Did Paul Set Faith Against Sex?

“Therefore [a]consider the members of your earthly body as dead to [b] immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which [c]amounts to idolatry.” (NASB)

(a) Lit ‘put to death the members which are upon the earth’
(b) Lit ‘fornication’
(c) Lit ‘is’

Paul does seem to hint stuff like sex, passion (which I see no issue with), and greed ‘amount’ to idolatry. So I can see where it can be said these things are ‘idols’. However, and this is my opinion, show me this same sentiment over and over when discussing this term and I will agree it’s authoritative.

This may be the lone example, or of 2 passages in the whole bible, where idolatry is even used in this manner. Most other times, in fact all of them, it’s about worship of a physical thing.

However, and this is the pretty funny thing about this passage – the way the writer despises ‘sex’. Immorality (or fornication – according to the literal translation) and passion are both used here (both of which are not actually ‘bad’). In fact, if you have a wife then you are an idolator because you (a) fornicate and (b) are passionate for one another. And if neither of these are occurring in the marriage – then it’s ‘dead’.

Also funny, Paul says ‘consider the members of your earthly body as dead’ in regards to sex….does he mean the ‘members’ as in the sexual organs of the body? Is Paul setting up a wall between sex and faith?

The ‘Jesus’ Syndrome

“when we are so critical of the church we need look no further than ourselves for the solution of what is wrong with the church” (Carolyn)

Nice in theory and I would normally agree with it (and partially do – we need to be the change we want to see). However, in the case of the church it’s dictatorship, which i am going to call the ‘Jesus syndrome’. In that most Evangelical leaders, and Catholic leaders, take the role of a Jesus (or Moses) figure to their congregation. In this sense, their teachings become untouchable and unchangeable until they are removed as the problem blocking change. They play leader in the new gospel story (theirs) – played out in each church.

“Our pastors could be a whole lot healthier spiritually if we would pray for them” (Carolyn)

They won’t be (better off) because even at their most humble – their position doesn’t allow them to change. I can see some of the pastor conundrum, not only do they let the power get to their ‘ego’s’ but the parishioners allow it and want it (IE: a sense of security and safety in that leader). The problem isn’t we can pray for them, but to what end…isn’t some of our hopes in that they are stable and do not change?

Abortion and Gay Rights – The Want of Control for Christianity

I had a discussion with a few Christian friends this week, via facebook, and I am kinda puzzled. The convo’s were these 2 areas:

(1) Abortion – Pro-life and Pro-choice movements

(2) Gay rights/marriage

I think we can all safely assume what side the Christians (more Evangelical in nature) landed on with these 2 issues. What puzzles me is how little the sides of issues were considered on each issue by the Christian friends. It was like they were living in a bubble where nothing gets in except that which lines up with their perceived agenda. Maybe this is so?

My issues start on each issue with their responses and what they support about both issues.

Abortion

• They backed the rights of the rapist in a rape victim case in forcing a woman to keep the child – carry it for 9 months – and endure even more pain (from an already horrible situation)
• They support the idea of ‘free will’ however in the case of rape and incest, free will was usurped for the rights of the child; In that the woman, who was given no choice in those scenario’s was further robbed of her rights in not being able to choose to not keep that unwanted and unplanned child
• There are no scriptures on this issue, yet they back the issue like it was in the 10 commandments and of vital importance and mentioned everywhere. How come, they are willing to be progressive in interpretation and extrapolation of scripture on this issue but on other issue’s they stay so literal to the text as to not betray said texts?

Gay Rights

• Extrapolation and interpretation on this issue is not progressive and they follow some ideas line by line and word by word…how come exactly? They are willing to make movements on abortion, which is never covered biblically, towards being progressive on interpretation but with gay rights they cannot.
• They do not support any gay rights because they view it as a ‘sinful lifestyle’. How can this be sin when the right the choose, which is what makes a sin a sin by definition, is not evident? For example, I didn’t choose to be straight, I just am.
• Gay marriage ruins marriage, according to these friends. How exactly? Marriage, as far as I can tell, is a bloody mess as is with a 51% divorce rate and now multiple marriages seems to be the trend. Marriage is muddy as is.

I guess I don’t understand this type of thinking, even when presented with ideas that kind of demand empathy and a honest answer they respond with canned words from a playbook. Is this really anything anyone would want to follow?

Where is SocietyVs?

I have been away from the blogosphere for sometime – but a lot has changed and I figured I’d report life’s changes.

(a) I really don’t blog much anymore – maybe life got fun again – or maybe religion became less of an issue for me – or maybe just no time.

(b) I got divorced (started Jun 2011 – ended Oct 2011)…feels good to move on

(c) I met a gurl, I call her Deeds, and we are happy as can be.

(d) We bought a house together in March (8 months together)

(e) I moved to another job at the University – and I like this one

(f) Finishing up my 3rd Grad class…its a good one on sustainability

That’s life these days…I really like blogging

Kill Poverty!

Just read this article in my local newspaper – ‘Hot Housing Puts Some Reginians Out On Streets’

I hate poverty. I was impoverished as a child. It sucked. It sucks for those in it now.

Problem: Housing market goes up (making rents unaffordable)

Solution: More affordable housing

Solutioner: Shouldn’t religion step in and help to fill voids like this as non-profit org’s? Would be nice.

Think about it. Churches get money to keep their churches a running – via tithes and offerings – basically money that is not essentially ear-marked for anything. Wouldn’t a good ministry opportunity be meeting affordable housing for those that do not have it.

Or are we gonna take these scrips literally as well:

Mark 14:7a “For you always have the poor with you…” (I have heard this interpreted as a prophecy – disgusting)

Matt 8:20 “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head“

Jesus had no ‘home’ per se and the poor have always existed…but let’s do something as people of faith to kill poverty!!!

Relationship Building!!!

I found a cool idea for a ministry to teach (or to hire):  The class is called “Growing Authentic Intimate Relationships” – I like it!

I think as adults we could use a refresher in ‘how to treat others in a responsible way’.

The Breaks.

So I have been taking a little rest from blogging, my fault totally. I am in the midst of quite a few changes in life right now.

Divorce – and all that comes along with that. Was an amicable decision.

New relationship, quite consuming.

Band and now another class for school.

I know I know, ‘God hates divorce’…hey, so do I but them’s the breaks.

The Belief Anchor

“Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.” (Mark 11:23)

I have been learning a bit these days about the idea of ‘belief’. I always seem to come back to the metaphor about ‘moving the mountain’. Which to me is the idea about believing in your abilities to do something, and I mean really believing in your abilities to accomplish something.

Not sure why the idea of belief is something I am wrapping my head around all the time, maybe because many people cannot believe in their abilties to do that which they set their mind towards. Everything always starts with an ‘idea’ when you boil it all down…just a simple thought in your head (usually with no real substance attached to it). Yet your ability to think something is exactly the key to making it possible.

Just reminding myself why I use a term like ‘belief’ or ‘faith’.

Theme: There is No Way Out Of Here

“There’s no way out of here/When you come in/You’re in for good
There was no promise made/The part you played/The chance you took” (There is No Way Out of Here – David Gilmour)

This theme appears a lot in modern music, Morrison from the Doors probably captured it most famously with ‘no one gets out of here alive‘. The idea is about being born into this world, into ‘life’ – and the daily living of it.

It always intrigues me – the idea ‘there is no way out of here‘. It’s almost like a challenge spurring the listener (or reader) to use what they have while they have it. You really only get one kick at the can and to waste it by not doing what you love to do and want to become seems…like life is partially wasted/unused.

I been feeling this way lately. What will the evaluation of one’s life produce when it is all said and done? Did you really get to enjoy the life you were given? If not, what stopped you? You know, the deep philosophical questions that spur us onto greatness.

 

Audacity of Assumption

The blog world is nothing like the real world, we don’t have handshakes and stare-downs for example.  So it becomes laughable when ‘assumption’ happens about someone because they label themselves as something – ie: a Christian for example.

Now I am guilty of ‘assuming’ as well, but I full well realize someone that says they are ‘atheist’ or ‘construction worker’ is not going to mean they all have the same traits, beliefs, or even ideas. However, this does happen a lot when I meet some new atheist who has thoughts about what I am and what I should believe based on their own ‘notions’ of what a Christian is.

For example, I don’t think the bible teaches against the rights of gay people. I just cannot find where that idea over-rides the idea to ‘treat others how you want to be treated‘…sorry – in the level of importance – that idea does not even really weigh in on the way I treat the people around me. Thus, when I say the bible contains some of that teaching against homosexuality – it seems to do that – however it does not mean I adhere to that. Call it picking and choosing, whatever, last time I checked the bible pretty much starts with Adam having that right (ie: choice/decision).

‘Oh my gawd, he’s so unbiblical’, they bemoan concerning my literalism of the texts. I say ‘so what’? I wasn’t even born a literalist concerning life and interpreting it so why start doing that with scripture exactly? I don’t know what people think, but I can guess by the look on their face and the mood they portray…but that ain’t literalism either – that’s assumptive in nature. Unless they actually ‘tell me’ the way they feel then I am kind of stuck. I see the texts that way as well. They aren’t just literal, they aren’t telling you something directly…some of it is parable, some of it colored in narrative, and some of it meant to be interpreted and re-interpreted.

The audacity of someone to think I need to believe this or that to be considered a Christian…the joke is on you really…I assumed you knew me.