I don't talk enough about religion on here. That really needs to change. After all, I now have become good friends with THREE (count 'em, 3!) evangelical ministers. Most of you know that I am a believer in Jesus Christ as our savior and I think He, in guiding me on this path towards these three folks, is teaching me a lesson.
No...I'm not going to become an evangelical conservative. I know plenty of you are disappointed:) What he is trying to tell me, I think, is to check my bias at the door of His temple. I've always found the evangelicals to be restrictive, narrow minded, intolerant, and ignorant. The issue of homosexuality has always been the biggest dynamite stick. But there are times like this when I am happy to be proven wrong.
One of EM friends, a pastor from Missouri, sent me this link on Face Book the other day. It's something I have been saying for years.
In creating works of art, you are exercising your own freedom of expression, a freedom many people do not experience because they are bound by religious customs and unwritten codes and rules
So wonderful and true. But how does this relate to God?
The creative process is something God went through and goes through in the creation of our exposition, the very planet we live on.
When you create a piece of art, you are experientially understanding God.
Art matters, so keep creating, even as God is creating, for your pleasure and for His.
These are just the best bits from the post so please go and read the whole thing. I was pretty stunned that he forwarded this to me as I've always seen the evangelical conservative as being pro-censorship when it came to being creative and artistic...especially if those expressions were in any way, in their view, against the will of God.
I am proud to say that I was wrong. Perhaps there is hope after all. Hope through creativity and artistic expression...nice!
13 comments:
I may have told you this in person, but in any case:
I am not a Catholic, and would call myself an Agnostic, if anything. But stepping foot inside the Vatican... it's easy to believe God would want to live there. Spiritual beauty, handcrafted by men.
dw
dw
Religion and being a believer in Christ are two different things, mark.
Jesus loves me, but I'm only using him for sex.
Hey, I agree with donald on this one. :) Don't mix the two as may overlap but aren't the same.
“If you love Me, you will keep My commands.”
—Jesus
(John 14:15 HCSB)
So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you really are My disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
— Jesus
(John 8:31–32 HCSB)
“My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”
— Jesus
(John 10:27–30 HCSB)
“Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
—Jesus
(Matthew 5:17–19 HCSB)
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?’ Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!’”
—Jesus
(Matthew 7:21–23 HCSB)
JOH 10:30 I and my Father are one.
JOH 14:28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
One is > one?
PRO 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
ECC 1:18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
Get wisdom, get grief.
MAT 27:46,50: "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, eli, lama sabachthani?" that is to say, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" ...Jesus, when he cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost."
LUK 23:46: "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, "Father, unto thy hands I commend my spirit:" and having said thus, he gave up the ghost."
JOH 19:30: "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, "It is finished:" and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."
What did he say? I wasn't paying attention....
II SAMUEL 24: And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.
I CHRONICLES 21: And SATAN stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
God, Satan... I knew it was one of them.
I could go on for days. In other words, spam your bible verse at home, churchy.
dw
dw,
I could answer every one of your arguments, but I won't because the ensuing argument ("I could go on for days.") would distract from the central point I was trying to make:
Jesus doesn't give us the option of picking and choosing what parts of his words (including the Old Testament) to accept and which to reject. If Mark is going to claim to be a Christian, he has to come to terms with that.
Maybe we could do it some other time.
But that's exactly my point Ed. How does Jebus expect me to choose between explicit contradictions in his Holy Word? No matter what I choose, I may violate some other part of His Bible.
I find it easier to swallow Mark picking and choosing which contradiction he believes in politically, than pick and choose (from the Gospels) the contradictory circumstances of Christ's resurrection.
Besides, the topic of the post is religion. Let's throw down. It may stimulate me.
I debated the Jehovah's Witnesses weekly for months, (I still have my notes) and have nothing but respect for their evangelism. I promise the same respect to your beliefs.
dw
Hoo boy, this could interesting...
I'll let you two continue but I just want to say...great passages, Ed. They are always welcome here.
I am curious, though. What are your thoughts on these two?
John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Luke 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
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