96% of the American people say that they believe in God.
Based
upon their behavior, this is a question of just what kind of a
God they believe in. Obviously, there is the Judeo-Christian
God
that has played a prominent role in our history, but based
upon
that history, their God has been pretty much ignored.
(Founding
Fathers aware of this)
Mark Twain, a century and a half later, said the same thing in
his whimsical, humorous way. "It always sounds well - In God
We
Trust. I don't believe it would sound any better if it were
true. If this nation has ever trusted in God, that this time has
gone by."
Mahatma Gandhi, the "great soul" of India, and inspiration to
the
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King to repricate his tactics of civil
disobedience and non-violence, had this to say to a
deputation of
missionaries. "I would be a Christian, if it weren't for the
Christians." Christians hymns were part of his prayer services,
and that is as
far as he went.
From the very beginning, the age-long drama of peoples
battling
over land, and for the domination and sovereignty over that
land,
pitted the colonies using every form of deceit, disease,
booze
and weaponry against America's indiginous population to
achieve
their goals, a tactic which continues even today, 385 years
later, to keep the American Indians down and unable to secure
their
just place and claims.
In a different way, but employing the same principles that men
are not created equal, blacks were enslaved and brought
to
America to work for master, leading to a civil war between the
north and the south as the only way to break this legalized
institution.
Today, as we fitfully struggle on myriad fronts to realize
domestically the ideal that all men are created equal, we are
witness to bloody similar conflicts around the world - Christian
killing Christian, Muslim killing Muslim, African killing
African, Indian killing Indian, Ceylonese killing Ceylonese. All
in quest
of man's ageless desires. Sovereignty, domination, power
over a bit
of land. One would think that after 17,000 years of unremitting
struggles, people would be ready for a new approach.
3,000 years ago the God of Israelites told them to "Love your
neighbor as yourself". He said, "The stranger that dwelleth
with
you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shall
love
him as thyself". Jesus added the admonition, "Love your
enemies, do good to them
which hate you".
(St. Paul [Saul] summed the Judeo-Christian teaching in
Romans 2-
14 "In Christ, there")
Whenever this has been tried, in areas predominantly Quaker
or
Amish, people have lived peacefully side-by-side. Even in an
India of 450 million, the natives and the English lived
peacefully side-by-side from 1914 until India gained it's
independence in 1947.
Muslims claim to believe in the same brotherhood of man, and
are
as guilty as Christians in behavior belying their belief. And
of course the Middle East conflict is rooted in the behavior of
the Zionists towards the Palestinians.
May we suggest as the 21st century approaches that we all
take a
serious, somber look at just what we are doing to each other,
and
resolve to change.
(Behavior modification)
The United Nations speaks of the "North-South" conflict, and
the
"north" has a surplus of food while the "south" is starving.
Certainly we can create a distribution system whereby all are
fed.
The economies of the world are in a years-long recession, nay
possible depression. Certainly we can adjust our capitalistic,
free enterprise system to pay the workers a living wage, to
give the
workers purchasing power needed, not only for the
necessities of life, but also discretionary, disposable income
to purchase the extra things in life that will revitalize the
economies and put everyone back to work.
Economics 101 states that "human wants can never be
satisfied". Certainly we can change the distribution of
purchasing power to enable millions, nay billions of people,
to purchase goods the need or want.
Based
upon their behavior, this is a question of just what kind of a
God they believe in. Obviously, there is the Judeo-Christian
God
that has played a prominent role in our history, but based
upon
that history, their God has been pretty much ignored.
(Founding
Fathers aware of this)
Mark Twain, a century and a half later, said the same thing in
his whimsical, humorous way. "It always sounds well - In God
We
Trust. I don't believe it would sound any better if it were
true. If this nation has ever trusted in God, that this time has
gone by."
Mahatma Gandhi, the "great soul" of India, and inspiration to
the
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King to repricate his tactics of civil
disobedience and non-violence, had this to say to a
deputation of
missionaries. "I would be a Christian, if it weren't for the
Christians." Christians hymns were part of his prayer services,
and that is as
far as he went.
From the very beginning, the age-long drama of peoples
battling
over land, and for the domination and sovereignty over that
land,
pitted the colonies using every form of deceit, disease,
booze
and weaponry against America's indiginous population to
achieve
their goals, a tactic which continues even today, 385 years
later, to keep the American Indians down and unable to secure
their
just place and claims.
In a different way, but employing the same principles that men
are not created equal, blacks were enslaved and brought
to
America to work for master, leading to a civil war between the
north and the south as the only way to break this legalized
institution.
Today, as we fitfully struggle on myriad fronts to realize
domestically the ideal that all men are created equal, we are
witness to bloody similar conflicts around the world - Christian
killing Christian, Muslim killing Muslim, African killing
African, Indian killing Indian, Ceylonese killing Ceylonese. All
in quest
of man's ageless desires. Sovereignty, domination, power
over a bit
of land. One would think that after 17,000 years of unremitting
struggles, people would be ready for a new approach.
3,000 years ago the God of Israelites told them to "Love your
neighbor as yourself". He said, "The stranger that dwelleth
with
you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shall
love
him as thyself". Jesus added the admonition, "Love your
enemies, do good to them
which hate you".
(St. Paul [Saul] summed the Judeo-Christian teaching in
Romans 2-
14 "In Christ, there")
Whenever this has been tried, in areas predominantly Quaker
or
Amish, people have lived peacefully side-by-side. Even in an
India of 450 million, the natives and the English lived
peacefully side-by-side from 1914 until India gained it's
independence in 1947.
Muslims claim to believe in the same brotherhood of man, and
are
as guilty as Christians in behavior belying their belief. And
of course the Middle East conflict is rooted in the behavior of
the Zionists towards the Palestinians.
May we suggest as the 21st century approaches that we all
take a
serious, somber look at just what we are doing to each other,
and
resolve to change.
(Behavior modification)
The United Nations speaks of the "North-South" conflict, and
the
"north" has a surplus of food while the "south" is starving.
Certainly we can create a distribution system whereby all are
fed.
The economies of the world are in a years-long recession, nay
possible depression. Certainly we can adjust our capitalistic,
free enterprise system to pay the workers a living wage, to
give the
workers purchasing power needed, not only for the
necessities of life, but also discretionary, disposable income
to purchase the extra things in life that will revitalize the
economies and put everyone back to work.
Economics 101 states that "human wants can never be
satisfied". Certainly we can change the distribution of
purchasing power to enable millions, nay billions of people,
to purchase goods the need or want.
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