Greece (first trip overseas)

So the time has come for me to bid adue for a few weeks (25 days to be exact) – as me and my wife (and some of her family) are travelling to Greece for a 25 day vacation. I know – sounds awesome – well it should be. It’s my first trip really anywhere by plane and to make a big leap for the overseas on my first flights – well let’s say I don’t make small committments (lol).

I am really gonna miss all the chatting and banter back n forth – but I may just keep in touch from over there – I am going to try – can’t say for sure if I will. Either way – a man’s gotta do some living.

So peace to all my cronies and to all my family – I ‘ll keep in touch when and where I can. Promises to be interesting.

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The Extra Mile…

“Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two” (Matt 5:41)

A lot of talk these days on De-con and Christian sites about how Christianity is not about becoming more moral than secular society…really? When did this become the concensus?

I think if someone is part of a faith and is not becoming a more ‘moral’ person then (a) they were prior to their committment to the faith and (b) taking secular standards and at the least re-evaluating them for the best moral codes – then I am not sure what the hell they are doing in a faith at all. Twidling the thumbs? Maybe playing Thumbsies? Or how’s about Thumb wrestling?  

Faith is supposed to make you challenge your personal societal paradigm and the societal norms of the secular society around you. Faith is about morality and ethics – and anyone that thinks otherwise has not read one of these faith ‘books’. (Note: I think Christianity is wrong to try and change societal laws – they should just live their values even if they are contrary to society’s standards – who says the standards are the same or to need to be the same?)

Look at my one example above – one simple sentence. Unbelievably this was a societal norm of the Roman occupation on Jewish territory – making people carry some of their stuff a mile for them (as obligated by law). Apparently – that’s a good standard – but you wanna know a better one? Go one more mile. Things change in that mile you’re not obligated to fulfill. Freedoms happen, minds are changed, friends are made, and people learn about one another.

And I am telling all Christians and De-Cons today this simple and same thing I see in that sentence – faith is about ‘going that extra mile’ and when it isn’t – then it’s not faith you have – it’s some country club.

Marriage and the Miracle of Life

I havent said anything original in a while – so here are 2 things:

(1) Sperm Headed View of the World: I had a chance to watch a program called the ‘the great sperm race’ last night. I have to admit it truly fascinates me the miracle of life. Think about how you got here – your 1 of 250,000,000 million sperm vying for the egg to become life…on the way some 249,999,999 of those sperm will die in the race for that prize. You were the sperm that won that race and were deemed perfectly fine to inhabit the egg.

I am fascinated by the odds a lot – but I also got a real respect for the process of becoming life. The process to becoming life is trial after trial – weeding out the weak sperm – until one brilliant one takes on the challenges and overcomes them at each obstacle. If you think about it – your a miracle in some sense of the word and deserve to be here!

(2) Marriage (a working definition)

“For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” (Gen 2:24)

“So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate” (Matt 19:6)

I got to thinking about this passage again – I swear I re-visit this idea a lot over the last 15 years – and I decided to define my view of marriage (a little more than prior).

Marriage is simply the committment of life of 2 people to one another – most significantly adjoined by the culmination of a child (which is the committment – not the ring or the contract). True committment is in the creation of the child – the committment from that point on is non negotiable – it’s 2 becoming 1 in many ways (family, child, committment, love/union) – but the child ensures their is a lasting ‘bond’.

Now marriage can be annulled for many reasons and this is the path many people will and have pursued – usually for their own well being. This is not ‘sin’ and never has been. Pieces of papers will wither away and rings can be traded in – this is not a problem…but children – they cannot be replaced nor reduced of their value. This is where the dissolution of a marriage meets the crux of the ‘sin’ debate concerning divorce.

“And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery” (Matt 19:9)

Note – divorce is ‘allowed’ (even by the very framing of this sentence). The key clause is because of the reason of ‘immorality’ (likely adultery)…but divorce can and does happen.

Now the ‘marries another’ part has been the point of contention in certain circles of Christianity. I am going to give my answer on this – divorce is not the ‘sinful’ part. The problem with marrying and then remarrying is found in the definition of ‘marriage’ or ‘2 become 1’ idea…the child (the committment).

Those that choose to re-marry have as their duty their committment to their children from their previous marriages and to not adhere to this responsibility is the ‘sin’. It basically shows us that the person that re-married is not actually fit material for another marriage – and they treat their own ‘flesh and blood’ like orphans. In this sense, they are committing a type of ‘sin’ – adultery? Yes, they are not supposed to re-marry without keeping their first committment in tact – their children.

New Addition 2 The Canon?

What do you think – I added my bro Johnny Bird to the Canon…good idea? Check him out on his site—it’s in the canon links…yes 2 minded socialist mofo’s kicking it…and I thought I’d be just repping for the Aboriginal peeps…we got a new addition.

RAPA – National Aboriginal History Month Press

Regina group has Aboriginal History Month declared by federal government 

By Samantha Maciag, Leader-Post June 12, 2009 

REGINA — After two years of hard work, a small group of Regina residents are being credited for helping turn an important provincial event into a national one. 

The Regina Aboriginal Professionals Association (RAPA) has been the driving force behind Saskatchewan Aboriginal History Month since June 2007. 

Last week, a motion in the House of Commons from Jean Crowder, New Democrat Member of Parliament for Nanaimo-Cowichan in B.C., received unanimous consent, declaring June as National Aboriginal History Month. 

“I think there’s a lot of credit to (RAPA) for their persistence, because they got the ball rolling,” Crowder said in an interview. 

Marjorie Lavallee, president of RAPA, said the group’s intention was to have this kind of national impact, but admitted that they didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.

 “I think it was because of the concerted effort of our executive, that we were speaking to a lot of people about it and asking in all sincerity that it should be recognized, that we should have something for all of Canada because there is a serious omission of the history within the history of aboriginal people,” she said.

 National Aboriginal History Month is an opportunity to celebrate the rich history, culture, and contributions of aboriginal people to Canada, Crowder said, and also to educate non-aboriginal Canadians. Lavallee agrees.

 “I think to honour and acknowledge aboriginal people is very important,” she said. “Even our lost ancestors, our ancestors that have gone past, our elders — they are the doctors and the philosophers and we don’t give recognition to those (people) in the history books.”

 In 2007, RAPA called on the federal government to get involved. Crowder was immediately on board but failed to pass a similar motion the same year.

 “You have to get all-party consent to have a motion like this passed in the House, and I didn’t get it two years ago,” she said.

 Afterward she worked behind the scenes, talking with critics and the parliamentary secretary, who worked with their respective parties. Eventually they were able to get all-party agreement to pass the motion.

 “I think it’s been a maturation in Parliament … I just think there’s enough members around that have figured out that they can accomplish things by working together,” she said.

 “It’s a statement in principle,” she said. “This is actually how Black History Month started — there was a statement in principle in Parliament, and then over a number of years there’s been more profile, more interest, some money … So that’s what I’m hoping to set in motion with this.”

 ***I was one of the original members of RAPA to help work on this endeavor

Not 1 Stone Left…

“Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.” ” (Matthew 24:1-2)

Is it time for this speech about the churches of the West? I have a tough time seeing the meaning behind the role of the church in society and what it’s intent and mission truly are? What vision do churches hold for society? If you ask me, they don’t have one.

Decline of the 21st Century Religion

Heschel placed blame for religion’s apparent declining influence in relation to science and secularism in his time on religion itself. “Religion declined, not because it was refuted, but because it became irrelevant, dull, oppressive, insipid,” he said, suggesting that religion in its current form is a pale imitation of the real thing. 

• Do you agree with Heschel’s assessment that the influence of religion declined in the twentieth century? Do you agree that religion itself contributed to that decline? 

***Intersting point made – figured it’s worth talking about. 

(from ‘The Spiritual Audacity of Abraham Joshua Heschel’ pdf – pg 3)

A Measure Away From God…

“what is the substance of that trust? What is the substance of that faith? How can it be defined? What does it even mean to have faith in God, or trust God, if there’s no way to measure it?” (OSS)

I don’t think its observably measureable – that dont mean it aint measurable by the individual. It also depends on what ‘faith’ is and what we are measuring.

(a) Following the teachings and living by them is faith/trust in God

(b) Having some connection with this Being is also part of ‘faith/trust’ (an experience of some sort)

Now (a) is very measurable – we can even define that for ourselves and cross examine how much we are keeping those ideals. For example, loving your enemy is very identifiable – we determine if we are or are not doing this by our ‘actions’.

Now (b) is the part I think is not measurable. Spirit to Spirit dialogues tend not to be – some people think that is ‘crazy talk’ or ‘fictitious’. But I think there is a connection that can happen in that realm we cannot measure but can experience.

So faith/trust in God is measureable in some regards – not measureable in other ways.

Comment taken from OSS’ post ‘How far do you trust God?‘

Psalm 51 – Can’t Have it Both Ways?

2 different doctrines of Christianity are mentioned by this sole writing by David and sorrow to God over his actions with Bathsheba. But can we have it both ways?

(a) Original Sin: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5)

and

(b) Sacrifice/Repentance: “For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:16-17)

How is it Christianity can defend the position of original sin in this psalm and then turn around and deny David’s answer to his sinful condition? What is it that David is exactly saying here – some 1000 years before Jesus appears on the scene and Christians develop some atonement theory about ‘sacrifice’?

It’s simple – God is not pleased with ‘sacrifice’ nor ‘burnt offering’. True sacrifice and offering is a ‘broken spirit and a contrite heart’…or repentance. So why the hell do we have some weird atonement theories when apparently they are not needed?

Can’t have it both ways peeps.

Faith – On the Endangered Philosophies List

I notice, in all of this blogging, there is a lot of marks against faith we can find (including myself in on this one)…I wonder if we can find the ‘good’?

“However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)

I think faith is a ‘good’ thing as much as I critique a lot of theologies and viewpoints on the subject. I have my ‘beefs’ with certain viewpoints (namely irresponsibility and misrepresentation) but I have come to see – faith in and of itself is not the problem.

So what are the ‘good’ things about having faith? Or are we doomed to lose faith because there is nothing inherently ‘good’ about it?