It’s the Holidays, or is that holidays? It depends of course on your commitment and
religious loyalty. Are you Christian at Christmas Time and something else later
in the year? Or are you a Christian year round? Are you religious at all, or a
spiritualist, an atheist, or whatever?
Jonathan Swift, an Irishman who rose to lofty heights in England ’s high
church, was a satirist and religious author. He lived from 1667 to 1745. This
quote is surprising for its boldness yet truth considering his role in the
Church of England:
“We have just enough religion to
make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.”
Now that’s a statement that should awaken thought! Recall
please, that America
opulently claims it is Christian but there is much argument to the opposite
claim. If you doubt me, here are a few founding father quotations:
Ben
Franklin: “Lighthouses are more useful than churches.”
“The
way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.”
“In the affairs of the world, men
are saved not by faith, but by the lack of it.”
John Adams: “This would be the best of all
possible worlds if there were no
religion in it.”
Thomas Paine: “Of all the tyrannies that affect
mankind, tyranny in religion is
The
worst.”
“ I do not believe in the creed
professed by the Jewish Church, by the
Roman Church, by the Greek Church, by the Turkish
Church , by the Protestant Church
How do those quotes make you feel? Did you realize our
forefathers were such universalists in philosophy and theology? They were certainly not Christian in the
sense we use the term today. No. They were thinkers who had come to the New
World intent on avoiding the missteps of Europe .
In their mind it was one thing to ensure freedom of religion than to be a
follower of religion itself. It was one thing to practice religion in your home
and another to practice it in public. Certainly not in the halls of government!
Absolutely not! Government and religion were not to combine
in any way whatsoever.
And yet in 2013 we have religions dictating abortion laws,
alcohol and smoking use, values education, scientific inquiry, intelligent
design arguments, and a whole lot more.
It doesn't belong, folks. It doesn't belong in the
government design set by our forefathers.
Once free from this distraction of enormous proportions, we
can finally get down to the business of governing. I saw this quote from the
internet the other day that fascinated me. Perhaps it will for you as well.
“Instead of figuring out who to
blame, figure out how to make something happen. It’s not only more productive,
it feels a lot better, too.”
~Paul
S. Boynton of Begin with Yes
Yes. Let’s get back to doing productive things. We have
problems. Lots of them. They need our attention to lessen their toll on fellow
citizens. Their solution will improve quality of life, fulfillment of social
justice, and just plain doing the right thing. Doing that will give us all more
personal time to practice our religious beliefs in our own homes and families.
Away from others. Just for yourself and loved ones. Like it was meant to be.
December 20, 2013
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