Loud angry deadbeats?

From the abrasive, intolerant rants I hear it would be easy to believe this red-hot hatred comes from directionless deadbeat derelicts with nothing better to do than attack people and sadistically feed off any defensive response they elicit. As it turns out, those with the loudest rants and most abrasive suggestions are people I usually regard as intelligent, trustworthy, and caring. The one common factor I see in all of them is a strong connection to their religious faith, which is the most surprising, counterintuitive element of all.

Forgetting forgiveness

You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to know a central tenet of most faiths revolves around universal, unconditional forgiveness. We’re always reminded that God sent his Son to die on the cross so our sins would be forgiven. I don’t think we really understand what forgiveness truly means, though.

We’re told it’s super important, beyond words, and that’s true. Understanding forgiveness is a lifelong, personal pursuit. One basic starting block we need to understand about God’s forgiveness, though, is the relief from burden it is supposed to provide.

A relief from burden

We’re all destined to sin, no matter how hard we try to be true. Sins are burdensome, and the sins of even the most saintly person would weigh them down so they might never ascend to levels God intended, much less reach heaven. There’s no questioning whether we’re all truly forgiven or not. Without unconditional forgiveness, our lives would become a burning cesspool we could never escape.

We’ve all been warned

Combine God’s forgiveness with “Thou shalt not judge,” and I think anyone judging others publicly is filthy with sin of their own. No matter what terrible sin you think you’re righteously exposing to the world, it doesn’t matter. God has forgiven all sins, so there’s no need to call anyone out.

If you tell me someone is bad for being lazy, I could tell you “So what? They are forgiven by God, and I have faith in God.”

If you tell me someone is evil for being homosexual, I’ll tell you “So what? If you choose to believe that’s a sin, you should also believe they are forgiven by God, and I have faith in God.”

If you tell me someone is lesser than me, I’ll tell you “We’re all created equal and judged by a higher power. Your opinion is selfish, unnecessary, and only valid in your own personal version of the Universe.”

The burden of judgment

Because we’re all forgiven, our public judgments against one another are irrelevant and sinful in themselves. Remember I said forgiveness involves a relief from burden? That’s because truly passing judgment is the heaviest burden of all. If you could pass judgment on a group of people and determine their fate as a result, would you do it? Would you pass judgment if the sentence were death? Indeed, if you force a group of people to conform to your version of right and wrong, you have indeed brought death to their spirits.

The power to judge is truly a burden I don’t think any of us are really prepared to wield. In the smaller realm of human society, we hire people to be judges in the courts, and hold them in high esteem. Why are judges (usually) deserved of such high praises? Because their trusted task of judgment is a heavy burden that weighs them down for life. Every time they do their job, someone is negatively affected by their judgment. Sure, the sentence is only valid in our terrestrial, societal realm — not in the larger context of God’s Universe — but it’s still a heavy burden that cannot be taken lightly.

Enjoy your forgiveness and live in peace

Show me you truly have faith in your God. Stop judging others publicly. Enjoy the relief from burden your God so selflessly provided. Focus your energy on bringing beauty and peace to our world.

January 28

Go down swinging.

That sounds great, and makes me feel grit in my teeth. I picture someone pretty much doomed who refuses to go down without a fight.

I think the advice is to never give up, no matter what. I know of a couple problems with that, though.

Sometimes you need to give up

The phrase “don’t put good money after bad” comes to mind.

If you act on things instead of just talking about them, if you take risks often, then you’ll find yourself “going down” quite often. There’s nothing wrong with that! We need more action in this world, quite frankly. However, it doesn’t do anyone any good for you to “go down swinging” if the swinging won’t make a bit of difference.

Another phrase for you: “cut your losses.”

Sometimes people think if they give up, they are worthless losers. Hmm. You can read any number of stories of famous and not-so-famous rich people who have made many more huge mistakes than you’ll ever think of making. Part of the reason they’re still on top (or “back on top” sometimes) is because they new when to quit and shift their focus.

What are you swinging at?

For your efforts to succeed, you have to keep your eye on the ball. To do that, you need to know what the ball is in your case. What target are you swinging at? What is it you want?

If you go down swinging at nothing, you just look like someone thrashing about, throwing a fit. When the going gets tough, you certainly should show tenacity. Before you buckle down, though, you need to make sure you know what you’re aiming for.