I've been worried for a while about people calling too many things idols. It's all well and good to be against people watching too much TV, but is it really an idol? Or is it just an inferior amusement, sometimes used badly?
I've been reading in Isaiah, and God is clearly annoyed when His people turn to idols. There's a really great scene in which Isaiah describes a dude who's obviously pretty handy with wood tools. Our new buddy grabs a good-looking hunk of wood, and turns it into a table and chairs, then maybe a plate or two, finally takes the chips and scraps and lights a fire to cook his dinner. That last left-over piece, though, he carves into an idol to whom he can "say grace" for his meal. It's almost funny how God sees no difference between the activity of making dinner and a making convenient god.
That's an idol.
Faith, hope, and love, Paul says, are the three things that matter, and those are the three things the idolator poured into that last piece of wood.
Faith is a logical, conscious decision to live as if a god's promise will be kept based upon prior knowledge of his power.
Hope is the ability to hang on now because you know god will make enduring the present worthwhile.
Love is a commitment to think, feel and act in the best interests of your god.
I see all three of those things in the actions of Isaiah's unhappy wood-worker. He reckons that his god has given him today's food, so he exercises faith that his god will do it again. His hopes for the future are truly based on the way his god will make that future pleasant. And he has invested his time and passion into pleasing that god with his carved image and tiny offerings to it.
I don't see any of that in America's relationship with the television. We don't think the television brought us any good thing, so we don't rely on it to bring us anything in the future. We don't hope for a better future because of the television's oversight in our lives. Maybe we invest in that box, but all our offerings are to ourselves.
And therein lies the key, I believe.
Our idol cannot be seen, because we no longer believe in the invisible. We don't have to incarnate it any more. We look at history, and find we've gotten our own meals for our own selves, so that's where we put our faith. We hope for our future, because we have laid plans for it and because science keeps making it better every day. And we pour our love out to stir up more passion from within.
In other words, we've not moved a lick from Paul's day. We've made a god of our bellies, trusting our lusts to bring us every good thing and our strength to keep us against the day of trouble.
Don't rail against the television. It's just a little offering we make to our lusts. Our cars and our wide screens and our nest eggs, our jobs and our houses and our spouses, our movies and our shows and our nightlife; they are the little offerings we give to appease our god, the little sacrifices we make to ourselves. We sculpt our abs, sleep at our custom sleep number, and dine in every luxury we can afford in order to strengthen and prepare our god to conquer for us. When our body is strong and our minds are tuned and our attitudes are adjusted, we can make the best of all possible worlds for ourselves.
When the Living God sees us in front of a TV, He doesn't trip out. I'm sure He knows a better way for us to spend our time, a way to spend time together, but He's got big shoulders and He can bear for us to overdo some entertainment. Through Isaiah God tells us it's when He finds us wrapped up in the arms of another that He is angered. It's not Ba'al with whom we whore, though, it's our better selves.
We strive to have faith in ourselves. We hope to grow better and wiser. We practice loving ourselves. We've refined idolatry in much the same way we've distilled the cocoa bean into crack. Ba'al was harmless compared to our idolatry.
Do you want to send a message to America?
Trust God.
Showing posts with label Gaia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gaia. Show all posts
17 July, 2008
23 November, 2007
Anatomy of an Apostasy
I met Jeanine (pseudonym) in 1989 when we all decided to move to the same neighborhood and start a home church together. She lived two blocks away, and my wife and I both loved her. Most everyone did.
She was one of those very positive people, and one of the people who was always building, not destroying. She added something to every meeting, and did a lot of the behind the scenes work that so often gets forgotten. As one of the oldest people in the church, and oldest in the Lord, she was pretty highly respected and did a fine job of living up to those expectations. Mostly, she was just a lot of fun. She knew how to enjoy wine, people, and laughter and her husband was brilliant to boot.
I still miss Jeanine.
She was predisposed toward ecstatic experience. She dripped of life and imagination, so for her to experience everything to the full was only natural. She had already progressed a good way down the path to successful contemplative prayer (I'm tired of typing this, so I will call it ConPrayer for the rest of this post) before she ever joined us. Under the tutelage of our leader, she took to it like a fish to water. She was a trailblazer all the way.
Of the thirty or so of us, there were 5-10 who really got it, 5-10 who were doing something other than ConPrayer but thought they were getting it (I was one of these), 5-10 who mostly slept, and a handful whom we never quite figured out why they were there at all. (Some things never change.) Jeanine was in the first group.
I suspect initial success at ConPrayer is personality-driven, though its practitioners assure everyone that anyone can do it. Either way, Jeanine shared loads of her experiences and we all got to know her experience of ConPrayer pretty well. Some of the group resented her openness, feeling that she was faking or at the least grandstanding, but I was fully convinced that she was experiencing the things she described, and that her personality would have grated on her detractors in any case.
In the seventh year of our home church experience, everything started falling apart at the foundations. The church was in dire crisis, and the pressure it put on everyone individually and as families was incredible. I think about half the marriages in that church have already ended in divorce, and hers was the first. My marriage was broken during that period as well, though we held on for another six years.
Handling her divorce was hard for everyone: her, her husband, and all of us who had to decide how to act and react. She and her husband were both hurt in the proceedings, but for better or worse we muddled through. The decision was made that her husband should leave the church, and he did. That left Jeanine with the solace of fellowship, and we hoped it would be for the best.
One day we learned she was in love again.
Her new man was a little bit older than her, an acknowledged pot smoker, and into Native American spirituality. He was the prototypical old hippie who had not decided to adjust. He was a good guy, but semi-unemployed (which is a deal-breaker with me - don't bring no unemployed man home to me and hope for a blessing.) He was not even remotely Christian. That should have been a deal-breaker to Jeanine. It was not.
Jeanine had changed over the years.
She had discovered the intoxicating glory of ConPrayer, and discovered that it worked no matter whether it was Jesus or "the God force within us all" that she invoked. She was right. She found that as she threw off the fetters of narrow Christian law, her prayer times were only better, not worse. She found freedom, love, and acceptance by everyone except the Christians who had rejected her divorce in the first place, and now rejected her new live-in arrangements.
I talked to her a few months ago. It seems she has finally found a stable man, and settled into a productive life. I'm happy for her, of course. And she keeps praying that I will continue to follow my interpretation of God. She has outgrown my interpretation, of course, but she understands and accepts me the way I am. I can only return the favor to a degree. I accept and love her still, but cannot accept the decision that sets her in opposition to Jesus Christ.
I still hope some day to embrace my sister again. May the Lord so bless us.
She was one of those very positive people, and one of the people who was always building, not destroying. She added something to every meeting, and did a lot of the behind the scenes work that so often gets forgotten. As one of the oldest people in the church, and oldest in the Lord, she was pretty highly respected and did a fine job of living up to those expectations. Mostly, she was just a lot of fun. She knew how to enjoy wine, people, and laughter and her husband was brilliant to boot.
I still miss Jeanine.
She was predisposed toward ecstatic experience. She dripped of life and imagination, so for her to experience everything to the full was only natural. She had already progressed a good way down the path to successful contemplative prayer (I'm tired of typing this, so I will call it ConPrayer for the rest of this post) before she ever joined us. Under the tutelage of our leader, she took to it like a fish to water. She was a trailblazer all the way.
Of the thirty or so of us, there were 5-10 who really got it, 5-10 who were doing something other than ConPrayer but thought they were getting it (I was one of these), 5-10 who mostly slept, and a handful whom we never quite figured out why they were there at all. (Some things never change.) Jeanine was in the first group.
I suspect initial success at ConPrayer is personality-driven, though its practitioners assure everyone that anyone can do it. Either way, Jeanine shared loads of her experiences and we all got to know her experience of ConPrayer pretty well. Some of the group resented her openness, feeling that she was faking or at the least grandstanding, but I was fully convinced that she was experiencing the things she described, and that her personality would have grated on her detractors in any case.
In the seventh year of our home church experience, everything started falling apart at the foundations. The church was in dire crisis, and the pressure it put on everyone individually and as families was incredible. I think about half the marriages in that church have already ended in divorce, and hers was the first. My marriage was broken during that period as well, though we held on for another six years.
Handling her divorce was hard for everyone: her, her husband, and all of us who had to decide how to act and react. She and her husband were both hurt in the proceedings, but for better or worse we muddled through. The decision was made that her husband should leave the church, and he did. That left Jeanine with the solace of fellowship, and we hoped it would be for the best.
One day we learned she was in love again.
Her new man was a little bit older than her, an acknowledged pot smoker, and into Native American spirituality. He was the prototypical old hippie who had not decided to adjust. He was a good guy, but semi-unemployed (which is a deal-breaker with me - don't bring no unemployed man home to me and hope for a blessing.) He was not even remotely Christian. That should have been a deal-breaker to Jeanine. It was not.
Jeanine had changed over the years.
She had discovered the intoxicating glory of ConPrayer, and discovered that it worked no matter whether it was Jesus or "the God force within us all" that she invoked. She was right. She found that as she threw off the fetters of narrow Christian law, her prayer times were only better, not worse. She found freedom, love, and acceptance by everyone except the Christians who had rejected her divorce in the first place, and now rejected her new live-in arrangements.
I talked to her a few months ago. It seems she has finally found a stable man, and settled into a productive life. I'm happy for her, of course. And she keeps praying that I will continue to follow my interpretation of God. She has outgrown my interpretation, of course, but she understands and accepts me the way I am. I can only return the favor to a degree. I accept and love her still, but cannot accept the decision that sets her in opposition to Jesus Christ.
I still hope some day to embrace my sister again. May the Lord so bless us.
27 May, 2007
Gaia Versus Christ - The Sound of One Voice Clapping
I have not intentionally put off the last post in my series against Gaia, but only because I have not had the time to do so. I'd have sure procrastinated given the opportunity. :-) This weekend, I have the time, and I've already written about tennis, so I guess I'm out of excuses.
My key assertion is that Gaia, the earth mother, the meta-being formed of all living stuff on this planet, is forcing her way into the church. She's not displacing Christ there, but she's forcing us to talk about Him using her vocabulary.
It's killing us.
I feel it more than think it, and cannot put it into words yet. I am at a complete loss for a way to express this thought. No matter what you find beneath this point, rest assured I am not happy with it. But, I am going to give this my best shot.
It is scaring me that humanity seems to be finding its voice. More and more, whether you are in Asia, Africa, the Americas or Europe, you hear the same message. Save humankind. Save the earth. Give everyone a fair start in life, and a fair chance. These things are good, and I wish them for everyone too, but when the chorus is the same from every corner of the globe, it catches my ear.
The message itself is the thing I've named, "Gaia." To me Gaia is not a demi-god, but the combined voice of humanity everywhere.
Have you ever been at a European event in which the crowd really got excited, and broke into spontaneous applause? After a short while of wild, enthusiastic clapping, everyone is suddenly clapping to one beat - everyone. It's an odd experience for an American, hearing 10,000 people transition from a wild cacaphony of applause into 20,000 hands striking each other as if controlled by one brain. The crowd is going nuts, and suddenly thousands of people are clapping in perfect time with each other. In the space of mere seconds the people become a thing, one single entity, clapping in one rhythm.
It seems to me that this is what I hear happening around the world. Science, philosophy and art are all converging around the idea of "One planet. One people." And they are doing it at Internet speed.
Gaia is the single worldwide entity, clapping in one rhythm and telling everyone to get on board for the good of everyone. Gaia is the united voice of of every person who believes that the world is divine and worthy of our love and sacrifice.
And the church is struggling to decide how to react.
Gaia keeps whipsawing the church with her questions. When the church draws a line, she asks why we're not compassionate. When the church reaches out to those in need, she asks why we don't just join in her service to humanity. When we fight amongst ourselves she asks whether we are united, and when we unite she asks whether we're just a bunch of mindless robots.
Before long, we are doubting everything we do. We're ashamed to be "exclusionary," and afraid to seem old-fashioned. We're terrified of representing Christ as less than merciful - especially in front of a world that is working so hard to extend a helping hand to everyone. God so loved the world that we had better always show Christ as winsomely as possible.
It's killing us.
Matt 21:5
Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
Jesus came once to Israel meekly. She would only accept Him on her own terms, which was the same as rejecting Him.
Jesus did not long pine for her, nor did He turn aside from his path.
John 18:36-38a
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?
His purpose is unchanging, and His goal is all-consuming.
Pilate was wrong. Truth can be known, and He was standing right in front of him.
Matt 13:40-43
As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
This is the age when it is determined what offends and what does not. What is iniquitous and what is righteous is being proven today.
There is that which offends, and no persuasion will be offered to it.
1 Peter 3:22
[Jesus] is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
The kingdom is now. It is only in part, but it is today that Christ is taking all into subjection.
1 Cor 15:23-25
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
The kingdom ends with judgement, and utterly without remorse.
---
Gaia says there is only, "us." Gaia reminds us that we are all in this together, for better or for worse. There's only one planet, and one people no matter how many tribes, creeds, or borders there may seem to be. She is deceived, and she would deceive us.
There are two "us's." There are those who are His, and those who offend Him. And the latter group He will cast into a furnace without remorse. His kingdom, though, is His. We are His, and we are separate from those who are outside the gates.
But somehow that message is not getting through to even the members of our own churches.
I have met people who attend mainline Christian denominational churches and who were amazed when I told them the gospel. They were amazed to learn that God is holy. They were amazed to learn that Jesus was harsh with seekers ("Sell all you have," "Let the dead bury their dead," "You follow me only because I fed you"). They were amazed to learn that their kindness to others does not change their position with God one whit.
I tell them about Adam's sin, and about how God cannot accept them into His presence due to their dirty rags. I tell them about mighty seraphim covering their faces and their feet before God, and Isaiah collapsing in His presence. I tell them about the wrath of God unleashed against Christ on our behalf. They have never heard of these things.
They have never heard of these things!
They know all about Christ loving His neighbors, but they know nothing of the love it took to save us. They know about the noble sacrifice of Christ at calvary, but they know nothing of the divine wrath of God that Christ swallowed for us.
Why?
Why are people in our congregations ignorant?
I won't kid you. I'm plumbing for a reason here. I'm not declaring the word of God here, nor any revelation or vision that I have received. I'm digging hard to find an answer. I've not yet put my finger on it, but it's out there. There's something wrong.
Whatever it is, the clues are in our vocabulary.
Gaia speaks of "humankind."
Christ speaks of "the living and the dead."
Gaia unites her own around their humanity. Christ divides His children from humanity. His children are divine as He is divine, and the rest of humanity are "the dead."
Gaia speaks of "believing."
Christ speaks of "knowing."
Gaia wants us all to believe, because beliefs stabilize us. That we believe in Christ is no skin off her nose. Christ's brothers are His because they know Him specifically. They believe in Him, but they do more than believe. They know Him.
Gaia speaks of "unity."
Christ speaks of "oneness."
Unity is presented as transcending truth. Oneness is founded within truth.
Gaia speaks of "a personal experience."
Christ speaks of "a new life."
Accepting Christ means that I add Christ to myself. Being born from above means that I quit being who I was, and become someone else completely.
Gaia speaks of "centering."
Christ speaks of "approaching God."
Centering ourselves is presented as the highest work of humankind. But those made alive in Christ are pure, and they no longer need to center themselves within themselves. They approach the throne of God boldly.
Gaia speaks of "equality."
Christ speaks of "His kingdom."
Gaia would have every person get a fair chance at life, and get an equal opportunity. Christ would have every man, woman and child submit to Him, and He will have exactly that, one way or another.
These differences are significant, but I'm not sure whether they are the core of the matter. I suppose the core to be humanism in Christian garb, but I'm not sure yet. I'm watching. I'm a strong, strong fan of the humanities, and yet utterly oppose humanism.
When I see church members blithely unaware of what they do not know about the Christ of Christianity, it scares me. It scares me for them, but it scares me for us, too. If we said we were blind, then there would be mercy for us. It terrifies me that we say we see.
My key assertion is that Gaia, the earth mother, the meta-being formed of all living stuff on this planet, is forcing her way into the church. She's not displacing Christ there, but she's forcing us to talk about Him using her vocabulary.
It's killing us.
I feel it more than think it, and cannot put it into words yet. I am at a complete loss for a way to express this thought. No matter what you find beneath this point, rest assured I am not happy with it. But, I am going to give this my best shot.
It is scaring me that humanity seems to be finding its voice. More and more, whether you are in Asia, Africa, the Americas or Europe, you hear the same message. Save humankind. Save the earth. Give everyone a fair start in life, and a fair chance. These things are good, and I wish them for everyone too, but when the chorus is the same from every corner of the globe, it catches my ear.
The message itself is the thing I've named, "Gaia." To me Gaia is not a demi-god, but the combined voice of humanity everywhere.
Have you ever been at a European event in which the crowd really got excited, and broke into spontaneous applause? After a short while of wild, enthusiastic clapping, everyone is suddenly clapping to one beat - everyone. It's an odd experience for an American, hearing 10,000 people transition from a wild cacaphony of applause into 20,000 hands striking each other as if controlled by one brain. The crowd is going nuts, and suddenly thousands of people are clapping in perfect time with each other. In the space of mere seconds the people become a thing, one single entity, clapping in one rhythm.
It seems to me that this is what I hear happening around the world. Science, philosophy and art are all converging around the idea of "One planet. One people." And they are doing it at Internet speed.
Gaia is the single worldwide entity, clapping in one rhythm and telling everyone to get on board for the good of everyone. Gaia is the united voice of of every person who believes that the world is divine and worthy of our love and sacrifice.
And the church is struggling to decide how to react.
Gaia keeps whipsawing the church with her questions. When the church draws a line, she asks why we're not compassionate. When the church reaches out to those in need, she asks why we don't just join in her service to humanity. When we fight amongst ourselves she asks whether we are united, and when we unite she asks whether we're just a bunch of mindless robots.
Before long, we are doubting everything we do. We're ashamed to be "exclusionary," and afraid to seem old-fashioned. We're terrified of representing Christ as less than merciful - especially in front of a world that is working so hard to extend a helping hand to everyone. God so loved the world that we had better always show Christ as winsomely as possible.
It's killing us.
Matt 21:5
Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
Jesus came once to Israel meekly. She would only accept Him on her own terms, which was the same as rejecting Him.
Jesus did not long pine for her, nor did He turn aside from his path.
John 18:36-38a
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. Pilate saith unto him, What is truth?
His purpose is unchanging, and His goal is all-consuming.
Pilate was wrong. Truth can be known, and He was standing right in front of him.
Matt 13:40-43
As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
This is the age when it is determined what offends and what does not. What is iniquitous and what is righteous is being proven today.
There is that which offends, and no persuasion will be offered to it.
1 Peter 3:22
[Jesus] is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
The kingdom is now. It is only in part, but it is today that Christ is taking all into subjection.
1 Cor 15:23-25
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
The kingdom ends with judgement, and utterly without remorse.
---
Gaia says there is only, "us." Gaia reminds us that we are all in this together, for better or for worse. There's only one planet, and one people no matter how many tribes, creeds, or borders there may seem to be. She is deceived, and she would deceive us.
There are two "us's." There are those who are His, and those who offend Him. And the latter group He will cast into a furnace without remorse. His kingdom, though, is His. We are His, and we are separate from those who are outside the gates.
But somehow that message is not getting through to even the members of our own churches.
I have met people who attend mainline Christian denominational churches and who were amazed when I told them the gospel. They were amazed to learn that God is holy. They were amazed to learn that Jesus was harsh with seekers ("Sell all you have," "Let the dead bury their dead," "You follow me only because I fed you"). They were amazed to learn that their kindness to others does not change their position with God one whit.
I tell them about Adam's sin, and about how God cannot accept them into His presence due to their dirty rags. I tell them about mighty seraphim covering their faces and their feet before God, and Isaiah collapsing in His presence. I tell them about the wrath of God unleashed against Christ on our behalf. They have never heard of these things.
They have never heard of these things!
They know all about Christ loving His neighbors, but they know nothing of the love it took to save us. They know about the noble sacrifice of Christ at calvary, but they know nothing of the divine wrath of God that Christ swallowed for us.
Why?
Why are people in our congregations ignorant?
I won't kid you. I'm plumbing for a reason here. I'm not declaring the word of God here, nor any revelation or vision that I have received. I'm digging hard to find an answer. I've not yet put my finger on it, but it's out there. There's something wrong.
Whatever it is, the clues are in our vocabulary.
Gaia speaks of "humankind."
Christ speaks of "the living and the dead."
Gaia unites her own around their humanity. Christ divides His children from humanity. His children are divine as He is divine, and the rest of humanity are "the dead."
Gaia speaks of "believing."
Christ speaks of "knowing."
Gaia wants us all to believe, because beliefs stabilize us. That we believe in Christ is no skin off her nose. Christ's brothers are His because they know Him specifically. They believe in Him, but they do more than believe. They know Him.
Gaia speaks of "unity."
Christ speaks of "oneness."
Unity is presented as transcending truth. Oneness is founded within truth.
Gaia speaks of "a personal experience."
Christ speaks of "a new life."
Accepting Christ means that I add Christ to myself. Being born from above means that I quit being who I was, and become someone else completely.
Gaia speaks of "centering."
Christ speaks of "approaching God."
Centering ourselves is presented as the highest work of humankind. But those made alive in Christ are pure, and they no longer need to center themselves within themselves. They approach the throne of God boldly.
Gaia speaks of "equality."
Christ speaks of "His kingdom."
Gaia would have every person get a fair chance at life, and get an equal opportunity. Christ would have every man, woman and child submit to Him, and He will have exactly that, one way or another.
These differences are significant, but I'm not sure whether they are the core of the matter. I suppose the core to be humanism in Christian garb, but I'm not sure yet. I'm watching. I'm a strong, strong fan of the humanities, and yet utterly oppose humanism.
When I see church members blithely unaware of what they do not know about the Christ of Christianity, it scares me. It scares me for them, but it scares me for us, too. If we said we were blind, then there would be mercy for us. It terrifies me that we say we see.
06 May, 2007
Gaia versus Christ - The Happy Homemaker
Homemaking is women's work.
Gaia is a woman.
Jesus is not a woman.
Therefore it's only natural that Christians are raping the earth with their right-wing republican agenda of feeding big business, and repressing anyone who seeks everyone's good, instead of just that of male protestants.
The fate of humanity rests in the filia of little algea trying to revive the Gulf of Mexico's dead zone, forests trying to scrub the air of carbon dioxide, and the minds of humans seeking a way back to balance with nature. Any of countless disasters could give Gaia an opportunity to start over again, without the blight of humanity. This is a sad, sad story, because Gaia made us a fine home, and then evolved us perfectly to fit within it. We are tailor-bred to enjoy green grass, blue skies and red dirt (I'm from Northern California, where all the dirt is red - the rest of you can just imagine), but in our greed we have consumed far more of her bounty than we have returned, so we are in danger of losing it all - for every species on our planet.
Gaia perfected the earth for us without our help, and she can fix all the damage we've done, if we learn to understand her ways. We are neither the first nor the worst environmental disaster to happen under her watchful care, and everything we've done is natural after a fashion. We made this mess by indulging our ancient evolutionary instincts, so if we can just retrain those instincts to match our new mental capabilities, we can advance the destiny of our race. We can learn to care for the entire planet, not just ourselves, and we restore this place to the pristine garden it was for the last few million years.
That's Gaia's stand.
Can Christ do as good a job as Gaia of saving the earth?
It is here that Christians begin to stumble a little. Here, some good Christians begin to have a real problem answering for Christ.
One group shouts, "Yes! Christ will melt the elements of this planet, and make a new heaven and earth, and we will live forever in heaven." These like the Earth, but don't feel very responsible for it.
Another group pledges, "Yes! Christ put us here within this earth, and it is our responsibility to fit into the rhythm of life." These believe restoring this Earth for Christ is almost as high a calling as preaching the gospel.
Yet another group intones, "No. All of creation groans until it can be put out of its misery. Sin has destroyed this creation, and now it is just waiting for the day it hits the dustbin." These hate the Earth for what it has become, and eagerly await the chance to yank it off life-support.
And Gaians just snicker, because the debate is being held in Gaia's house, framed in her language.
The Gaian frames the debate in Christian terms, because he is so open minded he can accommodate the Christians' narrow perspectives, but that reframing is an illusion. The words become Christian, but the foundation of the debate is as pagan as ever it was. The Gaian will refer to humans as created, and the world as cared for by its designer, and the ecosphere as a divine plan, but in the end the critical points are the same. The Earth is our home, and man is a part of nature.
But the debate is not being held in Gaia's house. Gaia is squatting in the King's house, and she will learn how large a mistake that is. God did not give this planet to anyone. He left it in the care of His children, and they lost it to their enemy. Satan tempted Jesus, offering Him ownership of this planet, but what offered was only his by theft - not by gift or wage. On that day, the King allowed Himself to be taunted, but the King is returning and soon He will rip what is His from the hands of His enemies.
This place was given to God's children, and it was called into existence for us to make something of it. It is in our nature to create, and to perfect, and to protect. Gaia would have us fit meekly into the ecosystem alongside all the animals, but that is not our place. The Earth and all its living systems are gifts to us and responsibilities. We are not to sink into the grass beside the animals, but to lift them to the heights of honor along with us. The lowest mutt carries himself with high dignity when he knows he is serving a higher purpose, and we are charged to give him that.
Man can elevate the entire earth.
We were created for this.
A meadow is beautiful, but a garden is a glory to God, man and plant together.
Gaia tells half-truths. Yes, the greed of man has raped the earth, but her answer to our sin is wrong. Gaia would have us lost in the web of life, indistinguishable from the world around us. She would have us camoflage the image of God, and lose our humanity into the zoo around us. She would have us dedicate our lives to transforming civilization into the image of nature.
Christ would have us rest.
Christ saved the world. That is in the past tense. It waits to be revealed what the sons of God will be, and what the earth will be, but it waits to be revealed. It is already there. The new earth is waiting, already bought and paid for by its King.
Everything we do in this age is a testimony to the work He has already finished. So, yes, we work and we work hard, but we work in the calm assurance that the work is already done. We wait here for the miracle of revelation that Christ will unveil at His coming. We wait with our hands on the plow, and we work toward His revealed goal, but we have a Hope. And we, in turn, are Earth's highest hope.
Yes, Save the Earth. But save Christ's Earth, and save it by saving men who will learn to love the things that Christ loves. We are called to make this house a home, and in Christ's finished work our work will bear fruit.
Gaia is a woman.
Jesus is not a woman.
Therefore it's only natural that Christians are raping the earth with their right-wing republican agenda of feeding big business, and repressing anyone who seeks everyone's good, instead of just that of male protestants.
The fate of humanity rests in the filia of little algea trying to revive the Gulf of Mexico's dead zone, forests trying to scrub the air of carbon dioxide, and the minds of humans seeking a way back to balance with nature. Any of countless disasters could give Gaia an opportunity to start over again, without the blight of humanity. This is a sad, sad story, because Gaia made us a fine home, and then evolved us perfectly to fit within it. We are tailor-bred to enjoy green grass, blue skies and red dirt (I'm from Northern California, where all the dirt is red - the rest of you can just imagine), but in our greed we have consumed far more of her bounty than we have returned, so we are in danger of losing it all - for every species on our planet.
Gaia perfected the earth for us without our help, and she can fix all the damage we've done, if we learn to understand her ways. We are neither the first nor the worst environmental disaster to happen under her watchful care, and everything we've done is natural after a fashion. We made this mess by indulging our ancient evolutionary instincts, so if we can just retrain those instincts to match our new mental capabilities, we can advance the destiny of our race. We can learn to care for the entire planet, not just ourselves, and we restore this place to the pristine garden it was for the last few million years.
That's Gaia's stand.
Can Christ do as good a job as Gaia of saving the earth?
It is here that Christians begin to stumble a little. Here, some good Christians begin to have a real problem answering for Christ.
One group shouts, "Yes! Christ will melt the elements of this planet, and make a new heaven and earth, and we will live forever in heaven." These like the Earth, but don't feel very responsible for it.
Another group pledges, "Yes! Christ put us here within this earth, and it is our responsibility to fit into the rhythm of life." These believe restoring this Earth for Christ is almost as high a calling as preaching the gospel.
Yet another group intones, "No. All of creation groans until it can be put out of its misery. Sin has destroyed this creation, and now it is just waiting for the day it hits the dustbin." These hate the Earth for what it has become, and eagerly await the chance to yank it off life-support.
And Gaians just snicker, because the debate is being held in Gaia's house, framed in her language.
The Gaian frames the debate in Christian terms, because he is so open minded he can accommodate the Christians' narrow perspectives, but that reframing is an illusion. The words become Christian, but the foundation of the debate is as pagan as ever it was. The Gaian will refer to humans as created, and the world as cared for by its designer, and the ecosphere as a divine plan, but in the end the critical points are the same. The Earth is our home, and man is a part of nature.
But the debate is not being held in Gaia's house. Gaia is squatting in the King's house, and she will learn how large a mistake that is. God did not give this planet to anyone. He left it in the care of His children, and they lost it to their enemy. Satan tempted Jesus, offering Him ownership of this planet, but what offered was only his by theft - not by gift or wage. On that day, the King allowed Himself to be taunted, but the King is returning and soon He will rip what is His from the hands of His enemies.
This place was given to God's children, and it was called into existence for us to make something of it. It is in our nature to create, and to perfect, and to protect. Gaia would have us fit meekly into the ecosystem alongside all the animals, but that is not our place. The Earth and all its living systems are gifts to us and responsibilities. We are not to sink into the grass beside the animals, but to lift them to the heights of honor along with us. The lowest mutt carries himself with high dignity when he knows he is serving a higher purpose, and we are charged to give him that.
Man can elevate the entire earth.
We were created for this.
A meadow is beautiful, but a garden is a glory to God, man and plant together.
Gaia tells half-truths. Yes, the greed of man has raped the earth, but her answer to our sin is wrong. Gaia would have us lost in the web of life, indistinguishable from the world around us. She would have us camoflage the image of God, and lose our humanity into the zoo around us. She would have us dedicate our lives to transforming civilization into the image of nature.
Christ would have us rest.
Christ saved the world. That is in the past tense. It waits to be revealed what the sons of God will be, and what the earth will be, but it waits to be revealed. It is already there. The new earth is waiting, already bought and paid for by its King.
Everything we do in this age is a testimony to the work He has already finished. So, yes, we work and we work hard, but we work in the calm assurance that the work is already done. We wait here for the miracle of revelation that Christ will unveil at His coming. We wait with our hands on the plow, and we work toward His revealed goal, but we have a Hope. And we, in turn, are Earth's highest hope.
Yes, Save the Earth. But save Christ's Earth, and save it by saving men who will learn to love the things that Christ loves. We are called to make this house a home, and in Christ's finished work our work will bear fruit.
01 May, 2007
Gaia versus Christ - A Reason to Live
Every man needs a reason to get up in the morning.
Gaians get up in the morning to make the world a better place than it was yesterday. As integral parts of the organism of earth, they want to contribute everything they can to the health of the planet. Among other things, that means improving themselves physically, emotionally and spiritually. They want to see the world more truly for what it is, the people around them more clearly, and themselves more honestly. And they are willing to make necessary sacrifices for the greater good. They look on sacrifice as an investment, really. A Gaian might invest a little more for a hybrid car for the environment's sake, and might invest time in prayer to support the earth's spiritual balance.
Harm Never, Help Ever is one of their many mottos.
Gaia teaches her children to fight evil, foster good, and always help.
So, as I look at Gaia versus Christ, can Christ supply a stronger reason to live than this?
Let's compare Gaia's and Christ's messages to Joe, a depressed guy thinking about ending it all.
[Quick clarification: I'm personally familar with Joe's state from decades ago, but I'm not secretly talking about myself here.]
Joe is a part of the web of all life, and Gaia will remind him of this. Gaia needs Joe to be the best he can be, and she reminds Joe how fulfilling it is to contribute to the needs of the universe by contributing to the needs of his community.
Gaia relies on Joe to pull his weight in the complex web of life. And when Joe is too depressed to contribute to society, he is both failing her and consuming valuable resources. So, Gaia is going to marshall all the forces at her command to help Joe get better. She will send Joe better nutrition, more friends, caring counselors, and some poetry to help him feel understood. She will send books and helpers to feed his spirit, and to help him see that he was meant to be a spiritual being. She will work hard to help Joe take his place back in the dance of life.
The problem is that Joe is drowning in his depression. To get Joe back onto dry land, Gaia sends him lifeboats, but Joe takes a quick look at them and decides to drown. And why not? What is he really doing by being alive, anyway? What difference would his death make? What difference does his life make? Gaia could give his life purpose, but only when he was healthy enough to reach out and grab it.
Once Gaia is sure that Joe cannot be helped, she looks down on him and says, "Well, the gene pool won't miss him," and lets him die. Nature is like that. Gaia helps those who help themselves. Once you're past the point of helping yourself, Gaia cannot do anything for you.
But what does Christ say to Joe?
For starters, Christ stepped into Joe's world as a human, and suffered every temptation to which Joe has succumbed. He has the pain of each setback that is crushing Joe.
More than that, Christ suffered all those things intentionally, so that He could be there to comfort Joe when the time came. He willingly took on every burden so that He could carry Joe at just this moment.
But the amazing thing is that Christ did this because He knew Joe - from before Joe was conceived, Christ knew him - and He loved Joe. It's not that He loved everyone, or that He loved because it's His nature, but that He knew Joe and fell in love with Joe for being Joe. Everything Christ did, He did because Joe was that important to Him.
And there's something even more amazing than that. When Joe turns around and responds to Christ's love with love in return, he blesses the omnipotent Creator of the universe. Joe's love makes a difference to God. Joe can make a difference in the eternal, invisible realm.
Less amazing, but easier to appreciate, is that Joe can make the same difference right here on earth. When Joe loves Christ's brothers and sisters, he makes a difference in the eternal but visible realm!
To some, that might even seem like a sufficient reason to get up in the morning.
The ultimate contrast between Christ and Gaia comes when Joe cannot overcome his depression. Gaia has no use for the man who will not eventually provide something back to her body. Gaia is hungry, and she feeds on her own.
Christ is already satisfied. Rather than feeding on His body, Christ supplies it with everything it needs. When Joe is joined to Christ, he is born a new creature - a glorious man made new by Christ through the pouring of divine Life into Joe's spirit.
Codepoke is emotionally crippled, and if I thought my hope were in Gaia I would give up - right now. There is no hope down her road. My life, though, is in the hands of One Who loved me, and gave Himself for me. While I was in rebellion against Him, He bought me at the most extreme price. He could have given me wealth beyond my imagining, and delighted me at no cost to Himself. Instead, He healed me by His stripes.
Remember Gaia's true nature when you hear someone describe the beauty of tolerance, and the wonderful light and life-force that lives in each of us. Remember her vampire nature when they talk about how we are all interwoven and how we are connected to each other in a cosmic tapestry of life. Remember the imperative to evolve or die when they talk about how we are all growing toward a higher plane of existence.
And remember that Christ frees you from all of that.
Gaians get up in the morning to make the world a better place than it was yesterday. As integral parts of the organism of earth, they want to contribute everything they can to the health of the planet. Among other things, that means improving themselves physically, emotionally and spiritually. They want to see the world more truly for what it is, the people around them more clearly, and themselves more honestly. And they are willing to make necessary sacrifices for the greater good. They look on sacrifice as an investment, really. A Gaian might invest a little more for a hybrid car for the environment's sake, and might invest time in prayer to support the earth's spiritual balance.
Harm Never, Help Ever is one of their many mottos.
Gaia teaches her children to fight evil, foster good, and always help.
So, as I look at Gaia versus Christ, can Christ supply a stronger reason to live than this?
Let's compare Gaia's and Christ's messages to Joe, a depressed guy thinking about ending it all.
[Quick clarification: I'm personally familar with Joe's state from decades ago, but I'm not secretly talking about myself here.]
Joe is a part of the web of all life, and Gaia will remind him of this. Gaia needs Joe to be the best he can be, and she reminds Joe how fulfilling it is to contribute to the needs of the universe by contributing to the needs of his community.
Gaia relies on Joe to pull his weight in the complex web of life. And when Joe is too depressed to contribute to society, he is both failing her and consuming valuable resources. So, Gaia is going to marshall all the forces at her command to help Joe get better. She will send Joe better nutrition, more friends, caring counselors, and some poetry to help him feel understood. She will send books and helpers to feed his spirit, and to help him see that he was meant to be a spiritual being. She will work hard to help Joe take his place back in the dance of life.
The problem is that Joe is drowning in his depression. To get Joe back onto dry land, Gaia sends him lifeboats, but Joe takes a quick look at them and decides to drown. And why not? What is he really doing by being alive, anyway? What difference would his death make? What difference does his life make? Gaia could give his life purpose, but only when he was healthy enough to reach out and grab it.
Once Gaia is sure that Joe cannot be helped, she looks down on him and says, "Well, the gene pool won't miss him," and lets him die. Nature is like that. Gaia helps those who help themselves. Once you're past the point of helping yourself, Gaia cannot do anything for you.
But what does Christ say to Joe?
For starters, Christ stepped into Joe's world as a human, and suffered every temptation to which Joe has succumbed. He has the pain of each setback that is crushing Joe.
More than that, Christ suffered all those things intentionally, so that He could be there to comfort Joe when the time came. He willingly took on every burden so that He could carry Joe at just this moment.
But the amazing thing is that Christ did this because He knew Joe - from before Joe was conceived, Christ knew him - and He loved Joe. It's not that He loved everyone, or that He loved because it's His nature, but that He knew Joe and fell in love with Joe for being Joe. Everything Christ did, He did because Joe was that important to Him.
And there's something even more amazing than that. When Joe turns around and responds to Christ's love with love in return, he blesses the omnipotent Creator of the universe. Joe's love makes a difference to God. Joe can make a difference in the eternal, invisible realm.
Less amazing, but easier to appreciate, is that Joe can make the same difference right here on earth. When Joe loves Christ's brothers and sisters, he makes a difference in the eternal but visible realm!
To some, that might even seem like a sufficient reason to get up in the morning.
The ultimate contrast between Christ and Gaia comes when Joe cannot overcome his depression. Gaia has no use for the man who will not eventually provide something back to her body. Gaia is hungry, and she feeds on her own.
Christ is already satisfied. Rather than feeding on His body, Christ supplies it with everything it needs. When Joe is joined to Christ, he is born a new creature - a glorious man made new by Christ through the pouring of divine Life into Joe's spirit.
Codepoke is emotionally crippled, and if I thought my hope were in Gaia I would give up - right now. There is no hope down her road. My life, though, is in the hands of One Who loved me, and gave Himself for me. While I was in rebellion against Him, He bought me at the most extreme price. He could have given me wealth beyond my imagining, and delighted me at no cost to Himself. Instead, He healed me by His stripes.
Remember Gaia's true nature when you hear someone describe the beauty of tolerance, and the wonderful light and life-force that lives in each of us. Remember her vampire nature when they talk about how we are all interwoven and how we are connected to each other in a cosmic tapestry of life. Remember the imperative to evolve or die when they talk about how we are all growing toward a higher plane of existence.
And remember that Christ frees you from all of that.
29 April, 2007
Gaia in Christ's World
Most people do not consider Gaia a living person, spiritual or otherwise, but it will be helpful to refer to her as such. She is the sum of all life on earth, and hers is the philosophy that seeks life's continued preservation and evolution. She is the mother of all earth-life, and she is the meta-organism that is made up of all earth-life.
There are trillions of bacteria living happily in our guts, and we are their earth. E Coli is a major, beneficial bacteria and is much appreciated, but sometimes it spoils everything. When E Coli escapes from the large intestine, it kills not just its own home, but everyone's. Even so, man is a powerful force in Gaia's body. When we find our place and maintain it, all of the earth is bettered. When we escape from our place, we risk killing the earth for everyone.
So, things like global warming, worldwide poverty, unbounded development, industrialized food and nuclear proliferation are all anathema to Gaia. She sees their global effect, and final outcome, and longs for mankind to stop them.
"How do you know that?" you ask.
Gaia has no voice, except that of the people who speak for her, and they shout these things from the housetops. Without question, each of them preaches a slightly different, or wildly different, version of Gaia's heart, but they are all defending Mother Earth - Gaia - and thereby defending all of us who are her essence.
There is also a subset of Gaians who believe in spiritual things, and that we are as interdependent spiritually as we are physically. They believe that hate and greed are as toxic to the world's psychosystem as are industrial waste and automobiles to our ecosystem. They preach love, and not just feelings of love, but love in action. And they don't just preach these things, they start groups that put their love in action. They are making a positive difference.
Gaia cares, and Gaians live her caring out on his tiny blue-green orb we call home.
I need to talk about Gaia for a while.
I hate her.
I hate her from the depths of my being, and I want to talk about why. You will find her in every TV show, in every news report, in every self-help book, and quite probably sitting in the corner in your church, waiting to "make a difference." The grammar of Christianity's conversation is framed by Gaia, not Christ, and too often we must talk in her words to be understood at all, even in His church.
Gaia is invading Christianity. You see her in our talk of Unity, spoken in her words, not Christ's. Our goals are her goals. The church partners effectively with charities everywhere, because we are trying to accomplish the same things - and we should not be. Gaia is winning the verbal judo match. In judo you take the attacker's force, and turned it back against him. Gaia has taken our precious words, received from the Holy Spirit, and defined them in her own image.
She is sifting the Christ out of our churches, and leaving us with a Jesus formed in her own image.
Gaia's promises will fall when she meets her Ruin. Those hidden under her skirts will be exposed and judged. Their guilt will find them, and their judgement will be complete.
The world, and the fulness of every cell of every living being in it, is Christ's, and He will throw Gaia down into the pit.
There are trillions of bacteria living happily in our guts, and we are their earth. E Coli is a major, beneficial bacteria and is much appreciated, but sometimes it spoils everything. When E Coli escapes from the large intestine, it kills not just its own home, but everyone's. Even so, man is a powerful force in Gaia's body. When we find our place and maintain it, all of the earth is bettered. When we escape from our place, we risk killing the earth for everyone.
So, things like global warming, worldwide poverty, unbounded development, industrialized food and nuclear proliferation are all anathema to Gaia. She sees their global effect, and final outcome, and longs for mankind to stop them.
"How do you know that?" you ask.
Gaia has no voice, except that of the people who speak for her, and they shout these things from the housetops. Without question, each of them preaches a slightly different, or wildly different, version of Gaia's heart, but they are all defending Mother Earth - Gaia - and thereby defending all of us who are her essence.
There is also a subset of Gaians who believe in spiritual things, and that we are as interdependent spiritually as we are physically. They believe that hate and greed are as toxic to the world's psychosystem as are industrial waste and automobiles to our ecosystem. They preach love, and not just feelings of love, but love in action. And they don't just preach these things, they start groups that put their love in action. They are making a positive difference.
Gaia cares, and Gaians live her caring out on his tiny blue-green orb we call home.
I need to talk about Gaia for a while.
I hate her.
I hate her from the depths of my being, and I want to talk about why. You will find her in every TV show, in every news report, in every self-help book, and quite probably sitting in the corner in your church, waiting to "make a difference." The grammar of Christianity's conversation is framed by Gaia, not Christ, and too often we must talk in her words to be understood at all, even in His church.
Gaia is invading Christianity. You see her in our talk of Unity, spoken in her words, not Christ's. Our goals are her goals. The church partners effectively with charities everywhere, because we are trying to accomplish the same things - and we should not be. Gaia is winning the verbal judo match. In judo you take the attacker's force, and turned it back against him. Gaia has taken our precious words, received from the Holy Spirit, and defined them in her own image.
She is sifting the Christ out of our churches, and leaving us with a Jesus formed in her own image.
Gaia's promises will fall when she meets her Ruin. Those hidden under her skirts will be exposed and judged. Their guilt will find them, and their judgement will be complete.
The world, and the fulness of every cell of every living being in it, is Christ's, and He will throw Gaia down into the pit.
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