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Posts Tagged ‘Matthew 5:39’

MY TRUTH AND THE TRUTH

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 13, 2023| 3 Comments »

I did a quick Google search for the meaning of “truth”. This is what Dictionary.com says:

The true or actual state of a matter: He tried to find out the truth.

Conformity with fact or reality; verity: the truth of a statement.

A verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like: mathematical truths.

Given these definitions, does “my truth” make much sense? Let me provide you with some very extreme examples (just to make the point crystal clear) of what “my truth” meant for these people:

  • Osama Bin Laden’s truth involved blowing up the World Trade Center
  • Vladimir Putin’s truth meant invading a sovereign nation on the flimsiest, paper-thin excuses
  • Karla Homolka’s truth led her to enthusiastic participation with her husband in murdering at least three women, one of them being her younger sister.

Of course, most people would never dream of taking their truth to such extremes. But can you understand what happens when an important word is co-opted and twisted to suit current trends?

I believe there’s something else to consider. It’s the notion of multiple, contrasting “truths” existing at the same time, further denigrating the word.

Believe it or not, there’s a school of thought that says having sex with children is not always bad. I imagine those who believe that consider it to be their truth. So how can that be, given that most people know very well that pedophilia is horrifying and deeply damaging to children? How can these “truths” possibly exist simultaneously?

This leads me to what I believe is good news. Consider the words of Jesus of Nazareth, who many people believe is the Son of God. Jesus told the people who had faith in him, “If you keep on obeying what I have said, you truly are my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Jesus followers know there IS a universal truth, that has existed for thousands of years and continues to impact the lives of people who look to Him for strength, for forgiveness, for eternal life. Jesus spelled out that truth — much of it very difficult to accept in today’s culture — during His physical time on earth. A few examples:

Love your neighbour as yourself

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you

If you judge others, you will be judged the same way. God will treat you the same way you treat others.

Don’t fight back against someone who wants to harm you. If they hit you on the right cheek, let them hit the other cheek too.

I am the way, the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me.

As I wrote earlier, you may have trouble agreeing with Jesus on these points. But keep your mind open, because I believe no one knows the Truth better than Jesus. And it’s worth your consideration since, when all is said and done, Jesus is the way to a better life NOW and in the life to come.

Agree? Disagree? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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THE FACTS ABOUT ‘BRAINWASHING’

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 18, 2017| 2 Comments »

Oh boy; there’s a lot of fabulous content in this atheist meme. So let’s get started.

1. Brainwashing: Is there brainwashing in among people who follow Jesus of Nazareth (who many believe is the Son of God)? Sadly, yes. I’m sure if you search long enough, you’ll find some parents who, in effect, brainwash their children to ensure they grow up without ever, ever questioning their beliefs.

Gee, wouldn’t that also apply to parents in other faiths, as well as atheist parents? YES.  In fact, whether Matthew Laramore likes it or not, all of us — including him — are brainwashed in some way. To deny that is to ignore reality.

2. Has the history of Jesus followers been marked by violence? Unfortunately, yes. People who are opposed to this faith often bring up the Crusades (a series of violent wars, in the 1100s and 1200s, aiming at retaking the Middle East from Islamic rule).

What most critics ignore, however, is at least some of the Crusade campaigns were a response to large-scale violence instigated by Muslim forces against Jesus followers. Investigate for yourself, if you don’t believe me.

Either way, except for the occasional lone-wolf lunatic, Jesus followers left violence behind many centuries ago. I thank God that Jesus followers understand that love, not violence, is the way to tell the world about Him.

3. The whole “wearing a half-naked dead man nailed against a crucifix” thing has nothing to do with promoting Jesus as non-violent.

It wasn’t Jesus followers who nailed Jesus to a cross; it was soldiers of the Roman Empire, acting on the orders of their leaders. Those leaders were responding to pressure from religious authorities, who believed Jesus was a threat to their power and the religious laws they forced on people. They were right.

This leads to a wonderful truth: Jesus came to free us from brainwashing, from violence and from religious laws.

Looking for evidence? Consider these passages from the ancient writers:

Give the Lord a chance to show you how good he is.
In other words, don’t be brainwashed; check out God for yourself.

Don’t fight back against someone who wants to do harm to you. If they hit you on the right cheek, let them hit the other cheek too. (from one of the four original-source accounts of Jesus’s physical time on earth).
In other words, don’t resort to violence, even if someone is violent against you.

Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. (the words of Jesus.)
In other words, it’s not about “religion”. It’s about a relationship with the Son of God that can start now and stretch into all eternity.

Consider all this carefully. Jesus is about good news, not about anything advanced by Matthew Laramore. Interested? Yes or no, post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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