I have had the seeds of several rants running through my head the past couple of weeks. On everything from gun control to work ethics (or lack thereof.)
This past weekend in Arizona, a very public mass murder has left our nation with tears in our eyes, guilt in our hearts, and big question marks over our heads. What should we do or say now? How should we respond? Who gets the blame; or is it even appropriate to start pointing fingers?
A rant certainly seems inappropriate here…ranting and raving and violent, divisive language are very likely what have brought us to this place. Now is a time to be still and think before we act, or write, or speak.
Our friend marigolds2 posted on Facebook something that has given me pause, made me think. And made me very sad, really. Because the following words are some that I was taught from the time I was old enough to read. And though I no longer adhere to the religion from which they sprang, I know wise words when I see them:
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Do they teach this anymore, anywhere?
6 comments:
Bless you, I know some do. I'm trying to do a companian entry, wish me luck. Problem is that what's in those verses is so opposite of what is surrounding us that I despair sometimes.
Wise words. Words to live by. Remembered always ... I try every day to live a life that could be reflected in those words. But like you, I do not adhere to the religion that taught them to me.
What can we say or do? Good question.
John Wesley believed the sermon was so important he preached more than a dozen sermons on those verses; working his way through them a few at a time. You don't run across many (any) Methodist mega churches, I wonder why?
Lisa dear, I was so very sad when I posted The Beatitudes on my Facebook page. I read them over and over again, wondering how people can refer to this as a Christian nation, when over and over again we prove that the actual words of Jesus Christ mean nothing in our actual lives, so often, and so frequently. I have not considered my self a Roman Catholic for many years now, and that is not likely to change. But these are words we should all try to live by, as are many words of many other religions.
Today I listened to many speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, wondering how we can lionize him, put him on a pedestal, and ignore what his real messages were, in much the same way we ignore the deep realities of the messages of true religion. My heart is in tatters most of the time.
Hey we did our bit, we put him on a pedastal after all. Listening to the different sects out there, sometimes I think there's three dozen different Bibles out there and none of them overlap. And yeah, it hurts like hell most of the time. One of the reasons I'm turning Quaker.
My own beliefs--mostly having to do with each person's spiritual path being unique to that person--keep me from being very sad about the religious muddle we so often find ourselves in. But I do get frustrated (beyond words!) with so-called "Christians" who cherry pick from their sacred texts what to believe, how to behave, and how to expect others to behave. "The bible is the word of God, except this part here that I choose to ignore..." Sigh again!
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