Taking Offense @ MindSay 
There's some bad news, and some good news.
People do not, in general, want to hear that they will be hurt. Physically, socially, emotionally or psychologically. It's just not the "good news" portion of the answer. Perhaps this is why the Rapture First concept of the End of the Age is so popular.
Jesus, though, taught something different. He told his friends (Matthew 24: 9 - 14), when they asked about signs of the End of the Age, that they would be hurt. Some would be killed. Hated. This is very personal. Persecution is not, for most folks, the preferred circumstance under which to live life.
Today, there are many, all over the world, who are being persecuted because of their faith in Jesus Christ as Messiah. Some folks just have to deal with teasing from their peers. Insults. Mockery. These are very mild and not life-threatening. But in many places, Christians today are being imprisoned and killed because of their faith. Some countries might not admit that it is a faith-based persecution, but it is. They might be labeled political dissidents, traitors, "persons of interest," maybe. But it boils down to the fact that they are believers.
That wasn't all Jesus said. He also assured his friends that many would take offense at the teachings they would be sharing with others. Now, oddly enough, this is something that tends to get under the skin of many believers. Either giving offense in the message of Christ or perceiving offense given in a teaching.
It is wise to seek harmony, yes. But there are some teachings that will be divisive. Jesus said he came with a sword. Families would be divided over their belief in him. Hearts would be broken. People will betray one another and hate one another. Why? Because of what Jesus requires to be taught in his name. That we are sinful is offensive to many, yet it is true. That we cannot get to Heaven on our own offends many who believe it should be a perfomance-based admission. Yet, the Bible teaches that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to God unless they go through him.
And to some, hearing that there will be persecution prior to the Second Coming of the Son of Man is offensive. For they wish to hear that they will be spared the pain that can come with a relationship with Almighty God.
"Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold," Jesus told his friends. And I see it happening today, don't you? Love for God is put on the back burner while people express (justifiably, don't get me wrong) anger at the wrongs done to others. Murder. Poor governance. A disregard for the standards held to be right. All of that is happening, all over, and people do find that their love for God is sometimes overshadowed by these things.
He continues on a brighter note, saying that the good news of the kingdom of God will be proclaimed in all the world. There are two ways to look at this claim. First is that the gospel (good news) would be shared all over the world known at the time of Christ. And, indeed, the salvation message has been preached in all of that world. The other way this is viewed is by the saying that "all the world" means, indeed, all the world as it is known today. Missionaries travel all over. Some share the gospel with people in cities, others go to tropic interiors to find people no one has lived with, before. The world is shrinking, in an accessible way.
Jesus says that "then the end will come."
That "end" though, is not a single-happening event. It, too, is a process, planned long, long ago. When the end "comes" it means that the process of the end will...begin.
Jesus, though, taught something different. He told his friends (Matthew 24: 9 - 14), when they asked about signs of the End of the Age, that they would be hurt. Some would be killed. Hated. This is very personal. Persecution is not, for most folks, the preferred circumstance under which to live life.
Today, there are many, all over the world, who are being persecuted because of their faith in Jesus Christ as Messiah. Some folks just have to deal with teasing from their peers. Insults. Mockery. These are very mild and not life-threatening. But in many places, Christians today are being imprisoned and killed because of their faith. Some countries might not admit that it is a faith-based persecution, but it is. They might be labeled political dissidents, traitors, "persons of interest," maybe. But it boils down to the fact that they are believers.
That wasn't all Jesus said. He also assured his friends that many would take offense at the teachings they would be sharing with others. Now, oddly enough, this is something that tends to get under the skin of many believers. Either giving offense in the message of Christ or perceiving offense given in a teaching.
It is wise to seek harmony, yes. But there are some teachings that will be divisive. Jesus said he came with a sword. Families would be divided over their belief in him. Hearts would be broken. People will betray one another and hate one another. Why? Because of what Jesus requires to be taught in his name. That we are sinful is offensive to many, yet it is true. That we cannot get to Heaven on our own offends many who believe it should be a perfomance-based admission. Yet, the Bible teaches that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to God unless they go through him.
And to some, hearing that there will be persecution prior to the Second Coming of the Son of Man is offensive. For they wish to hear that they will be spared the pain that can come with a relationship with Almighty God.
"Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold," Jesus told his friends. And I see it happening today, don't you? Love for God is put on the back burner while people express (justifiably, don't get me wrong) anger at the wrongs done to others. Murder. Poor governance. A disregard for the standards held to be right. All of that is happening, all over, and people do find that their love for God is sometimes overshadowed by these things.
He continues on a brighter note, saying that the good news of the kingdom of God will be proclaimed in all the world. There are two ways to look at this claim. First is that the gospel (good news) would be shared all over the world known at the time of Christ. And, indeed, the salvation message has been preached in all of that world. The other way this is viewed is by the saying that "all the world" means, indeed, all the world as it is known today. Missionaries travel all over. Some share the gospel with people in cities, others go to tropic interiors to find people no one has lived with, before. The world is shrinking, in an accessible way.
Jesus says that "then the end will come."
That "end" though, is not a single-happening event. It, too, is a process, planned long, long ago. When the end "comes" it means that the process of the end will...begin.
Next: Even Jesus doesn't say "antichrist" here.
Sojourner's Rant/Sermon of the Day
Rarely do I put myself in the midst of some controversy. Today is an exception.
It baffles me, this seemingly inherent human need to attack, criticize and belittle others – this constant need to be ‘right’ and to prove everyone else wrong.
I spent maybe an hour this morning, bumbling around my Inbox, Top Blogs, and a few other side road trips throughout Mindsay. I’d say that about 90% of everything I read was an attack on some thing or some one, or someone attempting to defend themselves against some said perceived (or actual) attack.
Mindsay has become a rather large and diverse community – a microcosm of the world around us, which is a microcosm of the world at large. That means there will be many people here who are different than you are – they come from different backgrounds, they will have lived different lives, they will have different values, they will have different belief systems. And like the world at large, you will likely gravitate toward those with whom you share some kind of commonality in values, beliefs, etc. This is all well and good. When this becomes nasty is when those who share things in common begin to attack or exclude those outside their circle because they are ‘different.’
My network is as off-the-wall as I am. I have all manner of folk here – Bible thumping Christians and liberal, open-minded Christians, and Jews too; a wide range of atheists and agnostics and an interesting assortment of pagans and other various and assorted religions; kids, old people and everything in-between; blacks, whites, bi-racials and whatever other nationality and mix may be out there; talented writers and not so talented; foul-mouthed people and those who are very conscious and sensitive to what they deem, profanity; those who have something interesting to say and those who don’t; city slickers and country folk; yankees an rebels; Republicans, Democrats and everything in-between; smart people and dumb people; the healthy and the handicapped; mentally and emotionally stable and the unstable too; and the list goes on. The point being that many of these folk are people I would likely never meet in everyday life. Those in my network who are very ‘different’ than me in some way or another, often offer me very interesting and enlightening perspectives that I might not have otherwise considered, were I to limit my socialization to only those who think and believe the same as I do. For me, this wide variety of interests and acquaintances keeps my mind and heart open to learn and to grow. I don’t know all the answers and neither does anyone else. I’m not arrogant enough to believe that everything I believe today is the absolute truth and there is no other, nor any other nuances to truth, nor will there ever be – nor should anyone else be so.
Equality means that in spite all our individual differences, abilities, beliefs and opinions, ALL have equal claim to dignity and respect. We cannot have freedom unless we respect the freedom of others. In order for everyone to have freedom, there must be order, and order bears with it certain restrictions and obligations. Freedom implies responsibility – the responsibility to respect the rights of others to be different, to think differently, to live differently…inasmuch as such things bring no harm to others, nor infringe upon the rights of others.
All the hub-bub recently about profanity and top blogs and all other manner of nonsense baffles me. Because we are all different, everyone is not EVER going to agree on the worthiness of a top blog, no matter what sort of selection system is employed. Does it really MATTER whether or not a ‘top blog’ is worthy in my opinion, in your opinion, or in anyone else’s? Personally, I’ve discovered many new and interesting bloggers through regular visits to the top blog page. I’ve also read many blogs that in my humble opinion, were very NOT worthy of such dubious honors, yet I saw no need to take personal offense at this. Some days, top blogs are interesting…some days they are not. That’s life. That’s people.
As for the issue of profanity, I accept that there is all manner of personal expression, and the use of off-color language rarely offends me very much. But on the other hand, I realize that some are more sensitive to such things, and that is their right too. My take is that if you are offended by language on the TV or radio, turn the station or turn it off. If you’re offended by the language in a movie, you should’ve read the rating before you bought tickets. If you’re offended by the language used regularly in someone’s blog, don’t go there anymore. If you’re offended that someone’s offended at such language, don’t bother with THEM anymore – they have as much right to be offended as I have to NOT be offended.
In a nutshell (what ELSE would you expect from the NUTHOUSE?!), the point I’m trying to make is that Mindsay is a big community. There is something for everyone here. If you stumble upon a blog that makes you uncomfortable for whatever reason, or it just seems to you to be a stupid blog, don’t go back. Nor should you feel any particular need to attack said blogger for having a blog that made you uncomfortable or that seems stupid to you. I guess all this fumbling around with many words is to simply say…
WHY CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG AND PLAY NICE?!
It baffles me, this seemingly inherent human need to attack, criticize and belittle others – this constant need to be ‘right’ and to prove everyone else wrong.
I spent maybe an hour this morning, bumbling around my Inbox, Top Blogs, and a few other side road trips throughout Mindsay. I’d say that about 90% of everything I read was an attack on some thing or some one, or someone attempting to defend themselves against some said perceived (or actual) attack.
Mindsay has become a rather large and diverse community – a microcosm of the world around us, which is a microcosm of the world at large. That means there will be many people here who are different than you are – they come from different backgrounds, they will have lived different lives, they will have different values, they will have different belief systems. And like the world at large, you will likely gravitate toward those with whom you share some kind of commonality in values, beliefs, etc. This is all well and good. When this becomes nasty is when those who share things in common begin to attack or exclude those outside their circle because they are ‘different.’
My network is as off-the-wall as I am. I have all manner of folk here – Bible thumping Christians and liberal, open-minded Christians, and Jews too; a wide range of atheists and agnostics and an interesting assortment of pagans and other various and assorted religions; kids, old people and everything in-between; blacks, whites, bi-racials and whatever other nationality and mix may be out there; talented writers and not so talented; foul-mouthed people and those who are very conscious and sensitive to what they deem, profanity; those who have something interesting to say and those who don’t; city slickers and country folk; yankees an rebels; Republicans, Democrats and everything in-between; smart people and dumb people; the healthy and the handicapped; mentally and emotionally stable and the unstable too; and the list goes on. The point being that many of these folk are people I would likely never meet in everyday life. Those in my network who are very ‘different’ than me in some way or another, often offer me very interesting and enlightening perspectives that I might not have otherwise considered, were I to limit my socialization to only those who think and believe the same as I do. For me, this wide variety of interests and acquaintances keeps my mind and heart open to learn and to grow. I don’t know all the answers and neither does anyone else. I’m not arrogant enough to believe that everything I believe today is the absolute truth and there is no other, nor any other nuances to truth, nor will there ever be – nor should anyone else be so.
Equality means that in spite all our individual differences, abilities, beliefs and opinions, ALL have equal claim to dignity and respect. We cannot have freedom unless we respect the freedom of others. In order for everyone to have freedom, there must be order, and order bears with it certain restrictions and obligations. Freedom implies responsibility – the responsibility to respect the rights of others to be different, to think differently, to live differently…inasmuch as such things bring no harm to others, nor infringe upon the rights of others.
All the hub-bub recently about profanity and top blogs and all other manner of nonsense baffles me. Because we are all different, everyone is not EVER going to agree on the worthiness of a top blog, no matter what sort of selection system is employed. Does it really MATTER whether or not a ‘top blog’ is worthy in my opinion, in your opinion, or in anyone else’s? Personally, I’ve discovered many new and interesting bloggers through regular visits to the top blog page. I’ve also read many blogs that in my humble opinion, were very NOT worthy of such dubious honors, yet I saw no need to take personal offense at this. Some days, top blogs are interesting…some days they are not. That’s life. That’s people.
As for the issue of profanity, I accept that there is all manner of personal expression, and the use of off-color language rarely offends me very much. But on the other hand, I realize that some are more sensitive to such things, and that is their right too. My take is that if you are offended by language on the TV or radio, turn the station or turn it off. If you’re offended by the language in a movie, you should’ve read the rating before you bought tickets. If you’re offended by the language used regularly in someone’s blog, don’t go there anymore. If you’re offended that someone’s offended at such language, don’t bother with THEM anymore – they have as much right to be offended as I have to NOT be offended.
In a nutshell (what ELSE would you expect from the NUTHOUSE?!), the point I’m trying to make is that Mindsay is a big community. There is something for everyone here. If you stumble upon a blog that makes you uncomfortable for whatever reason, or it just seems to you to be a stupid blog, don’t go back. Nor should you feel any particular need to attack said blogger for having a blog that made you uncomfortable or that seems stupid to you. I guess all this fumbling around with many words is to simply say…
WHY CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG AND PLAY NICE?!
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