Religion Archives - Page 7 of 9

6 Barriers Good Friends Cross For Us

October 20, 2014 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Unequal Friendship
Includes Charity
But Is Much Much More

There are two types of healthy friendships: Equal and unequal. Equal we understand and easily accept. It’s what we expect.

Unequal we don’t get so much. We consider it unacceptable when one person does most of the giving and the other does most of the taking.

That’s how we usually see it but is that always true? Can a friendship be good when equality is distorted? I think it can. In fact, the greatest friendships are unequal. Let me explain.

Equal Friends

Equal friends are peers. Their lives run in parallel. They aren’t exactly the same but they have equal levels of development. Generally:

They share similar levels of health, education and opportunities for employment. Neither is handicapped or maybe both are handicapped but they are equal.
They speak the same language and maintain the same standard of living.
They share common opportunities for recreation, lifestyle habits and so on.
They may not make the same choices but they share common options.
They may not have the same job position but they work in the same strata of society.

It isn’t uncommon for people on an equal footing to meet and become connected at the friendship level. It isn’t forced. Neither is uncomfortable with the other. There is no condescension either way.

They are able to give as much as they receive.

But there is a second angle on friendship that tells a different story.

Unequal Friends

This kind of friendship is marked by either division or disparity, or sometimes both. If it’s division, the friends represent differing sides. If it’s disparity, the friends are on different social levels, more vertical than horizontal. One looking down, the other looking up.

Unequal friendships require a great effort, at least on the part of one, for the connection to be made. One side is sacrificing the other benefits.

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This doesn’t seem fair and according to Jesus it isn’t, but it is not what you think. The giver, He said, is much more blessed than the receiver.

When beliefs are involved compromise is assumed but, again, not so. Giving a person what they need on a personal level doesn’t require alignment of beliefs. You’ll see just now. [Read more…] about 6 Barriers Good Friends Cross For Us

Eternal Security: 6 Questions We Should Ask

March 10, 2014 by EnnisP 7 Comments

Only Two Possibilities:
Eternally Secure
Or
Eternally Neurotic

Eternal security is one of those issues you can’t ignore.

It involves salvation and, more specifically, whether or not you can count on it when you need it most, at death.

Some people believe once you’re saved you’re always saved. You can never lose it so there is no need to worry about keeping it. Others think there is no guarantee. It can be lost by any qualifying misstep, although there is debate as to where that line is drawn.

Settling the issue isn’t easy. You can throw out a few verses to prove whichever side you take but for every verse you quote, there are plenty of reinterpretations to confuse things.

So I’ve decided to come at this from a different angle. I think much of the confusion can be cleared by taking an analytical/philosophical approach and that is the point of this post. I want to ask and answer pertinent questions. What you learn from this process is that once you ask one relevant question it opens the door to another and then another and eventually you have an avalanche of un-answerables.

When you do this for both sides you realize that one side fares much better than the other.

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Those of us who believe in “once-saved-always-saved” (yes, I’m one of those people) are very happy that it’s true. Those who don’t believe it have a lot of questions to answer most of which are not directly addressed in the Bible.

That fact alone should give you pause. If you have questions about how to keep your salvation intact – a very serious issue indeed – but you don’t have specific answers, then how can you be certain?

It doesn’t make sense that God would give us a salvation we could lose and then refuse to give us very clear, obvious, easily accessed, and straightforward instructions on how to keep it.

Living with that uncertainty every day would be enough to induce a nervous breakdown. Would a loving God be so cruel?

Thankfully, the opposite, eternal security (once saved, always saved), is a lot easier to live with and enables more productivity. You don’t need to worry about keeping your salvation so energy can be channeled into better less selfish pursuits.

You’re secure. You can relax. God will take care.

Sounds too good to be true, I know, and it doesn’t parallel life as we experience it but we are talking about something that doesn’t claim to parallel life. It is impossible without God. Every theory about salvation is too good to be true. Eternal security just happens to be the most rational choice.

But, as I said, thinking you can lose salvation raises many questions that the Bible just doesn’t answer. Let’s take a look. [Read more…] about Eternal Security: 6 Questions We Should Ask

Christmas Story: Comparing The Supporting Characters

December 20, 2013 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Zacharias And Simeon
Are Similar Yet Different
Both Add Richness
To The Story

There are many supporting characters in the Christmas Story. Some have very short roles but they all add richness to the plot. Because they are diverse, they symbolize different types of believers.

What Does “Holy” Really Mean

October 25, 2013 by EnnisP 2 Comments

Marriage Is Holy
Ceremony Or Not

I don’t like the word “holy.” Just hearing it gives me the creeps but don’t read too much into that.

I know the word is in the Bible, and I really do appreciate that, but the way it is used doesn’t always agree with how it is represented in the Bible. In common use, the word has a very narrow channel of application. It doesn’t fit with everyday life. Let me explain.

The word “holy” is associated with synonyms like sacred, hallowed, revered, sanctified and consecrated. Another word distantly related is solemn. These are not commonly used words. They are religious terms and not just normal everyday religious terms. They are inner sanctum words. Institutional religion didn’t coin these words but it definitely owns them.

The ominous nature of holy – and the associated synonyms – is compounded by the way it is used. When any ceremony – another threatening word – is referred to as holy or sacred you get the idea that smiling or relaxing or enjoying the occasion is not allowed. These words are spoken only in a serious tone and accompanied only by actions that are performed rigidly, in a scripted, well arranged manner. Robotic might apply.

The following wedding video illustrates the point. Scroll to the 53rd second if you’re in a hurry: [Read more…] about What Does “Holy” Really Mean

Tithing – Definitions And Warnings

May 10, 2013 by EnnisP Leave a Comment

Tithers Offer Confused Instructions
But
Anti-Tithers Give None At All
Other Than Don’t Tithe

The definition of tithing is really straightforward. The word means one-tenth or ten percent and it is the designated amount of one’s income dedicated for God’s purposes. A “Tither” is someone who contributes ten percent of their income to God.

But don’t let that simple definition fool you. Tithing isn’t an easy topic to dissect. Every tither agrees on the ten percent part but they don’t all agree on how to calculate it or how it should be applied. “Tithe” can mean one thing for one person and something very different for another. The differences can be significant. Questions abound.

Tithers argue over which portion of their income should be included when calculating the tithe. Are we tithing on gross income or net? Stated more precisely, the question is “Ten percent of what?”

But the debate doesn’t stop there.

Those who say “Net” don’t agree on why it should be net instead of gross and they offer a variety of different formulas to calculate net. Some eliminate only their taxes before calculating the tithe and others eliminate more.

The same is true for gross tithers. They can’t say why it should be gross or what constitutes gross. In extreme cases, the definition of “gross” expands to include things like birthday gifts and student loans. Obsessive!

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Because the Bible never addresses these issues directly, gross tithers have to use stern looks and a demanding voice to force the issue. Emotional strong-arming.

In one internet conversation, a man complained that his pastor refused to accept his offering because it was calculated differently to what the pastor taught and was therefore tainted.

That mindset gives tithing a legalistic hue and it is this enforcement attitude to which many anti-tithers react. [Read more…] about Tithing – Definitions And Warnings