God, Christians and Humanity

[shaddow1]

N. B While the example I am about to give relates to a specific group of people, I urge the readers to extrapolate the concept to the wider community.

A Woman
I had an inkling of what she may have wanted when she asked me with teary eyes to come to her house for coffee. I have travelled down this road too many times before and always wondered. She is in her late fifties. The war took away her husband and only son and left her with three daughters. She managed to marry off two of them to the first offerors and the third was born with a treatable yet chronic kidney disease. She requires constant and expensive medication. For them it’s chore to survive let alone coming up with the money needed to buy medication. What she wanted from me was some assistance with the cost and perhaps, a small contribution to pay last years arrears for her grandson’s tuition.

God and churches
She comes from a town in the chouf area which was decimated in the war. It’s now trying to rebuild two of its three churches at a cost which will exceed the total yearly income of more than seventy percent of the towns Christian inhabitants for the next twenty to twenty five years. In fact within a 5km radius of the church lie seven other small villages which were treated equally harshly in the civil war. Between all these towns they are building 11 churches, at an enormous cost to the community and for a population that is now close to 15% of what it was in 1970. Quite easily the total cost of the churches will exceed 10 million dollars. Another thing: almost all the inhabitants own cars and in less than 10 min drive they can be in any church in any of the towns. Fair enough! The churches are their connection to the land but will there be anyone there 50 years from now to connect? Only time could tell.

People
I conducted an amateur survey of the population trend in all these villages. With mortality, birth and migration rates as they are now, not one single town has increased in population since 1990.In fact the largest one of them, my town, boasts a population now that is less than 20% of what it was prior to the war. Nearly 80% of its people migrated never to return but for a short summer visit to sell whatever is left of their land.

Social values:
St Paul said: “God does not need a house built by hands”. But what does St Paul have to do with the version of Christianity practised in my hometown? The inhabitants of these towns are spending enormous and scarce resources to build churches for a population that is likely to be in 30 year time less than 50% of what it is today.
In all these towns combined there is not one single organisation to help the woman and the daughter mentioned above. There is no where the poor could turn to for some help, the sick for some medication, the destitute for some housing, the unemployed for some work, and the unlucky ones for some tuition assistance.
The question is: are these people fit to survive in an increasingly hostile environment? Do they possess the right mode of thinking to deal with poverty, unemployment, sickness, ageing, un-education and environmental degradation?
Their values are muddled up in a static way of thinking so much so that a perception of the reality in their heads is a perfect substitute for the reality on the ground.
Why is it that they can find the resources to build churches and not one cent to help those in need amongst them and thus to ensure their own survival. Their obsession with heaven makes them give so much to God who doesn’t need their help and too little to those who do. Is it any wonder that 80 years ago a man called Joubran Khalil Joubran said:
Once every hundred years, in a garden in the mountains of Lebanon, Jesus of Nazareth meets up with Jesus of the Nazerites ( Christians). The former says to the Latter: I am afraid my dear friend we shall never see eye to eye.

[Spawn Of Cthullu]

That's very correct. Besides, Jesus told his disciples to stay away from "the ways of the heathens". Ironically enough, his church ( not just the Catholic church, alluvthem ) turned out to be a new and improved way of paganism. There's still temples, there's still priests and priestesses hierarchies, there's still statues and icon worship ... they even hi-jacked some pagan holidays ( the Winter Solstice, now known as Christmas .. among other holidays) and demonized their holy symbols ( the pentacle and poseidon's trident are now symbols of evil ) . In short terms, the church, and the way your town folks practice religion is the embodiement of everything Jesus stood up against.

"There was only one true Christian, and he died on the cross" ~ Freidrich-Wilhelm Nietzsche


On a larger scale, this paradox spans throughout the crushing majority of religious communities, mainly due to political lobbying of the religious cadres ( including men of robes ) , hence the birth of such terms as "political christianism" , "political sunnism" or "political shii'ism". The lack of awareness and knowledge of believers about their own religion or theology also plays an important part in this.

Cheers

[Adonis11]

We have a similar situation in my area. It's a question of priorities and God always comes first even if he doesnt need our help.

[drmaalouf]

Originally Posted by Spawn of Cthullu

There's still temples, there's still priests and priestesses hierarchies, there's still statues and icon worship ... they even hi-jacked some pagan holidays ( the Winter Solstice, now known as Christmas .. among other holidays) and demonized their holy symbols ( the pentacle and poseidon's trident are now symbols of evil )

Just as a side note (my intention is not to stir any dilemna here, besides it's out of topic), the above does not apply to mainline evangelicals (baptists, presbyterians,...) NO priests, NO icons, NO symbols, NO rituals, NO holidays...these doctrines are the basis of ''The Reformation''. What you stated above is why there was/is so much tension between Catholics and Protestants. Protestants think as you do, that all these are additions to the real Christianity of Jesus.

Regards.

[WiseCookie]

This also a side note. The Pentacle is a christian symbol. It was demonized by hollywood and not the church. However, I totally agree with shaddow. The catholic church needs reforms in its ideology.

[coralie]

Originally Posted by shaddow1

N. B While the example I am about to give relates to a specific group of people, I urge the readers to extrapolate the concept to the wider community.

A Woman
I had an inkling of what she may have wanted when she asked me with teary eyes to come to her house for coffee. I have travelled down this road too many times before and always wondered. She is in her late fifties. The war took away her husband and only son and left her with three daughters. She managed to marry off two of them to the first offerors and the third was born with a treatable yet chronic kidney disease. She requires constant and expensive medication. For them it’s chore to survive let alone coming up with the money needed to buy medication. What she wanted from me was some assistance with the cost and perhaps, a small contribution to pay last years arrears for her grandson’s tuition.

God and churches
She comes from a town in the chouf area which was decimated in the war. It’s now trying to rebuild two of its three churches at a cost which will exceed the total yearly income of more than seventy percent of the towns Christian inhabitants for the next twenty to twenty five years. In fact within a 5km radius of the church lie seven other small villages which were treated equally harshly in the civil war. Between all these towns they are building 11 churches, at an enormous cost to the community and for a population that is now close to 15% of what it was in 1970. Quite easily the total cost of the churches will exceed 10 million dollars. Another thing: almost all the inhabitants own cars and in less than 10 min drive they can be in any church in any of the towns. Fair enough! The churches are their connection to the land but will there be anyone there 50 years from now to connect? Only time could tell.

People
I conducted an amateur survey of the population trend in all these villages. With mortality, birth and migration rates as they are now, not one single town has increased in population since 1990.In fact the largest one of them, my town, boasts a population now that is less than 20% of what it was prior to the war. Nearly 80% of its people migrated never to return but for a short summer visit to sell whatever is left of their land.

Social values:
St Paul said: “God does not need a house built by hands”. But what does St Paul have to do with the version of Christianity practised in my hometown? The inhabitants of these towns are spending enormous and scarce resources to build churches for a population that is likely to be in 30 year time less than 50% of what it is today.
In all these towns combined there is not one single organisation to help the woman and the daughter mentioned above. There is no where the poor could turn to for some help, the sick for some medication, the destitute for some housing, the unemployed for some work, and the unlucky ones for some tuition assistance.
The question is: are these people fit to survive in an increasingly hostile environment? Do they possess the right mode of thinking to deal with poverty, unemployment, sickness, ageing, un-education and environmental degradation?
Their values are muddled up in a static way of thinking so much so that a perception of the reality in their heads is a perfect substitute for the reality on the ground.
Why is it that they can find the resources to build churches and not one cent to help those in need amongst them and thus to ensure their own survival. Their obsession with heaven makes them give so much to God who doesn’t need their help and too little to those who do. Is it any wonder that 80 years ago a man called Joubran Khalil Joubran said:
Once every hundred years, in a garden in the mountains of Lebanon, Jesus of Nazareth meets up with Jesus of the Nazerites ( Christians). The former says to the Latter: I am afraid my dear friend we shall never see eye to eye.

as it was writen : listen to their words but dont do what they do . (isma3ou akwalahom wa la tf3alou af3alahom)
i wonder if they dont help the ppl to return why bother building churches that will stay empty cz there will be no one to attend the mass !!!
do you realy think they have an obssesion with heaven ???do you think they are giving to God any thing ??? if that so i strongly believe someone should enlight them and tell them they are simply using the wrong way to heaven and by wearing the black robe does nt make them on the right path of heaven , stones , the gold , the cristal, the richess woods used to build those churches will not pave their way to heaven ! charity will , love will , but do they know this heavenly reality ???

[Spawn Of Cthullu]

Originally Posted by drmaalouf

Just as a side note (my intention is not to stir any dilemna here, besides it's out of topic), the above does not apply to mainline evangelicals (baptists, presbyterians,...) NO priests, NO icons, NO symbols, NO rituals, NO holidays...these doctrines are the basis of ''The Reformation''. What you stated above is why there was/is so much tension between Catholics and Protestants. Protestants think as you do, that all these are additions to the real Christianity of Jesus.

Regards.

Hey,

theoretically, you're probably right. Evangelican movements were supposed to be a step ahead from Catholicism. But let's also not forget the political side of those 'reforms', being mostly tools when a new rebellious movement is done to oppose the pope and the pro-pope kings/feudals. Using the factor of religion by the pretext of reforming Catholicism is convincing enough for the peasants to defy the pope and his political orientations, and defend their new religion by all means. Practically, all those organized sects did the same thing that Catholicism did. Or does waging war in the name of reforming Christianity differs that much from waging war in the name of Christianity ?

[Abu Jaafar]

I think its unfair to judge whole peoples by the institutions that govern them. Its true the many 'Christians' do not do what the Christ does at all. I did not grow up in Lebanon but when I came back and realized the role of religion in the wars and so forth, the hypocrisy, the corruption, the repition, and the ridiculous notion that God is actually pleased when we do the same rituals and prayers over and over again I became so disillusioned that I rejected belief in God altogether. A couple years after that I began to ask God if He was there or not and I began to hear this voice in my heart saying "Jesus is Truth". Jesus to me was nothing more than a poor martyr who didn't even fight back, a good man, but not King-God-Messiah. I chose to accept this statement, however, not knowing where it would lead me simply because as I asked for the truth, i had to follow it once I got it. Anyways, that story is here in more details http://www.thejourneycafe.com/Storie...AEC80764E.html

I think its important to judge fairly on this one and to avoid generalizations, holier-than-thou attitudes, and condemnations/accusations left and right. Jesus said 'Not everybody who calls me 'Lord, Lord' will enter into the kingdom of Heaven'. He was referring to many who did amazing things in His name but who had no connection with Him whatsoever.

[lady_forever]

Originally Posted by coralie

as it was writen : listen to their words but dont do what they do . (isma3ou akwalahom wa la tf3alou af3alahom)
i wonder if they dont help the ppl to return why bother building churches that will stay empty cz there will be no one to attend the mass !!!
do you realy think they have an obssesion with heaven ???do you think they are giving to God any thing ??? if that so i strongly believe someone should enlight them and tell them they are simply using the wrong way to heaven and by wearing the black robe does nt make them on the right path of heaven , stones , the gold , the cristal, the richess woods used to build those churches will not pave their way to heaven ! charity will , love will , but do they know this heavenly reality ???

Hi Coralie...i am with you one hundred per cent and i ask myself same questions..

[Spawn Of Cthullu]

Originally Posted by WiseCookie

This also a side note. The Pentacle is a christian symbol. It was demonized by hollywood and not the church.

It was never a christian symbol (it's true that earlier christians considered it as a representation of Jesus' five wounds, but the roman catholic church did indeed demonize it, thus forbidding any earlier pro-christian interpretation of it ). Besides, the pentacle rarely ever made it to hollywood; the symbol that you tend to see in hollywood, particularly in the rooms of serial killers (lol) is the pentagram, and not the pentacle. The pentagram is an inverted pentacle, used mainly by occultists, and it's history dates much later than the pentacle. You're mixing up between the two symbols.

cheers