Interpreting Man's Law Versus Spiritual Law; a problem for mankind
Three concepts, three precepts they can not be understood the same.
A man who reads a Spiritual text as though it were a statute is in trouble.
Radical Jihadists, Old world crusaders, Monks on fire are signs of two bad phenomenon coming together at once. People spouting absolutism and people getting that message and living up to it.
If one cleric or pontificate proclaims any one who does 'this" is not a Christian and another proclaims that all non-Christians in WahWahland must die, then we have mayhem and massacre if those messages are met by a man who would live up to teachings and be convicted.
Follow this now because it is important: If cleric one also proclaims that no christian can kill another human, then he makes some sense and is moderate; If cleric two also preaches that only God will take a life then we understand him.
But our radical only gets the two messages about not being a Christian and must die. And worse yet another cleric comes along and usurps the teachings selectively. Now we have religious bloodshed based on a human interpretation of spiritual law using standards meant for man made law, not spiritual law. See the problem?
I was cruising along in life and a Priest from the Episcopal Church was having trouble with his church's changing over to allowing LGBT priests into the fold. Of course he agreed they should be members and loved but leading a congregation was troubling to him. He was a cool old guy who had been a navy Chaplain and a doctor.
So we ordered up the Canons of the Episcopal church, several hundred dollars worth and I began to reconcile the idea with the man made laws of the church. More on that later.
A man went to school to learn how to ride a horse, he learned on school horses.
Well now ain't that just a pretty picture --- just fine for school. But put him on a ranch 10 miles from the Mexican border in Arizona to round up strays on a horse trained but born in the wild and he is going to have to get tough or die.
Another man came from money got a law degree passed the California bar. Got a job in a fancy firm. He said he wanted to be a litigator. So they stuck in pro bono criminal defense work where he spoke to clients through bars and was threatened daily, he is going to have to get tough or die.
There was another man he got a Masters in divinity and was ordained. He knew the Word and the liturgy inside and out he knew all the absolutes and laws of the bible and all the do's and dont's, he was strict to his understanding of the book called the Bible. He was ordered to be a Southside Chicago Police Chaplain. On several scenes he gave scriptural readings but the dying did not respond so he declared them dead without the love of God, he was going to have to get tough or souls would die.
In fact most adherents to strict rules are insecure, they cling to them because and environment is hostel or too strange for their comfort.
But in order to survive and to do well, they must dig down and find their strength from within.
We are born free. We must not let laws shackle us but address them in order to stay free.
Can you stay within the lines and yet remain unchained
Do you think a Bible should be followed the same as a Penal Code?
So using our brain, is really the only strict law there is.
I know that sounds simple enough, but is it really? Do you walk away from a lecture, sermon or reading with little rules to live by? Or do you walk away with a better understanding of life.
If the speed limit is 55 mph, that is what it is, no need to debate. If you throw a rock up over your head gravity will make it fall on your head. If you take a spiritual notion and treat like the first two laws, you have missed the point entirely. If you try to force a spiritual notion on another like it was the same as the first to laws, you will cause harm and bloodshed and misery and hate.
Mans and natures laws were made to be broken -- Spiritual laws were made to guide us in thought, word, deed and love.
Steal what you want.
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