| |
| |
|
Faith411.com - Spirituality |
|
|
|
Vital information and articles related to Spirituality.Good News from Mars (Part 2)
Paul is led up a 512 ft. hill, Mars Hill, also known as Areopagus, and there he faces the Epicureans and the Stoics (and others). These intellectual giants represented the philosophical thinking of the day in which Paul lived. And when these PhD's saw Paul, they sneered and considered him a vain babbler (seed picker). They had given Paul audience merely to amuse themselves by listening to what he had to say. Now, the Stoic religion, founded by Zeno (c. 300 B.C.), was rooted in the art of living wisely. Their teaching suggested that the ultimate principle of the universe and the ideal of the ethical life is to live in harmony with reason. Reason will keep each man under control. God was thought to be the indwelling reason, the soul of the universe and apart from it, God had no existence. So according to stoicism, the fundamental injunction laid upon man was to follow the law of nature and maintain self discipline by listening to the voice of reason. I think the Stoics made a good point because if we investigated the doctrines and practices of most of the major religions, we will find something comparable to the teachings of Christianity. We can look at Buddhism or Confucianism or Hinduism and find teachings against murder, stealing, adultery and so forth. And so the Stoics believed there was something in our natural thinking process that would lead us to do the right thing. Paul contemplated this philosophical leaning and came up with a gospel that seemed to undercut what the Stoics believed. I imagine Paul saying something to the effect: Men of Athens, I can appreciate your philosophical thought that there is something in the laws of nature that will lead us to do the right thing. I understand what you are saying concerning the laws of nature, but I do not think you have considered human nature. You see, just because we know what is right does not mean we will do what is right. Just because we know we should not lie does not mean we will not lie. Just because we know we should not gossip on each other, stab each other in the back, dig ditches for one another, does not mean we will not do it. But my gospel takes into account human nature. Because I discovered the other day that even when I would do right, even when reason does lead me to do the right thing, evil is always present. As intelligent as we may consider ourselves, we cannot afford to rely solely on reason. When we have done all the thinking we can do, we will realize that there are some things beyond reason. We know this because if we stop to think about it, we would have to admit that the virgin birth is not logical. The turning of water into wine is not logical. It is not reasonable to accept the idea of a man walking on water. But the gospel transcends logic. The doctrine of the gospel is a great mystery of godliness. It is out of the road of the enquiries of human reason; it transcends the finiteness and limitations of man. The Epicureans were also on Mars Hill. They believed in the art of living happily. They considered pleasure of mind and body to be the highest good in life. Life to the Epicurean is simple fulfillment of natural desires which they felt rendered a life of security and lasting pleasure. They emphasized and sought to maximize the happiness of the majority and did not worry about the rest. For them, the chief end of man was to eat, drink and be merry. Well, I can hear Paul telling the Epicureans, There is nothing wrong with wanting to be happy. It is great to want to maximize the happiness of the greatest number, but my gospel also considers the few. There may be a few folks out there who cannot afford the cost of an education. There may be a few folks out there who are struggling trying to make ends meet. There may be a few folks out there who are not listed among the fittest; because under the evolutionary program, only the fittest will survive. If you are not fit, you'll be lost. But under the Gospel that I represent, it does not matter who you are, God cares. Unlike man, God's love is not conditional and not predicated on who you are, where you are, where you live or your education. You can be the President of the United States or you can be a sanitation worker for the city, God cares for you. It doe not matter where you are - you can be on top of the mountains or you can be on the bottom of the barrel, God still cares. It does not matter what street you live on. You can live in the richest neighborhoods or you can live in the ghettos of America, God still cares. Maybe you do not have a degree behind your name, maybe you do not know how to make the subject and the verb agree; God still cares for you. Paul looked at the surroundings he was in and could hardly believe what his eyes were seeing. Athens was famous for their temples that were exquisite works of art. There was no other place on earth at the time where so many idols were exhibited. It was often said that it was easier to find a god than a man in Athens. Paul observed the many temples, surrounded by statutes of deities and gods of many natures. There were thousands of public statutes and thousands more in the Parthenon. Athens was not only the home of the great philosophical thinkers; it was the home of the Greek gods of mythology. Many deities were housed in the temples and shrines of men's hearts and minds including Zeus, Apollo, and Narcissus. So Paul challenged them with the preposterousness of all the idols. What he said to them was tantamount to: I've noticed you have a lot of idols up here. Everywhere I look, I see idols. I have even noticed an altar with the inscription - To the Unknown God. Here you sit like you have all the answers, like you have a monopoly on wisdom and yet the true God is an unknown God. Well, let me tell you about this unknown God. The Good News from Mars (Hill) is that God cares. He cares for you in a personal and intimate way. It does not matter who you are, where you are, what your circumstance, God cares. Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach which can be reviewed on her site. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, is expected to be available in July. You are welcome to visit AMEN Ministries: Your Soul's Service Station for spiritual refreshing, soul edification or to browse our newly expanded mini shopping mall. Blessings to all!
MORE RESOURCES:
Religious and Spirituality : Secrets to Answered Prayer - What ... - SkyNewswire.com (press release)
Spirituality - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
A Medical Intuitive Look at Past Life Wounding In my work as a Medical Intuitive, I come across many instances where a client's past lives are impacting their current physical and emotional health.I do not think that our spirit essence endlessly progress from one life to the next without having other options between lives. 40 Days and 40 Nights I am beginning a journey starting tomorrow. I have decided that doing some serious soul searching is in order for me. Understanding the Gospel of Matthew and Why it Matters - Part 10 Matthew 3:7-10John Rebukes the Pharisees and Sadducees7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father,' for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children of Abraham. Moving On Gracefully: Leaving Your Spiritual Group While there are alot of warnings and admonishments regarding what to look for in a spiritual communitythere is very little to rely on when you are contemplating moving on.Most folk consider leaving after some kind of personalblow up. Stepping Into the Darkness One of the "loopholes" in my philosophical belief system when I was younger (and at this point in my life, that means "almost middle-aged"! ) was whether or not there was an evil force in the universe equal to God who served as man's adversary. He was the original "bad guy," and the human race seemed to be caught between these two invisible forces - one of good and one of evil. Wings of a Dove Perhaps one of the most wonderful assertions that can be made about Holy Scriptures is that it clearly shows man in all his humanness. If you really want to understand yourself, if you really desire to know who you are, then it would behoove you to study the sacred Writ and let God speak to your soul. The Traitor Within Life is like an obstacle course in which we run like an Olympian athlete and at times getting nowhere. We exert a lot of energy trying to avoid life's ditches, jump over the potholes, leap across stumbling blocks, miss the dangers, and somehow sidestep the troubles. Standing in the Gap I'm weary of saying No to my children. Not just the everyday No's. Stress & Spirituality, Part 1 Stress & Spirituality - How Spirituality Affects Stress LevelsTake a moment to close your eyes and think about what a 'spiritual' person looks like. Whether you see them as sitting lotus-style in saffron robes or speaking emphatically from a pulpit, I'd bet one thing you won't see them as is 'stressed'. Candle Burning to Petition the Female Saints Here they are, our Ladies of Mercy and Divine Benevolence. Petitioning the Saints for Special Favours has been a big subject in the chat rooms lately, so in the spirit of Christmas and the Goddess energies associated with these martyrs and popularized pagan deities, I have compiled a list that tells you how to use candle burning to request favours. God - A Thousand Words Wasted Who is God? This question would sound awkward to 80% of us. Moreover, this question would infuriate all of this 80%. The Gnostics and Essenes THE GNOSTICS, ESSENES AND THE 'OCCULT':Throughout this book I have made reference to esoteric groups or knowledge. I have done a book called The Occult: Uses and Abuses which has twice as many words as this; but I hope this one covers enough of the issues related to the abuse of spiritual knowledge by the elites. 7 Wake-Up Calls-Avoid Self Sabotage to Discover Wealth and Prosperity with the Angels of Abundance It's an almost unbelievable thought, but could you be getting intangible value from having less money than you'd like? Is there something holding you back from attracting all the money you deserve but you can't figure out what it is? Is there some way your deepest beliefs and secret thoughts are sabotaging your best efforts to make money? Try these wake-up calls on for size and see if any of them fit.1. Just Do It! "It's a big challenge. It's a journey into the unknown. Unfinished Business (Part 2) We know that David did much to stabilize the Kingdom of Israel. He fought a long series of wars to make Israel secure. Why There Are Four Gospels The first gospel written by Matthew,who is Levi, is the first archtype of Christ in you as the fulness of the Godhead.The second gospel by Mark is the second archtype of Christ. Secrets of Effortless Action Action dakini gets everything done.When wanting and grasping hold swayThe dakini has you in her power. Clear Mind, Empty Head: A Leak In Mind Like Water There's a lot of talk in meditation circles about emptying the mind.This is a roadblock for many people. I Count It All Joy A new chapter in my life begins today, the anniversary of my birth. It is therefore necessary that I pause to reflect upon this past year. Tibetan Singing Bowls - Learn More Before You Buy I recently had the pleasure to interview Richard Rudis, a Buddhist who has traveled to Tibet many times, who also teaches people how to work with Gongs, Tingshas, and Tibetan Singing Bowls.One question I asked him was about the fact that lately it seems that everyone and their brother is offering Tibetan Singing Bowls for sale.
|
|
Spirituality Articles Home Page | Spirituality Articles Site Map | News | Faith411.com Home Page EZmatic.com | IgoJo | UpBee | Blue Ryder | Health | ZippyGo | Ken J Wagner Faith411.com - all Vital information and articles related to Spirituality. |
| © 2006 |
