14 August 2008
Brothers and Sisters of God
The dictionary defines "ignorance" as "A willful neglect or refusal to acquire knowledge which one may acquire and it is his duty to have." Ignorance for me is equivalent to seeing with blinders on. You can see solely in front of you, but nothing to the left or right. You only are able to see the path that you travel because it is the right path. No reason to consider the other options in life. Religion sadly will bring about ignorance in many different paths. Christianity is composed of numerous denominations each with separate interpretations of the Holy Bible. Each denomination in their own mind is "right." This is a great amount of faith that is respected by many. A person should follow their heart in their own personal beliefs and be willing to fight for their beliefs until the end. If you are not 100% sure that your faith is the correct one, then you do not have faith. The point in which this line is crossed is when another religion is deemed insignificant or "wrong." One issue that remains with many different denominations in Christianity is failure to accept the different denominations. Tolerance is often asked from religious ministers, but it is often misused. Toleration of those different from ourselves is an important quality. Tolerance of those different from us whether it be Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, etc. But the problem isn't just with other religions completely, but it also exists within on our own religion. Religious tolerance is hardly an issue that exists with just other religions, but it happens too often amongst each other. Brothers and Sisters of Christ are hardly brothers and sisters of Christ. People constantly will criticize Christianity for the lack of unity that it brings about. Catholic, Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, or any other type we are all Brothers and Sisters of Christ. I despise hearing the negatives about certain religions just when mentioning their name in general conversation. A common problem amongst Protestants is mentioning Catholicism. Catholic to some Protestants puts a sour taste in their mouth. Negativity immediately follows with the comment. I am here to say that if you criticize another person's beliefs, then you are weak. Nothing quite disgusts me more than to hear the negativity of those who are quick to bash the Catholic church for issues that they are uncertain. Most people that will bash the Church have limited to no knowledge of the different ideals or concepts that exist within the Church. It is different; therefore it is wrong. This is all ignorance. Ignorance in many different ways. Accept those who are different from you and we can all live together.
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1 comments:
well maybe i'm missing something, but it also seems that by accepting everything someone else says might imply you think they're doing what's right for themselves, which isn't always the case... but anyway i was gonna reply to the comment you left me--it shouldn't hurt that you said my assuming the worst is a lack of faith, especially since i mentioned later that my faith seems to be about equal to that of a mustard seed. the thing is, God can work with even that small amount of faith. i'm still learning and i feel very weak, but i AM growing. i know that God rewards faith, but He also gives grace and does not show favoritism. maybe someday i will have enough faith to be rewarded more, but for now i am content to rest in His embrace, TRUSTING that He can take care of me and desperately hoping that He will. i've been hurt too much and made too many mistakes--big mistakes--for me to so quickly trust right away. that sounds bad or ignorant, but its true. i have made a mess of my soul and its hard to turn it back over to Jesus because its so hard for me to believe He wants it. mainly because i don't even want it. its so hard for me to forgive myself that its still difficult for me to fathom that He has already forgiven me, no questions asked. sorry if that sounds harsh, but its kinda what i'm thinking right now.
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