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@friendinstrument
It's so peaceful being a Christian who does not believe in the existence of the eternal hell.
Conventional Christians ask me why I believe that. They tell me that there isn't any point in being Christian if we won't be rewarded for my faith.
However, my faith is not validated by the eternal suffering of others and my God is not that small.
it just really occurred to me:
"loving your enemies" and "praying for those who persecute you" are things that take IMMENSE spiritual discipline. especially in this day and age. it's a discipline i haven't even mastered. i don't think i'm even close, and it's probably going to take a long time for me to get there.
it's so easy to just hate bigots and wish death on them, and that's kind of the trendy thing to do. and it really does seem like a lot of people deserve it. like, they're not sorry for being bigots, so our natural reaction is not to forgive them. they do and say horrible shit, so an eye for an eye just seems like the natural mindset to have, right?
being compassionate even when you don't condone the person's action exerts a LOT more emotional and spiritual energy. it's understandable why a lot of people would prefer not to do that. they're tired from all the abuse and oppression.
but it's said that one of the biggest reasons to forgive is for your own inner peace. if you're holding onto anger, you're not at peace.
the same can be said for bigots. regardless of how smug and satisfied and "not mad" they seem, they're absolutely not at peace. if they were, they wouldn't be bigots. they wouldn't give a shit about the fact that people exist who aren't like them. they'd be able to just go on with their own life.
that's why we're called to "pray for those who persecute us." we're not just praying for them to change, we're praying for them to find peace. real peace. not the fake "peace" they claim to have with themselves while spouting hateful tirades.
and obviously "loving your enemies" DOESN'T mean you excuse their actions. hell no. if someone is a bigot, the right thing to do is to call them on it while defending the oppressed.
it means you have to make an effort to keep your anger, rightful as it may be, in check. it's something you do just as much for yourself as you do for the other.
Reminding everyone that Jesus also ate with and loved and healed tax collectors and Roman soldiers, who were the oppressors and class traitors of their time. It's not easy, and loving doesn't equal excusing, but if we are to break the cycle of grief and vengeance and selfishness, it must be for everyone
Jesus is for everyone. Not just for the people you like, not just for people with the same opinions and politics as you. Everyone can come to Jesus, Jesus loves all his children and he wants all types of people to come to him and believe in him. Jesus is not about a political party or person. Jesus is LOVE, Jesus is LIFE, Jesus is a positive role model for absolutely any type of person from any background.
Matthew 25:40 - “And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’”
to treat the most vulnerable and isolated within our societies with anything other than love, respect and understanding is a sin of the highest order, akin to blasphemy. those who belittle and ignore the cries of the marginalised will find their cries ignored one day.
trans people are beloved by God.
The wonderful thing about pluralism is that it allows you to see the truth that has been disputed, hidden, hated, and fought for so much of the history of Christianity.
Just as God loves and has a mighty use for all of his children, he similarly loves and has mighty uses for all of his Christians.
I was raised in the evangelical Baptist tradition, and there is truth in a church of equals where the gospel is discussed plainly. There is also beauty in Catholic and Orthodox art, and God can be a mighty muse. Every tradition of Christianity has its wonderful beauty.
Every faith has its divine-inspired beauty. I adore the sound of the Shofar and the Azzan, the serenity and peace of Buddhist temples, and the wonderful cornucopia of ways that people worship God in their own way, in whichever of God's faces they praise.
abraham joshua heschel, god in search of man: a philosophy of judaism, 1976
in this february 14, my heart goes to everyone who's suffering in Gaza, to everyone that has lost a loved one in this genocide. They deserve better. Free palestine
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, saves those whose spirit is crushed.”
— Psalm 34:19
You are the same as the people you came to 'help.' Yes, I am no different than Rob or Kevin, no different than all the people who come and sit down at the 'table of the poor' in this church. In admitting this, something deeper happens to my soul. I refuse to see myself as an individual, separate, locked in my auto-sufficiency. I repent of the sin of Adam. I enter into the Gospel call of metanoia. I step out of the demonic illusion and thoughts that say to my soul, 'I need no one, I touch no one and no one touches me, I am a rock...a holy rock, an island unto myself. An island of virtue, piety and virtue, not like the rest of the people I serve.' In refusing this logismos, I choose to live the common nature that we all share.
Fr. Nicolaie Atitienei, Mary Marrocco & Fr. Roberto Ubertino, Walking Humbly: The Holiness of the Poor
The state, through its actions (and inactions), desperately wants the unhoused to be killed off by exposure to the elements. And it certainly doesn't want anyone to be proactive about helping their fellows.
It's made national news
A guy ACTUALLY following the commands of Jesus...gets ACTUALLY penalized for following his faith. Because the government would rather homeless people die
(The article explains that in that area, 3 homeless people actually did freeze to death, so this pastor could have been saving lives.)
God's wisdom is not constrained to one faith.
He lives in all of his believers, and imparts truth to all of us. Just as we all are blessed with the inward light, whether believer or not, we are all blessed with the light's guidance. The thing is to listen to it- listen to the voice of goodness.
It is from this that good comes from not just God's christians, but his muslims, his jewish children, his atheist children, his pagan children, his buddhist and filian and all of his other children.
Learn to recognize that God's work and his love comes from all, and goes to all.
Once one has seen God, what is the remedy?
Sylvia Plath, Collected Poems; from ‘Mystic’
This is VERY important. God is active in your life when nothing seems to be happening. When good things are happening. He is the person giving you a little extra when you don't expect it. He's your friend with a good joke. He's your lover with the day-making gesture of adoration. He's in all of them and even more.
The very hardest thing to do is to love when you haven't forgiven.
The scripture says to be forgiving, and to forgive often. This is a virtue to aspire to, but we often fall short of it, and not always for frivolous, begrudging reasons.
Aspire to love even those you have not forgiven, and those who you struggle to ever forgive. And aspire to forgive. The two can feed each other - love can beget forgiveness, and forgiveness can beget love.
still thinking about this youtube comment i screenshotted ages ago
