Hegemony of Imperatives

Mark Twain said that India is the ultimate travel destination. In my years of world travel, perhaps I spent more time in India than in any other foreign country. On one visit, sharing a train compartment with the Indian Minister of Travel and his son (the son was returning to a university in England), I was asked if I had traveled through India previously. I said, “yes, and nothing ever changes. Every time, I feel like I am in the Gandhi movie, the train, and everything on either side of the tracks.” The minister said, “you are right, it has not changed in 2000 years.”

The most revealing thing about India is religion, India is the most religious nation in the world. Everywhere, there are temples of some sort, monkey temples, Brahma temples, Jain temples. You walk up to some place and someone anoints your forehead. Their great, aged temples whose walls are covered with pornographic figures such as those at Khajuraho; at other temples, mothers throw their babies from the tops of the temples in a ritual. I was allowed to cross the bridge and enter the gold temple of the Sihks at Armistar, turbaned Sihks were preparing a great abundance of food for pilgrims. In other areas of the Himilayas, Asia, there are Buddhist monasteries, boys and men of all ages serving as monks. In Sri Lanka, out in the countryside, I was awakened early as a band came down the street escorting devotees, taking food to the monks at their monastery. At Kandy, Sri Lanka, followers of Buddha were lined up in a monastery just to view a tooth of Buddha.

I am sorry to report that the passion and integrity of Christians has disappeared in most parts of the world, particularly in Europe. In my many visits to the Vatican, those visiting for the first time were easily recognized, tears came easy to those went into St. Peter's for the first time.

There is a difference in spiritual awareness and spiritual/physical happenstance (following laws and rules) such as you find in an Islamic mosque. The mosque is much more concerned with your physical appearance...shoe-less, head and limbs covered. I had great difficultly learning the actual devout places of Muslims, but often without knowing it, I would go into a Muslim holy place and someone would come running with a towel for me to cover up my legs if I was wearing shorts, or if a woman companion was wearing a short sleeve blouse. At least, there are some religions that still do have controlled rituals.

I am sorry to report that most “Christian” churches are no longer easily recognized, just another auditorium. I may not be right, but I want my church to be right, I want my Christian church to show Christianity, with a cross, alter, sacred music. I may not be right but I want my pastor to be right, not a Joel Osteen, Rick Warren, Robert Schuller, one who has forsaken doctrinal foundations. The best example of this was shown recently, when Larry King interviewed Joel Osteen. Osteen, who never went to a Bible college or seminary, who has done nothing in his life, except take over when his preacher father died, who smiles and jokes his way through his “sermon-ettes”, mostly for “Christian-ettes”, seemingly does not know who will go to heaven or hell.

KING: Because we’ve had ministers who said, your record don’t count. You either believe in Christ or you don’t. If you believe in Christ, you are, you are going to heaven. And if you don’t, no matter what you’ve done in your life, you ain’t.

OSTEEN: Yeah, I don’t know. There’s probably a balance between. I believe you have to know Christ. But I think that if you know Christ, if you’re a believer in God, you’re going to have some good works. I think it’s a cop-out to say I’m a Christian but I don’t ever do anything

KING: What if you’re Jewish or Muslim, you don’t accept Christ at all?

OSTEEN: You know, I’m very careful about saying who would and wouldn’t go to heaven. I don’t know . . .

KING: If you believe you have to believe in Christ? They’re wrong, aren’t they?

OSTEEN: Well, I don’t know if I believe they’re wrong. I believe here’s what the Bible teaches and from the Christian faith this is what I believe. But I just think that only God will judge a person’s heart. I spent a lot of time in India with my father. I don’t know all about their religion. But I know they love God. And I don’t know. I’ve seen their sincerity. So I don’t know. I know for me, and what the Bible teaches, I want to have a relationship with Jesus.

Dr. Robert Schuller, pastor of the, now bankrupt, Crystal Cathedral, believes that anyone and everyone will go to heaven. Rick Warren, pastor of the “believe anything” Saddleback Church in California, believes it is a matter of thinking good things and doing good works, a part of the emergent church movement.

This past weekend, just a few miles from my home, a large tent meeting called the Wild Goose Festival, attracting thousands with such modernist, liberal religionists as Brian McLaren, Jay Bakker (gay son of Jimmy and Tammy), Shane Claibourne, and musicians such as David Wilcox and Michelle Shocked. The organizers say that they want to distance themselves from the “politicized versions of Christianity.”

One of my friends, Martha, active in this new-age, new-world church movement said to me, “Tom, God loves these people as much as He loves us.” I said to her, “Martha, Christ died for everyone. To the Cross He took all the sins of the world, all the sicknesses of the world, but it is our privilege to follow Him, not Him follow us. He has told us that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. He preached Himself. 14 times in the book of John alone, we are told that we can know we are saved. He is the truth, the way, the life.” (John 14:6) Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. (1 John 3:1)

Feed The Dragon

For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (Matthew 25:35-40)

Obey God, and leave the consequences to Him. Possessing the spirit of God is the greatest joy and strength of any believer. How can anyone claim to be a Christian and not be concerned, even alarmed, by those in the world who are hungry, thirsty, naked, sick or imprisoned? This very day I heard a Christian say that he visits a man he knew from his youth who went wrong and is now in prison. Not one of his children or one of his family members ever visit him in prison, but this man visits him because he had been his friend and wants him to know he still has a friend.

This totally blind, 100% disabled, service-connected medical officer of the Korean war has asked the question many times: “I wonder how my family would have treated me if I had gone to prison?” I know how they have ignored me, avoided me, treated me as if I am complete stranger because I am disabled, even though I have done the best I could with my life, and have never done anything to shame anyone. The only thing I can say, these “normal” friends and family members do not know what lies down the road for them.

We are all victims. Recently, a man I have known since I was young, came to my house, and like every other time I have seen him, about every 25 years, always asking for financial help. He deserved the respect I showed him, if for no other reason than I knew his mother, who lost her husband when he was only 7; she had raised him the best she could.

It had been 25 years since I talked with him, and another 25 years before that. Each time, a victim of something; this time, a victim of the recession, poor health, having been cheated by relatives. He told me, like so many, that he was about to lose his house. I recorded the conversation, and if he had the intelligence he had as a young child, he would understand how he has become a victim of himself.

You are either victor over or victim of yourself. We can all find circumstance or someone else to blame for our present situation. It is so important to psychologically prepare, physically prepare and know that the unexpecteds of life will either defeat us or make us stronger. I've got all my life to live, I've got all my love to give, and I'll survive. I will survive. (1978 - Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive)

Only someone who has traveled the world, who has seen the many and various means of worship all over the world can understand the human nature of seeking help in life's survival. From the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, the net-covered Jains in India, to the self-flagellation in Opus Dei of the Catholic Church (and to a greater extent in some tribes), to the sophisticates, perfumed and postured at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California and everything in between...from the snake handlers, to the episcopalian blessing of pets, man engenders some type relationship with a greater power.

In Southern Russian, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has become the ultimate object of veneration for an all-female religious sect whose members believe the premier is the reincarnation of St. Paul the Apostle. The sect was founded by a woman calling herself Mother Fotina, who teaches her followers that Putin was St. Paul in his past life and that his political career follows in the early Christian missionary's footsteps. “According to the Bible, Paul the Apostle was a military commander at first,” she is quoted as saying. “In his days in the KGB, Putin also did some rather unrighteous things. But once he became president, he was imbued with the Holy Spirit, and just like the apostle, he started heading his flock."

In Godless communism, such as is found in China and North Korea, the state is God and you depend on the state for everything. To a lesser extent, in socialist countries, the state controls everything. You move into an area of God-state dependency, totalitarianism.

In America, our ancestors wanted to worship God on God's terms. They claimed opportunity through their own responsible work and living. Today, a family of five (parents and three children) living in Section-8 housing, receiving food stamps and other supplementary-nutrition, meals for their children at school, after school care, medicaid and other health controls; receive government benefits equaling about $75,000 a year.

Most people who go to work every day, pay their own (and their children's) way, do not make $75,000 a year. We have fed the dragon of self-enslavement to the extent that we have several generations depending on government handouts. About 50% of all Americans are subsidized in some way, about 59% depend entirely on government entitlements. Who needs God when you have such a generous government?

This has all happened in my lifetime...social security, college grants, WIC and other nutrition programs, two or more meals at the public school, government housing, a “negative income tax” amount sent to you if report income below a certain level, meals-on-wheels for the poor and disabled, etc.

This hungry dragon will never be satisfied, all control is already gone. Empathy, compassion for the individual is a thing of the past. Many of today's pastors no longer believe in miracles in the servant opportunity of God. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. (1 Corinthians 13:12) Does injustice bother you? Does the blood of murdered babies, the blood of fallen warriors who gave all to give you opportunity, bother you as the cry comes from the earth. (Genesis 4:10)