The World is Changing
I have a friend who truly believes that the time of Rapture is upon us, and all of the Christians will be departing the planet shortly. Over the years, I have learned to respect other people's beliefs, and I honestly don't know if she is right or wrong. For all I know, the Rapture may be close. There is just one problem:
I don't believe in the Biblical God.
It's not that I don't want to - it would be lovely if I could. But I have never heard His voice nor felt the calling for His church. I have actually listened to the Jehovah's Witnesses that come through my neighborhood (inviting them in for hot chocolate near Christmas . . . you've never seen such a surprised and grateful bunch). And when they finished their presentation and asked if I was ready to accept Jesus Christ, I gave them my honest answer.
I can't. Not because I don't want to. Because I don't believe it. And if I go to church and say I'm going to be saved solely because I went to church - I am a hypocrite by all our laws.
Which returns me to the Rapture.
If it does happen, I won't be going. Which begs the question: what happens to all the good people who are left behind? Thus, the Creative Exercise - what will happen to the World when all the Christians are gone?
I think the most harmful concept of Christianity is also the simplest - man has a God-given dominion over Nature. Man is apart from Nature, and does not have to follow its rules. Even though Christianity has been a source of inspiration and comfort to billions of people - it also carries a deadly message: your reward is not HERE. It is in another place.
Why respect this planet if there is no reward?
What will happen when the Christians are gone? There will be a chance for a change in perception . . . all over the World (and NO, I'm not referring to the alleged lies of the Antichrist). Since I will not be departing with the Rapture, I choose to have optimism and Hope. I choose to try and forge a better future for my son.
As civilations collapse (which arguably, will happen simply due to the whole food = reproduction issues, which the World is severly uninterested in fixing) the World will be catapulted into chaos. But, there is a middle road. There is a chance to become a part of Nature again. To learn its rules and live in harmony. And yes, I believe some of this will happen in my lifetime. I also have the hope that it can be done BEFORE the collapse into chaos.
We have all been pulled apart by two sides of the Nature issue. REMEMBER, I AM DEALING WITH THE EXTREMES HERE. On one side, you have the environmentalist - who insists that Wilderness must be kept pristine and nothing touched or changed. (Change is the only constant in the World. I guarantee you the Wilderness of the dinosaurs was vastly different from our Wilderness now). The other extreme is "big business" chewing through our forests for National resources with no regard for the destruction it wreaks. THERE IS A MIDDLE ROAD.
There is a school of thought that works in harmony with Nature. It encourages us to play our part - not as undisputed masters, but as caretakers - Gardeners, if you will. It encourages caring for the land (not leaving it alone), and making changes with the full knowledge of who (or what) those changes will effect - and consideration for those who come after. You can still mine for resources - but with the questions, who and what does this effect? How can I mine in such a way that my children's children can reap the rewards . . . and not the consequences?
Key to this philosophy is the fundamental change in perception . . . the shift to RESPECT FOR LIFE. And, in this instance, our children are our future.
I take my son camping, and encourage him to touch and smell the flowers. I instruct him that throwing rocks at animals is harmful. I teach him to appreciate his food sources.
If the Rapture comes, the World will change. And in that moment, we will be caught in the crux of a decision . . . do we follow the Christian script and allow the World to fall into darkness beneath the Antichrist? Or do we prepare our children and change our perceptions, so the World can be reborn and respect for the planet restored?
I know which path I prefer to tread. I hold A.'s hand, and we walk it together.
I don't believe in the Biblical God.
It's not that I don't want to - it would be lovely if I could. But I have never heard His voice nor felt the calling for His church. I have actually listened to the Jehovah's Witnesses that come through my neighborhood (inviting them in for hot chocolate near Christmas . . . you've never seen such a surprised and grateful bunch). And when they finished their presentation and asked if I was ready to accept Jesus Christ, I gave them my honest answer.
I can't. Not because I don't want to. Because I don't believe it. And if I go to church and say I'm going to be saved solely because I went to church - I am a hypocrite by all our laws.
Which returns me to the Rapture.
If it does happen, I won't be going. Which begs the question: what happens to all the good people who are left behind? Thus, the Creative Exercise - what will happen to the World when all the Christians are gone?
I think the most harmful concept of Christianity is also the simplest - man has a God-given dominion over Nature. Man is apart from Nature, and does not have to follow its rules. Even though Christianity has been a source of inspiration and comfort to billions of people - it also carries a deadly message: your reward is not HERE. It is in another place.
Why respect this planet if there is no reward?
What will happen when the Christians are gone? There will be a chance for a change in perception . . . all over the World (and NO, I'm not referring to the alleged lies of the Antichrist). Since I will not be departing with the Rapture, I choose to have optimism and Hope. I choose to try and forge a better future for my son.
As civilations collapse (which arguably, will happen simply due to the whole food = reproduction issues, which the World is severly uninterested in fixing) the World will be catapulted into chaos. But, there is a middle road. There is a chance to become a part of Nature again. To learn its rules and live in harmony. And yes, I believe some of this will happen in my lifetime. I also have the hope that it can be done BEFORE the collapse into chaos.
We have all been pulled apart by two sides of the Nature issue. REMEMBER, I AM DEALING WITH THE EXTREMES HERE. On one side, you have the environmentalist - who insists that Wilderness must be kept pristine and nothing touched or changed. (Change is the only constant in the World. I guarantee you the Wilderness of the dinosaurs was vastly different from our Wilderness now). The other extreme is "big business" chewing through our forests for National resources with no regard for the destruction it wreaks. THERE IS A MIDDLE ROAD.
There is a school of thought that works in harmony with Nature. It encourages us to play our part - not as undisputed masters, but as caretakers - Gardeners, if you will. It encourages caring for the land (not leaving it alone), and making changes with the full knowledge of who (or what) those changes will effect - and consideration for those who come after. You can still mine for resources - but with the questions, who and what does this effect? How can I mine in such a way that my children's children can reap the rewards . . . and not the consequences?
Key to this philosophy is the fundamental change in perception . . . the shift to RESPECT FOR LIFE. And, in this instance, our children are our future.
I take my son camping, and encourage him to touch and smell the flowers. I instruct him that throwing rocks at animals is harmful. I teach him to appreciate his food sources.
If the Rapture comes, the World will change. And in that moment, we will be caught in the crux of a decision . . . do we follow the Christian script and allow the World to fall into darkness beneath the Antichrist? Or do we prepare our children and change our perceptions, so the World can be reborn and respect for the planet restored?
I know which path I prefer to tread. I hold A.'s hand, and we walk it together.
posted by Andrea Peach | 8:00 AM
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