Christmas Time

Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat. Or so the saying goes. How are your preparations coming along for the celebration of the birth of Jesus? Certainly if you have children there will be a gathering excitement and expectation of receiving presents and a looking forward to some family celebrations. But in all the busyness of buying presents, decorating the tree, getting in enough shopping for the holiday season and a hundred other things let us spare a thought about why we are celebrating Christmas at all. 

It is because over the centuries we have recognised the contribution that Jesus made to humanity in leaving us his teaching and his example of what it means to be a true child of God. His message of love and forgiveness had stood the test of time. 

In the life of Nelson Mandela who died this week we all recognise a life which has been a reflection of Jesus' teaching to love and forgive even our enemies. As Nelson Mandela unites those from all sections of society and from all corners of the world we are again reminded of how powerful the teaching of forgiveness is. 

Happy Christmas, and Happy Birthday Jesus. 

Compassion

A Tiny Poem

Compassion should not be forced,

It has no agenda other than to be itself. 

It must be allowed to flow wherever it will,

And perhaps to wherever it is needed most. 

by Nigel Gresswell

Is Fornication a Sin?

It is now common practice for most young people to have a sexual relationship at some time before being married. To some this would be considered as the sin of fornication. But is it reasonable, let alone rational, to continue to think that way. 

Historically fornication has been regarded as a serious sin and even a punishable crime. Any bride to be would be certain to be ostracised if she were not a virgin. Perhaps there was good reason in the past to constrain people from sexual relations before marriage. In the days before reliable and available contraception it would have been detrimental to sire children in such precarious times without the support of a family. Such a child would be regarded as a bastard child and his inheritance and succession rights would all be denied to him. 

But now that people can have sex without risking having an unwanted child as well as having protection against diseases is it reasonable to continue to call it a sin?

Does fornication contravene the Golden Rule? That is to do unto others as you would want them to do unto you. I would argue not. If two responsible adults choose to have a sexual relationship outside marriage who are they harming? Is it not their choice? 

Don't get me wrong. I am an advocate of marriage and I can see that there is something very beautiful and precious for a person to save them self for their future spouse. But to choose otherwise is it really a sin? At least I cannot see why it should be so. 

LABELS

Labels can be misleading at the best of times but never more so when applied to spiritual matters. I think of myself as a Christian but I should probably qualify that by describing myself as a liberal or progressive Christian. Some may not regard me as a Christian at all. Certainly I do not think of myself as religious but I do describe myself as spiritual. Confused? Read on, you will be. 

Then there is the really big question. The God question. Do I believe in God? I certainly believe, or am very open to the idea, that there is something "more" to the reality which is known to us through the Universe. Some call that "more" God. God is seen in basically two ways. The first is as a transcendent presence. God is in all things and cannot be separated from all things. The other is an imminent God who is part of the universe but is also a separate "subject" to the created world which stands in an "object" position to God. This God has a separate will and can intervene and act upon human affairs. This God has a providential history. 

I am not convinced by the latter explanation and much more so by the former, but even then not completely as God is largely unknowable and certainly ineffable. 

In some ways I could describe myself as a humanist. I certainly have much in common with humanist philosophy. I believe as human beings we hold our destiny in our own hands. But then I am certainly no atheist. 

Perhaps I will settle on "spiritual humanist" for today at least, as tomorrow I may change my mind. Some, of course, may regard that as a contradiction in terms. But I am not concerned about that for that is what I am today and that will have to do. 

 

All Things Are Holy

"I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. (Romans 14:14 KJV)"

God does not differentiate between clean and profane, or holy and unholy, or blessed and unblessed. To God everything and everyone is blessed. Nothing is intrinsically evil. This is the realisation that St. Paul had. If only we could get it too!

St. Paul is making a profound observation that we make things "unclean" only to the extent that our thinking makes it so. It is our thinking that has to change rather than the thing itself!

The Way, the Truth and the Life

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6 KJV)

For many Christians these words of Jesus are seen as a conformation that salvation can only be attained through Jesus himself. That they demonstrate the exclusiveness of the Christian Gospel. Some say that Christianity is an exclusive message but open freely to all.

My own understanding based on my reflection and meditation on these words is that Jesus is indeed the way, the truth and the life. But in the sense that Jesus taught and demonstrated the way, truth and life for us to follow. He taught us to treat others as we would wish to be treated and to forgive others, even our enemies. He taught the way of compassion known as the Golden Rule. This basic rule of behaviour can be found in all the worlds religions and philosophies. So anyone, regardless of religion or no religion that practices the way, truth and life that Jesus taught us will inevitably "come to the Father".

Happy Easter.