Before you read this... honestly think to yourself for 15 seconds about what it would be like if what you were supposed to devote yourself to was actually quite simple.
This summer I've realized how many friends I have who are searching, searching for truth. This summer I've realized how many of my friends are uncertain, uncertain about almost everything. Because of this I have been thinking alot about what it would be like to be in this situation myself. I've always had a Christian worldview, a scriptural perspective. If I were one these friends that I mentioned; would I desire set in stone proof that Christ is Lord? Would I at least require evidence that it is extremely likely? What would I believe in if I didn't confess Christ as Lord? I already live a life chock-full of sin, I'm already a huge hypocrit... how much more sin would there be in my life without Him? Would I live a life filled with peace, or a life filled with anguish and confusion?
C.S. Lewis, a phenomenal Christian author said it best, yet "He said it" without true precision. He said that if we don't make Christ Lord we make him a liar or a lunatic. I would contend that nearly all evolutionary scientists, atheists, muslims, and people of other faiths would confess that they believe a "man" named Jesus Christ once existed, and that he was a great moral teacher. There's just to much evidence (evidence accrued from secular work even) to deny it. But the theory that Christ was merely a great moral teacher that lied about being God doesn't pan out at all. Christ was not a great moral teacher if He Himself lied. His instruction to love your neighbor as yourself then meant nothing, His instruction to turn the other cheek, and to treat your neighbor as thyself then meant nothing. Besides, any man who knew full well that He would die an early, and agonizing death for the claim of His own deity should be considered a lunatic by default. In conclusion it is only reasonable to make Christ Lord, or lunatic. Not only am I unable to condemn a man who taught love, selflessness, and humility, to a status of lunacy but I am also unable to forget the blatent revelations of His own majesty that God has yielded unto me during my brief 19 year stint of life.
I pray that the blood of my friends (I consider literally anyone I know a friend in this regard) will not stain my hands now or ever.
I won't garner all of the peace, certainty, inexplicable guidance, and unabashed purpose that overflows in my life to myself.
Wisdom calls out in the streets, how much longer will you choose to evade it, and for how much longer will you choose to nurture new reasonings in order to justify this type of evasion? It doesn't matter what you have done, Christ still wants you. What if the "leap of faith," the leap from living a life filled with aimlesness, and uncertainty, to a life of purpose, isn't actually that scary but is rather a simple surrender?
I make each of the previous contentions as a sinner and hypocrit in need of Christ's unfailing love and mercy just as much as the next.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
July 4th, 2009
Greetings people, and happy 4th!
Just got done seeing public enemies, had to pay 9.50 to see it... Anyways it was a pretty good movie, I recommend it (not sure I recommend spending 9.50 to see it though).
Seeing as its July 4th I think I should adress some sort of "political" issue so I've chosen to ramble on about the legalization of marijuana this time around and also on whether or not it should even be considered moral.
***Disclaimer*** Lest I further myself as a hyprocrite... I confess to smoking marijuana as recent as July 2008 (about one year ago), and yes I did it more than once, and yes...... I was way baked.
Moreover!
All to often potheads attempt to use Genesis 1:29 to justify their habit.
Gen 1:29 - And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
Other versions end with the phrase, "and they (the plants of the earth) shall be used for food." Perhpas the potheads were to stoned at the time to have read the entire verse, which indicates that the plants should be used for food.... not for smoking. I suppose it would be hard to argue a "super-stoner" who contends that it is okay to eat marijuana because of what this verse says, but I myself have a hard time taking that contention seriously.
If weed smokers really wanted to justify their habit they would attempt to utilize the following verse - Psalms 104:14 "He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man." Perhaps because the typical pot smoker is too lazy to truly locate this verse (haha get it), so they settle for the one in Genesis... located in the very front of the Bible.
I just thought I'd get that spiel over with as it is something that I consider to be rather heinous. I will begin by sharing what I believe to be the "devils advocate" stance against what is probably the typical Christian viewpoint. Not only does the Bible not say anything specifically that prohibits the use of marijuana but studies indicate that if marijuana were in fact legal, different crime and violence rates and/or statistics would drop drastically. Why would this not be a good thing by Biblical standards; afterall the Bible does condemn violence and crime. If marijuana were made legal it might even boost the economy a bit due to the fact that it would then become a taxable entity. According to more studies Marijuana is even less menacing than alcohol, and by a long shot. As far as whether or not marijuana is moral, we shouldn't forget that there exists an entire Christian "denomination" based around getting high, the rastafarian "sect." The rastafarians believe that marijuana is the herb described in the book of Revelation as a plant that will bring peace unto the nations. Marijuana is also used as a "supplement" before and during Bible studies, and times of worship within Rastafarian customs.
Now for my own thoughts on the whether or not marijuana should be considered moral and whether or not it should be legalized.
While marijuana may be less harmful than alcohol, and while it may in fact "prevent" other crimes from happening, smoking, or even possessing substantial quantities of marijuana is a crime within itself. Scripture is crystal clear in regards to keeping the law. Scripture indicates that it is a must to keep the laws of your government so long as it does not directly contradict scripture. One must also ask themselves if they can truly glorify God while smoking marijuana. Although scripture does not directly condemn "getting high" it does condemn drunkeness, which can easily be compared to getting high. But just because scripture condemns something that is similar to being high, does not make it wrong in itself. Being high is wrong (in my opinion) because you become less of who God created you to be, and more of spiritless victim to autopilot, in the same way one would become if they were drunk. Don't soil your britches just yet potheads, I am not contending that smoking marijuana is wrong all together. God did create marijuana afterall, and it is a plant that grows out of the ground for goodness sakes (what could be more natural). I would contend that if marijuana were legal, that it would not be a sin for someone (including Christians) to smoke marijuana so long as they did not actually get high, just as it would be perfectly permissable for a Christian to enjoy small amounts of alcohol without getting drunk.
Should marijuana be legal? Yes, marijuana should be legalalized! Especially while alcohol is legal. Not only is it possible for somehow to "miraculously avoid killing, eating,raping, and pillaging babies while they're either slightly buzzed or extremely baked on marijuana" but is extremely likely that when someone gets buzzed or high they will mind their own frickin business.
Let us review my thoughts on mary jane.
-Ultimately smoking weed in and of itself would not be sin if it were legal, while getting high of marijuana would.
-Ultimately it is sin to smoke marijuana because it is illegal and scripture instructs us to confrom to the laws of our government.
-Marijuana should be legalized because a government has no right to tell a man or a woman what they can and cannot inhale into their lungs.
Finally my ramblings in regards to marijuana are done and I will leave you with a short description of what my next blog will entail and a song that I've recently been hooked on.
Next time I'm going to have my go on the issue of abortion (gasp). Lastly, be sure to check out a song called "All it takes for your dreams to come true" by A Skylit Drive.
Thanks a ton for reading! Feel free to go through the not so tedious process of registering with this website in order to respond to my post!
Just got done seeing public enemies, had to pay 9.50 to see it... Anyways it was a pretty good movie, I recommend it (not sure I recommend spending 9.50 to see it though).
Seeing as its July 4th I think I should adress some sort of "political" issue so I've chosen to ramble on about the legalization of marijuana this time around and also on whether or not it should even be considered moral.
***Disclaimer*** Lest I further myself as a hyprocrite... I confess to smoking marijuana as recent as July 2008 (about one year ago), and yes I did it more than once, and yes...... I was way baked.
Moreover!
All to often potheads attempt to use Genesis 1:29 to justify their habit.
Gen 1:29 - And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
Other versions end with the phrase, "and they (the plants of the earth) shall be used for food." Perhpas the potheads were to stoned at the time to have read the entire verse, which indicates that the plants should be used for food.... not for smoking. I suppose it would be hard to argue a "super-stoner" who contends that it is okay to eat marijuana because of what this verse says, but I myself have a hard time taking that contention seriously.
If weed smokers really wanted to justify their habit they would attempt to utilize the following verse - Psalms 104:14 "He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man." Perhaps because the typical pot smoker is too lazy to truly locate this verse (haha get it), so they settle for the one in Genesis... located in the very front of the Bible.
I just thought I'd get that spiel over with as it is something that I consider to be rather heinous. I will begin by sharing what I believe to be the "devils advocate" stance against what is probably the typical Christian viewpoint. Not only does the Bible not say anything specifically that prohibits the use of marijuana but studies indicate that if marijuana were in fact legal, different crime and violence rates and/or statistics would drop drastically. Why would this not be a good thing by Biblical standards; afterall the Bible does condemn violence and crime. If marijuana were made legal it might even boost the economy a bit due to the fact that it would then become a taxable entity. According to more studies Marijuana is even less menacing than alcohol, and by a long shot. As far as whether or not marijuana is moral, we shouldn't forget that there exists an entire Christian "denomination" based around getting high, the rastafarian "sect." The rastafarians believe that marijuana is the herb described in the book of Revelation as a plant that will bring peace unto the nations. Marijuana is also used as a "supplement" before and during Bible studies, and times of worship within Rastafarian customs.
Now for my own thoughts on the whether or not marijuana should be considered moral and whether or not it should be legalized.
While marijuana may be less harmful than alcohol, and while it may in fact "prevent" other crimes from happening, smoking, or even possessing substantial quantities of marijuana is a crime within itself. Scripture is crystal clear in regards to keeping the law. Scripture indicates that it is a must to keep the laws of your government so long as it does not directly contradict scripture. One must also ask themselves if they can truly glorify God while smoking marijuana. Although scripture does not directly condemn "getting high" it does condemn drunkeness, which can easily be compared to getting high. But just because scripture condemns something that is similar to being high, does not make it wrong in itself. Being high is wrong (in my opinion) because you become less of who God created you to be, and more of spiritless victim to autopilot, in the same way one would become if they were drunk. Don't soil your britches just yet potheads, I am not contending that smoking marijuana is wrong all together. God did create marijuana afterall, and it is a plant that grows out of the ground for goodness sakes (what could be more natural). I would contend that if marijuana were legal, that it would not be a sin for someone (including Christians) to smoke marijuana so long as they did not actually get high, just as it would be perfectly permissable for a Christian to enjoy small amounts of alcohol without getting drunk.
Should marijuana be legal? Yes, marijuana should be legalalized! Especially while alcohol is legal. Not only is it possible for somehow to "miraculously avoid killing, eating,raping, and pillaging babies while they're either slightly buzzed or extremely baked on marijuana" but is extremely likely that when someone gets buzzed or high they will mind their own frickin business.
Let us review my thoughts on mary jane.
-Ultimately smoking weed in and of itself would not be sin if it were legal, while getting high of marijuana would.
-Ultimately it is sin to smoke marijuana because it is illegal and scripture instructs us to confrom to the laws of our government.
-Marijuana should be legalized because a government has no right to tell a man or a woman what they can and cannot inhale into their lungs.
Finally my ramblings in regards to marijuana are done and I will leave you with a short description of what my next blog will entail and a song that I've recently been hooked on.
Next time I'm going to have my go on the issue of abortion (gasp). Lastly, be sure to check out a song called "All it takes for your dreams to come true" by A Skylit Drive.
Thanks a ton for reading! Feel free to go through the not so tedious process of registering with this website in order to respond to my post!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
