Dissecting The Truth
It's funny that I have entitled this blog as such, especially considering that I don't condone such actions. The truth, in this case being Biblical truth, or what we know to be truth according to the Seventh-day Adventist church, seems these days to be multiple choice.
Recently I have met one particular person who at first struck me to be quite devout in his Christian beliefs or more specifically, his Adventist beliefs. Then he made the biggest mistake that any two-faced individual can make. He showed his true self.
The other day I happened to be singing a song from the radio. I can't help it, I live for music, all types. Yet for some reason this seemed to strike a sour cord within my new acquaintance, prompting him to question my religious beliefs. "Aren't you Adventist?" he chimed, knowing full well that I was because we had discussed the matter earlier. I immediately detected his sarcasm but indulged him in his ignorance and again reminded him that yes indeed, I was an Adventist, which again prompted him to scold me. Of course I should know better than to listen to the radio (according to him), for this was a sin worthy of excommunication. Yet no sooner had he scolded me than he was singing something from the radio as well. I held my tongue though, resisting the urges to point out his hypocrisy, yet informed him that it could be a lot worse, and that believe it or not, I am very selective in what I listen to despite the fact that I'm attracted to many different genres.
That was day one.
Day two rolled around and Mister Holier-Than-Thou decided to ask me some questions about diet. He very openly admitted to recently devouring some pork, which he found to be quite delectable. As my exposure to said individual increased he also admitted to eating shellfish and drinking beer. I later recall overhearing him talking to another person, educating them on the in's and out's of our religion. The thing that really jumped out at me was when he was talking about what our church believes regarding the morality of drinking. He admitted that it is not something we are taught is a Kosher practice but added, "I have a sip every now and again. . . . ."
Which brings me to my point:
When God carved into the tablets of stone the 10 commandments there was not an addendum at the end permitting us to pick and choose which of His laws were convenient for us, let alone which ones we decided we just didn't want to follow. I find it quite insulting that this person feels the need to criticize the fact that I am singing a song from the radio, deliberately pointing out the fact that I am Adventist, but then feels it is okay to hypocritically represent that very same religion. Of course I am no saint. I will be the first one to admit that I am not perfect (by far). But at the same time I am not pointing the finger at others and then blantantly doing what I was just criticising them for doing.
Yet even more than that I am mad that people think this is right, to pick and choose what works for them and what doesn't. I'm very black and white, especially when it comes to religion. There are some things that are just wrong, no matter how you slice it. I'm not saying that someone who chooses to eat pork is going to miss out on the experience of Heaven, because I do not have that authority. But our Biblical instructions are not a potluck to choose from. You're either on board or you're not. You either love God enough to give up certain things, or maybe you don't. Of course, too, I do not have the right to decide how much someone loves the Lord, but don't actions speak louder than words? Doesn't that mean something?
Recently I have met one particular person who at first struck me to be quite devout in his Christian beliefs or more specifically, his Adventist beliefs. Then he made the biggest mistake that any two-faced individual can make. He showed his true self.
The other day I happened to be singing a song from the radio. I can't help it, I live for music, all types. Yet for some reason this seemed to strike a sour cord within my new acquaintance, prompting him to question my religious beliefs. "Aren't you Adventist?" he chimed, knowing full well that I was because we had discussed the matter earlier. I immediately detected his sarcasm but indulged him in his ignorance and again reminded him that yes indeed, I was an Adventist, which again prompted him to scold me. Of course I should know better than to listen to the radio (according to him), for this was a sin worthy of excommunication. Yet no sooner had he scolded me than he was singing something from the radio as well. I held my tongue though, resisting the urges to point out his hypocrisy, yet informed him that it could be a lot worse, and that believe it or not, I am very selective in what I listen to despite the fact that I'm attracted to many different genres.
That was day one.
Day two rolled around and Mister Holier-Than-Thou decided to ask me some questions about diet. He very openly admitted to recently devouring some pork, which he found to be quite delectable. As my exposure to said individual increased he also admitted to eating shellfish and drinking beer. I later recall overhearing him talking to another person, educating them on the in's and out's of our religion. The thing that really jumped out at me was when he was talking about what our church believes regarding the morality of drinking. He admitted that it is not something we are taught is a Kosher practice but added, "I have a sip every now and again. . . . ."
Which brings me to my point:
When God carved into the tablets of stone the 10 commandments there was not an addendum at the end permitting us to pick and choose which of His laws were convenient for us, let alone which ones we decided we just didn't want to follow. I find it quite insulting that this person feels the need to criticize the fact that I am singing a song from the radio, deliberately pointing out the fact that I am Adventist, but then feels it is okay to hypocritically represent that very same religion. Of course I am no saint. I will be the first one to admit that I am not perfect (by far). But at the same time I am not pointing the finger at others and then blantantly doing what I was just criticising them for doing.
Yet even more than that I am mad that people think this is right, to pick and choose what works for them and what doesn't. I'm very black and white, especially when it comes to religion. There are some things that are just wrong, no matter how you slice it. I'm not saying that someone who chooses to eat pork is going to miss out on the experience of Heaven, because I do not have that authority. But our Biblical instructions are not a potluck to choose from. You're either on board or you're not. You either love God enough to give up certain things, or maybe you don't. Of course, too, I do not have the right to decide how much someone loves the Lord, but don't actions speak louder than words? Doesn't that mean something?
posted by Patti RN | 3:03 AM
1 Comments:
who is this jerk? since when is listening to the radio an anti-adventst activity unless you went to a self-supporting adventist school? yeah...
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