Monday, April 9, 2012

Religion Run Amok


The clip below if from a movie produced by the cast of Monty Python called "The Life of Brian". It's a humorous look at how faith and God's Word can be twisted to suit the purposes of others.
Some wield their faith as a weapon or an instrument of personal power. They feel empowered to act on God's behalf. They become righteous in themselves. They fail to understand that if we are righteous, it's only because of the grace shown to us by God in the first place. He would much rather we practice grace and mercy. Vengeance, if any is required, will be extracted by Him. People are free to choose God's will or their own and yes, there are consequences for each choice and sometimes it is necessary to put someone outside the fellowship for making the wrong choices. But if they choose restoration, people of faith are required to forgive when repentance is evidenced. Further, it is not our place to continually thump our brethren for past indiscretions that the Lord has forgiven. We along with them must move forward in faith and grow in the knowledge and wisdom given us by Jesus. I praise the Lord everyday for second chances. If He can give them, so can we.