Which Way are WE Going ~ Anti-Social

Greetings Dear Reader,

One of my good friends often poses questions with the introduction “wond’ring aloud”.  This is actually the title of a Jethro Tull song.  It is also something that I do often in this blog.   I wonder aloud about the things we choose as a society.  One of the lines from the song I posted with the opening thoughts was, “Let him live in freedom if he lives like me.”

I cannot find a social position at either end of the social/moral spectrum that does not contain people who feel that other individuals should be made to live as they live.  You cannot force anyone to live a certain way and say that you are in the right.  Once you take away the freedom to choose, you lose the moral high ground.  You abandon the basic idea that we live in a free society. 

That freedom must stop where it actually harms someone else.  We are not free to harm other individuals.  Before you vigorously nod in agreement, I want to be clear.  If you are denying civil or social rights to any individual or group of people you have lost your understanding of freedom.  Whether it is medical care, social equality, basic sustenance, or even life, we do not have the right to deny the needs of others.  Worse, we actively deny these things to humans in the name of religion, morality, and convenience. 

We are content to virtue signal instead of being actually virtuous.  I need this point to be needle fine in my own mind.  No matter how vehemently I think something is socially or morally wrong, I do not have the right to deny the needs of those who do that thing.  The other side of that coin is that neither does anyone else.  Please watch your toes Dear Reader.  I am about to trample on some social issues heavily.

Healthcare – I do not know what the answer is for providing for the healthcare needs of our people.  I do know that instead of loving those in need we care more about money, our large gourmet coffee, and the newest fashion than we do about the vital care of others.  We are free to do this but we have no moral footing if we do so.  Worse, we use a moral position to justify denying proper healthcare to a group of people.  Still worse, we make vital healthcare unattainable for those who cannot afford it.

Civil Rights – We think that we have equal right under the law.  The law says that we do.  Our practices do not always align with this.  Even those who have been oppressed in the past are obligated to treat everyone with the same rights as they have sought or seek.  There is no standard by which to say that someone else has to live a certain lifestyle to enjoy all the freedoms of a free society.  Again, this stops where the freedoms of others are impinged.  This does not mean that you have to align with me morally to be free.  Until we get that every human has a right to this, we may not make any progress.

It is not my place to tell anyone how to live.  It is my obligation to love everyone, even those who hate me.  There is no life that is not sacred.  There is no human that should not receive love and compassion from those who claim to follow Christ.  We cannot love the Father until we love each other. We cannot truly love each other until we stop making exceptions to that love in our minds, actions, and laws.  We cannot declare an entire class of people exempt from life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  We have.  We make it illegal for people to live as they choose.  We make it impossible for certain groups to get equal care and representation.  We have declared that the most defenseless in our culture may be murdered out of hand.  We tolerate the buying and selling of other humans.

I do not know how to fix all this.  I do know that in following Christ I am obligated to make it more important than my views on anything.  Denying others’ social/moral needs is not loving, and therefore, not following Christ.  If you disagree Dear Reader, search your heart as to why you wish to deny these things.  You may argue with me about it if you wish, but if your argument does not proceed from love then you have no footing.  Again, watch your toes because I love you too.

Great American Novel – Larry Norman

I was born and raised an orphan in a land that once was free

In a land that poured its love out on the moon;

And I grew up in the shadows of your silos filled with grain,

But you never helped to fill my empty spoon.

And when I was ten you murdered law with courtroom politics,

And you learned to make a lie sound just like truth;

But I know you better now and I don't fall for all your tricks,

And you've lost the one advantage of my youth.

You kill a black man at midnight just for talking to your daughter,

Then you make his wife your mistress and you leave her without water;

And the sheet you wear upon your face is the sheet your children sleep on,

At every meal you say a prayer; you don't believe, but still you keep on.

And your money says in God we trust,

But it's against the law to pray in school;

You say we beat the Russians to the moon,

And I say you starved your children to do it.

You are far across the ocean in a war is that’s not your own,

And while you're winning theirs, you're gonna lose the one at home;

Do you really think the only way to bring about the peace,

Is to sacrifice your children and kill all your enemies?

The politicians all make speeches while the newsmen all take notes,

And they exaggerate the issues as they shove them down our throats;

Is it really up to them whether this country sinks or floats?

Well, I wonder who would lead us if none of us would vote.

Well my phone is tapped and my lips are chapped from whispering through the fence,

You know every move I make, or is that just coincidence?

Will you try to make my way of life a little less like jail,

If I promise to make tapes and slides and send them through the mail.

And your money says in God we trust,

But it's against the law to pray in school;

You say we beat the Russians to the moon,

And I say you starved your children to do it.

You say all men are equal, all men are brothers,

Then why are the rich more equal than others?

Don't ask me for the answer, I've only got one:

That a man leaves his darkness when he follows the Son.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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Love Your Enemies – Raining on the Unjust

Greetings Dear Reader,

At times I have a very visual imagination.   I picture what it would be like if rain only fell on the crops of the righteous.  Somehow patchwork rain would not be as beautiful.  It would lack symmetry and would seem cruel.  Jesus makes it very clear that the Father sends rain to everyone regardless of his or her faith and following.

If we proceed from the assumption that we are all fallen then it is not wrong that there are some calamities that befall us all.   There are blessings too although we do not really acknowledge them. 

One of the things we are supposed to do as Christ followers is help move things back to good.  A part of that is our social responsibility to everyone.  We are to be good to everyone.  We are to care about everyone.

We are warned not to celebrate the ills or bad fortune of our enemies. We are warned further to care about their needs.  How that translates is very important in terms of loving our enemies.

The social issues that plague man are the same.  They have changed through the centuries only in magnitude and complexity.  Our responsibility for those issues does not change.  Loving our enemies is not genuine if it is passive.

The responsibility of the Christ follower is to care about the needs of others.  The social needs of our community are the responsibility of Christ followers full stop.  The plenty that we have is for the purpose of showing love to those around us.    

I hate the system of universal healthcare we have adopted but as my Son Bezel said we have to get there somehow.  I hate abortion but the church should be leading the way in providing safe, healthy, and non-judgmental alternatives.  There should be armies of Christ followers feeding the hungry.  Every homeless person who want shelter from the cold should know we are and be able to knock on our door.

If our enemy is hungry we should feed him.  If he naked we should cloth him.  It is in the love of our enemy by meeting his needs that we gain the ability to show him Christ.  There is not one person who is unworthy of this kind of care.  It is in showing this care that we allow Christ to know us.

Instead we complain about the rain if it spoils our picnic plans rather than to consider that there might be someone who needs it.  We get centered on what we want or think we need instead realizing just how much we already have.  I must not hesitate to help those God puts in my path.  I must not shy away from loving my enemies at the very essence of life.

It is not wrong to be wealthy or comfortable.  It is wrong to bypass the needs of others because I disagree with their lifestyle, politics, or faith.  If the church set all of that aside and lived the social aspect of the Gospel to its full potential imagine the difference we could make.

Would Jesus Wear a Rolex – Ray Stevens

Woke up this mornin', turned on the T.V. set

There in livin' color, was somethin' I can't forget

This man was preachin' at me, yeah, layin' on the charm

Askin' me for twenty with ten-thousand on his arm

He wore designer clothes and a big smile on his face

Sellin' me salvation while they sang amazin' grace

Askin' me for money when he had all the signs of wealth

I almost wrote a check out, yeah, then I asked myself

Would He wear a Pinky ring?

Would He drive a fancy car?

Would His wife wear furs and diamonds?

Would His dressin' room have a star?

If He come back tomorrow

Well there's somethin' I'd like to know

(Can you tell me?)

Would Jesus wear a Rolex

On His television show?

Would Jesus be political

If He come back to earth?

Have His second home in Palm Springs?

Yeah, try to hide His worth?

Take money, from those poor folks

When He comes back again

And admit He's talked to all them preachers

Who say they've been talkin' to Him?

Just ask ya' self, would He wear a Pinky ring?

Would He drive a fancy car?

Would His wife wear furs and diamonds?

Would His dressing room have a star?

If He come back tomorrow

Well there's somethin' I'd like to know

Could ya tell me?

Would Jesus wear a Rolex?

Would Jesus wear a Rolex?

Would Jesus wear a Rolex

On His television show? Oh oh

(Would Jesus wear a Rolex)

(On His television show?)

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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Every Diner – Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

Most of you know I have a favorite diner.  I eat breakfast there almost every Friday.  Occasionally a friend will join me in the early hours of the morning.  Most of the time my company is the rest of the regulars who seem to live there every morning. 

Most of know places like this.  The entire TV series Cheers was based on a place where everybody know your name.  We want to feel like there are places where people really care.  We want to know that if we are having hardship and we talk about it someone will listen.

Instead being good to each other we tend to pass by not seeing that every individual is a soul on the journey back to God.  The contrast that is always set up in my mind is that between what the church is supposed to be for others and what I experience in other places.  I do not think the church in America has become irrelevant but I fear it is headed that way.

I do not adhere to most things represented by a social gospel but I firmly believe that the Gospel must be enacted socially before it can be effective.  If I do not show you that I care then how will you see that Jesus cares?  This contrast taxes me often. 

Recently I have seen my own church fail miserably to be what it claims to be for its people.   I know that the leadership there is true to the things they believe.  I think that they would horrified to think that they have perpetuated a perception that they are other than faithfully living out the Gospel socially.  Were I not a believer I would have serious doubts based on things I have experienced over the last year.

I am not going to air my complaints publically but I need to spend some time reminding myself who I am supposed to be as a part of the Church that is commissioned to reach the world.  Feel free to discuss this with me as we walk.  Your input is always of great value Dear Reader.

Johnny’s Café – John Fischer

Wasting the day down at Johnny’s Café,

All kinds of people there with plenty to say,

If you got nothing to say to folks at Johnny’s Café,

You got nothing to say at all.

Walk in any day and you’ll find a slice of life at your table;

One man leaving his wife another wishing he was able,

An old man trying to forget a young one looking for a label,

And the stories they tell you can’t tell if they’re true of they’re fable.

And the lady pouring coffee she knows the regulars by name.

If she doesn't know you she calls you “honey” just the same.

And we all love to hear it,

Even if she has to fake it,

‘Cause it’s nice to think that someone really cares;

Someone cares.

Go spend the day down at Johnny’s Café,

All kinds of people there with plenty to say,

If you got nothing to say to folks at Johnny’s Café,

You got nothing to say at all.

Half a mile down the road you’ll find a church with a steeple.

And on Sundays the pews are full of well-dressed beautiful people.

There’s a leading politician whose wife is musician in the choir.

A corporation head who is trying to get a little bit higher.

And the preacher pouring sermons he knows the regulars by name.

If he doesn’t know you he’ll shake your hand just the same.

And we all love to hear it,

Even if we have to fake it,

But it would be nice if someone really cared;

Someone cared.

Go spend the day down at Johnny’s Café,

All kinds of people there with plenty to say,

Now if Jesus were here I think we’d find him today down at Johnny’s café.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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