Sunday, August 26, 2012

Youth


Recently, I have been working on several projects with people who are younger than I am, some of them considerably so. I am energized by their youthful enthusiasm, inspired by their attitudes, admiring of their ethics and, honestly, looking forward to a future when these young people will be in charge. Their approach to life is indeed, in most cases, different than that of generations past, and I find myself thinking that is not a bad thing.
 

In my experience, these members of the younger generation care far less about issues which cause disagreement and spend much more time concentrating on what unites us and brings us together. Even though many of them have strong religious and political views, I haven't been hearing them express those views in a public, hateful manner. Those in the 35 and under range are not judgmental, in general, and are willing to extend grace and give others the benefit of the doubt. Racial and cultural prejudices are mostly absent with my younger friends. They are tolerant and loving. Their spiritual views are refreshing.
 

One young woman I know spent all day on her 18th birthday, with her best friend, the two of them not looking for ways to misbehave to celebrate approaching adulthood, but rather doing 18 random acts of kindness, including finishing up the evening by volunteering to work at the concession stand at the Avenue Theatre. They didn't boast about it. I wouldn't have known, except her uncle mentioned it to me.
 

 Especially on a national level, some members of the older generation have not been behaving with integrity, and dissension seems to be the rallying cry. Argumentative, divisive and hateful dispositions do not set a good example. Locally (at least where I live) fortunately, that is not as prevalent, and the late Joe Evans, mayor of my hometown West Plains, Missouri until his recent passing,  is a shining case in point of how a good attitude is ageless. It is each individual's own choice whether or not to be productive and happy, but if the main thing young people see are old people behaving badly, it is discouraging for them. I know this is true because many of them have mentioned it. 
 

On occasions when I might start to lose hope for the future, I consider the younger friends I have, and my faith is restored. I always need to remind myself to join them in looking for what is best in others and in every situation.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

The 'S' Word

What is the perception of how those who follow the teachings of Jesus should treat and interact with others? I'm wondering what those who call themselves Christians believe is the answer to that question, and I'm also curious to know what non-Christians think about how Jesus intended for his followers to behave. And, how were those opinions formed....based on study of scripture or by relying on other sources?

A recent conversation about Ayn Rand produced some interesting reactions from friends of mine, and it has me thinking about my own spiritual pursuits and how those thoughts are compatible (or perhaps not compatible) with my political leanings. It is difficult to affiliate myself with any political party merely based on the platform of the party, and the difficulty increases as I try to toss my religious beliefs into the mix. I find it fascinating the number of people who are so wholeheartedly certain God favors one political party over the other. Does it really seem plausible Jesus would 'endorse' one party over another? He was not interested in partaking in the complicated politics of his day (at one point, his followers tried to force him to be King, and he withdrew), I have no reason to believe he is interested now.

Let's address an 's' word....socialism, defined as 'a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.'

Even though it is difficult to summarize all of the nuances of the meaning of socialism, in the U.S. we are no where near true socialism. Social Security is not socialism. Even Medicaid is not socialism. We have evolved as a nation to realize the elderly, the infirm, abandoned/abused children and those who are not mentally capable of caring for themselves need some kind of assistance. The stark realities of the grim poor houses and orphanages of the past loom before us, if we don't make some government provision for protecting the most vulnerable amongst us. Has such assistance gotten out of hand? Yes, in many cases, but that's another conversation. 

Even if we moved to full-on universal healthcare, it would not be true socialism. Nobody is asking Mitt Romney or anyone else to start adding the names of strangers (including that of the federal government) on to the titles of any of his properties, resulting in shared ownership. Furthermore, I don't believe a government based on actual principles of socialism is a good idea, and that seems to be the majority opinion in our country. It was, I believe, part of the philosophy of Ayn Rand. Politically, I can agree with her on that issue.

But here is the thing. When we go to the polls, our vote reflects what we believe the course of government should be regarding who will be protected best -- the 'haves' or the 'have-nots' to boil it down to the simplest of concepts -- that is up to each of us to decide as citizens. But individuals who claim to follow Jesus have a calling, on a personal level, which does not allow us to reject what he said about taking care of others. Oswald Chambers had an interesting take on the subject, "The institutional church’s idea of a servant of God is not at all like Jesus Christ’s idea. His idea is that we serve Him by being the servants of others. Jesus Christ actually 'out-socialized' the socialists. He said that in His kingdom the greatest one would be the servant of all." (see Matthew 23:11)

Jesus willingly gave up his rights for the greater good. Material possessions meant little to him because he knew of the temporal nature of things, and he encouraged his followers to develop a similar attitude of placing the needs of others ahead of our own, of not building more storehouses to hold our wealth, because it is foolishness to think we can take even a bushel of wheat with us when we die. He intended for wealth to be shared, and there is no way around it. We all have to decide to what degree we will follow his teachings on this matter, but we cannot deny this is what he requires.

On the surface, it seems to be a counter-productive way to live -- giving away our resources -- but when we live in a community of caring individuals, helping each other out where we see a need, our own needs are much more likely to be met should we ever require assistance. That's not a government function. That's a community function, ideally a local church's function.

So there you have it. In my opinion, rejecting the 's' word as part of this nation's form of government, if that is our majority choice when we vote, means that to an even greater extent, we cannot reject the 's' word in our personal relationships....that 's' word being not socialism, in this case, but sharing. Is it not right, if we are to follow what Jesus taught, we should use our good fortune to bless others?

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Rights and Responsibilities

When did Christianity become a religion focused on our rights as followers of Jesus? Why is it so prevalent to demand to have our way in society, to be in control, to practice our religion so vigorously, often viciously, and to demand others conform to our way of thinking, doing and being? Why, in essence, have the teachings of Jesus been turned upside down? He calls us to exhibit humility and mercy, live with grace and forgiveness, not practice our religion just to be noticed and to put the needs of others ahead of our own. He commands us to love all, even our enemies. Is Christianity in our country lining up with what he requires?
 

Religion seems to have commandeered politics or perhaps politicians have hijacked Christianity, but the mixing of the two is muddying both, and the murky results are suffocating what is best about both institutions in this country. I cannot remember a single instance of having my religious rights violated, and I wonder how many other readers who are followers of Christ can name a time when they have not had the freedom to practice their religion. If Christians are truly being oppressed in the United States, I have yet to see it.
 

It seems the right to pray publicly, whenever and wherever anyone desires, is at the crux of what irks so many, but what did Jesus say about that? Here is what he said, "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them...When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you." (Matt. 6:1 and 5-6) What part of this scripture seems unclear? What other evidence can anyone present to claim Jesus intended prayer was meant to be a public spectacle?
 

Many are demanding a right which Jesus never bestowed. Prayer is to be a reverent, sacred and private matter, not an exercise in drawing attention to ourselves. Even within a church worship setting, we are warned not to make a commotion with our prayers. Spiritual matters, in general, are to be cultivated in the quiet places of our hearts and minds, the result being, when believers are in public, their peaceful, helpful, loving attitudes shine forth, not the political bloviating we've seen in recent days. Jesus did not establish a religion designed to demand our rights be upheld. He proclaimed a Way which means we are responsible for treating others as we wish to be treated. Let us stop demanding rights. Instead, let us do right.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Informed Decisions

My recent involvement in producing the musical Godspell has served as a reminder of the importance and value of being informed and of not passing judgment without complete information. I can understand if people have seen a stage production of Godspell (not the movie version), and form either a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the play based on presentation, production values and content, but why are there a few who say they don't approve of it without ever having seen it? I find that curious.

In fact, why do so many of us so readily express opinions about books, movies and plays, for instance, we've never read or seen? I do it fairly often. I form opinions based on what reviewers and critics say, and not only does it affect my own decisions, but I often feel compelled to tell others what I've merely heard about a certain book or what I've read in a brief review about a movie.

As this behavior applies to making entertainment choices, it's fairly harmless, for the most part, but what happens regularly is the tendency to believe the opinions of others, without further investigation, when it comes to far more important matters such as politics, religion and what we think about individuals. Not only are opinions formed, but even worse, action is often taken without bothering to discover facts. Rushing to ill-considered judgment is not an effective way to make progress or keep the peace in society, in churches or in relationships.

Our spiritual journey must encompass critical thinking, especially in cases when we're being told who and what should be receiving our stamp of approval or disapproval. (That we are being told to give our approval or disapproval is problematic in itself.) Merely listening to the opinions of others week after week, certainly my own included, no matter how sincere or well-meaning the one offering opinions may be, is no substitute for our own study, prayer and reflection on how we are to live and interact with others in the context of what Jesus taught. Without putting effort into making informed decisions, without questioning assumptions, as believers, we are in danger of missing the point and doing far more harm than good.