Proverbs 12:9 He that is despised, and has a servant, is better than he that honors himself, and lacks bread.
The comments on my article yesterday, where I wrote about kicking R's God's Butt all over the internet, got me thinking about hypocrisy and judgement. For those that don't know I became a Godless heathen because I read the Bible from cover to cover, did a whole lot of Bible study and first hand viewed the cruelty of faith many times. In this article I am going to do a sermon for the believers that have played judge jury and executioner. This article is written for believers so the manner of writing will make it seem as if I believe God actually exists. I believe no such thing.
We'll start by talking about judgement and move on to Love and hypocrisy. I am not one for mincing words and I take responsibility for my own failures. I don't have a God dunnit that I blame for my fear of success, nor for my failures and folly. I know that I am responsible for every thing that occurs in my life and the choices and judgements I make affect all of those.
My experience has taught me that those with the least to offer are the most judgemental. I have friends across a broad spectrum of faiths from Wiccans to Muslims. I judge them all, every single one of them for believing in something that cannot be proved, but I rarely mock their faeries and spooks anymore, I have become a lot more tolerant as long as they are not trying to instil their beliefs in me, or mine.
If I attend a public meeting and someone asks for it to be opened in prayer, I will request a prayer to Amon Ra, Zeus, Mithra and any other deity I remember at the time. You see I believe in tolerance and believe that every God or Goddess deserves their moment in the sun. I also believe that if I choose not to follow them I should be allowed that freedom and not judged for it.
If I find a preacher prosletysing on a street corner, it is my duty to mock him and ask him all the important questions that they don't want to answer like, Why did Jesus lie about when he was coming back?, Why are only Jewish men that have not had sex going to heaven? and Are you hearing voices? but I never enter a place of worship and mock them there. It would be uncouth and bad manners to judge others for their proclivities if they are not shoving them down my throat. for instance I would never go to a brothel and berate the prostitutes and their clients because it's none of my business.But if they started shagging on my sidewalk I would because then it becomes my business.
Judgement of others is not looked at favourably by the God of Israel or so the book of Matthew Chapter 7 says. 1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
Before we continue, I am convinced God would not want you to suspend all judgement because that would be totally stupid, but I am pretty sure he'd want you to have facts and evidence to support your judgement not just a feeling. I read an article about a murder in Middelburg where the wife and daughter went for an ice cream, on their return the wife found the gate open and her suspicions were aroused, Rather than stay outside the house where she felt unsafe, she went to a garage and waited for her son. Without any further ado, evidence or knowledge allegations were made that she was guilty of planning and executing her husband.
I believe this is the type of judgement that Matthew refers to when he says don't judge, A few people made some statements on yesterdays article that fall into this category. I have never met them, they don't know anything at all about me but jumped to the conclusion that I was not a good father. If they had evidence to support the view that I had no respect for my daughter and that I was anything but a loving and doting Dad, it would be a reasonable judgement. The alternative is that they are full of nappy juice and need to get on their knees and ask their God to forgive them.
Because I am a loving and doting father I will do everything in my power including humiliating myself to ensure that my children have more than I did.
Another concern those comments raised was that of love, especially of your neigbour. One of the commentors was threatening the holocaust or something. He was not very explicit in his threats but was pretty clear that he was going to take great joy in his neighbours suffering. I found it telling that he is a soldier. Specially for you Johan I want to quote the Christ himself.
The book of Mark chapter 12: 29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Johan your comments were not spectacularly loving, good and kind. I am pretty sure Jesus would find them distasteful, I think some time on your knees is in order. Forgiveness though is dead easy, The book of Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Repentance needs to be sincere and you should not continue with the sin or else your repentance has no meaning.
You see I am pretty sure Jesus doesn't much like it when you sin on Monday, repent on Sunday and repeat your offence on Monday. Yes I know the Bible, I almost became a missionary a long time ago, I came to my sense because I am incapable of selling inferior products.
Atheitis, You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, I understand that all those hours, days and weeks spent in prayer and church really upset a man when he realise what a crock it is, but calm down Boet
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