ON COMMON THOUGHT

Is it wonderful when people agree? Well it is a great feeling to have someone else tell you that what you believe is correct.

Conversely it can really stir the flames of ire when somebody claims you are wrong. And when it comes to the subject of religion, wars have been started over such disagreements.

I believe the quest for spiritual truth is the journey desired by any one who embraces the idea that there is more to life than just the now. The only problem is that while we might all start at that same junction of desire it doesn’t mean we end up following the same path.

However despite the fact that some spiritual paths totally contradict others I have yet to meet anyone that has confessed what they believed was not the truth. At least while they were following that path. If later something makes them change their minds, then some, but not all individuals don’t mind admitting to making a mistake.

Still even if we take a wrong turn and have to start over normally it doesn’t seem we learn from the experience enough to keep from repeating the same practice the next time. With some people they are constantly declaring “this is the place” no matter if they have to do it everyday.

What is a reality is that no matter how anyone tries, no matter how universal they think there message might be, it can’t appeal to everyone. And that applies in this life to Christianity as much as any other belief system.

I see nothing in the scriptures that remotely suggest God expected otherwise from humanity. But some have tried to “spruce” up the faith to make it more popular by changing its meaning to make it less offensive.

Personally, however well intentioned that person’s desire might be, I’m not persuaded it really helps. After all in Heaven, God’s truth, unadorned by such lies or distortion will be reality. Just painting over the veracity with a hue of appeal to lure some into the faith hardly to me truly benefits anyone.

The one thing that is an abiding problem I see in that regard is when a person starts out by viewing truth through his or her own spectacles of prejudice. Then you end up with some distorted message that they feel they are being faithful to in order to please god. Thus is the doctrine of legalism and a whole lot of other “isms” so guarded and defended by individuals who have merely taken the truth of salvation by faith n Jesus as Lord and Savior along an altered path.

They become truly like the old story about the ship’s captain whose compass was broke. But tried to have a positive outlook about his situation. His comment was “we’re lost, but we sure are making good time.” With God, being lost is far more important that how fast you can race!