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Posts Tagged ‘Osama Bin Laden’

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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GIVING IT SOME THOUGHT

Posted in Me & The World, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 23, 2016| 2 Comments »

Hitler freewillMaybe you’ve seen this quote in social media. And, like the person who created this graphic, maybe you also think it’s silly.

But before you instantly agree and move on, give this graphic some thought. In fact, give it more thought than the person who created it.

The point is not whether God created good and bad people. The point is He created people with absolute freewill. In other words, people like YOU and me.

Did God know how Adolf Hitler would turn out? Quite possibly; followers of Jesus of Nazareth (who many people believe is God’s Son) believe God exists outside of space and time (even as He created them) so we can speculate that he was aware of the choices people would make.

So does that mean He suddenly changes His mind and stops someone like Osama Bin Laden from being born? I’m sure some folks would say yes.

If you’re one of them, this sudden denial of freewill is a slippery slope. If you believe God is perfect — a position held by serious Jesus followers — and stands in rightful judgement of his creations’ choices, then where do the limits on freewill end?

Should God also stop YOU from driving because He knows that one day, you’re going to hurt someone in an accident?

Should God have forced eternal singlehood on singer Kenny Rogers, actress Joan Collins, director James Cameron and TV host Larry King? Each was married at least five times; think of all the emotional pain and (possibly) financial hardship caused by all those divorces.

What about AK-47 machine gun inventer Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov? Wikipedia says Kalashnikov emphasized the weapon was for defensive purposes only and severely regretted the deaths it caused. But so what? Why not hold Kalashnikov and, by extension, God responsible for the actions of people Kalashnikov never even met?

Singer Amy Winehouse (1983-2011). There’s someone whose death we can certainly stick on God, right? After all, He should have denied her the right to ever touch a drop of alcohol, since it was a major factor in her death.

Casinos. Now there’s a good one. How dare God allow even one to be constructed, since gambling has contributed to freewill-loving people going bankrupt, to marriages and families breaking up, and to careers being destroyed.

Now let’s consider another element of freewill: The freedom to accept or reject the idea of a loving, perfect creator who has every right to judge you and me on all the wrong things we’ve done and the right things we’ve failed to do.

If you accept the idea, then how about the notion that this perfect creator wants His creations to spend eternity with Him — wants it so much that He sent His equally perfect Son to live among us and be put to death to pay for the sins of everyone who believes in His Son?

One of those believing people could be YOU, if you accept the gift of Jesus. What do you think? Post your thoughts below and let’s have a conversation.

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