a common sense spirituality blog
Forgive us, Father, for we know not what we do. Each Palm Sunday, I am even more sensitive to the fact that for the next week, millions will unknowingly demonize God and believe that they will be mightily blessed for doing so. I'm sure you're wondering: How in the world can someone demonize God and... Continue Reading →
I've often wondered whether we have done Jesus a great disservice by assigning him the same birthday as ancient gods. In mythology, Horus of Egypt (c. 3000 BC), Mithra of Persia (c. 1200 BC), Attis of Greece (c. 1200 BC), Krishna of India (c. 900 BC), Dionysus of Greece (c. 500 BC) and others were... Continue Reading →
Most of us are confident that we know basic details about Jesus. Certainly, we know where he was born. More than likely, we don't.
I awoke this Sunday morning to a disturbing but not surprising newspaper story about a suburban Chicago teen, Adel Daoud, who tried to blow up a downtown bar full of patrons. His goal: To kill as many Americans as he could—and not just any Americans. He specifically targeted bar patrons with his car bomb because... Continue Reading →
During this, the holiest week on the Christian calendar, we will attend vigils, wear hoodies to church, and post cathartic sentiments on social media in protest of the death of this innocent child and its subsequent cover-up. Then we will get down on our knees and thank God for sending another innocent young man to be slowly and sadistically tortured to death so that the guilty could be forgiven.
Several Bible scriptures, including Revelation 7:1, Isaiah 11:12, and Job 28:24 and 37:3, tell us that the Earth is flat. Eyes open, brains in full throttle, do we embrace these scriptures as Truth (the Word of God), or as insight into what ancient people believed was true?
The story of the Great Flood taught us an indelible lesson: God would rather drown us than forgive us. Perhaps that's why forgiveness is so tough for us.
At the heart of the Judgment Day belief is this divine question: Will Earth and every living thing that occupies it be destroyed by a sadistically punitive God who has no regard for the human life He created, and whose punishment exceeds all human crimes?
We are accountable for our double standard. We can't say that it's unacceptable for humans to solve problems by killing people, while simultaneously proselytizing that God sinks to such a low, human, and sometimes demonic standard of behavior.
If I remember correctly, Jesus was also quoted as saying, "Condemn not." The "I will be ashamed of you before my Father" verse certainly is a condemnation. Would Jesus really say something so un-Christlike?
Loud Mouth in the Balcony 