Anger and hate. These two
emotions seem to be everywhere, filling the air around us with an invisible
smog, a choking, cloying miasma with the power to destroy everything good,
everything righteous, and everything beautiful. Can you see it? Can you feel
it?
It seems that discourse today
is all about “sides”, a kind of us-versus-them mentality that has developed into
a scorched earth, take no prisoners kind of battle. It’s no longer just a matter
that people are on two sides of an intellectual divide, with fervent belief in
their own interpretation of the facts.
It’s that there are two
opposing sets of facts, period. And for all I know, even more than two. All you
appear to need to “create” reality is a loud voice, dogged persistence, and
internet bots.
This is all my perception, I
will gladly admit this, but I know I’m not alone in my interpretation of what is
happening in the world around us. It’s extremely wearing, isn’t it? The word
“compromise” has not only been struck from the lexicon of daily social
interaction: I greatly fear it is being expunged from our very
memories.
I’ve been totally upfront in
these essays, letting my readers know where I stand, faith-wise. I don’t, as a
rule, proselytize. And perhaps it’s because of my faith that I feel this
darkness, this hate and anger spreading throughout the land so very deeply. You
see, I’ve come to realize the worst perpetrators of this sickness are those who
claim to cling to the very faith that is so dear to me, and at the core of my
own beliefs.
What I can see, and what I
believe, is their actions and their stated beliefs are at odds with
Christianity, as I know it.
I’m not going to preach
religion in this essay. I’m trying only to reveal my own intellectual and
spiritual struggles with the world around me. And what I see are a whole lot of
people whose actions do not reflect the meaning of the words they use to
justify those actions. It all comes down to one thing, for me, and that’s having
the fruit on the tree. You can’t say you belong to Christ if you are exhibiting
behavior that is not Christ-like. This is not judgement; this is called
spiritual discernment.
There are many
in every faith who hold to good, positive practices and
behaviors—behaviors like kindness, generosity, caring, and love. There are those
who eschew religious faith completely who are kind, generous, caring and loving
individuals. People who spread love, not hate. Christians do not have a monopoly
on these qualities. No one religion does.
I suppose at the core it comes
down to the fact that we are sometimes confusing two separate nouns representing
two separate things: religion, and faith. The first is of man, the second is of
God.
I know there is a purpose to
the turmoil we’re all witnessing because I know who ultimately is in control. I
also know I’m not the only one getting world-weary of the nastiness. I have no
great idea or grand plan to combat the plague that is consuming so many in this
world today.
All I can do is to say to you,
this is what I think it is, and this is how it affects me, so that those who
feel the same way know they are not alone. Sometimes, realizing you’re not alone
can be a tremendous boon.
There is one more thing I can
do. I can re-affirm my own faith, my own values, and repeat as my own mantra
that hard times really don’t come to stay.
They truly come to
pass.
Love,
Morgan
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