EVOLUTIONARY THOUGHTS
I woke up early last Sunday morning feeling pretty darned good. My hubby and I got ready for early church (8:am) then we sat down for breakfast. While having coffee and a bite to eat, I turned on the TV, planning to catch the forecast on the weather channel. I was greeted by a real pulpit pounder. Ordinarily I would have changed channels, however, the subject matter snagged my interest. Shock prevented me from remembering the preacher's name, but when an apparently well educated man announced that anyone who believed in evolution of any form would be going straight to hell, I went a trifle ballistic.
I state firmly and without a moment of hesitation that I'm a card-carrying, church-going Christian. I'm not often so consumed with anger that I find myself totally speechless and feel grossly wronged. I do believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things seen and unseen, and also believe some aspects of the Biblical story of creation. Although my core of belief is that most of the story has been distorted over the millennia. After all, nobody was there to record what happened.
Why can't hard line Christians understand that evolution and religion can thrive together? Yes, I believe that God created our world. I also have many questions and I'm a voracious reader. Have you ever wondered why we are alone in this vast universe? And of all the ape-like creatures who began walking upright, why we, homo sapiens, were chosen to evolve while other hominids fell into extinction?
In a very moving letter written by my brother following the death of his wife, he rales at God for causing or allowing her death to occur. He wondered why God either allowed or caused such a tragedy to happen. But at the end of his dissertation, he puts forth his supposition that God simply started every thing in process at the beginning of time. He had no direct input into the accident and decline of his wife's health that led to her death.
The theory of "Divine Intervention" along the pathway of evolution is not my invention. This particular theory (along with many others) has been bantered about for several years. Many archeologists and paleontologists are atheists. However, there are a growing number of scientists, investigators and biblical scholars who are leaning toward this new line of thinking. I am among them. Divine Intervention. I like the sound of that.
With new bones and other relics being uncovered, photographed and studied, all the evidence is pointing to a certainty that man did indeed evolve from and along side primitive apes into what we are today. It is not outside the realm of possibility that God set our planet on its course and when man evolved to a certain point, He was happy with the results and gave us a soul--the very essence of our humanity.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Women's Rights
My readers are going to have to excuse this diatribe, but I am so appalled by the suppression of women's right which is going on right under my nose that I simply have to vent. What better way than with the written word?
I read a message on Facebook the other day that one of the local Churches of Christ is having serious money problems, dwindling attendance and no new, young people coming into their church. I was saddened to read that they might have to disband.
Back in the early eighties, I was living in Detroit when the auto makers were in one of their many crises. Back then, many churches closed down, most of which were Catholic. Beautiful cathedrals were leveled into a pile of dust and bricks.
I kept reading one Facebook message after another until I came upon a group of women who were fighting the Churches of Christ for equal rights. Hmmm? Equal rights? What does that mean? Surely they were talking about having a woman leader. Look what happened to the Southern Baptists after they elected a black man? The gender or color (or even sexual preference) of any Church leader has NO bearing on my relationship with my God. None. Zilch. Zip. Church leaders are to me some remote entity and I pay them no heed.
Apparently, women are not allowed to speak in the Church of Christ. I have NEVER heard this openly discussed. Goodness, what a sheltered life I've led. A friend told me it was in Ecclesiastics. Women shall not be heard. The only reason I can fathom why this subject isn't openly discussed is that women are embarrassed. Who ever heard of being ashamed of the very Church that you lean on for comfort and guidance?
The thought of women sitting like meek little lambs and being treated like second class citizens because of gender is appalling to me and should be to all forward thinking women of this century. I thought only third world countries and radical fundamentalist Muslims treated their women like that.
A good number of well-educated scholars believe there are many many mistakes in translation of the Bible. Although my education is limited, I'm firm in my belief that too many hands, too many corrupt rulers, and even the early Catholic Church bent and tweaked the words for their own selfish purposes. Why else were banned books of the Bible (Gospels) and other sacred writings surreptitiously buried in the desert by desperate people hoping for more enlightened times?
Don't get me wrong. Basically, I believe in the validity of the Bible, but I do not believe that every word was transcribed through the personal, hands on guidance of God. The first compilation of books that comprise the Bible was done in three hundred years after Christ's death. Three hundred years? Man did the translations through the ages and Man can be corrupt.
Why has there been so much resistance to women serving in the clergy? I never felt any ill will toward our new rector. She's a high energy woman who's passionate about the word of God.
Stop and think about this for a moment...Jesus could not have devoted so much of his attention and energy to his holy mission, were it not for the work of the women who prepared his meals and cleaned his clothing. Women were important to Jesus. In my heart of hearts, I cannot believe that He would have forbid them to speak in His churches.
I read a message on Facebook the other day that one of the local Churches of Christ is having serious money problems, dwindling attendance and no new, young people coming into their church. I was saddened to read that they might have to disband.
Back in the early eighties, I was living in Detroit when the auto makers were in one of their many crises. Back then, many churches closed down, most of which were Catholic. Beautiful cathedrals were leveled into a pile of dust and bricks.
I kept reading one Facebook message after another until I came upon a group of women who were fighting the Churches of Christ for equal rights. Hmmm? Equal rights? What does that mean? Surely they were talking about having a woman leader. Look what happened to the Southern Baptists after they elected a black man? The gender or color (or even sexual preference) of any Church leader has NO bearing on my relationship with my God. None. Zilch. Zip. Church leaders are to me some remote entity and I pay them no heed.
Apparently, women are not allowed to speak in the Church of Christ. I have NEVER heard this openly discussed. Goodness, what a sheltered life I've led. A friend told me it was in Ecclesiastics. Women shall not be heard. The only reason I can fathom why this subject isn't openly discussed is that women are embarrassed. Who ever heard of being ashamed of the very Church that you lean on for comfort and guidance?
The thought of women sitting like meek little lambs and being treated like second class citizens because of gender is appalling to me and should be to all forward thinking women of this century. I thought only third world countries and radical fundamentalist Muslims treated their women like that.
A good number of well-educated scholars believe there are many many mistakes in translation of the Bible. Although my education is limited, I'm firm in my belief that too many hands, too many corrupt rulers, and even the early Catholic Church bent and tweaked the words for their own selfish purposes. Why else were banned books of the Bible (Gospels) and other sacred writings surreptitiously buried in the desert by desperate people hoping for more enlightened times?
Don't get me wrong. Basically, I believe in the validity of the Bible, but I do not believe that every word was transcribed through the personal, hands on guidance of God. The first compilation of books that comprise the Bible was done in three hundred years after Christ's death. Three hundred years? Man did the translations through the ages and Man can be corrupt.
Why has there been so much resistance to women serving in the clergy? I never felt any ill will toward our new rector. She's a high energy woman who's passionate about the word of God.
Stop and think about this for a moment...Jesus could not have devoted so much of his attention and energy to his holy mission, were it not for the work of the women who prepared his meals and cleaned his clothing. Women were important to Jesus. In my heart of hearts, I cannot believe that He would have forbid them to speak in His churches.
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