
And
then there is one of my pet peeves, that Old Testament-based
“teaching” about giving a tenth of your income each and every
week, otherwise known as tithing. It is based on a single verse of
Scripture from the book of Deuteronomy chapter 14, verse 22, which
says, “Be sure and set aside a tenth of all that your fields
produce each year”. But modern churches take this much further
than that. Their pastors, deacons and other elders will use a
well-known verse from the book of Malachi, the very last book of the
Old Testament. It reads as follows: “'Will a man rob God? Yet
you rob me'. But you ask, 'But how do we rob you?'. 'In tithes and
offerings. You are under a curse – the whole nation of you –
because you are robbing me'” (Malachi chapter three, verses 8-9,
NIV). The Bible tells us that
the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was the
fulfillment of the Old Law, and yet modern-day preachers and
evangelists use these verses to convince their congregations to keep
giving more money and other donations as if the above verses were
directed at the faithful. In reality, these passages were severe
admonishments from God, not towards members of the Church, but rather
directed at the leadership. But many prominent preachers and
evangelists twist the two separate passages of Scripture towards
their congregations and away from themselves. Such individuals who
teach this false doctrine will be dealt with most severely when their
time for judgment comes.
The
evangelical obsession with sex can make Christian living seem like
little more than sticking to a list of rules. The world's young
adults long for faith communities in which they are safe asking tough
questions and wrestling with doubt. We are taught to abstain from sex
before marriage and not to commit adultery, yet all the while those
who teach this commit the same sins in secret, as if God doesn't know
what they are doing. These are the same people who condemn same-sex
marriage while committing their own immoral sexual behavior. What a
bunch of hypocrites!
Time
and again, the assumption among Christian leaders is that the key to
drawing people in their twenties and thirties back to church is
simply to make a few style updates – edgier music, more casual
services, a coffee shop in the fellowship hall, a pastor who wears
skinny jeans, an updated Web site that includes online giving. But
here’s the thing: Christians of all ages have highly sensitive BS
meters, and we’re turned off by anything that smacks of
consumerism. What millennials really want from the church is not a
change in style but a change in substance. We want an end to the
culture wars. We want a truce between science and faith. We want to
be known for what we stand for, not what we are against.
We
want churches that emphasize an allegiance to the kingdom of God over
an allegiance to a single political party or a single nation. We want
to be challenged to living simply, caring for the poor and oppressed,
pursuing reconciliation, and becoming peacemakers. People aren't
leaving the church because they don’t find the cool factor there;
they're leaving the church because they don’t find Jesus there.
Like every generation before ours and every generation after, deep
down, we long for Jesus Christ the Son of God. But I would encourage
church leaders eager to win back young adults to sit down and really
talk with them about what they’re looking for and what they would
like to contribute to a faith community. The immorality of fighting
wars, of extreme inequality, of the drug wars, and caring for the
fatherless, widows and orphans would be a good place to start.
Labels:
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revolution
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
What America’s coming Revolution might look like
What America’s coming Revolution might look like
If our state and local politicians and national leadership can't solve America's problems, then we will have to do the job ourselves.
If our state and local politicians and national leadership can't solve America's problems, then we will have to do the job ourselves.
American Martyrs and Political Prisoners
American Martyrs and Political Prisoners
This is your country as it truly is, not as we wish it to be. It's certainly not what we learned in school. Have a look at the genuine 21st century America.
This is your country as it truly is, not as we wish it to be. It's certainly not what we learned in school. Have a look at the genuine 21st century America.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
We need to stop judging other people. It's time for some unity and respect.
Judging
Other People
What
does the Bible say about judging other people? This goes way beyond
mere physical appearances, mannerisms or idiosyncrasies. It surpasses
all concepts of right and wrong, although that can play a part. The
Bible defines judging others as having contempt for, or a hatred of
people. It means considering ourselves better than others for racial,
moral, economic, age, religious or gender related reasons. It is
morally wrong to do this because we are all made in the image and
likeness of God, and God bestows his gifts and attributes to us on an
equal basis. Therefore, we are all equals in God's sight, and I could
write a whole sermon on that topic alone. There are several good
quotes from the Bible that I am going to use to make my point. The
first is from the gospel of Matthew in the New Testament, chapter 7,
verses 1 and 2.
“Do
not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge
others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be
measured to you.” (NIV)
What this verse also says is the more harshly we judge
other people, the more harshly we will be judged when it is our turn.
Make no mistake, every one of us will get his or her turn to be
judged by God when our lives are over. The only exceptions will be
those who will be caught up in the rapture of the Church during the
Great Tribulation that is prophesied by the book of Revelation, as
well as by the apostle Paul in his letters to the Thessalonian
church. And that, my dear readers, will only be a select few people.
So what is the criteria for this? It will simply be how we treated
other people, and by how good we made them feel. It's going to be
about how much unconditional love, kindness and patience we show
others. That's why Jesus said during his sermon on the mountain,
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matt.
5:7). We are to be practicing gentleness when making discernment
about others, otherwise our harshness and being judgmental will come
back around and bite us in the tail.
“I
will deal with them according to their conduct, and by their own
standards I will judge them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
(Ezekiel 7:27 NIV)
This Old Testament quote from Scripture is the basis for
quotations from the New. The more mean we treat others, the meaner
God will be towards us when our lives are over. If we treat people
gently, God will be gentle with us to the point where it shows up in
the lives of those who habitually perform this good deed. How then
should we be living? We should be living as if God is watching
everything we do and listening to everything we say. This means we
should be taking care of others, nurturing and encouraging instead of
criticizing and rejecting others just because they don't meet our
lofty standards. We are not at the center of the universe! Remember
that for every person who seems to come up short as far as we are
concerned, there is another that feels the same way about us whether
they tell us or not. People who are in the habit of acting this way
toward others are always people who dislike themselves. They see
something about themselves that they don't like in someone else's
personality or character and they go after that person tooth and
nail. As long as they are attacking someone else, they don't have to
look at themselves.
The next 2 quotes are from the book of James in the New
Testament. They take judging of others a step further by getting at
the roots of passing judgment.
“Brothers,
do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or
judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the
law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is
only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy.
But who are you to judge your neighbor?” (James 3: 11-12 NIV)
Well said, James, my dear brother. Who do we think we
are? Since everyone is a sinner in God's sight, God can only save us
if we are merciful towards one another. Jesus said, “I desire
mercy, not sacrifice”. The Bible commands us to love one
another, and Jesus taught us to “love your neighbor as yourself”.
We cannot simultaneously judge others and still be merciful towards
them. We can't claim to love others while sitting in judgment of
them. Judgment and mercy are exact opposites, they are mutually
exclusive of one another. The same goes for slander and love. There
is no way to talk badly about your neighbor, friend, co-worker or
relative and then profess your love for them. This bring me to the
final verses of this lesson.
“Speak
and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives
freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who
has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!” James 2:
12-13 (NIV)
True judgment gives freedom according to James.
Restrictive judgment says to those around us 'I think I'm better than
you'. That is not from God. It is man-made and it is derived from
excessive pride. Being merciful towards others no matter what they
have said or done tends to motivate most people to want to do better.
Judging, on the other hand, implies that they can't do any better, so
why not just write them off? It's taking the easy way out, and that
is never God's way.
There is one more aspect of passing judgment that I
think I should mention, and that is the often controversial subject
of racism. Hatred, bigotry and intolerance directed towards others
are the polar opposites of being merciful. The best way to achieve
peace on earth is for everybody to start showing mercy and tolerance
towards one another (provided that that mercy and tolerance is not
abused by its recipient). The Bible says any time we display racism,
intolerance, bigotry and prejudice towards one another, it is the
same as hating God who made them all. Who are we to question the
handiwork of the Lord? Besides, when we devalue others we ultimately
devalue ourselves since God sees everyone as equals. These are simple
truths, yet they seem to elude us the majority of the time. Imagine a
world without hate or harsh judgment that is filled compassion and
mercy for everyone. What a wonderful place to live that would be! The
Bible already tells us how. It's just that too few people are putting
it into practice.
God has given each of us the responsibility of not being
so quick to pass judgment on each other. Instead, we are to be
merciful towards each other because “mercy triumphs over judgment”.
Ask yourself this question right now. Am I too judgmental? Am I a
prejudiced individual? If you are it's time to repent, to turn away
from this behavior pattern, and to turn to God, he can provide all
the answers you need. If you feel that you may not be strong enough
to change, pray to God and ask Him to help you change into a better
person. You will be surprised at how willing He will be. Let's
practice together to not be judgmental towards one another, and to be
merciful instead. It's a better way of life.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Sunday, March 9, 2014
This week's posting will be an updated version of my essay, "The Ticking Time Bomb of Inequality"
The
Ticking Time Bomb of Inequality
(excerpts
from, “The
Middle and Working Class Manifesto”, by Pastor Paul J. Bern)
The civil
unrest and public protests and demonstrations throughout the Arab
world, plus parts of Europe and lately Russia, Crimea and the
Ukraine, will soon be arriving on our shores. This is a serious
development for our country because the lack of job opportunities,
plus extreme economic inequality due to a high concentration of
wealth being in the hands of far too few people, is turning the
entire world into a powder keg. America too has become a ticking time
bomb of inequality and lack of opportunity.
When I
began my writing career several years ago, I did so to pull the fire
alarm on some hearts and minds, such as when one wakes a slumbering
neighbor from an overnight house fire. I write to get people's
attention, to alert people everywhere to a clear and present danger
to our freedom, to shock the uncaring out of their apathy, and to
light a fire underneath the complacency of the willfully ignorant.
The rich, powerful, and politically well-connected, no less than the
top 1% of the US economic pie, have taken over 99% of that pie,
leaving the rest of us with the crumbs. And so I am here to alert you
that a Second American Revolution, a peaceful revolution aspiring to
non-violence, has already been launched. This 2nd American Revolution
will remain peaceful so long as “we the people” are not attacked
by law enforcement, the military, national guard troops or other
abusive authoritarians.
The
circumstances and situations that the middle and working classes in
the US and abroad find themselves in today amount to a series of
gross social injustices that demands a sharply focused and
well-coordinated response from the entire populace, a rebuttal and
decisive counterattack designed and intended to right, correct and
re-balance US political and economic power back into the hands of the
overwhelming majority of American citizens to whom it rightfully
belongs. There can be no doubt that class warfare has been declared
in the US, perpetrated by the wealthy against the middle and working
classes, carried out and implemented by the top 1% as a strategic
first strike against the remaining 99%. This has been done for the
sole express purpose of eliminating from society the constitutional
majority of working Americans, and it has been accomplished by the
complete and merciless liquidation of middle and working class wealth
due to the loss of our homes and retirement savings, the loss of our
standards of living and relative prosperity due to loss of income,
and even our health due to loss of health insurance. The end result
has been the largest transfer of wealth in all of human history. I
learned this through personal experience.
I was an IT
professional by trade with well over 20 years experience before being
sidelined due to a stroke and a couple of other medical issues in
2008. When I attempted to return to the job market in early 2010 I
discovered that it was just not possible, partly because of the
absolutely pathetic state of the US job market and partly because I
was already in my fifties. And so I found myself forced into early
retirement even though I wanted to return to work and be productive
again. Next, I tried to go back to school and learn a new trade only
to be told that I couldn't get a student loan because my credit score
wasn't high enough. I found myself temporarily stuck as a result,
unable to return to work and unable to retrain myself because of an
artificial economic barrier that I could not surmount. I could
probably return to the job market in a healthier economy, or get
vocational retraining, if the system wasn't broken. Instead, I find
myself depending on a government that I fear and mistrust for my
monthly sustenance.
There are
tens of millions of formerly middle class people just like me all
across the country who find themselves in circumstances similar to
mine to varying degrees of severity. Many have not been as fortunate
as me. They have lost jobs and even whole careers like I have, been
forced out into the street due to the epidemic of foreclosures
throughout the land, had their cars repossessed leaving them with no
way to get to work assuming that they are lucky enough to still have
jobs, and are hounded by collection agencies for debts great and
small. They have no access to health care except to show up at the
local emergency room with no way to pay the bill, putting them even
deeper into debt than they already are. They have watched their
pensions and their retirement savings evaporate due to market
manipulations by unscrupulous “financial managers” who earn
obscene bonuses whether they succeed or fail, and all at the expense
of their clients. Either that or they have spent their savings during
interminably lengthy periods of unemployment after their jobs were
downsized or out-sourced overseas to the third world, never to return
again. And their children, the ones lucky enough to be able to go to
college, are graduating with crushing student loan debts that will
take decades to repay if they can be repaid at all, depending on
whether they can find suitable work or not. What good is a four-year
degree if you wind up flipping hamburgers, stocking shelves, bagging
groceries or digging ditches?
Meanwhile,
the best jobs, the best educations, and the best incomes are reserved
for the wealthy and their families. The same goes for the best health
care, the nicest cars and boats and even airplanes (why bother with
flying business class?), not to mention the best retirement plans.
All of this and more are systematically being procured by the top 1%
economic bracket in the US at the expense of everybody else. It's
always steak for them and beans for the rest of us, and that is a
great social injustice if there ever was such a thing. And so
revolution, a peaceful revolution and a civil rights movement of “WE
THE PEOPLE” modeled after that of Rev. Dr. King, Jr., is now
underway and gaining momentum, and I am asking each of you to do what
you can to get involved in the retaking of our country from the elite
1%.
Social and
economic inequality, the symptom of which is rampant class warfare,
is a cancer growing within the body politic and social fabric of
America. Spearheaded by visionaries such as Mahatma Ghandi in the
1940's and 1950's, Rev Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1950's and
1960's – and more recently beginning in the 1990's by the release
of Nelson Mandela from incarceration in South Africa – race
relations, equal economic opportunity and social parity have come a
long way; of that there can be no doubt. But there is the remaining
issue of social and economic inequality that has been festering just
underneath the surface of the American political landscape, an
enforced and entrenched inequality that flows through the bloodstream
of the American middle and working classes like an invading disease.
This social disease of inequality has penetrated the corporate body
of middle America right down to the marrow, becoming so severe that
the very existence of the US middle and working classes is now
threatened. This same social and economic disease transcends race,
and it ranges across nationalities, ethnic groups, and diverse
cultures with no preference regarding age, gender, marital status,
religion, social or economic status, sexual orientation or anything
having to do with the background of the affected individual. The
social disease of inequality is not at all peculiar to America, but
rather it spans the entire globe and threatens to swallow up any and
all chance at opportunity for all peoples, crushing the dreams and
aspirations of untold billions.
If people
the world over – starting here in the US and later propagating
abroad – don't begin to organize and fight back against the rich,
powerful and politically well-connected oppressors who are holding us
all down as they squeeze the life out of each of us, we will all find
ourselves neutralized at best, and obliterated at worst, while an
ever-increasing percentage of the nation's wealth becomes ever more
concentrated into the hand of an elite select few, rendering the
remainder of us powerless and penniless. As time goes on, the ticking
time bomb of inequality is gradually but inexorably growing worse. As
it does, the plight of the American middle and working classes, and
especially that of the poor, gets progressively more desperate along
with it.
What can we
do to reverse our nation's disastrous course? Obviously, those of us
like myself can continue to write about the class war and our battle
for survival as we continue to disseminate the awful truth about
what's happening to our beloved country and its workers. But a
positive message starts with a clear statement of what we are for: A
fair economy that works for everyone, not just the rich and powerful.
An economy where everyone works and where full employment is more
important than record profits. An economy that promotes democracy,
not economic and political hostage taking. This is an economy that
operates from the moral basis proposed by Thomas Jefferson, who
wrote, "The care of human life and happiness is the first and
only legitimate object of good government."
Based on
Internal Revenue Service figures, if middle and upper middle class
families had maintained the same share of American productivity that
they held in 1980, they would be making an average of $12,500 more
per year. That bears repeating: $12,500 of your money every year to
the richest 1 percent, and $600 more to pay your share of their tax
cuts! Inequality in the U.S. doesn't get the attention it deserves.
Many of us brush it off, thinking, "So the rich get richer –
it's always been that way." Or we think: "I'm doing OK
myself – and I want to be really rich someday, too." Since our
economic system is based on individual freedom, most of us believe in
the inalienable right to make unlimited amounts of money. The thought
of taking back a greater share from innovative and industrious
business leaders is (shudder) "socialism." But it's not
that at all. Socialism is based on a collective economy similar to
communism, and it depends on a large governmental bureaucracy in
order to rule over the land and its people. In other words, socialism
relies on big government, whereas I am advocating exactly the
opposite. Furthermore, I am very much in favor of private ownership
and free enterprise whereas socialism excludes both. Enough said.
Fortune
magazine reported that the 500 largest U.S. companies cut a record
821,000 jobs in 2009 while their collective profits increased
threefold to a record $391 billion. According to Forbes magazine, the
top 20 private equity and hedge fund managers took an average of
$657.5 million in 2006. The salaries of these 20 people could have
paid for 25 police officers, 25 firefighters, and 50 teachers for
every one of the 3,000 counties in the United States. Instead we see
counties like Ashtabula in Ohio, which cut back its police force from
112 to 49, while a judge advises the residents to "get a gun"
to defend themselves. Actually, people have already begun doing just
that. As of this writing, there were 5 million handguns, rifles and
shotguns sold in April 2012 alone. Millions more have already been
purchased by patriotic Americans who love their country but despise
their government. We’re in a class war. It’s the corporations and
the very wealthiest against all the rest of us.
In 1962 the
wealthiest 1 percent of American households had 125 times the wealth
of the median household. Now it’s 190 times as much. From 1975 to
2010 median family income rose $42,936 to $49,777. That’s not quite
16 percent over 25 years, less than six-tenths of 1 percent per year.
Then came the crashes of 2001 and 2008 and the recessions that
followed. The crashes haven’t changed anything. Things have become
worse. From 1990 to 2005, adjusted for inflation, the minimum wage is
down 9 percent while production workers’ pay is up only 4.3 percent
over 15 years. At the same time, the rich get richer: Corporate
profits are up 106.7 percent. The S&P 500 is still up 141.4
percent since 1990. CEO compensation is up 282 percent. Call it
transfer of wealth. Or call it class warfare. If current trends
continue, the United States by 2043 will have the same income
inequality as Mexico. Countries with high levels of income inequality
are third-world countries. When a country is, or becomes, a
third-world country, the other thing people can do is run. To some
place richer and freer. Like America. But when America becomes
Mexico, where will you run to?
Beside loss
of income and loss of residence, there are two additional ways that
social and economic inequality are being enforced all across middle
America. First, for those old enough to retire, their pensions are
being systematically looted and/or confiscated by the top 1% tier of
US wealth. Simply put, the elderly are superfluous to capitalism.
With high rates of joblessness being the “new norm,” more and
more people are being made disposable. This leads to an efficient if
brutal logic: cutting old-age income and health care will make it
easier to scrap old, useless workers. In fact, this reality is
already coming to pass. I know all about this from personal
experience, as I described earlier.
The final
way that social and economic inequality is being maintained and
enforced is by an insidious and masterful plan to rob the US middle
and working classes of their ability to take care of themselves by
taking away their health insurance or vastly inflating the cost.
Consequently there is a greater concentration of wealth at the top of
the economic pyramid at the expense of everyone else, and the highest
level of health care as a result. Compare that to the fact that the
number of uninsured is in excess of 56 million as of mid-2012. There
are now nearly as many uninsured non-elderly people as those
receiving Medicaid or other public insurance such as Medicare and
military/veterans coverage.
The gaps in
our health care system affect people of all ages, races and
ethnicities, and income levels; however, those with the lowest income
face the greatest risk of being uninsured. Not having health
insurance makes a difference in people’s access to needed medical
care and their financial security. The barriers the uninsured face in
getting the care that they need means they are less likely to receive
preventive care, are more likely to be hospitalized for conditions
that could have been prevented, and are more likely to die in the
hospital than those with insurance. The financial impact can also be
severe. Uninsured families already struggle financially to meet basic
needs, and medical bills, even for minor problems, can quickly lead
to medical debt.
Where will
all of this inequality lead the American people, or at least the
overwhelming majority of the population? What do you get when you add
the lack of meaningful employment with the apparent inability for the
US economy to create new jobs because they are all being out-sourced
overseas? What do you get when you add the rapidly increasing
phenomena of middle and working class homelessness with the organized
theft of homes and cars due to foreclosure and repossession so they
can be resold again and again? And what do you get when you add the
economic elimination of retirement pensions and affordable health
insurance? What happens when a formerly comfortable – even
prosperous – segment of the US population is sent crashing downward
into poverty, a poverty from which there is little chance of escape
unless you win the lottery or some meaningless game show on TV?
Let me tell
you exactly what will occur. As more and more people become
disaffected and disenfranchised you will see increasing anger,
unrest, and overall dissatisfaction until this ticking time bomb of
inequality reaches a tipping point. Once this tipping point is
reached – and it is almost there right now – you have the perfect
recipe for civil unrest, rioting and demonstrating in the streets,
wildcat strikes and consumer boycotts, the spontaneous blocking of
major highways plus well-to-do subdivisions and wealthy
neighborhoods, the burning of government buildings and police
stations, the takeover of radio and television stations and the
looting of grocery and big-box stores. Look at the current civil
unrest in Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen, Libya and Palestine, and
let's not forget about what happened in London and in Spain last
summer [2011-PB] and what has happened in Greece. And let's be sure
to include the twin civil wars in Syria and the Ukraine. Anyone who
thinks that this kind of social and economic upheaval – this high
degree of civil disobedience as a response to government repression –
can't happen here in the USA simply hasn't been paying attention to
current events.
Speaking as
a minister of the Gospel, human equality is Scriptural. “Our
desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard
pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your
plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will
supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written,
'He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered
little did not have too little.'” (2 Corinthians 8: verses
13-15 NIV)
If we are
going to be successful in our people's revolution, we will have to do
so in a peaceful and orderly way. I think the best way to accomplish
this is to imitate Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by employing his
tactics of non-violent marches and protests. I would caution all of
you to not be confrontational and to never carry weapons, because
that is not my way, not is it God's. But more than just imitating
King, who I regard as one of the mentors of my youth, I want to make
the lack of jobs, affordable housing, vocational/professional
retraining and affordable medical care into 21st century civil rights
issues that will take up where Rev. Dr. King left off, reigniting the
twin flames of human equality and full employment into the bonfire
that this modern civil rights movement is destined to become. If he
were alive today, Dr. King would observe an America increasingly
divided into two distinct and unequal classes: the rich and powerful,
and the rest of us. He'd see bankers prospering as foreclosures
increase; insurance executives reaping profits as people die for lack
of health care; and the military-industrial-prison complex advocating
and perpetuating endless war (and enjoying the spoils) as the
underclass fights, suffers, and pays the costs. Rev. Dr. King
understood completely that the people must take charge if anything of
importance needs to come to pass. He also understood that civil
rights issues are really economic issues of enforced inequality.
Today in America the working and middle classes are finding
themselves relearning these lessons a generation after the King
assassination.
Under no
circumstances should we fear the inevitable end of the American
empire or the demise of free market capitalism, but instead we should
regard them as opportunities to build a better world for our kids and
grandkids. There are too many people sitting around muttering and
complaining about how bad things are, with much pessimism about the
future. We need to stop saying to ourselves, “OMG, we're totally
screwed”, and start looking around for ways to take charge of our
own situation. The days of waiting around for the government to act
are over and done with. It's time that “we the people” retook the
reins of power from the rich, powerful and well-connected who stole
them from us. After all, our Constitution says it is our country.
Some may
ask if there are any legal implications to this. Can protesting
against the system in a peaceful way get us/myself thrown into jail?
Let me just say quite plainly that there is no law against lawful
assembly, the organizing of workers and peaceful protest, all of
which are rights guaranteed under the first amendment to the US
Constitution. You have every right to take back your country and to
reclaim your former position as a productive member of the middle and
working classes provided that you refrain from engaging in acts of
violence (excluding matters of self-defense) and especially
vandalism. The US Constitution guarantees this freedom we all share.
The truth of the matter is that things here in the US have
deteriorated economically and politically to the point where
concerned Americans from all walks of life have no choice but to
begin protesting, demonstrating and marching for human equality
beginning with a fifteen dollar per hour minimum wage, free lifetime
health care and public education, ending the endless foreign wars
that we can't afford, for ending homelessness, poverty and crime, and
for full employment. But it is a sad reality today that we middle and
working class Americans, in solidarity with the poor, have none of
the above while every other developed country in the world already
has all of the above. Well, if our government isn't doing one
stinkin' thing to uphold those whom it governs, then we have a
government that has no purpose for existence. And a government that
has no useful purpose, or who has abused their authority by
oppressing or attacking the citizens instead of governing as is
currently the case, must be “altered or abolished” (according to
the US Declaration of Independence and Thomas Jefferson) by “we the
people”.
We're not
about to sit by like sheep meekly waiting for slaughter. We must find
ways to hinder and obstruct the corporate state at every turn.
Nothing will change unless “we the people” begin to organize
radical acts of civil disobedience to disrupt our current political
system, upping the ante until this massive flim-flam operation known
as the US government is thoroughly exposed for the criminal
enterprise that it has become. We, the people, must take back our
government by peaceful revolution because it will never be given back
voluntarily. "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible
will make violent revolution inevitable." – John F. Kennedy
Americans
of all backgrounds and colors regardless of social, religious,
marital or economic status have a right to be angry and dissatisfied
about the current sorry state of US affairs both domestically and
abroad. Therefore, it is our patriotic responsibility to do something
about it, to force the system to change. Thomas Jefferson wrote in
the Declaration of Independence in 1776, “We hold these truths
to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among
these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness – That to
secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving
their just powers from the consent of the Governed, that whenever any
Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the right
of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new
Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing
its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect
their Safety and Happiness.”
Instead of
racial oppression as was the case a generation or more ago, the civil
rights issues of today have to do with economic oppression that knows
no racial boundaries. But because this is the case, untold multitudes
of oppressed, besieged, disenfranchised, disillusioned and
exasperated Americans will rise up together as if on cue against the
incurably corrupt, basically unfair and irreparably polluted US
government. The fundamentally flawed and inherently biased and
discriminatory federal tax code must be replaced by any and all means
necessary, even if it means calling for an income tax boycott or a
general strike. The right to a livelihood and to earn a living wage,
to better economic opportunities through free higher education, to
low-cost universal health insurance and to home ownership, and to
have a life free from hunger, homelessness, violence and crime, and
the right to Internet access, are no longer privileges reserved for
the most affluent neighborhoods and families, they are basic human
rights that can be denied to no one. In fact the entire governmental
system, especially at the federal level, has become so decrepit due
to crushing debt from without and from deep-seated corruption from
within that trying to get anything done within the existing system is
a waste of the American people's time. So considerable civil
disobedience, organized protesting, sit-ins and demonstrating, with a
tasty touch of peaceful revolution conducted primarily on line and in
the streets, is indeed our responsibility as patriotic Americans.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
What God do you worship? Whether it's Jesus or not, you really should read this.
The Only
God That's Real by
Rev. Paul J. Bern
This
week's commentary will be taken from the book of Acts in the New
Testament, which is right after the gospel of John for all you new
believers. I will use the Scriptures to prove that the one true God
is above and beyond churches and organized religion, in keeping with
the theme of this website. The first thing that I want to point out
is that there are many false gods in the modern world. The most
egregious example that comes to mind is the worship of money and all
the evils that come with it. In the apostle Paul's first letter to
Timothy, Paul wrote that “the love of money is the root of all
kinds of evil”. That means money in and of itself is not always
evil, but the insatiable lust for money most definitely is. Jesus
said in the four Gospels, “No one can serve two masters. He/she
will either love one and reject the other, or cling to the latter
while despising the former. You cannot serve both God and
materialism.” (NIV)
Let's
ask ourselves these questions – do we sometimes find ourselves in
automotive dealerships every time a new model comes out? Do we shop
for new clothes, electronics, mobile or “smart” phones, the
latest computers, and new decor for our homes whether we need them or
not, just because they're “on sale”? Do we sometimes find
ourselves shopping for a new house whether we need one or not? Are
any of us in debt up to their eyeballs (not counting student loans)
because we owe too much on our credit cards? If anyone answered “yes”
to any of these questions, and particularly if you prioritize these
things at the expense of your Spiritual lives, you may be worshiping
a false god. It is Jesus Christ and he alone that must be at the top
of our priorities. Anything else takes a back seat to Jesus in the
order of our lives. Most of the things I just mentioned are not evil
in and of themselves. But false and futile worship of anything other
than God, through Jesus Christ our Savior, amounts to idol worship. A
similar line of questioning was presented to the apostle Paul 2,000
years ago, and it is well documented in the book of Acts in the New
Testament. I will begin with a quote from chapter 17, beginning at
verse 16.
“While
Paul was in Athens....... he was greatly distressed to see that the
city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews
and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day
with those who happened to be there. A group of..... philosophers
began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, 'What is this babbler
trying to say?' Others remarked, 'He seems to be advocating foreign
Gods'. They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about
Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a
meeting of the Areopagus (which
was basically a temple for idol worship and a meeting place),
where they said to him, 'May we know what this new teaching is that
you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears,
and we want to know what they mean'....... Then Paul stood up at the
meeting of the Areopagus and said, 'Men of Athens! I see that in
every way you are religious. For as I walked around and looked
carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this
inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something
unknown I am going to proclaim to you. The God who made the world and
everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in
temples built by hands. And He is not served by human hands, as if He
needed anything, because He himself gives life and breath and
everything else. From one man He made every nation of men, that they
should inhabit the whole earth....... God did this so that men would
seek Him and perhaps to reach out for Him and find Him, though He is
not far from each of us.... as some of your own poets have said, “we
are his offspring”. Therefore since we are God's offspring, we
should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or
stone – an image made by man's design and skill. In the past God
overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere
to repent....when they heard about [Jesus] resurrection from the
dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “we want to hear from
you again on this subject”...Paul devoted himself exclusively to
preaching, testifying to the [Jews and Greeks] that Jesus was the
[Messiah]. But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he
shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, 'Your blood be on
your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will
go to the Gentiles'.” (Acts 17, verses 16-32; 18: 5-6; NIV)
This passage is just one of numerous examples of Paul's
teaching about the one true God. I especially appreciate that Paul
made two distinct points about God. The first is that God is above
and beyond all nationalities, races and religions because he preached
the same message equally to Jews, Greeks and Gentiles (a group of
people that included everybody else). This was considered to be a
radical teaching at the time because all these groups believed that
their version of God was the correct one to the exclusion of
everybody else. This very point continues being emphasized today by
certain church denominations who I will decline to name. Nobody has
the exclusive path to God. No one has the right to claim that they
are any closer to God than anyone else. It's just not true and it
never was.
The
second point that catches the human eye and captures my imagination
is what Paul said about where God lives. “The
God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and
earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And He is not
served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He himself
gives life and breath and everything else.” What
an awesome statement! Think about how many churches there are in the
world. All are called “houses of worship” regardless of which
religion they represent. And yet God doesn't live in any of them.
Instead, for the true believer God lives in the minds and hearts of
all individual believers. Never mind all the spiritual sophistry
that's being “taught” in some modern churches, because it's
largely based on money. God doesn't care who you are, where you live,
what you have done (or not), what country you are from or what church
you are connected with (or not). He doesn't care where you have been,
and He doesn't care about what is in your past. Unlike many men and
women who attend church regularly, God doesn't care what you look
like, or what your social or economic status is. God couldn't care
less what church you go to, or even if you go at all. The one true
God doesn't even live in church, although a lot of phony religious
leaders and related clergy will no doubt insist that He does.
Instead, God wants to live and breathe in your hearts and minds. He
wants you to become a church in and of yourself, a church that walks
and talks. Not only does God want to live inside you, He wants us all
to act as if we do. That means that He wants us all to have a
conscience and to learn how to use it most effectively.
In closing, let me add that there is absolutely nothing
wrong with going to church. If you currently attend, I'm certain that
God wants you to continue to go so long as you keep hearing messages
from the pulpit that are encouraging, uplifting and positive. I don't
want this message to be a reason for those who are attending church
to stop going. God forbid! On the other hand, please keep in mind
that the church is just a building and nothing more. I acknowledge
that churches are built as meeting places for like-minded believers
and that they should remain so. But now that you have read today's
message you know a better way to keep everything in perspective. You
can look at organized religion with skepticism as I do, but do not
let that compromise your most deeply held beliefs. The one true God
is greater that all the religions in the world combined. He is truly
above and beyond it all.
Let me say one more thing, and I really wouldn't be
doing my job if I didn't point this out. If we are going to have God
living inside of each of us then we should be living and acting as if
He did. Watch what you say and how you say it. Clean up your life and
the language that you use. Be mindful of anything that you are doing
to excess because this is the root of all addictive behavior. Live
your life as if God is watching what you do and listening to
everything that you say because He really is. Until next time, be a
church that walks and talks so you can be a good example for others
to follow, especially those who look up to you. And the almost
incomprehensible peace that is the very embodiment of Jesus Christ –
the Savior of the world – will remain with you all. Amen.
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