When are we going to get it?? I was scrolling through my Facebook page … and … low and behold, I come across this COVERT but entirely sanctimonious attack on those whose beliefs are different than our own.
My heart stops. Frozen in the deepest despair. We all SAY we are committed to PEACE. We self-righteously point fingers at those we believe are guilty of ATTACKING others and raging war. We are absolutely outraged by such unprovoked global aggression. We must STOP them.
And then, in the next breath, we obliviously and unwittingly perpetuate the ENERGY of war and divisiveness with this kind of seemingly benign attack. ‘ShutUpImStillTalking’ appears to delight in their deliberate intent to BOTHER those whose beliefs are different.
THIS is an unflattering microcosm of the macrocosm … covertly promoting religious INTOLERANCE … even though we are vehemently criticizing that very thing across the planet. How come it’s only wrong when THEY do it? By endorsing and embracing this kind of belittling energy (also hidden behind religious sanctimony), we are very unwittingly adding to the darkness. Argh. And yet, for some reason, we cannot see it. And it all leaves me saddened to the core.
Source Unknown but deeply appreciated.
Can we not find it in our hearts to make room to live peacefully with those whose beliefs are different than ours? Offering neutral good wishes (Happy Holidays or Season’s Greetings) CANNOT possibly corrupt or diminish any of my own beliefs. I would argue that uttering these sentiments cannot take the omnipotent love of God out of any Christian’s heart … but rather, it simply MAGNIFIES and REFLECTS it.
From where I am looking, when all people can offer a loving acknowledgement to all others without requiring them to fit into their own belief system … THAT is to live in peace. And, when we can extend warm, meaningful and loving wishes to those we know hold different beliefs … THAT is to cultivate peace on earth.
Isn’t that the TRUEST essence of tolerance and love … isn’t that the core teaching of Jesus and so many of our other religious teachings? If we can’t offer it in our neighborhoods or on Facebook, we will certainly never see it globally. And it saddens me to the core.
Gandhi sagely professed: “We must BE the change we wish to see in the world”. Gandhi so clearly got it … when, oh when, will we?
Rant over … but … my heart still aches, Karen
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Dec 05, 2015 @ 11:14:53
Well said. I’ve had those same thoughts myself so thank you for so eloquently expressing a compassionate and thought provoking ‘different’ perspective.
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Dec 05, 2015 @ 11:55:41
Thanks for your encouraging support Susan. I know I am going out on the skinny branches with this so it feels good to know I am not alone in my sentiments … 🙂
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Dec 05, 2015 @ 18:57:09
This came at a perfect time, Karen. I knew that many of the major religions had celebrations around this time of the year, but it was nice to see how many. There were some I was not aware of, and I need to do some more research on those. The quote from Gandhi captures the sentiment so well. WE must be the change… I love your wisdom and your passion. It is voices like yours that help to change the world, one act of courage at a time. Silence implies agreement and it is important for many voices to be heard.
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Dec 06, 2015 @ 08:22:59
Yes … it is so easy for us to step over all the other traditions that may be honored by people in our midst, because of the volume of the voice of the majority. Thank you again for being here … and … for your thoughtful reflections! And … Happy Holidays !
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Dec 19, 2015 @ 19:05:31
I’m not so sure you would love to hear my thoughts, but I’m going to give them to you, because you need to hear them:
You don’t have to exert any effort to find hateful warmongering attitudes expressed by average Americans online. You seem to be a sincere Christian type person, but the problem is you have to wear mental blinders to be that sort of person.
The simple blatant fact is that Christianity, and especially the American expressions of Christianity, is the most hypocritical set of dogma on the planet. The average typical American shouting about how important Christianity is and how America’s morals come from being a “Christian Nation” generally opposes everything Jesus supposedly was trying to teach. Every single thing he stood for, is what they despise. Yet they claim, in doing all the things he would have harshly criticized them for, that they are doing them “for Jesus’ sake”.
I’m going to sum it up to you this way: Christianity is a pearl that European society built up around the grain of sand that was Jesus. You understand how pearls are formed? They are created by an organism to protect itself against a potential irritant.
And so, the Christian Church built up the religion of Jesus to protect itself against the harsh criticism Jesus himself presented to society. Jesus fiercely condemned hypocrisy, and so the hypocrites protected themselves against Jesus by creating the Church, in the same way that a huge corporation will buy up the patents of all the small-time inventors who come up with a solution to the problem the corporations are creating, so that they can continue with business as usual without threat from the innovative inventors.
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Dec 20, 2015 @ 00:00:36
Hmmmm … I am in agreement with some of what you stated. In fact, I’m not entirely sure where you got the sense that I am “a sincere Christian type” wearing certain kind of blinders … because I appreciate all invitations for critical reflection. That is why I wrote the post. I find myself wondering if you actually read my post in its entirety … ?
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