Friday, May 06, 2005

But, I’m a Person of Faith, Really, Honest, Cross my Heart, Swear to ????

I read a couple dead tree blogs every day. Wall Street Journal and Chicago Tribune. It takes a lot of pulpwood to feed my habit.

Today’s WSJ editorial page has a couple op-ed pieces about the religious right. I don'’t mind if a person wants to opine and says right off the bat, I’'m not a Christian, or I’'m an atheist. I can tolerate that. It’s pretend Christians I struggle with. You either is or you ain't.

I draw the line with phony baloney quasi Christians on NPR and talking head shows whose primary drone is, “"I'’m a person of faith and I don'’t agree"”. They will then trot out their thesis based purely on popular opinion. Their mantra is, "I go to church, I pray, I believe in God". I know lots of people who have all those qualifications who have nothing in common with the believers of conviction they criticize. They might be Muslim, Bahi, Hindu, Taoist or Buddhist. I don't consider them a brother or sister in Christ. A brother or sister in Christ knows who their father is and what his last will and testament says.

Barry Lind is the poster child, a “Minister” who’s primary service to the kingdom of God is seeing to it we don'’t have any of that sort of thing in any form anywhere. Not my spiritual kin.

So, Mr or Ms person of faith who disagrees so vehemently with the Christian Right in this country, Here’s a short quiz to see what the cultural divide really is all about..

Answer Yes or No to these questions:

  1. I believe the Bible is the word of God and true from Genesis to Maps.
  2. I believe God is involved in the world and is passionate about it.
  3. I believe there is a literal heaven and eternal damnation.
  4. I believe Moses, Abraham, Joseph, Sampson, David, Daniel, and Noah are real people who lived and died on this planet.
  5. I believe evil is real and that there is a real Devil (Satan) who roams the earth.
  6. I believe life is sacred to God and cannot be taken without consequence.
  7. I believe miracles still happen in response to prayer and fasting.
  8. I believe God is a good God and wants only the best for his people.
  9. I believe Jesus was born, lived, died and rose from the dead and lives today
  10. I believe Jesus is truly God and the only way to redemption and salvation**.

Total the number you don’'t agree with completely and you will see why you might consider yourself a person of faith, but we don'’t. That is the true cultural divide. Sorry.

**I consider Devout Jews to be my Brothers and Sisters, I can't explain it but they are. I'm grafted in. They have just not yet come to faith in Jesus. They will.

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