you should read 'mr god this is anna'. i told you to buy it *smack* it's abt.. a very precocious child's view of god. and yes, it is a true story.
am not going to discuss it, too long, but one of anna's comments was that if you love god in yr heart it'll show in the things you do, you don't have to go to church to pay obeisance or do things to show people your quality of faith because that's just hypocritical. i think she has a point. the whole 'you'll do it to please god even if people don't like you' matyr shit is just aggravating.
i tihnk people should go to church if it works for them. or not if it doesn't. if you keep god in yr heart you don't need any place to pray or feel inspired to. and about 'saving people'.. that's just largely obnoxious, too, the way people go abt it these days. i'm not v much taken w religious institutions right now at this moment the way how some people i see come out of it brainwashed.
a 8yr old child condensed the whole message of the god into something like this: 'he wants us to love him, to love other people; and to learn to love ourselves too'. i think more than proselytising that's what god wants of us, too :)
It's not about showing people your faith or even going to church, J. It's about being strong enough to do the right thing sometimes, and other times letting your distatste for certain people overcome you.
The inconsistency in your actions stem from your struggling to submit your anger (or other emotion, depending on the case in question) to Him--a struggle that is not easily won, and in the case of many new Christians one that is not often won. However, we are also called to be living testimonies for Him, and it's true that when you tell people you're Christian they start to read more into your actions. Like it or not the moment you state your allegiance you become a representative. So when your actions are inconsistent due to how you fare in your struggles, you end up being a bad testimony, especially because people take greater note of your actions.
I've had my faith whittled down by people who call themselves Christians but acted like total a*******. I believe you know some of them, and have had a few others of your own in your life, J. I just worry that I might become such a bad testimony myself.
So if you try you might end up becoming a bad testimony. If you don't and just be passive you don't grow.
abt people, just let be, and do the things that we are wont to do. i suppose if anything changes it changes from within; deeds are something like symptoms, not the cause. i think God has made me a better person, no matter whether i'm a typical christian or not.
people change to many factors; some environmental. the things we go through in life. i guess i'm grateful for everything. for me, finding God was realising that i was grateful for being alive, that life is often shitty but can be a very beautiful thing. this was before i was with j.
i suppose if you believe in God you can say He does shape each and every one of our lives.. that nothing is incidental, even belief. so. maybe you're a representative that way, if you lead a good life, no matter what your faith.
if someone doesn't believe in God then he/she'll always view the cause of your actions as a kind of philosophy (i suppose all religions are, sort of..) so it doesn't really matter does it?
So your point is that we should let ourselves grow according to how God shapes us, and act according to our stage of growth? ...there is a certain appealing logic to that, I suppose, although I'm not sure that's how it's supposed to work. Because the bible does have some rather specific commands for us...
My main problem is actually the "love thy enemies" command. As you know, I used to be incredibly vindictive, and heck I probably still am. And there's a particular b****** in camp who gets on just about everyone's nerves. Sometimes I try to be nice to him, but most of the time (especially when he's throwing his weight around, which is 90% of the time)...it feels good to jointly slam him and bitch about him together with the other guys. I generally try to be nice and helpful in camp, which for some reason people have come to attribute to my religious affiliation, so lately one of the guys in camp used the fact that even I had nothing good to say about him and detested him so much as a benchmark for how screwed up that guy was. Now the vindictive part of me was having a field day, but I'm also concerned because at least in my branch I'm labelled "that Christian", and I'm not being a very good example of one.
we're all human.. don't worry too much about it. generally for me, whenever i'm upset or really pissed at someone/thing i give in to excess, for awhile, until i feel spent and then i forget about it. because there's really nothing worth my time enough for rancor or pettiness. generally my only prevailing sentiment about much of the world is disappointment; occasionally amusement.
if you have to bitch then bitch, but don't spend many hours later planning how to knife him in the back (or in the open). or, contemplate for awhile if it makes you happy, then let go.
correct me if i'm wrong, but the essence of buddhism is something about detachment to find peace isn't it? and i suppose there's a lot of truth to that, you know. about being a 'role model'.. heck. i don't care. don't get too caught up with how people see you. do what's right when it is impt. if it's small petty things like this, it's alright to occasionally be petty too. but when it comes to the crunch, to something that really tests yr faith and yr principles just know what you're standing for.
she's alright :) yes yes, i'll watch that silly show w you. we never watch anythng but really shitty movies like highlander 4 and cats and dogs.. *cringew* chalk up one more 4 e animal genre eh
it's abt.. a very precocious child's view of god. and yes, it is a true story.
am not going to discuss it, too long, but one of anna's comments was that if you love god in yr heart it'll show in the things you do, you don't have to go to church to pay obeisance or do things to show people your quality of faith because that's just hypocritical. i think she has a point. the whole 'you'll do it to please god even if people don't like you' matyr shit is just aggravating.
i tihnk people should go to church if it works for them. or not if it doesn't. if you keep god in yr heart you don't need any place to pray or feel inspired to. and about 'saving people'.. that's just largely obnoxious, too, the way people go abt it these days. i'm not v much taken w religious institutions right now at this moment the way how some people i see come out of it brainwashed.
a 8yr old child condensed the whole message of the god into something like this: 'he wants us to love him, to love other people; and to learn to love ourselves too'. i think more than proselytising that's what god wants of us, too :)
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The inconsistency in your actions stem from your struggling to submit your anger (or other emotion, depending on the case in question) to Him--a struggle that is not easily won, and in the case of many new Christians one that is not often won. However, we are also called to be living testimonies for Him, and it's true that when you tell people you're Christian they start to read more into your actions. Like it or not the moment you state your allegiance you become a representative. So when your actions are inconsistent due to how you fare in your struggles, you end up being a bad testimony, especially because people take greater note of your actions.
I've had my faith whittled down by people who call themselves Christians but acted like total a*******. I believe you know some of them, and have had a few others of your own in your life, J. I just worry that I might become such a bad testimony myself.
So if you try you might end up becoming a bad testimony. If you don't and just be passive you don't grow.
Reply
abt people, just let be, and do the things that we are wont to do. i suppose if anything changes it changes from within; deeds are something like symptoms, not the cause. i think God has made me a better person, no matter whether i'm a typical christian or not.
people change to many factors; some environmental. the things we go through in life. i guess i'm grateful for everything. for me, finding God was realising that i was grateful for being alive, that life is often shitty but can be a very beautiful thing. this was before i was with j.
i suppose if you believe in God you can say He does shape each and every one of our lives.. that nothing is incidental, even belief. so. maybe you're a representative that way, if you lead a good life, no matter what your faith.
if someone doesn't believe in God then he/she'll always view the cause of your actions as a kind of philosophy (i suppose all religions are, sort of..) so it doesn't really matter does it?
Reply
So your point is that we should let ourselves grow according to how God shapes us, and act according to our stage of growth? ...there is a certain appealing logic to that, I suppose, although I'm not sure that's how it's supposed to work. Because the bible does have some rather specific commands for us...
My main problem is actually the "love thy enemies" command. As you know, I used to be incredibly vindictive, and heck I probably still am. And there's a particular b****** in camp who gets on just about everyone's nerves. Sometimes I try to be nice to him, but most of the time (especially when he's throwing his weight around, which is 90% of the time)...it feels good to jointly slam him and bitch about him together with the other guys. I generally try to be nice and helpful in camp, which for some reason people have come to attribute to my religious affiliation, so lately one of the guys in camp used the fact that even I had nothing good to say about him and detested him so much as a benchmark for how screwed up that guy was. Now the vindictive part of me was having a field day, but I'm also concerned because at least in my branch I'm labelled "that Christian", and I'm not being a very good example of one.
Reply
if you have to bitch then bitch, but don't spend many hours later planning how to knife him in the back (or in the open). or, contemplate for awhile if it makes you happy, then let go.
correct me if i'm wrong, but the essence of buddhism is something about detachment to find peace isn't it? and i suppose there's a lot of truth to that, you know. about being a 'role model'.. heck. i don't care. don't get too caught up with how people see you. do what's right when it is impt. if it's small petty things like this, it's alright to occasionally be petty too. but when it comes to the crunch, to something that really tests yr faith and yr principles just know what you're standing for.
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chalk up one more 4 e animal genre eh
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