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Date Posted: 12:33:39 12/04/10 Sat
Author: Dana (A late entry from a newcomer...)
Subject: Re: ignorance
In reply to: stewart 's message, "ignorance" on 15:29:28 12/01/10 Wed

I feel a bit strange popping into this conversation when I’ve never been here before, but I found it so thought-provoking that I have pondered it, processed it, and wrote a response that has taken me three days to write amidst much busyness with my kids and many interruptions…I’m a slow processor and think too much to begin with, so it feels really late to be commenting now, but since I spent the time to respond to it, well, here's what I’ve processed over the last few days…

In reading over Stewart’s heartfelt words, and in seeing the various responses, I can’t help but feel like the responses only scratch the surface of what Stewart is really saying here. I’m not so sure this is just an issue of patriotism nor being anti-American…I am a very patriotic American who loves her country while seeing it’s imperfections. Does finding that happy balance between acknowledging the faults, forgiving the past, and focusing on the positive things about our nation (or listing all the contributions we’ve made) help us feel better about this wonderful nation? Sure it can, but does that really reach to the core of what Stewart is saying here? I think what I’m hearing is someone being vulnerable and honest about his feelings about what he’s observing (or experiencing?) and asking the tough questions for which he may or may not have an answer. I could be wrong, but it sounds like more of a venting of disappointment and disillusionment with what human nature is capable of, “under any flag”, maybe a feeling akin to betrayal when we struggle to understand or accept that other human beings can be so hurtful, callous, apathetic, or even cruel. It’s heart-breaking enough for any of us with compassion to see people hurt by the choices of others, but the pain of it goes to a whole new level when you yourself or those closest to you are the recipient of the consequences of someone else’s selfishness, abuse, poor choices, or exploitation. So what do we do with that hurt and anger? Is it helpful to tell someone to just get over it? Do we cave to the tendency toward blame thereby nurturing that self-defeating victim mentality? Does it help to realize our own part in the problems of this world? Do we mask the pain by burying ourselves in diversions, entertainment, or other devices designed to help us ignore it or run away from it, or at least make others think it doesn’t affect us? Do we just sit back and nurse that bitterness, which has been likened to drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die? Do we just try to focus on the positive things in life to pull us out of our “negative mood”? That’s a healthy practice, but is it enough? I would agree that forgiveness is huge, is a must, if we are to be free from the devastating pitfalls of unrelenting hurt or anger or grief, but what if you don’t have the strength to truly forgive on your own? Is there somewhere higher or deeper still to go? How often do we settle for healing “the brokenness of My people superficially, saying ‘Peace, peace’, but there is no peace”?

And what of the issue of “ignorance”? I would agree with your statement, Stewart, that much of the “misinformation out there today is contrived to fuel ignorance, not to truly inform”…I would add that much of it is designed to just plain deceive or get people to think a certain way such that it benefits the one(s) manipulating the information in the first place. But how do we combat ignorance and the pathologies that it gives birth to? To where do we go, or do we just hope people will stop being ignorant? Is not TRUTH the only thing that can shed light in the darkness of ignorance? After all, ignorance suggests that lies are being believed and acted upon, whether unwittingly or purposely. Yes, I truly believe that TRUTH is the answer here, but then we’re faced with the big question: What is TRUTH? Unfortunately we live in a world that really struggles to answer that question, and is uncomfortable with it or even fearful of it…”When acceptance of one’s God-given intellect is forgotten, when reason is put aside, when life’s motivation is selfish and greed driven, all we will ever have to fall back on…is”…well, not much in the absence of TRUTH. Of course, even when TRUTH stares an individual right in the face they can still choose to reject it and be “selectively ignorant”. But the bigger problem is that popular culture has taught many to believe that truth is relative, that each individual can create and define “truth” for himself or herself and that we all need to accept and respect each other’s definition of “truth”…but isn’t this laying aside intellect and reason when I’m being asked to accept and not question Hitler’s “truth” that Jews are inferior and should be exterminated, someone’s “truth” that one race is superior to another or that slavery is acceptable, one culture’s “truth” that women are just objects to be exploited or people of other religions should be killed, another person’s “truth” that it’s okay to physically or sexually abuse children…? Can the rejection of absolute TRUTH be a reflection of when “life’s motivation is selfish and greed-driven”? In this way, when the bank owners are free without question to define ”truth” for themselves, there is no basis to tell them that it is wrong to turn people out of their homes after taking millions in bail out money plus a bonus for the foreclosure, or, as in my case, taking advantage of those to whom they give a “loan modification”. Truth, by definition, has to be absolute, since truth predicates that something else is false…the person who says emphatically that truth is relative is already contradicting himself because he believes this to be absolute truth (also, if he’s a fairly decent person, I’m pretty sure he isn’t going to find the previously mentioned “truths” acceptable or worthy of protection)…it’s a self-defeating philosophy. It also can’t really work carried all the way…what happens when I decide that according to my truth that red light is really green? (Another rabbit trail for another time…Where does this belief in absolute TRUTH meet in harmony with man's God-given free will?) But then who gets to define TRUTH if it can’t be haphazardly decided by millions of different individuals according to their own philosophies or whims? Can one mere human make that call for the rest of the world? Without a higher authority to define TRUTH, throughout all of history, any leader or government who makes itself out to be a god or a savior soon becomes a monster, thus touching on the question, “Why does man/womankind always routinely abuse power when he/she has it?” They’re not humbly looking to a higher authority (who would tell them to let the citizens have a say) but embrace the notion that they can define “truth” for themselves to further their own goals. Is it arrogant for me to say that I believe that the One who created this universe and each individual in it is the source of absolute TRUTH, that God is TRUTH itself, and holds the rights to its definition? I think I’d rather have Love Himself dictate that for me knowing that He loves and values each individual on the face of the planet. Yes, I guess it’s “exclusive”, but is it so bad to stand against the things that stand in direct opposition to the character of God, like hatred, abuse of power, greed, apathy toward suffering, selfishness, exploitation, etc…yes, God, gives us free choice to accept or reject Him and I respect that right to choose…He didn’t design us to be robots…He desires relationship, not religiosity. And it generally works better if people’s desire and attempt to “do the right thing” comes from within the heart, not from without just because they’re told to. But how does a hardened heart change? I’m well aware that many would say that it is arrogant for me as a Christian to believe that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through (Him)”, but is it arrogant of me to say that I am a sinner in need of God’s grace, in need of a Savior? Is it arrogant of me to acknowledge that my own wisdom is finite, to acknowledge God as the source of TRUTH instead of being my own god deciding for myself what I want to be right and wrong? I admit that I have been arrogant…my own struggle with pride has had to do with living as if I could earn God’s grace and love by being a “good girl” and following all the “rules”, being shocked (even though He did tell us it will happen) that God allowed pain and suffering to land in my lap when I had been compassionate, nice, and “done (almost) everything right”…yikes, there’s pride for you! In being horrified by the ugliness of my sin that had been pretty well hidden, even from myself, I was also instantly overwhelmed by God’s unconditional love and grace…I’m so glad He’s patient and gentle with me as He works to transform, purify, and free me…as He is with each person who comes to Him no matter how rough around the edges or where they are in the process.

As I read over what Stewart has written, I can’t help but see the cry of God’s heart (as revealed in scripture and in the beauty of His creation) in much of it…not that God doesn’t know the answers to the questions Stewart posed, but the greed, the abuse, the self-righteousness, the arrogance, the selfishness, division, apathy toward suffering, etc. are all contrary to the nature of God…the things that make God weep should make us weep, the things that make Him angry should make us angry, and the things that make Him rejoice should make us rejoice. God sees us as “one blood”…one race, the human race. God is compassionate and calls us to be so as well…He has a great heart for the needy and weak as revealed throughout scripture. God is Love and one of the greatest commandments is simply to “love your neighbor as yourself”. He delights in love and justice, mercy and forgiveness…His is intimately involved in the lives of those who allow Him and calls us to be involved in the lives of others as well…He came to this earth not to be served but to serve, an example for us to follow. He is “gentle and humble in heart”…humility, along with love, is supposed to be one of the greatest qualities of those who are on the journey to becoming Christ’s “image-bearers”…yes, there are those who just talk the talk but don’t walk the walk, which includes “false teachers”…”you will know them by their fruits”…but for those of us who are sincere in our desire to walk in His footsteps I’m thankful for His grace and patience wherever I am in the process of growth and transformation, even when I’m slow to learn, whether it’s due to fearfulness or stubbornness!

Getting back to the subject of pain, suffering, injustice, etc., I am well acquainted with it (not all of it someone else’s doing, just life, and nothing compared to what many other people in the world have had to endure), and I understand the deep struggle of trying to wrap my head (or my heart) around why people hurt other people…I’ve learned that while it breaks God’s heart, He’s not surprised by it and is “near to the broken-hearted”. I have found great comfort in knowing that, left in His hands, there can be purpose in pain, that He can redeem it, that I can be thankful for the growth in it, that it enlarges our capacity to know God and draw near to Him. I’ve learned that the power to overcome anger comes not only in forgiveness but in letting go and surrendering to God those things I cling to and/or treasure most…but I found I couldn’t do this without His strength. What we entrust to Him comes back to us in greater blessings. The fire of difficulties can burn off fetters, and I know I’m freer than I was before. I love it that God can bring beauty from the ashes of broken dreams, that He is a master artist who takes those dark pigments of pain in our lives and uses them to contrast beautifully with the lighter colors to create a more stunning masterpiece on the canvas of our lives. Trials are the food of faith…before I could talk flippantly about faith but didn’t really know what it was, but slowly I’ve learned that it means to rest in God and believe that He is who He says He is, that He is bigger than my circumstances, that He will work all things together for good…Faith cannot be dependent on feelings, but on the other hand, how else could I grieve so deeply with a crushed and bleeding heart while at the same exact time feel an unexplainable joy and peace deep in my soul? How else could I be walking a road I absolutely hated while at the same time knowing a protective cocoon of peace surrounded me? I do still get weary and whine to God at times, but His grace is sufficient…God is good and I’m excited to see where else He will lead me on this adventure and there’s so much more I have to learn. I guess my purpose in saying all this is to share the gift of HOPE that God has given to me.

Anyways….Stewart, I just wanted you to know that I respect and appreciate your honesty and vulnerability, whether or not we agree on every subject or on the subject of Jesus (again, the character of God…He prefers honesty over pretension). Maybe I totally missed the point of what you were trying to say, and I apologize for my long-windedness…what you wrote (and some of the responses) struck a passionate chord within me and the processing of it is good for me. I pray that wherever I’m off base God would correct me. I can see that you have a heart of compassion and gentleness, that you are passionate and a deep thinker, and that you are down-to-earth and have a fun sense of humor (from what I saw on the “Making of The Last Sin Eater”). You’re also a gifted actor. My kids and I are fairly new to the “Christy” series and enjoy it as Mama/daughter/son time together...you’re the favorite and they go around quoting your lines…not sure what they like best, the lines or the accent! They keep me laughing!

God bless you with His love, joy, and peace,
Dana

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Replies:

[> [> Dana -- BC, 12:57:45 12/04/10 Sat

I just wanted to say "Hi" and "Welcome" to you Dana!
I hope you keep visiting here with us!
Have a great day!
with love from, BC :)


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[> [> [> Re: Dana -- Dana, 18:30:51 12/04/10 Sat

Thank you for your warm welcomes and kind words...I'm glad to know someone saw some semblance of clarity in my ramblings! I don't spend too much time online but I'll try to drop in when I can...
With Love,
Dana:)


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