Zeteo Aletheia

Credit: http://www.visionsoffaith.ca

Yesterday, after working on job searching for 6 hours, I gassed up the car and headed for home. I was waiting at a stoplight at the intersection of Hwy 82 and Interstate 75 when I saw him.

He was a small, frail, aging man squatting by an worn backpack. The sign he held read "Disabled Vet, Please Help". My first response was one of scorn. Many times when I lived near Seattle I had witnessed panhandlers hobbling away from the freeway to their brand new luxury cars in a nearby parking area.

Gosh darn, my mother for raising me in church, though. As quickly as my scorn rose, it was pushed aside by Bible verses I had learned in Sunday School as a small child.

Matthew 25:45 "I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

Hebrews 13:2 "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it."

My heart clutched. Purposefully living generously is something I've been compelled to attempt in recent months. The timing is ironic because I have less now than I've ever had in my life--no home of my own, no job, no money, etc.

In my mind (or spirit?) I imagined Jesus standing there looking half starved, having to humble himself to begging. So easily that could be me. I wanted both thoughts to go away, but they persisted and the light was soooo long.

Then the man saw me. Apparently he recognized my struggle by my facial expression and he locked his gaze on mine. My internal skeptic told me I was being played. My heart kept repeating "the least of these".

I reached into my pocket and withdrew a small money clip I use when I don't want to be hampered by a purse (which is most of the time). I grabbed a fiver and folded it. When the light turned green, he slowly stood as I approached him and held it out to him through the window. His arms were leathered skin sagging over bone. He had no flesh. Clearly, this was a sick man--whether from disease, substance abuse, or Agent Orange, I could not discern.

"God bless you, sir," I said as his hand touched mine.

"And God bless you too, ma'am. I love you," he replied, his voice trailing off as I rolled on by.

I turned the corner and tears rolled down my face. They came from some deep unexplored place within. Compassion. I've experienced it so little in my life and practiced it even less.

As I drove toward home, I resolved to live generously even when it hurts, when it's not convenient, when it makes no sense, and without skepticism. If someone has a genuine need, it's worth being scammed here and there to find them. If they're scamming, that's between them and their Maker. If I fail to be generous or if generosity causes my needs not to be met, that's between me and mine. If the God of the Bible exists, he's promised to meet all my needs. If he doesn't, I know the logic. So I'm putting him to the test by following my heart on this.

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'   (Matthew 25:35-46 NIV)

Movie-red_river

My Dad loved western movies. He could sit and watch the Western Channel all day long every day and he often did in his last years. His favorite was "Red River" starring John Wayne and he adored anything with Gene Autry.

Just minutes ago, I was driving west on Hwy 82 when I realized I now live smack in the middle of the Red River region where that movie was set.

"You'd love it here, Daddy," I said outloud. It was a fleeting thought and I immediately remembered how Dad couldn't stand to be more than 5 minutes away from his Eastern Carolina home.

Then, suddenly it was if he were there in the car with me. I relished the thought but then dismissed it because I'm not sure I believe that sort of thing is possible.

A few minutes later I reached my destination. Starbucks. I wanted to find a place where I could both relax and work online without the temptation of going to bed and giving up on living for the day.

I walked in, got my iced latté, found a seat in the corner, and started getting my laptop set up. Only I nearly had to leave.

Over the PA system came the song "Daddy's Girl". Was it coincidence?

The next song was "Tumbling Tumbleweed" by Gene Autry. Coincidence?

I put work aside an started writing this. When I typed out the question "Was it a coincidence?" the song was "Pennies From Heaven". Why is that significant?

Dad had this little quirky thing that whenever he saw a penny on the ground and that seemed like everywhere he went. He would stoop and pick it up and say "A man that won't bend over to pick up a penny will never have a dime."

So hear I am sitting in Starbucks crying like a baby and laughing out loud for joy at the same time.

"There'll be pennies from heaven for you and me..."

I love you, Daddy!

Pastor Bob Cornwall has included some interesting insights on panentheism from a Christian perspective as part of his review of Philip Clayton's book Adventures in the Spirit. 

I don't know Pastor Cornwall, but I appreciate his willingness to open his heart and mind and consider viewpoints that differ to his own.  Would that all religious leaders were as honest spiritually and intellectually.  This is a pastor I could thrive under were I a church-goer.

Here's the Libertarian position on personal relationships:

Sexual orientation, preference, gender, or gender identity should have no impact on the rights of individuals by government, such as in current marriage, child custody, adoption, immigration or military service laws. Consenting adults should be free to choose their own sexual practices and personal relationships. Government does not have the authority to define, license or restrict personal relationships.

Too bad for the gay community the US isn't run according to libertarian principles.  If it were, gay marriage wouldn't even be a problem because a libertarian government wouldn't stick it's nose in people's personal relationships. 

You see, the parties of big government (Republicans and Democrats) want you to believe that passing laws is how to solve problems.  Libertarians see more laws (and hence bigger government and less freedom) as the problem.  Because we believe government has no business in your personal life, in a libertarian society, there would be no laws restricting marriage.  You would be free to marry the person you love regardless of gender.

Freedom:  It's what Libertarians are all about.

Libertarian:

Cato Institute - https://twitter.com/CatoInstitute
Ron Paul - https://twitter.com/drRonPaul
Libertarian Party - https://twitter.com/LPNational
Lew Rockwell - https://twitter.com/lewrockwell
Libertarians Forum - https://twitter.com/LibertariansFor
Libertarian Papers - https://twitter.com/libertarianpprs
Libertarian Tom - https://twitter.com/LibertarianTom

Philosophy:

Wisdom Dispenser - http://twitter.com/WisdomDispenser
Philosophy Tweets - https://twitter.com/philosophytweet

Hashtags:

#libertarian 
#philosophy 
#theology
#tlot (Top Libertarians On Twitter) 
#linux

Panentheism is one of my pet subjects so I have a Google Alert set up to notify me when the Google spiders find something about it on the web.  Today I was notified of an article called Emergent New Paradigm Pastor to Speak at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa in which the author criticizes the views of Mike Erre (whoever that may be).  Apparently Erre espouses a panentheistic perspective.  What I find amusing (or infuriating), is that the authors, while attempting to smackdown Erre, mischaracterize panentheism as "God in all things".  God in all things is PANTHEISM.  PanENtheism is ALL THINGS IN GOD.  So I close with a quote from the closing paragraph of the article in question:  "It's vital to understand that spiritual deception can sound very Christian."  Oh, the irony!

I'm planning to start reading the writings of Anselm of Canterbury on my next days off from work.  I've chosen Aneslm because, from what I've read about him, we share some common thoughts about reason, faith, and truth.  According to Wikipedia, Anselm did not see faith and reason as mutually exclusive but rather believed in a rational system of faith.*  I also believe that faith and reason are not mutually exclusive.  In fact, if the God described in the first few verses of John's Gospel exists, then the faith of the believer MUST be logical.  Logic is not only one of God's traits, Bible scholar Gordon H. Clark goes so far as to say" Logic is God":  

The well-known prologue to John’s Gospel may be paraphrased, “In the beginning was Logic, and Logic was with God, and Logic was God.... In logic was life and the life was the light of men... Any translation of John 1:1 that obscures this emphasis on mind or reason is a bad translation. And if anyone complains that the idea of ratio or debate obscures the personality of the second person of the Trinity, he should alter his concept of personality. In the beginning, then, was Logic.

If Gordon is correct, and I believe he is, since whatever emanates from God must be in keeping with his logical nature, then all God's thoughts, actions, and words must also be logical.  It follows that any revelation from this God as well as correct understanding of this revelation will be logical.

FAULTY Religious Logic

Anselm is credited as one of the originators of the ontological argument for the existence of God and his works contain many logical proofs.  I admire the fact that he approached his faith and theology in terms of reason.  Years before I had ever heard of Anselm, I had decided on this approach for myself along with a healthy dose of skepticism because I was raised and indoctrinated in a toxic fundamentalist Christian cult.  I'm no philosopher.  I'm just a person seeking truth and using whatever tools I can to find it.

Zeteo Aletheia is Greek for seeker of truth.   I believe that truth is also a characteristic of God's nature.  Gandhi said, "I worship God as Truth only. I have not yet found Him, but I am seeking after Him." This is also my stance.  If the God of the Bible exists, then being a seeking truth is exactly what I must do to find him.  When you look for me with all your heart, you will find me -God (Jer. 29:13).

I'm not necessarily looking to have my religious beliefs reinforced/questions answered.  Instead, as I read, I will not be trying to glean from Anselm's conclusions about God and theology, but rather how he used the tools of logic to arrive at them. 

*I hesitate to cite Wikipedia, but it's quick and easy and I'm pressed for time, so forgive me for taking this shortcut.

Cooltoonist has a thought provoking new post about science and religion. Although I am a believer/seeker, I share her/his skepticism about science and God and probably for some of the same reasons.  As such, may I play devil's advocate for a moment?

A product of mind?

The last paragraph of the post reads:

"The idea of god is simply a product of mind people. Wake up. Nobody has power over you but you. It is an illusion. It is a tool of selfish conformity. Question everything that shoved to your face. Break it down, define reality from illusion. Don't be a fool."

If we are to question everything that is shoved into our faces, then one must question that the "idea of god is simply a product of mind."  One must also view with skepticism the belief that "nobody has power over you but you."  Might both of these notions also be illusion?  How do you know the idea of god is simply a product of mind?  Is it truly the case that nobody has power over you but you? 

It's all too easy to question and discard views that do not pass muster but once we find a perspective with which we are comfortable, we stop the scrutiny and become complacent.  Objectivity requires that we scrutinize and question views with which we agree as much and, possibly, more than those we oppose. If we do not, we leave ourselves open for deception.

Ubi dubium ibi libertas.
Where there is doubt, there is freedom.

Pressing through or giving up?

While reading Joyce Meyer's Never Give Up, I was struck deeply by something she wrote:

"You will face different types of pain and encounter difficulties as you go through life.  You simply have to choose which kind of pain you want -- the pain of pressing through or the pain of giving up."  (emphasis added)

Many times we make choices by not making choices.  By not choosing to press through some of the tougher circumstances in my life, I have settled for the pain of failure.  This, I believe, could be the root of my ongoing battle with depression.  It's a tough thing to admit.  I've never consciously chosen to fail in so many words.  I loathe failure. But many times I just did not keep on keeping on in the face of adversity.

As I read this morning, I realized I must take responsibility for the choices I have made whether consciously or not.  Not only that, but I must also actively make choices rather than accepting whatever follows if I do not.  Sometimes life sucks and living hurts but I don't have to allow the pain of failure add to the throbbing.  I can choose growing pains instead.

Joyce writes," ...growth is not an automatic result of difficulty."  She goes on to say, "...we grow when we determine in the midst of adversity to thing and behave in godly ways."

Rather than drifting off on the rabbit trail about what is or is not godly, suffice it to say I can and must do better than I have been doing. I believe that if the God of the Bible exists, then he must keep his promises including this one:

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with  you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you, When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you."  Isaiah 43:2

I must keep going forward!