THE GOLDEN RULE

You’ve probably heard the old joke about the Golden Rule: “He who has the gold makes the rules.” Sadly, in the United States of America at the beginning of the 21^st century, this definition is all too true. Corporate interests lobby Congress, advertise to the masses, and get their way on fuel consumption, drug costs, and how much people are paid.

But that’s not the Golden Rule as described in the Bible. It’s about common decency, and it’s named after the precious metal because the rule is precious. At the center of our faith is the Bible, at the center of the Bible is the life of Jesus, at the center of the life of Jesus is His teachings, and at the center of His teachings is the Golden Rule. It is what He, in the Sermon on the Mount, called a summary of “the law and the prophets”—the Old Testament directives of Moses and other messengers.

This chapter shows how and why the laws of the Bible have undergone change over time, and how Jesus was a revolutionary. We discuss the delicate but enduring mesh of grace, faith, and deeds, how the Resurrection facilitates adherence to the Golden Rule, and how best to apply the Golden Rule in different situations.

At the end of the last chapter, I talked about not “causing harm to anyone else.” Harm can include insensitivity, neglect, and failure to share. When we follow the Golden Rule, we not only avoid harming others; we also take a positive step toward making others happy.

The Golden Rule can help us make sense of the rest of the Bible. An added benefit of the Golden Rule is that it is something we have in common with other faiths, the subject of Chapter 6. 

2.1 God can be reasoned with

The first step toward a more relaxed, harmonious, and ethical world is to see God not only as a strict father but also as a nurturing one, to borrow loosely from the writings of George Lakoff, professor of cognitive linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley. Lakoff uses a family-based metaphorical model to describe conservative and liberal views of government. Conservatives tend to emphasize self-reliance, self-discipline, and obedience, while liberals tend to believe in helping others and open communication, including questioning parental decisions.¹ The liberal worldview recognizes that all people, even children, are important and may have something of value to contribute. It allows for a wider range of ideas to choose from, resulting in better-quality decisions when we “Hold on to what is good” as quoted in 1.1.5. Once we accept the Lord as flexible and gentle, we can begin to see government, the only sure vehicle for social justice, similarly, and we can begin to emulate the Lord’s example here on earth.

2.1.1 The rigid God

It’s no wonder that the “strict father” worldview is as prevalent as it is. A number of scriptural passages would seem to support it. This one says that God doesn’t change His mind:

God is not a man, that he should lie. He is not a human, that he should change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? (Num 23:19)

This one warns against arguing with God…

“Destruction is certain for those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot ever argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you are doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be!’ How terrible it would be if a newborn baby said to its father and mother, ‘Why was I born? Why did you make me this way?’“ (Isa 45:9-10)

…And this one says there’s no point in even reasoning with God:

“And who am I, that I should try to answer God or even reason with him? Even if I were innocent, I would have no defense. I could only plead for mercy. And even if I summoned him and he responded, he would never listen to me.” (Job 9:14-16)

Of course, Job was under a lot of stress at the time, in the thick of his most challenging test, so we can understand if that colored his attitude.

What about our elected leaders? Is there a point in reasoning with them? Unfortunately, the answer appears to be less and less so. In a 1992 town hall debate with Bill Clinton and Ross Perot, GHW Bush was caught off-guard by an audience question about how the national debt personally affected him. After that, the Commission on Presidential Debates changed the rules, requiring audience questions to be submitted in advance, with no follow-up questions. In addition, the candidates no longer ask each other direct questions, and they don’t engage in spontaneous discourse. The Commission on Presidential Debates took over the events from the nonpartisan League of Women Voters starting in 1988. The Republican and Democratic parties created the Commission, which is sponsored by corporations like Philip Morris and Anheuser Busch.²

What about GW Bush? Good luck trying to reason with him. His taxpayer-funded “town hall meetings” are only open to ticket-holding invited guests.³ In March of 2005, three citizens were forcibly removed from a “conversation on saving Social Security” in Denver because they had a bumper sticker that said, “No more blood for oil.”⁴

Even if you could ask GW a question, I doubt it would do much good. He tends to see the world in black and white. After 9/11, he kept talking about “evildoers”—perhaps that’s why he said nations were “either with us or against us in the fight against terror.” John Frank, psychoanalyst and author of “Bush on the Couch,” believes that Bush is an untreated alcoholic and sees the world in rigid extremes because he is a “dry drunk.”⁵ I would be a hypocrite if I held his past alcohol and substance usage against him, but I do have a problem with his judgmental attitude, irritability, and lack of adaptability.

People are more likely to tolerate rigid leaders if they believe in a rigid God.

“God is not a mortal like me, so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial. If only there were a mediator who could bring us together, but there is none. The mediator could make God stop beating me, and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment. Then I could speak to him without fear, but I cannot do that in my own strength.” (Job 9:32-35)

Job never blamed God, but he certainly wanted to have a word with Him. Job’s friends thought he was being punished for something he did wrong. In a culminating outcry, he pleaded to defend himself before the Almighty:

“God might kill me, but I cannot wait. I am going to argue my case with him. But this is what will save me: that I am not godless. If I were, I would be thrown from his presence. Listen closely to what I am about to say. Hear me out. I have prepared my case; I will be proved innocent. Who can argue with me over this? If you could prove me wrong, I would remain silent until I die.” (Job 13:15-19)

2.1.2 Divine discourse

Moses was a great Hebrew leader and author of the Old Testament’s first five books, but he was still human. God empowered Moses to extract water from a rock, but was upset with Moses when he forgot to give credit to God for making the miracle possible.

“You and Aaron must take the staff and assemble the entire community. As the people watch, command the rock over there to pour out its water. You will get enough water from the rock to satisfy all the people and their livestock.” So Moses did as he was told. He took the staff from the place where it was kept before the LORD. Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?” Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So all the people and their livestock drank their fill. But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!” (Num 20:8-12)

Moses was not only human; he was also open to reason. This next passage ends with the sentence, “And when Moses heard this, he approved.”

When Moses demanded to know what had happened to the goat of the sin offering, he discovered that it had been burned up. As a result, he became very angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons. “Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the sanctuary area?” he demanded. “It is a holy offering! It was given to you for removing the guilt of the community and for making atonement for the people before the LORD. Since the animal’s blood was not taken into the Holy Place, you should have eaten the meat in the sanctuary area as I ordered you.” Then Aaron answered Moses on behalf of his sons. “Today my sons presented both their sin offering and their burnt offering to the LORD,” he said. “This kind of thing has also happened to me. Would the LORD have approved if I had eaten the sin offering today?” And when Moses heard this, he approved. (Lev 10:16-20)

In a few places, we get a hint that perhaps a part of God has some human qualities. Early sacrifices included a “drink offering.” Does this mean that God is a drinker?

This is the regular burnt offering ordained at Mount Sinai, an offering made by fire, very pleasing to the LORD. Along with it you must present the proper drink offering, consisting of one quart of fermented drink with each lamb, poured out in the Holy Place as an offering to the LORD. (Num 28:6-7)

Since God is all-powerful, it would seem to follow that he does not require sleep. In this verse, though, He is seen as slumbering:

Wake up, O Lord! Why do you sleep? Get up! Do not reject us forever. (Psalms 44:23)

And since God is timeless, I don’t normally think of God as living, just as I don’t see Him as dying, but the following verse says “As surely as I live.”

As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, since you show no distaste for blood, I will give you a bloodbath of your own. Your turn has come! (Ezek 35:6)

We begin to see a softer side to God in the following passage. God assures us that He is slow to anger.

Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and called out his own name, “the LORD,” as Moses stood there in his presence. He passed in front of Moses and said, “I am the LORD, I am the LORD, the merciful and gracious God. I am slow to anger and rich in unfailing love and faithfulness. (Exod 34:5-6)

God can get angry, however, as the following passage makes clear:

Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth! This is what the LORD says: “The children I raised and cared for have turned against me. Even the animals--the donkey and the ox--know their owner and appreciate his care, but not my people Israel. No matter what I do for them, they still do not understand.” (Isa 1:2-3)

Contrary to Num 23:19 quoted in 2.1.1, God asserts that He can indeed change His mind. As an omniscient presence, you might think He would have no need to change His mind, because He already knows everything. He’s reacting to human actions, however, and this bolsters the idea that people have free will.

If I announce that a certain nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, but then that nation renounces its evil ways, I will not destroy it as I had planned. And if I announce that I will build up and plant a certain nation or kingdom, making it strong and great, but then that nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless that nation as I had said I would. (Jer 18:7-10)

In the next passage, reasonable people might debate whether the ends as well as the means are justified, but Ahab was said to be worse than any other king of Israel. To put an end to Ahab’s tyranny, God confers with the angels and takes a suggestion from one of them.

And the LORD said, ‘Who can entice Ahab to go into battle against Ramoth-gilead so that he can be killed there?’ There were many suggestions, until finally a spirit approached the LORD and said, ‘I can do it!’
“ ‘How will you do this?’ the LORD asked.
“And the spirit replied, ‘I will go out and inspire all Ahab’s prophets to speak lies.’
“ ‘You will succeed,’ said the LORD. ‘Go ahead and do it.’ (I Kgs 22:20-22)

In this verse, God asks for a volunteer:

Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to my people? Who will go for us?”
And I said, “Lord, I’ll go! Send me.” (Isa 6:8)

While making the final decision Himself, God accepts input from others, allowing them to participate in the leadership process. Indeed, God can be reasoned with! Here, Moses persuades the Lord to spare the people of Israel. How different history would have been had not a mortal human intervened…

Then the LORD said, “I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. Now leave me alone so my anger can blaze against them and destroy them all. Then I will make you, Moses, into a great nation instead of them.” But Moses pleaded with the LORD his God not to do it. “O LORD!” he exclaimed. “Why are you so angry with your own people whom you brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and mighty acts? The Egyptians will say, ‘God tricked them into coming to the mountains so he could kill them and wipe them from the face of the earth.’ Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you are planning against your people! Remember your covenant with your servants--Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You swore by your own self, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. Yes, I will give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will possess it forever.’” So the LORD withdrew his threat and didn’t bring against his people the disaster he had threatened. (Exod 32:9-14)

Moses also interceded on behalf of Aaron—his brother and first high priest of Israel—through the power of prayer.

How I feared for you, for the LORD was ready to destroy you. But again he listened to me. The LORD was so angry with Aaron that he wanted to destroy him. But I prayed for Aaron, and the LORD spared him. (Deut 9:19-20)

When King Hezekiah heard that he was going to die, he also prayed, and God changed His mind.

“Go back to Hezekiah and tell him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. Yes, I will defend this city.’” (Isa 38:5-6)

In block 1.2.2 we covered the importance of keeping an open mind. Now we can see that God does this, as well, and has in fact taken the lead on this, so to speak. Leaders and followers alike can benefit from fostering input, soliciting feedback, remaining flexible to various options, and showing tolerance for differing points of view.

Contrast this with conservative talk show host Bill O’Reilly, who often tells his guests to “shut up.” On February 4, 2003, he was interviewing an antiwar protester whose father died on 9/11:

O'Reilly: “Shut up. Shut up.”

Jeremy Glick: “Oh, please don't tell me to shut up.”

O'Reilly: “As respect—as respect—in respect for your father, who was a Port Authority worker, a fine American, who got killed unnecessarily by barbarians—”

Glick: “By radical extremists who were trained by this government—”

O'Reilly: “Out of respect for him—”

Glick: “—not the people of America.”

O'Reilly: “—I'm not going to—”

Glick: “—the people of the ruling class, the small minority.”

O'Reilly: “Cut his mic. I'm not going to dress you down anymore, out of respect for your father. We will be back in a moment with more of The Factor.”

Glick: “That means we're done?”

O'Reilly: “We're done.”⁶

2.1.3 The promise of prayer

Whether or not you believe that prayer works, I think we can agree that prayer is integral to Christianity. Christians are encouraged to pray, and if we ask for things that are in line with God’s will, we can hope that our prayers will be answered. The concept of prayer further supports the idea that God can be reasoned with. The Christian God can be a Responsive One.

What is the nature of prayer? Prayer styles and emphases are as wide-ranging as human thought. Paul lived in troubled times, so it’s understandable that he would recommend a heavenly emphasis.

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God’s right hand in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. (Col 3:1-2)

In the Book of Psalms we see an example of “bargaining with God.”

In your unfailing love, spare my life; then I can continue to obey your decrees. (Psalms 119:88)

“Bargaining” is a stage of grief according to the Kubler-Ross model, which includes denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Given the unstoppable cycle of life, bargaining may be the type of prayer least likely to be answered, but it’s worth a try.

Divine guidance is a common prayer theme. We can approach life using our best judgement, hopeful that we are doing the right thing, praying that God will correct us if we veer off course. Along with forgiveness, guidance is a part of my daily prayers.

I am but a foreigner here on earth; I need the guidance of your commands. Don’t hide them from me! (Psalms 119:19)

The next passage advises against repetition in prayer. I repeat the same words once a day, but with the understanding that the guidance I need and the mistakes I make change from day to day.

When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! (Matt 6:7-8)

Here, the Bible actually recommends that we persist with God. Perhaps our perseverance lets God know what is most important to us.

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks. You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” (Luke 11:9-13)

I would add that persistence helps us clarify for ourselves what is most important to us. While we’re awaiting the desired outcome, we can actively try to bring it about ourselves, praying for guidance along the way. Of course, the will of God is an ever-present consideration, but with prayer, we can dare to dream. In this spirit, the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963:

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’...I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.... I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”

The quintessential prayer is the Lord’s Prayer, taught to us by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. The prayer mentions God’s will, includes both heavenly and earthly concerns, and reflects a compassionate, reasonable God.

Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. Give us our food for today, and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Matt 6:9-13)

2.2 The rules have changed

Given that God can be reasoned with, we can begin to understand why the Bible has seemingly contradictory messages. Early human history was rough and the Scriptures reflected it, particularly the Old Testament. As time went on, the message became milder and more progressive. Whether it was God, God’s messengers, or a combination of both, undoubtedly the biblical code of conduct has changed. This section presents an approach to resolving differing messages, and provides examples of how the messages have changed over time.

 

2.2.1 Reconciling biblical discrepancies

In Chapter 1 I talked about fundamentalism, or interpreting the Bible literally. Conservative fundamentalists are striving to do that, and so am I. But the Bible is a big book, with lots of authors, written over a long period of time. What do you do if the Bible says two things that appear to contradict each other? For example, the Book of Matthew says that Joseph’s father was Jacob…

Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary was the mother of Jesus, who is called the Messiah. (Matt 1:16)

…But the Book of Luke says that Joseph’s father was Heli…

Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry. Jesus was known as the son of Joseph. Joseph was the son of Heli. (Luke 3:23)

Biblical scholars have offered up various explanations. One of the men may have been Mary’s father, or there could have been some other translation issue. I can’t claim to know the answer, and fortunately, for purposes of this book, it is not relevant. But it goes to show the Bible is not always clear. Another example has to do with the question of vows. Here, God makes a vow:

Then the LORD said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family. I have warned him continually that judgment is coming for his family, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them. So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.” (I Sam 3:11-14)

And here, God has taken an oath:

When people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that he would never change his mind. So God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence. (Heb 6:16-18)

But here, Jesus tells us not to make any vows:

“Again, you have heard that the law of Moses says, ‘Do not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say, don’t make any vows! If you say, ‘By heaven!’ it is a sacred vow because heaven is God’s throne. And if you say, ‘By the earth!’ it is a sacred vow because the earth is his footstool. And don’t swear, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. Don’t even swear, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Your word is enough. To strengthen your promise with a vow shows that something is wrong. (Matt 5:33-37)

How about this one? The Lord tells Zechariah to act in a wicked manner:

Then the LORD said to me, “Go again and play the part of a worthless shepherd. This will illustrate how I will give this nation a shepherd who will not care for the sheep that are threatened by death, nor look after the young, nor heal the injured, nor feed the healthy. Instead, this shepherd will eat the meat of the fattest sheep and tear off their hooves. Doom is certain for this worthless shepherd who abandons the flock! The sword will cut his arm and pierce his right eye! His arm will become useless, and his right eye completely blind!” (Zech 11:15-17)

Apparently, the godly can act in a wicked manner, but the wicked cannot act in a godly manner:

One day Jesus cast a demon out of a man who couldn’t speak, and the man’s voice returned to him. The crowd was amazed, but some said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons!” Trying to test Jesus, others asked for a miraculous sign from heaven to see if he was from God. He knew their thoughts, so he said, “Any kingdom at war with itself is doomed. A divided home is also doomed. You say I am empowered by the prince of demons. But if Satan is fighting against himself by empowering me to cast out his demons, how can his kingdom survive?” (Luke 11:14-18)

Perhaps the difference is in theatrical acting versus an act of kindness, but I find it somewhat confusing. If you’re confused as you read the Bible, you may throw up your hands and give up. Or you may take comfort in the expression; “The Lord works in mysterious ways.”

Truly, O God of Israel, our Savior, you work in strange and mysterious ways. (Isa 45:15)

That may be a good fallback position for some of the more puzzling discrepancies, but in many cases, a better explanation may exist. As prophesied in Jeremiah, Jesus would usher in a new agreement or “covenant” to supercede the old.

“The day will come,” says the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the LORD. (Jer 31:31-32)

If we ended up with a new covenant, why was there ever a need for an old covenant? The next passage may provide a partial answer. In it, Jesus describes one of the older laws as “a concession to your hard-hearted wickedness.”

Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife?”
“What did Moses say about divorce?” Jesus asked them.
“Well, he permitted it,” they replied. “He said a man merely has to write his wife an official letter of divorce and send her away.”
But Jesus responded, “He wrote those instructions only as a concession to your hard-hearted wickedness. But God’s plan was seen from the beginning of creation, for ‘He made them male and female.’ ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ Since they are no longer two but one, let no one separate them, for God has joined them together.” (Mark 10:2-9)

There are more considerations regarding the specific subject of divorce, discussed in block 8.3.5. For now, I think the main point is not to take it lightly. Getting back to the covenants, though, we are taught that God Himself found fault with the old one:

If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But God himself found fault with the old one when he said: “The day will come, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. (Heb 8:7-8)

When times change, some people get a feeling of nostalgia, longing for the way things used to be, and others don’t. For example, while some people look back at the 1950’s as a time of innocence and prosperity, others remember the racism and anticommunist “witch-hunts.” Even an ancient text like the Bible reminds us that the “the good old days” weren’t always that good.

Don’t long for “the good old days,” for you don’t know whether they were any better than today. (Eccles 7:10)

With all these verses in mind, we can begin to take on the challenge of reconciling biblical discrepancies. Of course, if we are to remain credible, we must stress logic and reasoning as we proceed. Biblical scholars talk about exegesis, which is to draw meaning out of the Bible, and eisegesis, which is to read your own interpretation into the Bible. Those who interpret the scriptures too subjectively are sometimes criticized as “scissors Christians,” because they just snip out the parts they want. The idea is to strive for an objective approach.

It has been lamented that more people aren’t schooled in the basics of Euclidean geometry, because it has a way of helping people improve their reasoning skills. Then perhaps it would be easier to spot the fallacies used by politicians. Maybe then there would be less demagoguery: Fewer false claims, empty promises, and appeals to popular prejudice. Actually, I don’t know much about Euclidean geometry, but I like how it’s built on some sturdy, fundamental basics. For example, a straight line can join any two points. A line can be extended indefinitely. It can join the edge of a circle with its center. With another line, it can run parallel, perpendicular, or an infinite number of gradations in between. Mathematicians work outward from there, but everything can be reduced back to its basics.

In mathematics and computer programming, extensive use is made of the concept of precedence operators. For example, in a mathematical expression, multiplication and division occur before addition and subtraction. That is, unless parentheses are used. Operations in parentheses take precedence. With that type of organization as a guide and with the above verses still in mind, I plan to try to use the following as a general rule of thumb in reconciling biblical discrepancies:

#	Precedent	Quote	Block
1	The Bible takes precedence over the teachings of the church.	“All Scripture is inspired by God…”	1.1.1
2	The New Testament takes precedence over the Old Testament.	“…I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.”	2.2.1
3	The life of Jesus takes precedence over other biblical persons. This includes the Apostle Paul, who himself graciously deferred to Christ.	“But did I, Paul, die for your sins?”	1.1.3
4	The teachings of Jesus take precedence over His miracles. Assumptions based on accounts of events are not as verifiable as the quoted word.	“Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced.”	1.1.5
5	The Golden Rule takes precedence in interpreting the teachings of Jesus.	“This is a summary of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.”	2.4.5

Variations in emphasis can lead to wildly differing interpretations. Laura Schlessinger, conservative host of the very popular Dr. Laura radio call-in show, often uses the Bible to support her viewpoints, and has called homosexuals a “mistake of nature.” In 2000, a funny and sarcastic email started making the rounds, pointing out that while the Bible condemns homosexuality, it also blesses animal sacrifice, slavery, and other practices that we no longer consider acceptable.⁷ In the next few blocks we explore a few of these outdated practices in depth.

2.2.2 No more burnt offerings

In the early days of the Bible, perhaps around 1400 Before the Common Era, animal sacrifice was a big deal, not only in Judaism, but also in the surrounding pagan tribes. If you’re trying to get along with another person, you might give them something of value as a gift. If you were trying to relate with God, to gain favor or atone for sin, it might seem logical to give to God what you would give to a person. In those days, no doubt food, including livestock, was something of great value. In the Old Testament, depending on the type of sacrifice, all or part of the animal was burned, and so could not be used as food. As the following passage shows, they made an elaborate ritual of it.

You will then slaughter it in the LORD’s presence at the entrance of the Tabernacle. Smear some of its blood on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour out the rest at the base of the altar. Take all the fat that covers the internal organs, also the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and burn them on the altar. Then take the carcass (including the skin and the dung) outside the camp, and burn it as a sin offering. Next Aaron and his sons must lay their hands on the head of one of the rams as it is slaughtered. Its blood will be collected and sprinkled on the sides of the altar. Cut up the ram and wash off the internal organs and the legs. Set them alongside the head and the other pieces of the body, and burn them all on the altar. This is a burnt offering to the LORD, which is very pleasing to him. (Exod 29:11-18)

The medieval Jewish rationalist Maimonides proposed that animal sacrifice was a necessary step in the transition from pagan worship to prayer and meditation. That may be, but by today’s standards, as the email to Dr. Laura pointed out, the idea of a “pleasing odor” or “aroma” seems rather silly:

That is why I am sacrificing burnt offerings to you--the best of my rams as a pleasing aroma. (Psalms 66:15)

Later in the Old Testament, around 700 BCE, God is still insisting on continued animal sacrifice.

You have not brought me lambs for burnt offerings. You have not honored me with sacrifices, though I have not burdened and wearied you with my requests for grain offerings and incense. (Isa 43:23)

Not only were the rituals elaborate, but they also became large-scale operations.

On the second day, sacrifice as a sin offering a young male goat that has no physical defects. Then cleanse and make atonement for the altar again, just as you did with the young bull. When you have finished the cleansing ceremony, offer another young bull that has no defects and a perfect ram from the flock. You are to present them to the LORD, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and offer them as a burnt offering to the LORD. Every day for seven days a male goat, a young bull, and a ram from the flock will be sacrificed as a sin offering. None of these animals may have physical defects of any kind. Do this each day for seven days to cleanse and make atonement for the altar, thus setting it apart for holy use. On the eighth day, and on each day afterward, the priests will sacrifice on the altar the burnt offerings and peace offerings of the people. Then I will accept you, says the Sovereign LORD. (Ezek 43:22-27)

By the end of the Old Testament, God is expressing displeasure with some of the sacrificial practices of His people:

“When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!” says the LORD Almighty. (Mal 1:8)

Actually, the de-emphasis of animal sacrifice began much earlier. The following verse may have been written around 900 BCE:

You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand--you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings. (Psalms 40:6)

The stances taken on this issue may have varied by author. The book of Psalms is said to be written by David but also others in his kingdom. This next passage suggests there is no point in giving sacrificial gifts to God. After all, as the modern-day expression goes, what can you give to the man who has everything?

I have no complaint about your sacrifices or the burnt offerings you constantly bring to my altar. But I want no more bulls from your barns; I want no more goats from your pens. For all the animals of the forest are mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. Every bird of the mountains and all the animals of the field belong to me. (Psalms 50:8-11)

Here, the emphasis shifts to thoughts and feelings—remorse, penitence, and repentance.

You would not be pleased with sacrifices, or I would bring them. If I brought you a burnt offering, you would not accept it. The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise. (Psalms 51:16-17)

The Book of Proverbs is thought to be written by David’s son Solomon and others. Although Solomon built the First Temple, where sacrifices occurred, this verse appears to diminish their importance:

The LORD is more pleased when we do what is just and right than when we give him sacrifices. (Proverbs 21:3)

And these verses are outright critical:

“I am sick of your sacrifices,” says the LORD. “Don’t bring me any more burnt offerings! I don’t want the fat from your rams or other animals. I don’t want to see the blood from your offerings of bulls and rams and goats. Why do you keep parading through my courts with your worthless sacrifices?” (Isa 1:11-12)

One obvious consequence of sacrifice was the waste of food. Jewish kosher and Muslim halaal food preparation practices involve the ritualistic slaughter of animals, but at least the food is destined for human consumption. Instead of burning the animals, this verse says to “Eat them yourselves!”

This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Away with your burnt offerings and sacrifices! Eat them yourselves! When I led your ancestors out of Egypt, it was not burnt offerings and sacrifices I wanted from them. This is what I told them: ‘Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Only do as I say, and all will be well!’” (Jer 7:21-23)

Both kosher and halaal slaughter methods try to minimize pain and suffering by efficiently using a sharp knife to the throat of the animal. Some animal rights groups don’t like that anesthesia is not used, especially when the animal does not die right away, but kosher slaughter, when done properly, has been described as “less cruel than other slaughter methods in the U.S.” by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Why should anyone care about animal pain and suffering? The animal rights debate is explored in section 9.1, but for now, I think we can conclude from sections 1.3 and 1.4 that ethics and compassion are central to Christianity, and it makes sense that we would extend those ideas to animals when we can.

Unfortunately, our elected leaders apparently don’t see it that way. They allow factory farm operations to breed and drug animals to make them fat, cram animals into small pens or cages where they can’t exercise, and transport them in extreme weather conditions. Many get sick, some can’t even stand, and of those some are sold as meat anyway. Chickens are raised in their own waste. Hens and turkeys have their beaks chopped off. Pigs are unable to turn around. Cattle are branded, de-horned, and castrated without painkillers. And many animals are scalded, skinned, or hacked while they are still conscious.⁸ According to PETA, some restaurant chains like McDonald’s and Denny’s have made progress, but others like Kentucky Fried Chicken, as of this writing, have not.⁹

By comparison, the biblical animals may have had it good. At any rate, within the span of the Old Testament, the Word of God concerning animal sacrifice changed drastically indeed…

I want you to be merciful; I don’t want your sacrifices. I want you to know God; that’s more important than burnt offerings. (Hos 6:6)

…And in the New Testament, Jesus repeats the message…

Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to be merciful; I don’t want your sacrifices.’ For I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough.” (Matt 9:13)

After speaking with Jesus, a teacher of religion had this to say:

And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbors as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.” (Mark 12:33)

Completing the scriptural reversal was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, rendering animal sacrifice obsolete. A major theme of Christianity is that Jesus died for our sins. Animals no longer have to.

He does not need to offer sacrifices every day like the other high priests. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he sacrificed himself on the cross. (Heb 7:27)

Ritual sacrifice discontinued after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and its Second Temple around 70 CE. It is still practiced in a few cultures, but is essentially condemned in modern society.¹⁰

2.2.3 Today’s one-wife limit

Polygamy is when someone is married to more than one person, and it occurred in the early Bible. More specifically, it was polygyny, because it involved cases of one man with multiple wives. (When a woman has multiple husbands, it’s called polyandry. Bigamy is two spouses, trigamy three, but polygamy is any number above one.)

Lamech married two women--Adah and Zillah. Adah gave birth to a baby named Jabal. He became the first of the herdsmen who live in tents. His brother’s name was Jubal, the first musician--the inventor of the harp and flute. To Lamech’s other wife, Zillah, was born Tubal-cain. He was the first to work with metal, forging instruments of bronze and iron. Tubal-cain had a sister named Naamah. (Gen 4:19-22)

The foremost of Biblical patriarchs, Abraham, or Abram as he was first named, fathered Isaac by his first wife Sarah (Sarai) and Ishmael by his second wife Hagar. Eventually Sarah got pregnant, although she didn’t think she ever would.

But Sarai, Abram’s wife, had no children. So Sarai took her servant, an Egyptian woman named Hagar, and gave her to Abram so she could bear his children. “The LORD has kept me from having any children,” Sarai said to Abram. “Go and sleep with my servant.” (Gen 16:1-2)

Ishmael is regarded as father of the Arabs, and Isaac is regarded as father of the People of Israel. Isaac’s son Jacob had four wives. The twelve tribes of Israel are the products of a polygamous arrangement—the descendants of his twelve sons.

These are the names of the twelve sons of Jacob:
The sons of Leah were Reuben (Jacob’s oldest son), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
The sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, were Dan and Naphtali.
The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s servant, were Gad and Asher.
These were the sons born to Jacob at Paddan-aram. (Gen 35:23-26)

Here, adultery is condemned, but I suppose it could be occurring outside a polygamous marriage:

If a man is discovered committing adultery, both he and the other man’s wife must be killed. In this way, the evil will be cleansed from Israel. (Deut 22:22)

I guess the lesson here is if you’re going to sleep around, marry the woman first, or at least make sure she’s not married to someone else!

I would argue that polygamy is considerably different from polyamory. In Greek, polygamy means “many marriages” and polyamory means “many loves.” Polyamorists place a lot of importance on honesty, dignity, respect, communication, negotiation, and non-possessiveness. (By the way, it should also be noted that polyamorists also distinguish their relationships from the casual encounters of swingers.)¹¹ I’m sure there are many polygamists who have similar values, but as I see it, polygamy traditionally occurs in an atmosphere of economic imbalance. When multiple women marry a man out of economic necessity or expediency, it implies a certain amount of underlying unfairness.

In fact, while polygamy has been allowed in some Hindu, Muslim, and Imperial Chinese societies, it is rare because the man simply can’t afford it. In the U.S., while the Mormon Church has banned polygamy, some splinter groups still practice it. They sometimes get around the law by divorcing one wife before marrying the next. While this may be agreeable in some families, there have also been reports of under-age wives, welfare fraud, domestic violence, and child abuse.¹²

These exceptions notwithstanding, polygamy is no longer a part of modern Western culture. We see what looks to be monogamous marriage in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.

Now about the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good to live a celibate life. But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband. (I Cor 7:1-2)

…And here, a presiding elder should “be faithful to his wife.” Note the word “wife” (singular), not “wives” (plural).

It is a true saying that if someone wants to be an elder, he desires an honorable responsibility. For an elder must be a man whose life cannot be spoken against. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exhibit self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home and must be able to teach. (I Tim 3:2)

In 1856, the newly formed Republican Party called for abolishing the “twin relics of barbarism, slavery and polygamy.”¹³ While I feel the Republican Party has plummeted morally since Abraham Lincoln, to their credit they still oppose polygamy. It would be ridiculous of me to say that most Republicans are polygamists—however, I bet most polygamists are Republicans. I feel that polygyny is just more consistent with the conservative “strict father” worldview discussed in 2.1.1.

The “Federal Marriage Amendment” is a conservative attempt to change the U.S. Constitution to ban gay marriage. Its authors changed the wording for marriage from “one man and one woman” to “a man and a woman.” They claim they did it to allow for divorce and remarriage, but some critics wonder if they did it to maintain polygamist support in some western states.¹⁴ Hypocritical, to be sure, but I wouldn’t put it past them.

2.2.4 The Confederacy lost

The Bible’s position has also changed on the issue of slavery. Some might call it a “flip-flop” but I would say it was a more gradual transition. The practice of owning another person and forcing them to work, usually without pay, has occurred throughout history. If you ignore the injustice of it, it’s a tempting arrangement for those who have the opportunity to benefit from it. The slave owner, or “master” doesn’t have to do the hard work, and stands to make a lot of money from the labors of others. A myriad of arguments has been used to try to justify it. The plight of the Canaanites may have been explained, of all things, by the actions of their ancestor Ham, who saw his father Noah sleeping naked in a tent and told his brothers about it.

When Noah woke up from his drunken stupor, he learned what Ham, his youngest son, had done. Then he cursed the descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham: “A curse on the Canaanites! May they be the lowest of servants to the descendants of Shem and Japheth.” (Gen 9:24-25)

The term “lowest of servants” suggests they would be paid little or not at all. Indeed, the Canaanites were taken as slaves by God’s chosen, the Israelites.

Later on, however, when the Israelites became strong enough, they forced the Canaanites to work as slaves. But they did not drive them out of the land. (Joshua 17:13)

I sense that practices like this were tempered with a tinge of guilt, the beginnings of a religious awakening. In the next passage, we see a variant of slavery which is perhaps less bad, because the slave is released and gets a parting gift. It also points out that the Israelites were once slaves themselves, as you may have seen portrayed in The Ten Commandments.

When you release a male servant, do not send him away empty-handed. Give him a generous farewell gift from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. Share with him some of the bounty with which the LORD your God has blessed you. Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you! That is why I am giving you this command. (Deut 15:13-15)

Even the New Testament accepted slavery. After the time of Christ, resigned to the fact that the practice existed, Paul advises slaves to think positively, perhaps to minimize violence, perhaps to make the best of a bad situation. But he also advises masters to be as benevolent as possible. If you’re going to have slavery, I suppose this is the least worst of all scenarios.

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. Work hard, but not just to please your masters when they are watching. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free. And in the same way, you masters must treat your slaves right. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites. (Eph 6:5)

As mentioned in the previous block, Jacob, or Israel, as he is sometimes called, had twelve sons. One of them, Joseph, was sold into slavery by his brothers. Joseph ended up in Egypt, where he eventually became top advisor to the Pharaoh. Acting on Joseph’s God-given ability to interpret dreams, Egypt prepared for a long period of famine. When his brothers traveled to Egypt to buy grain, Joseph tested and then forgave them. His family was reunited and lived well in Egypt. After his generation died, however, a new Pharaoh took power and was not so nice. Feeling threatened by the numerous Israelis, he made them into slaves, beginning a period of bondage that continued until the time of Moses.

Do not oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. (Exod 22:21)

Though “two wrongs don’t make a right,” that’s just what happened centuries later, after the exodus from Egypt and the exile to Babylon. Wealthy Jews exploited Jews who had run out of money:

At the meeting I said to them, “The rest of us are doing all we can to redeem our Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?” And they had nothing to say in their defense. (Neh 5:8)

A similar form of profiteering continues to this day. Affecting 20 million people, many in India and West Africa, bonded labor is the most common type of modern-day slavery. Victims are tricked or trapped into taking out a small loan, agreeing to work to pay it off. But if the interest owed is greater than the wage earned, the loan is never paid off. Entire families are sometimes bonded for generations. And the threat of violence insures that they remain slaves.¹⁵ Why don’t we hear more about this?

And what about China’s state-sponsored prison factories?¹⁶ What about Wal-Mart, with 80% of its suppliers in China, where workers in Shenzhen are making 25 to 50 cents an hour?¹⁷

There is no moral justification for slavery, and those who think about it begin to realize this over time. King Zedekiah took a step in the right direction when he ordered his people not to enslave each other.

This message came to Jeremiah from the LORD after King Zedekiah made a covenant with the people, proclaiming freedom for the slaves. He had ordered all the people to free their Hebrew slaves--both men and women. No one was to keep a fellow Judean in bondage. (Jer 34:8-9)

Unfortunately, the action was temporary and Zedekiah was held accountable to God, he himself carried in bondage to Babylon. Here, God clearly expresses his revulsion of slavery:

“At that time, when I restore the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem,” says the LORD, “I will gather the armies of the world into the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will judge them for harming my people, for scattering my inheritance among the nations, and for dividing up my land. They cast lots to decide which of my people would be their slaves. They traded young boys for prostitutes and little girls for enough wine to get drunk.” (Joel 3:1-3)

The passage’s last sentence reminds us of the sexual aspect of slavery. We must face the fact that rape has been a common abuse within the outrage of slavery. In his book, Sex and Racism in America, Calvin C. Hernton writes, “The white supremacist in the ante-bellum South went into the fields, into ghettos and ‘nigger’ shantytowns. He slept with the servants who kept his house and cooked his food. He was able to do this, or at least he did it, first of all because black women as slaves were defenseless. Secondly, and most important, he did it because he felt that black women were not human beings. Black women were animals, outside of the providence of God.”¹⁸

There is also the issue of forced prostitution, or sexual slavery, in modern times. Prostitution is covered in 8.3.4.

While Paul recognized slavery, it is evident that he did not condone it. In going about his outreach efforts, he had competitors, and at one point he likened them to slave drivers…

After all, you, who think you are so wise, enjoy listening to fools! You put up with it when they make you their slaves, take everything you have, take advantage of you, put on airs, and slap you in the face. (II Cor 11:19-20)

…And here, Paul reasons with a slave owner not just to take back a runaway slave, but to regard him as an equal:

Perhaps you could think of it this way: Onesimus ran away for a little while so you could have him back forever. He is no longer just a slave; he is a beloved brother, especially to me. Now he will mean much more to you, both as a slave and as a brother in the Lord. So if you consider me your partner, give him the same welcome you would give me if I were coming. If he has harmed you in any way or stolen anything from you, charge me for it. I, Paul, write this in my own handwriting: “I will repay it.” And I won’t mention that you owe me your very soul! (Philem 1:15-19)

As mentioned earlier, the Republicans are the party of Lincoln, who gave us the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring slaves free in Confederate states during the American Civil War. Ironically, white Southerners were predominantly Democrat until 1948, when the party adopted an anti-segregationist plank in its platform. (Segregation was separate schools, bathrooms, etc. for blacks and whites.) It was then that Strom Thurmond ran for president as a “Dixiecrat” and the white South gradually realigned to the Republican Party in the coming decades. Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) lost his post as Senate Republican Leader in 2002 after he said, at Thurmond’s 100^th birthday party, “I want to say this about my state: When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years, either.”

The South has made tremendous strides in fighting racism, but some controversy continues to this day. The State of South Carolina flew the Confederate “Navy Jack” flag, a symbol of slavery to many, above its statehouse dome from 1962, when Democrat Ernest Hollings was governor,¹⁹ until 2000. That year, a coalition of state Republican lawmakers said they wouldn’t remove the flag unless the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) ended its boycott of South Carolina. GW Bush’s position on the flag was that, “the people of South Carolina can make that decision,” and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) got into political trouble when he said “I see the battle flag as a symbol of heritage.”²⁰ He later explained that his statement was a “sacrifice of principle for personal ambition.” The flag was moved to a 30-foot pole in front of the capitol next to a monument honoring Confederate soldiers, where some feel the flag is even more visible than it was before.

Pockets of racism persist, as covered in section 5.5. In the United States Constitution and in the Bible, however, the shameful practice of slavery is a thing of the past.

2.3 The rules had to change

Section 1.3 on crime made the point that people, without the rule of law, can become selfish, vicious animals. It is said that Jewish law is the foundation for our modern laws, though other ancient civilizations such as Sumeria and Egypt also had legal systems.²¹ These were times of progress as societies came up with ways to deal with the problems they faced. While the absence of law is one extreme, the opposite extreme is too many laws, and both extremes can be nightmares. The correct balance must be found, and the process is ongoing. Greece in the 400s BC saw tremendous strides in philosophy, politics, art, architecture, and literature.²² England in the 1200s had the Magna Carta, and the U.S. in the 1700s had the Constitution.

2.3.1 The need for laws

After the Jews escaped slavery in Egypt, they roamed the wilderness. They were free of the strict, oppressive regulation of the Pharaoh, but now left on their own, disputes and other problems arose. There was a need for a new, better set of rules to replace the old. At Mount Sinai, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments.

Then as the LORD finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, written by the finger of God. (Exod 31:18)

The commandments include fundamental, common sense dictums not to kill, cheat, steal, lie, and so on. These guidelines are so wise, basic, and logical that they have stood the test of time. Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore even went so far as to place a Ten Commandments monument in the rotunda of the state judicial building, and nearly 4 out 5 Americans agreed with him.²³

Before continuing, let’s take a moment to explore why, though well-intentioned, that’s going too far. People can be sensitive about religion. Religions have not always been a force for good in this world. Bill Press, in his book, How the Republicans Stole Christmas, puts it well:

“Yes, many of the first settlers came to the New World for religious freedom—but only for themselves. Once here—with the exception of Rhode Island and, intermittently, Maryland—early Americans practiced their own brand of intolerance. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was, notoriously, but the civil arm of Puritanism. Citizens paid a tax to support religion, only church members could hold public office, and strict Sabbath duty was enforced. Dissenters or nonbelievers were banished from the colony. Those are the very abuses the framers of the Constitution wanted to put an end to in the new nation they were shaping—and did. Why? Because they recognized the religious persecutions and chaos that had swept across Europe since the Protestant Reformation. They didn’t trust Christianity, in particular, because they saw the denial of freedoms in every Christian nation in Europe. They knew the inevitable abuses that occurred whenever clergy could rule civic leaders, or civic leaders could boss around clergy.” Press goes on to quote the Treaty of Tripoli, negotiated under George Washington, which states, “the Government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion,” and Thomas Jefferson, who in 1802 wrote about “a wall of separation between Church and State.”²⁴

In Chapters 5 and 6 I detail the importance of respecting other people’s opinions, cultures, and beliefs. Just as some Americans feel threatened by the Confederate flag, some Americans feel threatened by the two stone tablets. In 2003, the Ten Commandments monument was removed from the state judicial building, and Moore was removed as Alabama Chief Justice.

That being said, some of the commandments live on in our laws against murder, theft, and perjury, not to mention in churches exercising their constitutionally-guaranteed freedom of religion. I believe the commandments are a good thing. Here they are:

Then God instructed the people as follows:
“I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt.
[1] Do not worship any other gods besides me.
[2] Do not make idols of any kind, whether in the shape of birds or animals or fish. You must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god! I do not leave unpunished the sins of those who hate me, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations. But I lavish my love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations.
[3] Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
[4] Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days a week are set apart for your daily duties and regular work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any kind of work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; then he rested on the seventh day. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
[5] Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God will give you.
[6] Do not murder.
[7] Do not commit adultery.
[8] Do not steal.
[9] Do not testify falsely against your neighbor.
[10] Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else your neighbor owns.” (Exod 20:1-17)

If everyone followed the Ten Commandments, it would go a long way toward making the world a much smoother-running place. When we take the commandments to heart and practice them in our daily lives, we can be relatively assured that we are on the right track in getting along with others. When we start monitoring how others are conforming to the Ten Commandments, however, we run the risk of sounding judgmental. Well, since this is my book and I’m pushing a liberal agenda, I guess I feel like taking a few risks!

The first 2 commandments deal with putting God first. To me, we Americans often seem to put our possessions first, and we worship “the almighty dollar.” I see this as related to the last commandment, which reminds me of the American compulsion of “keeping up with the Jones’s.” Economic issues are covered in Chapter 4.

Regarding commandment 3, I’m concerned that conservatives are misusing the name of God, while I’m trying not to do it myself, as mentioned in 1.1.3. I guess I’m guilty of breaking commandment 4, as many of us are in this workaholic culture of ours, but as we shall see later in this section, Jesus lets us off the hook to some extent. I think if we take an equivalent amount of time for rest and leisure, and don’t work the other person into the ground through competition, we are obeying the spirit of this commandment.

When I think about commandment 5, I think about how our inflationary monetary policy hurts seniors on a fixed income.

Republicans tried to remove former President Clinton from office after he violated commandment 7 and had oral sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky. I must admit I thought liberal women would be less forgiving but I was wrong. One is reminded that a lot of us have personal issues we’re not proud of. And of course, “When Clinton lied, nobody died.” Still, the argument can be made that others are affected when it results in harassment or favoritism on the job. There’s also a question of hypocrisy when the Surgeon General, Jocelyn Elders, is fired for saying that masturbation “is part of human sexuality, and perhaps it should be taught.”

To be fair, there’s plenty of hypocrisy on the Republican side as well. There’s Jim West, who was the anti-gay gay mayor of Spokane, and Jeff Gannon, who was a White House fake reporter and anti-gay gay prostitute. Sexual issues are covered in Chapter 8.

What about commandment 6, “Do not murder”? Here’s what Pat Robertson had to say about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez: “If he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war.” Chavez has launched massive anti-poverty programs in his own country and has offered tons of food, water, and fuel to communities affected by Hurricane Katrina here in the United States. Whether or not Chavez is seen by history as a good leader, I see Robertson’s reckless comments as a troubling desecration of the Holy Scriptures.

To round out my commentary, I am one of the many who believe that GW Bush lied about weapons of mass destruction so he could kill Iraqis and steal their oil, violating the 6^th, 8^th, and 9^th commandments, and I make the case in Chapters 7 and 9.

The Ten Commandments may have been central to the Jewish laws of the Old Testament, but were by no means the only laws. You may be familiar with the expression, “an eye for an eye.”

Anyone who injures another person must be dealt with according to the injury inflicted--fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Whatever anyone does to hurt another person must be paid back in kind. (Lev 24:19-20)

This may sound fair and logical at first, but when you go to apply it, you find that people tend to want to pay back with interest, and the matter is never settled, whether it’s gang warfare in the U.S., or an escalating spiral of violence in the Middle East. Jail, at least in theory, is a much better search for balance. Jesus even advises us to “turn the other cheek,” and we study that in Chapter 7 as well.

The New Testament mentions “God’s commandments”…

For it makes no difference whether or not a man has been circumcised. The important thing is to keep God’s commandments. (I Cor 7:19)

…But later makes the distinction between the new covenant and the old:

Since this new covenant gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory fading away. But the people’s minds were hardened, and even to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, a veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.
But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, then the veil is taken away. (II Cor 3:12-16)

While laws are enforced when someone is caught breaking them, the biggest part of keeping the peace is in the hearts and minds of the people themselves. Knowing this, the Book of Proverbs lists seven sins to avoid.

There are six things the LORD hates--no, seven things he detests:

[1] haughty eyes,

[2] a lying tongue,

[3] hands that kill the innocent,

[4] a heart that plots evil,

[5] feet that race to do wrong,

[6] a false witness who pours out lies,

[7] a person who sows discord among brothers. (Proverbs 6:16-19)

These are not to be confused with the seven deadly sins, listed by Pope Gregory the Great in the late 500s:

[1] Pride (vanity, narcissism—the opposite of humility)

[2] Envy (jealousy, malice—the opposite of kindness)

[3] Wrath (anger, hatred—the opposite of patience)

[4] Avarice (treachery, greed—the opposite of liberality)

[5] Sloth (apathy, indifference—the opposite of diligence)

[6] Gluttony (waste, overindulgence—the opposite of abstinence)

[7] Lust (fornication, perversion—the opposite of chastity)

Some of these sins are easier to avoid than others, and Gregory actually ranked them, with Pride being the worst, though Thomas Aquinas in the 1200s disagreed with that idea. Regardless of where you draw the line, public laws and personal guidelines make possible a civil society where people can live without fear of harm. As we look around in the Bible, however, we can see the rules gradually getting stricter, as in the following verse written by Paul:

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. (Gal 5:19)

This passage advises against drinking…

The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Go and say to the people in Judah and Jerusalem, “Come and learn a lesson about how to obey me. The Recabites do not drink wine because their ancestor Jehonadab told them not to. But I have spoken to you again and again, and you refuse to listen or obey.” (Jer 35:13-14)

…And this passage restricts drinking with severe consequences…

Then the LORD said to Aaron, “You and your descendants must never drink wine or any other alcoholic drink before going into the Tabernacle. If you do, you will die. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be kept by all future generations.” (Lev 10:8-9)

In the last section we talked about the caveat of making a vow you might not be able to keep. Here, an exception is made in the case of a young woman who may not have known any better. She is released from her vow.

If a young woman makes a vow to the LORD or a pledge under oath while she is still living at her father’s home, and her father hears of the vow or pledge but says nothing, then all her vows and pledges will stand. But if her father refuses to let her fulfill the vow or pledge on the day he hears of it, then all her vows and pledges will become invalid. The LORD will forgive her because her father would not let her fulfill them. (Num 30:3-5)

In the course of adapting to specific situations, laws can become gradually more complex. In the next block, we see rules that become very complex, strict, or ritualistic.

2.3.2 Strange and unreasonable laws

While a certain amount of order and organization is crucial to a functioning society and psyche, an excessive amount of order and organization may appear to border on the obsessive-compulsive. In 2.2.2 we noted some of the rituals surrounding animal sacrifice. Here are some more that are particularly peculiar:

Now take the other ram and have Aaron and his sons lay their hands on its head as it is slaughtered. Collect the blood and place some of it on the tip of the right earlobes of Aaron and his sons. Also put it on their right thumbs and the big toes of their right feet. Sprinkle the rest of the blood on the sides of the altar. Then take some of the blood from the altar and mix it with some of the anointing oil. Sprinkle it on Aaron and his sons and on their clothes. In this way, they and their clothing will be set apart as holy to the LORD. (Exod 29:19-21)

The next requirement may sound strange to many people…

Do not trim off the hair on your temples or clip the edges of your beards. (Lev 19:27)

…Though it doesn’t sound strange to Hasidic Jews. Hasidic men often wear long beards, black hats, and “payot” extending from the temples, rolled up and tucked behind the ear, or twirled down in a sausage curl fashion (though that may not be the best choice of words, since Jews don’t eat pork sausage). I’m glad we live in a diverse world, where we have some people to observe this verse, but if the literal requirement is real, then a lot of us are in big trouble! And this next requirement sounds just plain impossible:

They must wear linen turbans and linen undergarments. They must not wear anything that would cause them to perspire. (Ezek 44:18)

I don’t know about you, but I perspire in the Midwest, to say nothing of the Middle East. Linen or no linen. What could possibly be worse than an impossible requirement? Perhaps a requirement that’s next to impossible, or a requirement that’s possible but with noncompliance punishable by death.

Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu put coals of fire in their incense burners and sprinkled incense over it. In this way, they disobeyed the LORD by burning before him a different kind of fire than he had commanded. So fire blazed forth from the LORD’s presence and burned them up, and they died there before the LORD. (Lev 10:1-2)

As rules become increasingly difficult, people become increasingly likely to just give up. Maybe you’ve felt that way trying to do your own taxes. The laws have become so complex that people turn to professional tax preparers and computer programs. The principle of taxation is one thing, but the way taxes are collected is quite another. Maybe you’ve heard the expression, “The devil’s in the details.” Here’s how it works: The tax laws are very complicated, so people become overwhelmed and they trust their lawmakers to sort it out. Meanwhile, the lawmakers, who need a lot of money for campaign advertising, owe favors to wealthy contributors.

If I try to explain it in depth, I might end up boring you to death, which would prove my point, but I’d lose you in the process, so I’ll try to be brief. One tax trick is “deferred compensation,” which allows “highly compensated individuals” to postpone or avoid paying taxes on much of their income, without many of the limits of a 401k retirement plan.²⁵ Other loopholes have to do with wear and tear on corporate equipment, and declaring profits overseas where they can’t be taxed.²⁶ Our tax system is supposed to be based on ability to pay, but when property, sales, and excise taxes are included, the richest fifth of Americans pay only about 12% more of their income than the poorest fifth, while taking home 10 times more, after taxes.²⁷ We take a closer look at taxes in 4.3.1.

Taxes may be complicated, but at least you don’t have to worry about the following penalty:

I will rebuke your descendants and splatter your faces with the dung of your festival sacrifices, and I will add you to the dung heap. (Mal 2:3)

Here, a son is stoned for breaking the 5^th commandment:

“Suppose a man has a stubborn, rebellious son who will not obey his father or mother, even though they discipline him. In such cases, the father and mother must take the son before the leaders of the town. They must declare: ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious and refuses to obey. He is a worthless drunkard.’ Then all the men of the town must stone him to death. In this way, you will cleanse this evil from among you, and all Israel will hear about it and be afraid.” (Deut 21:18-21)

Maybe you remember the “Ark of the Covenant” from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. In the actual Bible, a guy, trying to do the right thing, makes an honest, reflexive mistake, and is punished automatically and fatally…

But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah put out his hand to steady the Ark of God. Then the LORD’s anger blazed out against Uzzah for doing this, and God struck him dead beside the Ark of God. (II Sam 6:6-7)

…I guess this vivid example proves the old covenant was literally hard to follow! And the next passage shows that even a prophet can mess up! After healing a king’s hand, he was supposed to leave town, but he got interrupted and diverted by another prophet…

The king cried out to the man of God, “Please ask the LORD your God to restore my hand again!” So the man of God prayed to the LORD, and the king’s hand became normal again…Then while they were sitting at the table, a message from the LORD came to the old prophet. He cried out to the man of God from Judah, “This is what the LORD says: You have defied the LORD’s message and have disobeyed the command the LORD your God gave you. You came back to this place and ate food and drank water where he told you not to eat or drink. Because of this, your body will not be buried in the grave of your ancestors.” (I Kgs 13:6,20-22)

…Later, a lion kills the prophet and he is buried in the nearby city.

If the lives of prophets were demanding, today’s technical wizards have their own challenges. Computers are supposed to make our lives easier, but disorganized planning, shortsighted pressure situations, and layers of program patches can make business applications a convoluted headache. The profit motive also serves to encourage closed software, where technical solutions are hidden from view and can’t be combined with solutions from other companies. The Linux Operating System is open software and takes up less disk space than the more popular Microsoft Windows, and so is probably cleaner and more concise. However, it still has a little further to go in terms of features and ease of use for new users.

Another aspect of computers is how they sometimes replace humans. This would be ok if everyone could have a shorter workweek and still get paid the same. But it’s not the public that benefits the most from automation. It’s the owners who were already rich to begin with, who could afford to pay the programmers to write the code. Even the programmers don’t reap much of the permanent windfall of automation, as they are typically only paid on an hourly or fixed-bid basis.

If all this talk about computers makes you want to tear your hair out, you would have company in the Bible. It was a common practice to tear one’s hair and especially clothing as part of the grieving process.

When I heard this, I tore my clothing, pulled hair from my head and beard, and sat down utterly shocked. (Ezra 9:3)

Later, the practice is discontinued.

“Don’t tear your clothing in your grief; instead, tear your hearts.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful. He is not easily angered. He is filled with kindness and is eager not to punish you. (Joel 2:13)

A shorter workweek is what God had in mind when He invented the Sabbath. After creating the world, He rested on the seventh day. And knowing that people need rest, he told them to do it every seventh day. In keeping with this spirit, I would add that family leave and plenty of paid vacation are good liberal goals for our society. The early Bible, however, had a particularly harsh penalty for working on the Sabbath:

One day while the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they caught a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day. He was apprehended and taken before Moses, Aaron, and the rest of the community. They held him in custody because they did not know what to do with him. Then the LORD said to Moses, “The man must be put to death! The whole community must stone him outside the camp.” So the whole community took the man outside the camp and stoned him to death, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. (Num 15:32-36)

Later on, the punishment is less severe, but people could still be arrested.

So I commanded that from then on the gates of the city should be shut as darkness fell every Friday evening, not to be opened until the Sabbath ended. I also sent some of my own servants to guard the gates so that no merchandise could be brought in on the Sabbath day. The merchants and tradesmen with a variety of wares camped outside Jerusalem once or twice. But I spoke sharply to them and said, “What are you doing out here, camping around the wall? If you do this again, I will arrest you!” And that was the last time they came on the Sabbath. Then I commanded the Levites to purify themselves and to guard the gates in order to preserve the holiness of the Sabbath. (Neh 13:19-22)

If the “merchants and tradesmen” had been allowed to set up shop, no doubt they would have taken business away from those who were getting a day of rest. There’s something to be said for having everybody take a day off. The next verse takes it a step further with a Sabbath year and the threat of a boycott.

We further promise that if the people of the land should bring any merchandise or grain to be sold on the Sabbath or on any other holy day, we will refuse to buy it. And we promise not to do any work every seventh year and to cancel the debts owed to us by other Jews. (Neh 10:31)

The day of rest is a well-intentioned idea, but depending on how you define “work,” it can be tough to follow. There are those who enjoy working, and those who need to…

At about that time Jesus was walking through some grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, so they began breaking off heads of wheat and eating the grain. Some Pharisees saw them do it and protested, “Your disciples shouldn’t be doing that! It’s against the law to work by harvesting grain on the Sabbath.” But Jesus said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the Scriptures what King David did when he and his companions were hungry? He went into the house of God, and they ate the special bread reserved for the priests alone. That was breaking the law, too. And haven’t you ever read in the law of Moses that the priests on duty in the Temple may work on the Sabbath? I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the Temple! But you would not have condemned those who aren’t guilty if you knew the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to be merciful; I don’t want your sacrifices.’ For I, the Son of Man, am master even of the Sabbath.” Then he went over to the synagogue, where he noticed a man with a deformed hand. The Pharisees asked Jesus, “Is it legal to work by healing on the Sabbath day?” (They were, of course, hoping he would say yes, so they could bring charges against him.) And he answered, “If you had one sheep, and it fell into a well on the Sabbath, wouldn’t you get to work and pull it out? Of course you would. And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Yes, it is right to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Reach out your hand.” The man reached out his hand, and it became normal, just like the other one. Then the Pharisees called a meeting and discussed plans for killing Jesus. (Matt 12:1-13)

Jesus knew that the no-work law was unreasonable, especially in an emergency. He turned the logic right back around on his critics…

Jesus replied, “I worked on the Sabbath by healing a man, and you were offended. But you work on the Sabbath, too, when you obey Moses’ law of circumcision. (Actually, this tradition of circumcision is older than the law of Moses; it goes back to Abraham.) For if the correct time for circumcising your son falls on the Sabbath, you go ahead and do it, so as not to break the law of Moses. So why should I be condemned for making a man completely well on the Sabbath? Think this through and you will see that I am right.” (John 7:21-24)

Hopefully these examples of strange and unreasonable laws have driven home the point that the rules of the Old Testament, while providing a good start, had to change.

2.4 Overthrowing the religious establishment

Throughout history, there have been those who would use religion to confuse and control people for profit and power. It was true in Jesus’ day, and it is true today. When charlatans co-opt that which is Holy, it calls for nothing less than a revolution. This section explores grace, faith, deeds, and Christ’s Holy overhaul.

2.4.1 New interpretations

Our current theocracy, with church and state joined more closely than at any time in U.S. history, has not been getting the job done in accomplishing Christian goals. For that matter, the pre-theocracy status quo wasn’t that great, either. We work harder for less money²⁸, we pay excessively for health care, we’re more isolated from our neighbors, and we need to worry about clean air, water, and food. If your job has been outsourced, maybe you feel like no matter what you do, you just can’t measure up. According to Lou Dobbs, host of his own show on CNN, up to a half million jobs are exported each year.²⁹ There’s no way you can compete with people who will work for next to nothing, and you can bet they’re feeling the pressure, too. You feel completely overwhelmed. That’s probably how early Christians felt, trying to adhere to the more difficult aspects of Jewish law, which had become very demanding. Paul conveys this exasperation and explains his rejection of the old ways. Obeying the laws, as a way to get into heaven, is replaced by God’s grace.

For when I tried to keep the law, I realized I could never earn God’s approval. So I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ. I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not one of those who treats the grace of God as meaningless. For if we could be saved by keeping the law, then there was no need for Christ to die. (Gal 2:19-21)

One theory about the old dietary restrictions is that they were a safeguard against disease. Here, the restrictions are lifted:

Then Peter asked Jesus, “Explain what you meant when you said people aren’t defiled by what they eat.”
“Don’t you understand?” Jesus asked him. “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes out of the body. But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them.” (Matt 15:15-18)

Here, Jesus condemns the impossible demands of the old leaders…

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the Scriptures. So practice and obey whatever they say to you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach. They crush you with impossible religious demands and never lift a finger to help ease the burden.” (Matt 23:1-4)

…And here, He really let’s them have it!

One day some Pharisees and teachers of religious law arrived from Jerusalem to confront Jesus. They noticed that some of Jesus’ disciples failed to follow the usual Jewish ritual of hand washing before eating. (The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands, as required by their ancient traditions. Similarly, they eat nothing bought from the market unless they have immersed their hands in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to--such as their ceremony of washing cups, pitchers, and kettles.) So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, “Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old customs? For they eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.” Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was prophesying about you when he said, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away. Their worship is a farce, for they replace God’s commands with their own man-made teachings.’” (Mark 7:1-7)

I’m not mentioning all this to bash the Jewish religion. I’m mentioning it to bash the Southern Baptist Convention. Conditions were unacceptable to the early Christians, and they are unacceptable to liberal Christians today.

So this is the point: The law no longer holds you in its power, because you died to its power when you died with Christ on the cross. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, you can produce good fruit, that is, good deeds for God. When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced sinful deeds, resulting in death. But now we have been released from the law, for we died with Christ, and we are no longer captive to its power. Now we can really serve God, not in the old way by obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way, by the Spirit. (Rom 7:4-6)

So Christ releases us from the strange and unreasonable laws. Does this mean you have to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior? I offer more thoughts on that in the next few blocks and in Chapter 6 on religious harmony. For now, the point is that it’s ok to seek out simpler solutions and to challenge the archaic dictates of the religious power structure.

How different from this way of faith is the way of law, which says, “If you wish to find life by obeying the law, you must obey all of its commands.” But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” Through the work of Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, and we Christians receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith. (Gal 3:12-14)

A rebellion was underway. The Christian religion was easier to obey, and that may be one of the reasons it has grown so tremendously. It is now the largest religion, with about 1 out of every 3 people worldwide. Not only could anyone join, they could also assume leadership positions. In the passage below, the old system of priesthood is cancelled, and family heritage is no longer a requirement.

The change in God’s law is even more evident from the fact that a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has now come. He became a priest, not by meeting the old requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. And the psalmist pointed this out when he said of Christ, “You are a priest forever in the line of Melchizedek.” Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless. For the law made nothing perfect, and now a better hope has taken its place. And that is how we draw near to God. (Heb 7:15-19)

2.4.2 Grace to the rescue

So the Christian writings of the New Testament teach us that conforming to the old laws is not the way to salvation. And like in the Led Zeppelin song, you can’t buy a “stairway to heaven,” either. To obey all of the laws, you would have had to have lived perfectly. And no matter what you do, there is always room for improvement. If you’ve ever played chess or competed in figure skating, for example, you know how difficult it can be to keep from making a mistake.

And the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as the person who has broken all of God’s laws. (Jas 2:10)

Yes, one little slip can ruin the whole thing. To make matters worse, you could be wrestling with your “reptilian” mind as Paul seems to be here:

I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. But I can’t help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things. I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can’t make myself do right. I want to, but I can’t. (Rom 7:15-18)

No one is perfect. There is good and evil within all of us.

The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to the law. (Gal 5:17-18)

A Perfect Being could easily condemn us.

How can a mere mortal stand before God and claim to be righteous? Who in all the earth is pure? God is so glorious that even the moon and stars scarcely shine compared to him. How much less are mere people, who are but worms in his sight?” (Job 25:4-6)

If computer automation and exporting jobs overseas make us feel unworthy, what about robots? It could be just a matter of time before they eclipse human capability, as in the movie A.I. Honda already has an impressive, intelligent humanoid robot. I think these new technologies will be a good thing, but only if we keep a close eye on “market forces,” something not likely to happen under Republican leadership. Whatever the future holds, we need to accept the idea that we may not always be the smartest beings on the planet, and we need to accept that we have flaws.

If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. (I John 1:8-10)

Luckily, Jesus has assured us that being perfect is not the answer, that obeying ritualistic laws is not the answer. Yes, we are instead saved by God’s grace. The Christian idea here is that we can’t do it alone, but God has the power to forgive us, to give us a second chance, to cut us some slack and let us into heaven.

Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses and to bring the entire world into judgment before God. For no one can ever be made right in God’s sight by doing what his law commands. For the more we know God’s law, the clearer it becomes that we aren’t obeying it. But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight--not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago. We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. (Rom 3:19-22)

The idea of human imperfection was not new. Forgiveness of sin through atonement, or reconciliation between God and man, was a theme in the Old Testament, but as covered in 2.2.2, it was accomplished through animal sacrifice.

When any of the people become aware of their guilt in any of these ways, they must confess their sin and bring to the LORD as their penalty a female from the flock, either a sheep or a goat. This will be a sin offering to remove their sin, and the priest will make atonement for them. (Lev 5:5-6)

Atonement was also accomplished by following all the commands presented by Moses.

Only Aaron and his descendants served as priests. They presented the offerings on the altar of burnt offering and the altar of incense, and they performed all the other duties related to the Most Holy Place. They made atonement for Israel by following all the commands that Moses, the servant of God, had given them. (I Chr 6:49)

After his time in the belly of a fish, Jonah also endured some time in the hot sun. He was about at the end of his rope, but God showed grace toward him, as well as the city of Ninevah, who Jonah was sent to warn.

This change of plans upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the LORD about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, LORD? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you were a gracious and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. I knew how easily you could cancel your plans for destroying these people. Just kill me now, LORD! I’d rather be dead than alive because nothing I predicted is going to happen.” The LORD replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?” Then Jonah went out to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see if anything would happen to the city. And the LORD God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s head, shading him from the sun. This eased some of his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But God also prepared a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant, so that it soon died and withered away. And as the sun grew hot, God sent a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is certainly better than this!” he exclaimed. Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?” “Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!” Then the LORD said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. And a plant is only, at best, short lived. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?” (Jonah 4:1-11)

Here’s a heckuva story of forgiveness, the story of the prodigal son:

To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money on wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed his pigs. The boy became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired men have food enough to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired man.”’ So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger, and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening in the pen. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began. Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the calf we were fattening and has prepared a great feast. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’ The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve worked hard for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the finest calf we have.’ His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you and I are very close, and everything I have is yours. We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’” (Luke 15:11-32)

Just as the father in the story forgave his son, our Father in heaven can forgive us. The Bible teaches us that no matter how bad things get, we can still be rescued.

Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD. Satan was there at the angel’s right hand, accusing Jeshua of many things. And the LORD said to Satan, “I, the LORD, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from a fire.” (Zech 3:1-2)

Imagine being held hostage by the devil and freed by God…

He ransoms me from hell. He surrounds me with lovingkindness and tender mercies. (Psalms 103:4)

2.4.3 Faith and lapse thereof

Grace freed people from the cumbersome shackles of the old laws, but it was not an automatic ticket dispenser, either. If everyone could count on God’s grace no matter what, there would be no incentive to be nice to each other. We’d be back on the road to anarchy mentioned in 1.3.2. No, the next piece of the puzzle is faith. In other words, belief, trust, and confidence in God.

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith. By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. (Heb 11:1-3)

Faith was not exclusively a New Testament phenomenon. This New Testament passage gives a number of examples of faith in the Old Testament:

It was by faith that Noah built an ark to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about something that had never happened before. By his faith he condemned the rest of the world and was made right in God’s sight…It was by faith that Sarah together with Abraham was able to have a child, even though they were too old and Sarah was barren. Abraham believed that God would keep his promise. And so a whole nation came from this one man, Abraham, who was too old to have any children--a nation with so many people that, like the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them… It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid of what the king might do. It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be treated as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. (Heb 11:7,11-12,23-25)

What faith does is it shows that your heart is in the right place. You may not be able to live up to all that is expected of you, but at least you are sincere. Just as a baby can’t be expected to act like an adult, an adult can’t be expected to act perfectly. All that is expected is that we grow.

 

You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. (I Pet 2:2-3)

And just as a parent praises a child for doing something good, here Jesus praises a Gentile (non-Jew) for his strong faith.

Then the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed! I know, because I am under the authority of my superior officers and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this or that,’ they do it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all the land of Israel! (Matt 8:8-10)

Like in 1.4.3, Jesus then performed the miracle, this time remotely, in response to the Roman officer’s confident request.

Pat Robertson recently did some faith healing of his own. I’ll let him describe it in his own words, though I’ve added some ellipses (…) for brevity:

“And here, this haunting woman, she looked like, she really looked like she was terrified, very attractive, striking brunette, 45 years old, you know thin, 5’8” kinda thing. And she had this look in her eyes. And so I went in, and my wife was with me. And they took the two chairs and I sat on the bed. And I said, ‘Tell me about your problem.’ And she said, ‘I’ve got this asthma.’ ...And then I prayed. And I said, ‘Lord, what’s wrong with her?’ I just prayed silently. And the Lord said, ‘Ask about her sex life.’ And...I said, ‘There’s no way I’m going to ask a strange woman about her sex life.’ So I said, ‘Excuse me for being personal, but would you tell me about your marriage?’ She said, ‘Oh, I have a wonderful marriage.... A wonderful husband, wonderful marriage. It’s just absolutely marvelous.’ I said, ‘You do?’ She said, ‘Yes.’ So I prayed again. I said, ‘Lord, what’s the matter?’ And...He said, ‘Ask her about her sex life.’...And I said, ‘You know, please forgive me if I’m being personal, but tell me about your sex life.’ And she said, ‘I don’t have any.’ And I said, ‘Well, I thought you had a wonderful marriage.’ And she said, ‘I do, but I don’t have any sex life.’ And I said, ‘How long has that been going on?’ And she said, ‘Two years.’ And I said, ‘And that’s when your asthma started, isn’t it?’ And she said, ‘Yes.’ And I said, ‘Well it’s obvious that you’re blaming yourself for this condition. What’s the problem?’ And she said, ‘My husband’s impotent.’ And I said, ‘You think it’s your fault.’ And she said, ‘Yes. It’s—I think it’s my fault.’ And I said, ‘Well it isn’t your fault. And it may be that he’s working too hard. He may be having a physical impairment. But there’s something in his life, that this isn’t your fault.’ And she said, ‘It’s not?’ I said, ‘Absolutely not.’ And I said, ‘Okay, now let’s pray for your asthma.’ And she said, ‘Okay.’ And we prayed. And God healed her asthma just like that.”³⁰

No word on whether the husband was healed as well. Whether or not Robertson’s account is what really happened, we can agree that faith is a big part of our religion. In fact, our religion is often called our “faith” as are other religions. In the next quote, a woman has faith that there will be a new leader and deliverer.

The woman said, “I know the Messiah will come--the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus told her, “I am the Messiah!” (John 4:25-26)

Jesus appreciated faith. In fact, He had more appreciation for sinners with faith than with those who didn’t think they sinned as much:

One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to come to his home for a meal, so Jesus accepted the invitation and sat down to eat. A certain immoral woman heard he was there and brought a beautiful jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them. When the Pharisee who was the host saw what was happening and who the woman was, he said to himself, “This proves that Jesus is no prophet. If God had really sent him, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!” Then Jesus spoke up and answered his thoughts. “Simon,” he said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.” “All right, Teacher,” Simon replied, “go ahead.” Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people--five hundred pieces of silver to one and fifty pieces to the other. But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.” “That’s right,” Jesus said. Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer me water to wash the dust from my feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You didn’t give me a kiss of greeting, but she has kissed my feet again and again from the time I first came in. You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume. I tell you, her sins--and they are many--have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” The men at the table said among themselves, “Who does this man think he is, going around forgiving sins?” And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7:36-50)

While I might enjoy poking fun at Robertson, I also want to welcome his willingness to talk about sex. If Jesus could consort with prostitutes and such, we can be more open about sexuality, if it is done in a respectful, non-threatening way.

We next move on to my namesake, Doubting Thomas, who didn’t have faith until he had touched the wounds of the Resurrected Jesus.

Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway.” (John 20:26-29)

As mentioned in 1.4, today we don’t have that kind of evidence staring us in the face, and that may be to test our faith. Perhaps, with Thomas as a role model of sorts, I fancy this project as both a confrontation of doubt and a leap of faith.

These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. (I Pet 1:7)

This verse from the Old Testament tells us to trust God, not self, or suffer the consequences:

Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked; but the righteous will live by their faith. (Hab 2:4)

As we explore faith in more detail, we find verses that describe Jesus as the gateway to heaven.

But if anyone denies me here on earth, I will deny that person before my Father in heaven. (Matt 10:33)

Non-Christians please hang in there, as there may be more to it than that, depending on how you conceptualize Jesus.

Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, so he explained it to them. “I assure you, I am the gate for the sheep,” he said. “All others who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. Wherever they go, they will find green pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. (John 10:6-10)

In the next passage, I would say that Jesus is more than just a metaphor for the truth. In a spiritual sense, Jesus and the truth are one and the same.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had known who I am, then you would have known who my Father is. From now on you know him and have seen him!” (John 14:6-7)

This passage may explain why Christian missionaries throughout history have sometimes taken an unyielding approach in converting others to Christianity.

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16)

Of all the faiths, Christianity probably appears to be the least tolerant. The following verse suggests that you need to be a believer to get into heaven…

For only we who believe can enter his place of rest. As for those who didn’t believe, God said, “In my anger I made a vow: ‘They will never enter my place of rest,’” even though his place of rest has been ready since he made the world. (Heb 4:3)

…This verse seems to require that you believe in the Resurrection…

For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rom 10:9)

…And how about John 3:16, which you sometimes see on fans’ signs at ball games?

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. (John 3:16-17)

While belief that Christ was raised from the dead may be one way to get into heaven, I remain hopeful that it is not the only way. After all, “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.” When we say that He died for our sins, I would hope that one of those sins might be the inability to see that He died for our sins. This I think makes sense in terms of Christ’s purpose. Without His teachings, His Resurrection would be meaningless. However, without His Resurrection, His teachings would still have meaning. In addition to atoning for us, His Resurrection draws attention to His life, and makes it easier for us to recognize the importance of His message. To me, a willingness to grow in His message, and having your heart in the right place, is what Faith is, not a technical argument over whether a miracle occurred 2000 years ago.

I also believe that we can expect our faith to ebb and flow, fluid creatures that we are. What’s more, I believe that we can even be forgiven when we are lacking in faith. Surely God would not condemn the despairing author of this Psalm:

My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me? Why do you remain so distant? Why do you ignore my cries for help? Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief. (Psalms 22:1-2)

Christ uttered these same words as he was being crucified. A lapse of faith, perhaps, or perhaps it was His way of forgiving lapses of faith in others.

At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46)

Job, as mentioned in 1.4.5, was tested dearly by misfortune. During his ordeal, he became very despairing.

I have only a little time left, so leave me alone--that I may have a little moment of comfort before I leave for the land of darkness and utter gloom, never to return. It is a land as dark as midnight, a land of utter gloom where confusion reigns and the light is as dark as midnight. (Job 10:20-22)

Job ultimately regains his optimism and confidence in God.

Then Job replied to the LORD: “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You ask, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I. And I was talking about things I did not understand, things far too wonderful for me. (Job 42:1-3)

As a footnote to this story, while Job may have sinned, his friends couldn’t assume he was being punished for his sins.

After the LORD had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “I am angry with you and with your two friends, for you have not been right in what you said about me, as my servant Job was. (Job 42:7)

Job then prays for his friends, and the Lord restores Job’s good fortune.

2.4.4 Holy activism

So as parts of Christ’s religious revolution, we’ve looked at grace, which forgave people who couldn’t live up to complex rules; and faith, the people’s recognition of grace, and trust that they would receive grace. Next up is the notion of deeds, helping others through positive action. While deeds may not be what actually get us into heaven, ideally they are the natural outcome of true faith.

But deeds are tricky. Too much emphasis on deeds, and we might go back to ritualistic compulsions and unreasonable laws. Not enough emphasis on deeds, and we get what we have now, people stumbling and trampling over each other. We go to church and get forgiven, then burn fuel, leave waste, employ quasi-slaves, and vote for more of the same.

There is only one God, and there is only one way of being accepted by him. He makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law. (Rom 3:30-31)

Throughout history, there has been a pattern of alternating deeds and faith, if you count deeds that were required to be performed. There was slavery in Egypt followed by the Exodus, and the ancient Jewish laws followed by Jesus. The pattern repeated in the early 1500s, when the Christian church underwent a great schism, or split, between Catholics and Protestants. Leo X, the Catholic Pope at the time, was selling “indulgences,” which were like certificates for the forgiveness of sin. Martin Luther then wrote his “95 theses” and taught that salvation is a gift received by faith alone.³¹

It should be said that the Catholic Church has changed a lot since then. And while I agree that the indulgences were a pretty bad idea, I still think there’s a lot to be said for deeds. There’s also a distinction to be made between bad deeds and good deeds.

So since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does this mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don’t you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master? You can choose sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God and receive his approval. (Rom 6:15-16)

Kerry mentioned this next one in the third debate with Bush:³²

So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all--it is dead and useless. Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” I say, “I can’t see your faith if you don’t have good deeds, but I will show you my faith through my good deeds.” (Jas 2:17-18)

If you can see someone’s faith through their good deeds, then I can certainly see faith in people from other religious backgrounds. That’s part of what I was talking about in the introduction, when I said you may actually be Christian and not be aware of it.

He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing what is right. (Titus 2:14)

Seeing as Jesus sacrificed His body, I don’t think His purpose was about Himself as much as it was about people helping other people—about “doing what is right.” Some of the verses in the previous block suggested that judgement was based on faith. This one suggests that judgement is based on actions:

Their judgment is based on this fact: The light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. (John 3:19)

And in this verse Jesus says He will judge people according to their deeds…

For I, the Son of Man, will come in the glory of my Father with his angels and will judge all people according to their deeds. (Matt 16:27)

Some sort of action is called for. What types of deeds are needed? That question may be open to debate, but in the following chapters I explain why I think a progressive, liberal, political agenda is in line with God’s will. To really grow spiritually, it’s not enough to just go to church. It’s not enough to just know about the religion. Once you’ve repented, once you’re saved, it’s time to turn your attention to the world around you.

God will punish the Gentiles when they sin, even though they never had God’s written law. And he will punish the Jews when they sin, for they do have the law. For it is not merely knowing the law that brings God’s approval. Those who obey the law will be declared right in God’s sight. (Rom 2:12-13)

As the late Senator Paul Wellstone used to say, it’s one thing to talk the talk and another to walk the talk.

So whenever you speak, or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law of love, the law that set you free. For there will be no mercy for you if you have not been merciful to others. But if you have been merciful, then God’s mercy toward you will win out over his judgment against you. (Jas 2:12-13)

And God can keep track of you, regardless of your religious background.

Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say, ‘We’re safe--we’re the descendants of Abraham.’ That proves nothing. God can change these stones here into children of Abraham. (Matt 3:8-9)

The word “prove” may sound a little daunting to some people. Each person is different. If you get scared, please don’t give up altogether. I like to think of faith as a safety net. It’s there if you need it, but you were meant to rise to new heights above it. If you make a mistake, forgive yourself, as God forgives you, then move on and try not to repeat it. Your heart is in the right place.

“Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but they still won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven.” (Matt 7:21)

Of course, it’s hard to be of any help to others if your own spiritual and survival needs are not met. Faith has helped countless people through difficult times, myself included. You need to take care of yourself first, but once you do, it’s important to look around. The reason for this is that a lot of people and problems have been forgotten, and if you and enough people do nothing, things will get worse. There will be more poverty and pollution, more debt and death. As covered in 1.2.2, closed-mindedness is not the answer.

Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord, even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. (I John 3:18-20)

Senator Wellstone knew how to put convictions into action. The book Politics the Wellstone Way by Wellstone Action details how to apply grassroots organizing to electoral politics to improve people’s lives. Their methods include base building, communications, and direct voter contact. “When attention is given to base building, passive supporters rapidly become active supporters, and eventually key volunteers and/or donors…. When volunteers are treated the right way and feel a sense of ownership, they become activists and leaders who add vitality and energy to the work.”³³

Dear friend, don’t let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God’s children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God. (III John 1:11)

At the very least, I would like people to take their vote seriously. As for those who take it to the next level and advance humanitarian causes, I say they are doing God’s Holy work. God bless this Holy liberal activism!

And God bless protesters who are trying to call attention to injustice. In July 2001, over 100,000 people protested globalization at the G-8 (Group of Eight [large countries]) meeting in Genoa, Italy. They were trying to tell us that un-elected leaders of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and World Trade Organization are calling the shots on environmental and labor rules around the world. Unfortunately, the corporate media didn’t report the story. Instead they focused on the violence, but they didn’t even get that right. According to a report in the Columbia Journalism Review JR, “approximately seventy members of an Italian SWAT team barged through the doorway of a site where protesters were organizing. This led to the hospitalization of sixty-one demonstrators. However, few news sources reported the police violence, and most sources focused on protester violence.”

Jesus was a protester. He tipped over the moneychangers’ tables (7.2.1), and He called the religious leaders hypocrites to their faces (2.4.1). He called out for radical changes, and He wants us to do the same. The Bible doesn’t want us to do the opposite, just to make Him look good…

“But,” some say, “our sins serve a good purpose, for people will see God’s goodness when he declares us sinners to be innocent. Isn’t it unfair, then, for God to punish us?” (That is actually the way some people talk.) Of course not! If God is not just, how is he qualified to judge the world? “But,” some might still argue, “how can God judge and condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and brings him more glory?” If you follow that kind of thinking, however, you might as well say that the more we sin the better it is! Those who say such things deserve to be condemned, yet some slander me by saying this is what I preach! (Rom 3:5-8)

…No, we’re expected to follow His example…

Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Christ did. (I John 2:6)

2.4.5 The core of our faith

As mentioned above, the types of deeds God calls for are open to debate. You might feel overwhelmed by the possible uncertainty, and uncomfortable at the thought of possible discord, things you didn’t expect from religion. In a world this complex, it’s understandable if you’re attracted to religion because you want to be told what to do. That way, you’re not faced with too many tough decisions, and you can feel like you’re doing everything you’re supposed to.

And that’s ok. What I’m talking about may sound daunting, but I don’t think it actually is. We can start by making a distinction between the hereafter and the here and now. Who knows, faith may be sufficient when it comes to the afterlife, but by itself it’s not much of a blueprint for how we conduct ourselves during life here on earth. If life really is a test, let’s see how good a grade we can get. First let’s try to keep from doing bad deeds, and then attempt to do some good deeds. Let’s prioritize our efforts and our thinking. Let’s start with those things that save time and energy as we endeavor to attain additional goals. Just as it is easier to gather food knowing you have a place to sleep, it is easier to make decisions knowing you have some guiding principles.

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse, because it is built on rock. But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will fall with a mighty crash.” (Matt 7:24-27)

You may have heard the expression; “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The Head Start program provides preschool education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families,³⁴ and has saved the U.S. billions in remedial education, unemployment, criminal justice and welfare costs.³⁵ In recent years, however, funding for the program has not kept pace with inflationary increases in rent, utility, transportation, health insurance, and mandatory testing expenses. Worse yet, the 2006 funding for the program was actually cut by one percent!³⁶

Another example is drug treatment. A California study found that every dollar spent on treatment saved seven dollars in reduced crime and healthcare costs,³⁷ and yet states spend only 4 percent of their substance abuse budgets on prevention and treatment.³⁸

Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh has sought treatment for his addiction to painkillers, even though he had said in 1995, “…if people are violating the law by doing drugs, they ought to be accused and they ought to be convicted and they ought to be sent up.”³⁹ I’m in favor of drug rehab for Rush and anyone else who needs it, because it’s usually cheaper than throwing them in jail. It’s also the humanitarian thing to do. I wouldn’t want to be in that situation, but if I was, for whatever reason, I would probably benefit from treatment. If you put yourself in the other person’s shoes, programs like drug rehab and Head Start make sense.

You may say that God has given people free will, and that people have used their free will to make bad choices. But remember that bad choices are more likely in bad situations. If we see the big picture, as Christ certainly must, we also have to look at how our own choices influence the choices of others. The Bible teaches forgiveness, so helping others pass their tests helps us pass ours.

Some people contend that addictive behavior isn’t limited to drugs. I’m reminded of the quote from Karl Marx; “religion is the opiate of the masses.” We each have our own comforting thoughts, and sometimes we fixate on them. I’m not sure if the topics of addiction, early learning, and religion relate directly to the “reptilian mind,” but I do sense that we’re getting into the realm of belief systems. In a 1964 article “The Nature of Belief Systems in Mass Publics,” Philip Converse concluded that most people don’t have a coherent belief system that ties together all their political opinions.⁴⁰ Once ingrained, however, belief systems are very powerful, and getting someone to change is probably as difficult as getting an addict to quit drugs. Belief systems are important, and that’s why I’m trying to lay this one out as logically and openly as possible.

If you’re going to meditate on anything, then, let me suggest a guiding principle that gives me great comfort. Even when I fail to follow it, I still recognize its ongoing importance. Unlike drugs, which draw your focus inward, this draws your focus outward, fits you into the big picture, and keeps you connected with other people. It’s healthy in that it faces reality head on. In addition to helping others, this guiding principle helps you and those who follow you, especially when everyone follows it over the long run, because it profoundly affects your habitat. It saves time and energy, because it’s a decision that helps you make other decisions. It is the core of our faith, the heart and soul of our religion. It is the Golden Rule:

Do for others what you would like them to do for you. This is a summary of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. (Matt 7:12)

It is not just a part of the Christian faith. Religious scholar Huston Smith wrote, “A second possible answer to the question of the relation between religions is that in all important respects they are the same. Does not each contain some version of the Golden Rule?” Earlier in his book, Smith quotes the Confucianist saying, “What you do not wish done to yourself, do not do to others.”⁴¹ And long before Christianity, Judaism had the following scripture:

Do not exploit the foreigners who live in your land. They should be treated like everyone else, and you must love them as you love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners in the land of Egypt. I, the LORD, am your God. (Lev 19:33-34)

More on other religions in Chapter 6. In addition to being an “interfaith interface,” the Golden Rule is an easy way to remember the spirit of the other rules that emanate outward from it. In all the rules, you’re trying to see things from the other person’s point of view. If you go first, maybe they’ll respond in kind, and everybody will get along. We’re encouraged to keep on trying.

“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?”

Jesus replied, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Matt 22:36-40)

It’s really quite simple, actually. You don’t want to be killed, so don’t kill others. You don’t want to be stolen from, so don’t steal from others. You don’t want to be lied to, so don’t lie to others.

For the commandments against adultery and murder and stealing and coveting—and any other commandment—are all summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all of God’s requirements. (Rom 13:9-10)

Sometimes, the best you can do is to stay out of other people’s way. Sometimes you want to be left alone, so leave other people alone. The Libertarian political philosophy supports freedom for individuals to do as they wish with their person or property, as long as they respect the same liberty of others.⁴² This might work if people could stay in their own little compartments, but in my opinion, the world is too crowded and interdependent to sustain that. There’s also the question of how much property. If we apply the rule honestly, we have to say, “I want as much property as possible, therefore, I want others to have as much property as possible.”

Then again, I’m sure there are some people who don’t want to have as much property as possible. One possible distortion of the Golden Rule is to assume that others want the same things you do, which isn’t always the case. A suicide bomber might say, “I want to die, therefore I want others to die.” But this ignores the wishes of the others. It’s not fully putting yourself in the other person’s position, and it’s not looking deep enough into yourself. A more accurate way to look at it is, “I want my wishes respected, therefore I want to respect the wishes of others.” More on suicide bombers in Chapter 7.

Applying the Golden Rule can become more complex as the situation becomes more complex. But no matter how tangled the situation, there should be a way to unravel it using the Golden Rule. When people come clean and are forgiven for it, nothing is impossible.

For you have been called to live in freedom--not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if instead of showing love among yourselves you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. (Gal 5:13-15)

One logical application of the Golden Rule is sharing. Those giving up the most may offer resistance, but may also find they are getting something better in return. Sharing will go a long way in solving many of our problems, but we could still end up “devouring one another” if each share is not enough. More on resources and population in Chapter 9. Depending on what we do, the future could be bleak, or it could be bright.

2.4.6 The Christian utopian mandate

If we take the Golden Rule to heart and envision it carried out to its fullest extent, we can see that we have a Christian duty not just to get along with each other, but also to make the world as “awesome” as possible. “I want others to help make the world a great place for me to live, therefore I want to help make the world a great place for others to live.” In 2.1.3, we looked at the Lord’s Prayer. We revisit a portion of it here:

May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. (Matt 6:10)

What I’m getting out of this is that there’s nothing stopping us from trying to make earth just as good as heaven. God has given us the go-ahead.

May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants. May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace. May our farms be filled with crops of every kind. May the flocks in our fields multiply by the thousands, even tens of thousands, and may our oxen be loaded down with produce. May there be no breached walls, no forced exile, no cries of distress in our squares. Yes, happy are those who have it like this! Happy indeed are those whose God is the LORD. (Psalms 144:12-15)

Utopianism is based upon the idea of paradise on earth, and different versions have appeared in many cultures and societies. Some are innocent, like the Biblical Garden of Eden, and some are hedonist, like the mythical Land of Cockaigne.⁴³ There were hundreds of utopian experiments in the U.S. in the 1700s and 1800s, including the Shakers, the Amanas, and the Oneidas.⁴⁴ Utopian Socialists of the early 1800s came under criticism for being too unrealistic.⁴⁵ While these attempts at utopia didn’t work out, that doesn’t mean we can’t keep trying. We just need to avoid making the same mistakes, set realistic milestones, be patient, and start moving in the right direction. In this verse, Jesus is prophecied as presiding over a utopian government. We can bring this about ourselves, because we are all part of the body of Christ.

His ever expanding, peaceful government will never end. He will rule forever with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David. The passionate commitment of the LORD Almighty will guarantee this! (Isa 9:7)

Ever heard the expression “life isn’t fair”? In his book Feeling Good, David D. Burns, MD writes, “In fact, fairness is simply a perceptual interpretation, an abstraction, a self-created concept.” He points out that what is fair to the lion is not fair to the sheep.⁴⁶ I think this is good to keep in mind if you’re trying to control your anger, but it doesn’t mean we can’t try to make life as fair as possible. This next passage is one description of a peaceable kingdom where everything is fair. They even figure out how to satisfy both predator and prey!

“No longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at one hundred! Only sinners will die that young! In those days, people will live in the houses they build and eat the fruit of their own vineyards. It will not be like the past, when invaders took the houses and confiscated the vineyards. For my people will live as long as trees and will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains. They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the LORD, and their children, too, will be blessed. I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking to me about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! The wolf and lamb will feed together. The lion will eat straw like the ox. Poisonous snakes will strike no more. In those days, no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain. I, the LORD, have spoken!” (Isa 65:20-25)

Minneapolis City Council member Cam Gordon, in a stump speech at the Seward Café, said that coming out of the 60s, he and his peers had high hopes for a brighter future: “All we needed to do was end wars and stop being racist.” He talked about a “utopian” vision that all seemed so straightforward, but because of a lack of political will, nothing happened. He went on to be an activist and eventually became one of the founding members of the Green Party of Minnesota.

Another Minnesota Green Party leader, Ken Pentel, in his run for governor, came under fire from his Republican opponent for proposing small-scale, sustainable agriculture. Tim Pawlenty called it “ag utopia.”⁴⁷ Later in the campaign, Pawlenty said, “I think if Ken Pentel were elected, we’d all be eating tofu and riding unicycles…. I don’t agree with him politically. I applaud him for being in the race. It makes the race interesting, it gives people more choices, but, you know, I think he’s got some fairly unusual and probably dangerous ideas.”⁴⁸

At his party’s 2005 state convention, Pawlenty got his biggest ovation when he said the First Amendment “was designed to protect people of faith from government, not to protect government from people of faith.”⁴⁹ Recall from 2.3.1 that the framers “knew the inevitable abuses that occurred whenever clergy could rule civic leaders.” I’d like to protect government from Pawlenty’s brand of faith.

It has been said that the biggest idealists become the biggest cynics. We would all do well to hold onto our youthful idealism. Christ was no doubt seen as an idealist in His time. Here, He praises the faith of children:

One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch them and bless them, but the disciples told them not to bother him. Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you, anyone who doesn’t have their kind of faith will never get into the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 18:15-17)

When progressives aren’t being bashed for their idealism, they’re usually being labeled as doomsayers. Perhaps that observation is itself cynical, but I see it as the price one pays for trying to make the world a better place—with the coin used to pay having two sides. You’re trying to make it good, and on the flip side, you’re trying to keep it from being bad. You want to share a positive vision, but you also want to warn people about possible negative consequences. Cynics, who are experts at making excuses for their inaction, attack you for both.

They tell the prophets, “Shut up! We don’t want any more of your reports.” They say, “Don’t tell us the truth. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies. Forget all this gloom. We have heard more than enough about your ‘Holy One of Israel.’ We are tired of listening to what he has to say.” (Isa 30:10-11)

In an August 2005 broadcast of his show, Rush Limbaugh said that global warming is “one of the biggest hoaxes being perpetrated on the people of the world.” Never mind the vast scientific consensus that the 1990s was the warmest decade on record and likely the last millennium, and that the temperature increases closely reflect the amount of human-released greenhouse gases over the past century.⁵⁰ More on global warming in Chapter 9.

Limbaugh isn’t the first person to scoff at a serious warning. False prophets mocked Jeremiah for predicting disaster in Judah.

When one of the people or one of their “prophets” or priests asks you, “Well, Jeremiah, what is the sad news from the Lord today?” you shall reply, “What sad news? You are the sad news, for the Lord has cast you away!” And as for the false prophets and priests and people who joke about “today’s sad news from God,” I will punish them and their families for saying this. (Jer 23:33-34)

Yes, I guess part of being a Christian utopianist, idealist, or activist is to get a thick skin, and be prepared for a little mockery.

Tobiah the Ammonite, who was standing beside him, remarked, “That stone wall would collapse if even a fox walked along the top of it!” (Neh 4:3)

After taking in all this information, you may be wondering whether you have what it takes to apply the Golden Rule and support things that are good for the whole world. You’re humbled by God and frightened by the sacrifices Jesus had to make. So am I. You might be thinking that you don’t deserve to live a perfect life in a perfect world.

 

But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matt 5:48)

 

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