You know it's not good when watching the evening news resembles a cheesy b-rated end times movie, or book for that matter(I ought to know, I've read enough of them in my younger days). I also read a lot of Hal Lindsey when I was a teenager, he was probably my first introduction to Christian discipleship and theology. Needless to say, I disagree with a lot of what he had to say then. But there is one salient point, his major point, that I am coming to agree with more and more. Judgment Day isn't just coming, it's either extremely near, or else we're in the beginning stages of it.
No, I'm not basing this opinion on the moral state of the world. Nor am I basing it on the current political situation in the Middle East. Nor am I basing it on some book I've read. What's more, I think most people can sense it as well.
Do I think that God is finally venting His anger on us? Honestly,... no. I don't think this has anything to do with God's anger. I think this is God allowing us, as a species, to reap the whirlwind, in many cases literally, of our own actions.
Tonight, on the news, they reported that food prices, globally, are about to skyrocket. This has been caused by bad harvests. Those bad harvests have been due to the devastating weather patterns we've now been having for the last year or two. Whole crops have been destroyed. There are now very few credible scientists who now believe that these weather events aren't either caused or influenced by human induced global warming. This human induced global warming is caused, in large part, by the technological advances (and widespread usage of that technology) made in the last three hundred years. The impetus for those technological advances, in almost every case, was to help people live longer, and so that they don't have to work hard, or at least not as hard as they used to (relatively speaking, given when the individual tech advance was made).
So, we can boil down just the disastrous weather events, and the food shortages, which have been happening to two primary causes. The first is to stave off death as long as possible. The second is to keep from working hard. Remember Genesis 3? What consequence did God give Adam (which could also be translated as “Mankind”) specifically? To paraphrase “You will work really hard scratching a living from the soil, and you will die.” So, the impetus for all of our technological advances can really be boiled down to the refusal to accept what God decided for us to begin with. And this refusal has literally condemned mankind, and every other creature on Earth.
We can also trace a number of contributing factors in the same manner back to desires to feel good, desires to have more, and desires to become something more or believe we are something more than we're not, and no to just a few isolated individuals, but to humanity as a whole. Greed, for example, is the desire to have more than you already do. This is what drives corporate executives. Those same corporate executives then make decisions about which course of action will make them the most money with as little risk to themselves as possible. These kinds of decisions are what drove the Deep Water Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, and drive oil companies to strangle any alternative fuel research they can. These kinds of decisions are what drove the recent financial crises, and continue to drive US unemployment as more jobs are shipped overseas (which is why the recession has technically ended even though huge numbers of people are out of work). Think it through and you will see that all of these things can be traced back to someone, somewhere acting selfishly to any degree on one of these desires.
From a certain point of view, mankind is in fact being judged for our refusal to obey the Gospel. Not it's refusal necessarily to believe the Gospel, but to obey it. What do I mean by this? The Gospel of Jesus Christ, as most Bible School professors will teach, is that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. That He was buried, and that He was raised the third day according to the Scriptures. But is this really all that it is? No. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is Jesus Christ Himself. It is everything about Him. He is the Teaching. His life, His death, and His resurrection are all a part of the Gospel. The Gospel is the Cross as well as the resurrection. The Teaching of Jesus Christ was and is, essentially, a life of poverty, self-control, and humility. If we all obeyed the Cross, denying ourselves and picking it up like He told us to, then this world wouldn't be in the position it's in right now.
If we all abandoned our desires to have more stuff; if we all abandoned our desires to feel good and not work hard; if we all abandoned our fear of death (which is meaningless for those in Christ Jesus) and embraced it when He chooses for it to happen; if we all were truly honest with ourselves and with life and exercised those simple constraints which He Himself practiced and taught then none of these disastrous things which have happened recently would have happened.
But this isn't a judgment on a single individual, or even everyone individually. This is a judgment on mankind as a whole as it reaps the consequences of its choices throughout thousands of years of human history. No one individual can take full responsibility for all of it. We all share in it, we all have a part. And just as it took more than one person to bring it about, it will take all of humanity making really hard choices which it doesn't want to make to make it stop before it gets worse, if it can be stopped that is. We may already be past the point of no return weather wise.
This is why, unfortunately, it won't stop. Mankind as a whole doesn't want to make those choices. Mankind as a whole wants more stuff. Mankind wants the easy life. Mankind doesn't care who it has to hurt to get it. Mankind wants to live as long as possible because it's terrified of death. Mankind wants to feel good.
I wish I was wrong. This is my opinion, and only my opinion, on the state of the world right now. If things suddenly turn around and get better, I'll be the first one to admit that I was wrong and give a huge sigh of relief. I wish that this wasn't a giant mirror that we as a species are being forced to look at to show us what we truly are, but it is. That's why He allows us to suffer the consequences of our actions, so that we take a good hard look at ourselves and make the choice to change our hearts and minds and repent, but a collective malfunction requires a collective repentance.
I wish that somehow we could all be “raptured” away from what's about to happen, but that was never the teaching of the ancient Church. They understood that we would all go through the fire together and come out the other side with our gooses a little cooked, and that we who follow Jesus Christ would need to continue to do so until the end no matter what happened.
So, we have global weather disasters, global food shortages, global unemployment, we know that oil will run dry within the next fifty years (some analysts saying twenty), and riots and revolutions. The CIA analysis released a couple of years ago said that these are their primary areas of concern regarding potential near future conflicts and wars. The scariest thing of all is that it's likely to be only the beginning.
I think most people sense it somewhere inside themselves. Some kind of Judgment Day is upon us, and it is the consequences of our own actions which are judging us. I truly hope our Lord Jesus Christ does come back soon, otherwise there won't be anyone left after we're done with ourselves.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
A Ramble About The Middle Path
I recently read in a pamphlet I received from a Four Square church I recently visited that, “Moderation: We believe the experience and daily walk of the believer should never lead him into extremes of fanaticism.” I find it intriguing that this same church also disseminated a pamphlet, written by the pastor of that church, about how regular and cheerful tithing was just as important as Holy Communion in God's redemptive plan, and was the key to wealth, promotions, higher positions, etc.
Moderation can be defined as “not too much, and not too little.” It is somewhere in the middle between extremes. It can also be called the Middle Path. Immoderation, going to extremes of either too much or too little can be harmful in many, many things. The person who comes to my mind in speaking about moderation, or “the Middle Path” is Gautama Siddharta, or the Buddha.
The Buddha, Gautama Siddharta, said,
“The Tathagata … does not seek salvation in austerities, but neither does he for that reason indulge in worldly pleasures, nor live in abundance. The Tathagata has found the middle path.
“There are two extremes, O bhikkus, which the man who has given up the world ought not to follow—the habitual practice, on the one hand, of self-indulgence which is unworthy, vain and fit only for the worldly minded—and the habitual practice, on the other hand, of self-mortification, which is painful, useless and unprofitable.
“Niether abstinence from fish and flesh, nor going naked, nor shaving the head, nor wearing matted hair, nor dressing in a rough garment, nor covering oneself with dirt, nor sacrificing to Agni, will cleanse a man who is not free from delusions. Reading the Vedas, making offerings to priests, or sacrifices to the gods, self-mortification by heat or cold, and many such penances performed for the sake of immortality, these do not cleanse the man who is not free from delusions. Anger, drunkenness, obstinacy, bigotry, deception, envy, self-praise, disparaging others, superciliousness and evil intentions constitute uncleanness; not verily the eating of flesh.
“A middle path, O bhikkhus, avoiding the two extremes, has been discovered by the Tathgata—a path which opens the eyes, and bestows understanding, which leads to peace of mind, to the higher wisdom, to full enlightenment, to Nirvana! … By suffering, the emaciated devotee produces confusion and sickly thoughts in his mind. Mortification is not conducive even to worldly knowledge; how much less to a triumph over the senses! …
“And how can any one be free from self by leading a wretched life, if he does not succeed in quenching the fires of lust, if he still hankers after either worldly or heavenly pleasures? But he in whom self has become extinct is free from lust; he will desire neither worldly nor heavenly pleasures, and the satisfaction of his natural wants will not defile him. However, let him be moderate, let him eat and drink according to the need of the body.
“Sensuality is enervating; the self-indulgent man is a slave to his passions, and pleasure-seeking is degrading and vulgar. But to satisfy the necessities of life is not evil. To keep the body in good health is a duty, for otherwise we shall not be able to trim the lamp of wisdom, and keep our minds strong and clear. Water surrounds the lotus-flower, but does not wet its petals. This is the middle path, O bhikkhus, that keeps aloof from both extremes.” (“Gospel of Buddha,” Paul Carus)
In another place, he talks about his experience hearing a musician teaching his apprentice on how to tune a stringed instrument. If you make the string too tight, it will snap, and if you make it too loose, it will not play. You have to find the right point in between the two opposite extremes or the instrument simply will not play right, if at all. I've watched my wife tune her guitar several times. I've also heard her guitar when it's not tuned. Often, she has to use an electronic tuner to tell her when a string is in tune, and when it isn't, because she can't always discern it herself by ear, but it is very apparent when she tries to play it.
The Middle Path is the point between all opposite extremes. If you can imagine a number line, in one direction it heads off into the positive numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. stretching into infinity. In the other direction it heads off into the negative numbers -1, -2, -3, -4, etc. stretching into infinity. Right in the middle between these two infinities lies the number “0”. It is the inverse image of infinity and the only other number which shares many of the mathematical properties of infinity without being infinity. Furthermore, any deviation from zero results in a spiral towards either infinite accumulation or infinite debt. The Middle Path is like zero. It is the only point in between either extreme which doesn't lead to excesses. It is the zero point. The still point. The point at which all action or reaction, all motion, ceases. This brings to mind God who is Himself motionless and stationary in reference to both time and space which pass through Him.
“Be still and know that I am God.” However often this saying from the Psalms is taken out of context by New Agers, there is a timeless truth and instruction for us about the Middle Path. To be still is to rest from all motion. We are creatures of motion. It is in our nature to move because we move naturally through time and space. But God as He is is the opposite. We move through Him and encounter His involvement in our lives through our natural motion in time and space, but to draw closer to Him as He is, we must draw back and be still. We must counter our natural instinct to move and act with non-motion. It is not doing nothing, but it is a deliberate and concentrated effort to keep from engaging in actions which would begin our spiral to the right hand or to the left, towards infinite debt or infinite accumulation. It is keeping from engaging in anything which would distract us from Him, the One who does not change, because change implies motion and vice versa.
Seeking to acquire more wealth, a better job, to achieve greater self-esteem; this is all motion. It draws us away from the center, the Middle, the Zero Point. Engaging in sensual pleasure of any kind is motion. In the same way, starving yourself, beating yourself, going to extremes to punish yourself, this is also motion. It is motion in the opposite direction, but it is still motion. Anything we do with our self or selfish interests as the cause is motion away from the Middle.
More than anyone else, we who profess to follow Jesus Christ should be seeking the Middle Path, the point between all opposite extremes. We should be ready to use and be thankful for what God gives, but not cling to it and seek to acquire more. We should take care of our bodies as though we were caring for a broken arm or a wound we are trying to get to heal, but we should not let our bodies' desires consume us and distract us from our goal. As Jesus taught, we should cut off every addiction which tempts us away from the Eternal Life which is union with God himself, even as we must still live until God says otherwise.
The Path of Jesus Christ walks a fine, razor sharp line that if we go to the right or the left we step off the path. We know when we are in the Middle, at the Zero Point, when we cease from motion towards ourselves, be it positive or negative.
Moderation can be defined as “not too much, and not too little.” It is somewhere in the middle between extremes. It can also be called the Middle Path. Immoderation, going to extremes of either too much or too little can be harmful in many, many things. The person who comes to my mind in speaking about moderation, or “the Middle Path” is Gautama Siddharta, or the Buddha.
The Buddha, Gautama Siddharta, said,
“The Tathagata … does not seek salvation in austerities, but neither does he for that reason indulge in worldly pleasures, nor live in abundance. The Tathagata has found the middle path.
“There are two extremes, O bhikkus, which the man who has given up the world ought not to follow—the habitual practice, on the one hand, of self-indulgence which is unworthy, vain and fit only for the worldly minded—and the habitual practice, on the other hand, of self-mortification, which is painful, useless and unprofitable.
“Niether abstinence from fish and flesh, nor going naked, nor shaving the head, nor wearing matted hair, nor dressing in a rough garment, nor covering oneself with dirt, nor sacrificing to Agni, will cleanse a man who is not free from delusions. Reading the Vedas, making offerings to priests, or sacrifices to the gods, self-mortification by heat or cold, and many such penances performed for the sake of immortality, these do not cleanse the man who is not free from delusions. Anger, drunkenness, obstinacy, bigotry, deception, envy, self-praise, disparaging others, superciliousness and evil intentions constitute uncleanness; not verily the eating of flesh.
“A middle path, O bhikkhus, avoiding the two extremes, has been discovered by the Tathgata—a path which opens the eyes, and bestows understanding, which leads to peace of mind, to the higher wisdom, to full enlightenment, to Nirvana! … By suffering, the emaciated devotee produces confusion and sickly thoughts in his mind. Mortification is not conducive even to worldly knowledge; how much less to a triumph over the senses! …
“And how can any one be free from self by leading a wretched life, if he does not succeed in quenching the fires of lust, if he still hankers after either worldly or heavenly pleasures? But he in whom self has become extinct is free from lust; he will desire neither worldly nor heavenly pleasures, and the satisfaction of his natural wants will not defile him. However, let him be moderate, let him eat and drink according to the need of the body.
“Sensuality is enervating; the self-indulgent man is a slave to his passions, and pleasure-seeking is degrading and vulgar. But to satisfy the necessities of life is not evil. To keep the body in good health is a duty, for otherwise we shall not be able to trim the lamp of wisdom, and keep our minds strong and clear. Water surrounds the lotus-flower, but does not wet its petals. This is the middle path, O bhikkhus, that keeps aloof from both extremes.” (“Gospel of Buddha,” Paul Carus)
In another place, he talks about his experience hearing a musician teaching his apprentice on how to tune a stringed instrument. If you make the string too tight, it will snap, and if you make it too loose, it will not play. You have to find the right point in between the two opposite extremes or the instrument simply will not play right, if at all. I've watched my wife tune her guitar several times. I've also heard her guitar when it's not tuned. Often, she has to use an electronic tuner to tell her when a string is in tune, and when it isn't, because she can't always discern it herself by ear, but it is very apparent when she tries to play it.
The Middle Path is the point between all opposite extremes. If you can imagine a number line, in one direction it heads off into the positive numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. stretching into infinity. In the other direction it heads off into the negative numbers -1, -2, -3, -4, etc. stretching into infinity. Right in the middle between these two infinities lies the number “0”. It is the inverse image of infinity and the only other number which shares many of the mathematical properties of infinity without being infinity. Furthermore, any deviation from zero results in a spiral towards either infinite accumulation or infinite debt. The Middle Path is like zero. It is the only point in between either extreme which doesn't lead to excesses. It is the zero point. The still point. The point at which all action or reaction, all motion, ceases. This brings to mind God who is Himself motionless and stationary in reference to both time and space which pass through Him.
“Be still and know that I am God.” However often this saying from the Psalms is taken out of context by New Agers, there is a timeless truth and instruction for us about the Middle Path. To be still is to rest from all motion. We are creatures of motion. It is in our nature to move because we move naturally through time and space. But God as He is is the opposite. We move through Him and encounter His involvement in our lives through our natural motion in time and space, but to draw closer to Him as He is, we must draw back and be still. We must counter our natural instinct to move and act with non-motion. It is not doing nothing, but it is a deliberate and concentrated effort to keep from engaging in actions which would begin our spiral to the right hand or to the left, towards infinite debt or infinite accumulation. It is keeping from engaging in anything which would distract us from Him, the One who does not change, because change implies motion and vice versa.
Seeking to acquire more wealth, a better job, to achieve greater self-esteem; this is all motion. It draws us away from the center, the Middle, the Zero Point. Engaging in sensual pleasure of any kind is motion. In the same way, starving yourself, beating yourself, going to extremes to punish yourself, this is also motion. It is motion in the opposite direction, but it is still motion. Anything we do with our self or selfish interests as the cause is motion away from the Middle.
More than anyone else, we who profess to follow Jesus Christ should be seeking the Middle Path, the point between all opposite extremes. We should be ready to use and be thankful for what God gives, but not cling to it and seek to acquire more. We should take care of our bodies as though we were caring for a broken arm or a wound we are trying to get to heal, but we should not let our bodies' desires consume us and distract us from our goal. As Jesus taught, we should cut off every addiction which tempts us away from the Eternal Life which is union with God himself, even as we must still live until God says otherwise.
The Path of Jesus Christ walks a fine, razor sharp line that if we go to the right or the left we step off the path. We know when we are in the Middle, at the Zero Point, when we cease from motion towards ourselves, be it positive or negative.
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