NowTHINK!AboutIt

Avoiding Hackneyed...Making Sense

9 Ways Religion Endangers Democracy

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When religion overtakes a government, it's still a coup.

You Can’t Legislate
Pure Religion

The word “Religion” is used in conversations frequently and most often refers to organizations like churches that claim to represent God or spiritual issues.

Generally, religion is thought of as a good thing and it can be but we also know it has a bad side. According to the Global Center For Religious Research, as many as a third of all US adults have experienced religious trauma, and that’s just in the US.

Religious trauma is defined by Therapist.com as any religious experience that is stressful, degrading, dangerous, abusive or damaging.

It’s strange that those words should be associated with religion since the only Bible verse that comes close to defining the nature of religion paints a very different picture.

If any person thinks he is religious and does not bridle (control) his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Pure religion that is undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:26-27)

Many thoughts can be extracted from these two short verses but the most important point is religion done properly is helpful and encouraging. It solves problems and lends assistance.

It also means religion must be monitored at all times to make sure it’s staying on the right path.

The focus of this article is organized Christian religion and how we view it. I’m also focused particularly on the ways in which religion interferes with democracy. It goes without saying that there’s nothing in James or any other book that indicates religion should mimic political action groups. [Read more…] about 9 Ways Religion Endangers Democracy

14 Thoughts On Testing The Spirit

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Beliefs compel us to act even when what we believe it wrong.

Insisting That Truth
Must Always Be Honored
Is Fair
Adamantly Claiming You Know All Truth
Is Not

The Bible makes a very curious statement in 1 John 4:1.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God.

It’s not just curious. It also sounds a bit weird.

Weirdness aside, though, we shouldn’t pass over it too quickly or casually. We’re told to do the test so we need to figure out what it means and how it’s done.

What The Test Implies

At the very least, the need for a test means we cannot walk around thinking we have everything figured out, that there’s never going to be a time when we have all the answers much less know all the questions.

Knowing Jesus gives us a great deal of confidence (and security) but it doesn’t make us all-knowing. The confidence He gives is great but daily living is still an unmapped journey. Faith is simple but should never be simple minded. We still need to pay attention.

Large ships navigate from one port to another over thousands of miles accurately because they trust their navigational instruments. But trust doesn’t mean they turn instruments on and take a coffee break till they arrive. They constantly monitor the situation 24/7, and make adjustments as needed (and they are always needed), until their destination appears on the horizon.

John is telling us to watch where we are going, to pay attention. God is leading. We are following but following requires an intentional, intelligent awareness of where we are in relation to where we’re going each and every day. [Read more…] about 14 Thoughts On Testing The Spirit

11 Reasons Abortion Isn’t Murder

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God’s Knowing Each Human
In Specific Detail
Doesn’t Give Us Personhood
Any More Than It Gives Personhood
To A Grain Of Sand

To be clear, in this article, I’m not asking if abortion is wrong. The only question here is about murder: “Is abortion murder?” That’s important because something can be very wrong and still not be murder.

There are several categories of wrong. There’s perceived vs actual wrong and minor vs major wrong, major being anything that is absolutely wrong. Murder falls in the absolutely wrong category but if something – for example abortion – isn’t absolutely wrong, how wrong is it?

You may be one of those who consider abortion absolutely wrong and that’s your right. Others may believe it is wrong but not as wrong as murder. Others may believe it is only mildly wrong, if wrong at all. Those shifts in thinking are important nuances but murder is the focus of this article.

I’m arguing that abortion isn’t murder. Where you land in the discussion is a matter of personal consideration, another factor we don’t talk about much but we should. How you “feel” about an issue is important to you but others may feel differently.

There is no scientific proof that abortion is murder and that alone should give us pause. The primary motivation behind the recent court activity and public skirmishes around this topic is belief. People “Believe” it’s wrong and they are acting on that belief.

Unfortunately, Belief isn’t known for its strong connection to facts or logic.

Hence, this post. [Read more…] about 11 Reasons Abortion Isn’t Murder

Fighting The Good Fight Involves Debate Not Pugilism

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God doesn't have a dog in any fight. Instead, He fights for every dog.

If All We Do
Is Say What’s Already Been Said
We Haven’t Done The Job

It had been several years since I last spoke to this individual. Through others, I had remained aware of what was happening in his life and it became apparent that he was aware of happenings in my life too, but other than exchanging a like or two on Facebook, a distant wave here or there, nothing. So it was a surprise when I got his message that he wanted to FaceTime.

I agreed, of course. We had been acquainted for thirty plus years at that point. I knew him as a kid growing up and I was familiar with the various stages of his development. His story was quite typical.

He grew up in church but, as often happens, his Christianity was mostly superficial. He was a quiet rebel as a youngster: alcohol, drugs and sex. Always nice on the surface. Always pleasant and full of potential but into some serious stuff in the background.

As you might guess, the background issues began taking over and became more apparent as he grew older.

He was loved through it all and, thankfully, came to his senses at a later stage.

And when he did, he was loved just as much at that point as he’d always been. The difference now was that he was also applauded, honored and appreciated for making his way out of an addictive situation. He had apparently become quite dependent on both the alcohol and the drugs. Overcoming in that situation has to be respected. In his case, he did more than just overcome addiction. He also went to university and gained a credible degree. Impressive! [Read more…] about Fighting The Good Fight Involves Debate Not Pugilism

Review: Unclobber – Rethinking Our Misuse Of The Bible On Homosexuality

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It's intellectually lazy to reference the Bible and dismiss it at the same time.

Deliberation Or Pugilism
Which Is The Better Way
To Find An Answer

Finally!!

A much needed book focused on what the Bible actually says and how a more informed reading should lead us away from the anti-woke doctrines of prominent Catholic politicians.

No, the book doesn’t focus on Catholics or Catholicism. In fact, I don’t remember the words Catholic or Catholicism mentioned at all in the book.

That bit is an add-on by me but an accurate one since Catholics have dominated the discussion regarding acceptable sexual/moral norms for centuries. It’s also true that several vociferous Catholics presently holding significant positions of power are pushing their doctrines on an unwilling public. A public that largely rejects these ideas.

Consider the fact that Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott, both governors of two large influential states, both Catholics and both representing the more intolerable version of the Catholic Church. And both aggressively pushing a Republican Party first and anti-woke agenda more unbendingly, irrationally and demandingly than good sense, or the law, allows.

Their leadership is inquisition-like, only with a little less blood shed, as far as we can tell.

DeSantis’ strident form is easily understood once you learn how committed his family is to Catholicism. With an aunt who’s a nun and an uncle who’s a priest, how can he demonstrate an equal level of commitment other than by damning anything and anyone who oversteps the Church’s boundaries, all from high political office. Abbott can’t claim such pedigree so we can only attribute his asininity to a stubborn nature.

You may know this but the Supreme Court is also loaded with Catholics.

But I digress. Back to the book.

There were several reasons I enjoyed this book and hardily recommend it to others. [Read more…] about Review: Unclobber – Rethinking Our Misuse Of The Bible On Homosexuality