Alum Cave: November 2010

Monday, November 29, 2010

Gouverneur Morris on the subject of Including Slaves in the Population Census

The inhabitant of Georgia and South Carolina who goes to the coast of Africa and in defiance of most sacred laws of humanity, tears away his fellow creatures from their dearest connections and damns them to the most cruel bondage, shall have more votes in a government instituted for protection of the rights of mankind than the citizen of Pennsylvania or New Jersey who views with a laudable horror so nefarious a practice.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Blindspot?

We all have blind spots. We don't want to admit they exist but we have them. We see them in hindsight but not in the present. As an example: how could Christians who supposedly believed the gospel so easily rationalize the enslavement of other human beings? Churchgoers with good intentions, claiming to worship God every Sunday, reading the bible all week long, all while using God's Word to justify treating men, women and children as property to be used or abused. They thought they were generous when they gave their slaves an extra chicken at Christmas.

Good intentions, regular worship, and even study of the Bible do not prevent blindness. We see what we want to see and ignore what we want to ignore. We can live our Christian life while unknowingly overlooking evil.

Today nearly half the world struggles to find food, water, and shelter with the same amount of money we spend on sandwich for lunch.

Some of those people live in the United States. Some live in Tennessee. Some live in Sevier County. Some just might live within walking distance of this building.

They exist and according to Jesus, God takes very seriously how we respond to them. Jesus says we turn away from him when we ignore the physical needs of his people.

Jesus says "Go, make disciples." We say, if they will come, we will make disciples.

What we contribute here supports the activities and commitments of this congregation. When we leave we take our responsibilities with us.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Political Correctness, Not New

Repeating history. For those concerned about being muzzled by political correctness you might take some respite in how it was when the subject was slavery.

In a book Jefferson, The Negro President, (he was called that because the population of slaves gave the slave states additional votes and him the presidency, the author writes how slave power used its political clout to silence opposition. The result being slavery was ignored as an issue in the north. Lincoln described the general attitude toward slavery:

You must not say anything about it in the free states because it is not there. You must not say anything about it in the slave states because it is there. You must not say anything about it in the pulpit, because that is religion and has nothing to do with it. You must not say anything about it in politics because that will disturb the security of "my place." There is no place to talk about it as being wrong, although you say to yourself it is wrong.

Agreeing with Lincoln's description of the way the nation was made almost mute on the subject of slavery a fellow by the name of Theodore Parker wrote:

It silences the great sects, Trinitarian, Unitarian, Nullitarian: the chief ministers of this American Church---threefold in denomination, one in nature---have naught to say against slavery. The Tract Society dare not rebuke "the sum of all villainies." The Bible Society has no "Word of God" for the slave, the "revealed religion" is not revealed to him. Writers of schoolbooks "remember the hand that feeds them," and venture no word against the national crime that threatens to become also the national ruin . . . The Democratic hands of America have sewed up her own mouth with an iron thread.

Political correctness is not new to our time and will not be anymore long-lasting than it was on the subject of slavery.

Thanks, John Jenkins
865-803-8179 cell
Gatlinburg, TN

Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Website: http://www.greenbriersolutions.com
Blog: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/

"If everyone is thinking alike,then somebody isn't thinking."

Don't Need

We do not need government nor preachers permission for us to marry. Of course if the couple wants a ceremony and someone like a preacher to "officiate" fine but that is up to the couple. Should not be a legal requirement.

Whose Recognition is Required?

Historically people married without official recognition. If the two people said they were married society accepted them as married.

Common law marriage was the norm in most of the U.S. in our early history. In the 1870's this created a lot of concern and a movement to reform marriage began. The movement called for publicity, formal ceremonies, licensing, and registration. As the 20th century began, states regulated marriage in the United States. Fees, licenses, requirements, and witnesses came into being. This happened because the secular, private marriage between two people was messy when folks wanted to dissolve the relationship. The courts didn't have much to go on except people's word. This seems reasonable when divorce was limited or not permitted.

Today, with divorce for any reason recognized, legal and religious control and sanction serve no purpose. It is time to take a look at marriage and what it means. It is a moral issue not a legal issue. Governments should not be involved. Religious sanction is unnecessary.

Whose business is it if two people want to commit to each other, certainly not government.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Are We Following Jesus or are we Passing Him?

The leader we claim to follow had one outfit of clothes but we are OK with having many outfits even though there are people in the world who have none. We claim to follow a leader who had no home but we have no problem with Christians owning several homes because we have no place to safely store our money while there are folks within travel distance who have no money, no home. We claim to follow a leader who had no transportation vehicles or animals but we say there is nothing wrong with owning and driving an expensive car as long as our heart is right with God. How can the two co-exist?

Living Better or Giving More?

Does God "bless" us so we can live better and have our favorite toys or does God "bless" us so we can help others more?

The example Jesus gave us is go, sell all that we have and give to the poor. And the rich man went away sad because he had a lot. Living better and having toys is where our heart is. Should our treasure be in heaven or here?

No Help From Above

Have you noticed people saying things and then having to explain or justify exceptions to what they just said? I have heard many preachers make such statements. Somewhere in history someone said God heals sick people but then confesses we all die, just not now for me; God protected me on my trip but I feel bad for all the people who died on their trip because God didn't save them because God thinks I am special. Apparently He was distracted finding a parking spot for me and he missed that little four-year-old girl who was raped and beaten and died. Oops, apparently even God cannot see everything at the same time. Apparently his blessings need to be rationed because when He gave me a great job or a really large house or a very expensive car or a really neat vacation he did not have enough blessings to give that fellow sitting on the corner any food or house or clean clothes. I guess even God has to be selective who he "blesses" because he does not have enough for everyone. And besides I am special.

Have you considered what sort of world this would be if God directly intervened, suspending His natural laws, each time we encounter a life-threatening situation? This would render the law system of our planet completely undependable and make life a sphere of hopeless confusion. Such a haphazard system, in fact, would argue more for atheism that it would for theism.

God does not heal today. He does not intervene in the physical world today. He cannot. It would destroy the concept of free will and destroy the orderliness of His creation.

Holiday Tree

We have finally won. We should be ecstatic. The government finally agrees with us. Christ is not in Christmas and never was. Thank God for Obama's fine leadership in this area. Do we disagree with him or is it we do not want him agreeing with us?

Monday, November 15, 2010

Interesting Book

In the book Radical the author writes that Jesus told his followers when you suffer . . . he did not say if you suffer. . . So historically suffering is not something to be avoided. As a common practice is to wear a "cross" similar to wearing a little electric chair. An instrument of torture is now an object of adoration. The author also mentions archaeologists who have explored the catacombs beneath Rome have found a common inscription scattered throughout. The inscription was the Greek word ichthus which was used as an acrostic for "Jesus Christ, God's Son, the Savior." He says you might recognize this sign because now these fish symbols are scattered across the backs of cars belonging to Christians. He writes "how far we have come when we paste this symbol identified with martyred brothers and sisters in the first century onto the backs of our SUVs and luxury sedans in the twenty-first century.

God's Will that We Suffer?

In a book I recently read the author mentioned that Jesus told his followers he was sending them out as sheep in the midst of wolves. . . Our prayers do not allow for that. We think if it's dangerous, God must not be in it. If it's risky, if it costs it must not be God's will. Considering Jesus' statement to the Disciples maybe those are actually the criteria that defines God's will.

The author gave an example of meeting a Christian brother from the Batak tribe of northern Sumatra in Indonesia. He told the story how his tribe came to know about Jesus. Years before a missionary couple had come to his village to share the gospel. The tribe was 100 percent Muslim. Talk about sheep in the middle of wolves. The tribal leaders captured the missionary couple, killed them and ate them as in what cannibals would do.

Years later another missionary came to the same tribe and the people of the tribe recognized they taught the same story the other missionary couple had told. This time they listened. Some believed and within a short time most of the tribe became followers of Jesus. Today there are 3 million Christians among the Batak tribe of Northern Indonesia.

Instead of praying for safety and security maybe we should be asking God to give us the strength to be willing to be that first missionary couple. Are we willing to go into a dangerous place and possibly die to permit those who come after us see the positive results of our sacrifice?

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Radical / David Platt

I'm reading a book Radical written by David Platt the leader of The Church at Brook Hill in Birmingham, AL. As I have said before I see no evidence that God intervenes in our lives today. And as I have said before it appears to me people with things going well think God is blessing them while people without things going well do not see God cursing them. Apparently Christians believe God has and is intervening in their lives when things are going not involved in there lives when things are not going so well. God gets all the credit and they get all the blame. Perfect.

In this book the author tells of a woman with things going well goes to Guatemala following Jesus' instructions to go and make disciples. She said she went out of obedience not because she was interested in missions or any special interest in the people of Guatemala. After spending a week around children who eat a small cup of porridge a day she returned to Birmingham and asks why God has blessed her when others have so little. She says God has blessed her for His glory. He blessed her so the nations will know Him and see His glory. He has lots of examples just like this one.

The author then tells a story about driving through what used to be a thriving community but is now a land ravaged by twenty years of civil war. He is with a man who has had thousands of his brothers and sisters in Christ murdered by a militant Muslim regime. Imagine, all those prayers for safety and security went unanswered or God looked down and said no, die.

Why didn't God bless those thousands of people who are now dead, murdered? Could it be they were killed because a group of Muslims, exercising their God given right to free will wanted to kill them? Could it be that God has not blessed that woman but she was good in business and was successful?

So far I am staying with God does not intervene in our lives today for better or worse.

Country Music Awards

The Country Music Awards prove the "stars" are nothing like their fans. They take the money their fans give them and spend it on their big houses and fancy cars while their fans have neither of those. Their fans, some, have no health care and do not receive awards for doing their jobs. The Country Music Awards are evidence of just how narcissistic these people are thinking only of me, me, me.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Is God schizophrenic???.

One one hand He had the Holy Spirit tell Paul to write "if one does not work, one does not eat." On the other hand He says to love your neighbor. Explain that one. You love someone so you starve them to death. Interesting conundrum.

Prayer Works?????

For those who believe prayer "works" if things are going relatively well God answers their narcissistic prayers. When you have nothing, God is not doing much. God will not intervene in this physical world. He cannot. It would destroy the concept of free will.