Something on my Mind: No One else but God (2)

See, I told you you it would take more than one column to get this first one going.

I want to maintain the balance between simple concepts and heavy-duty theology. I'm probably more the simple-concept type of guy; as well, this is not a religious column, I need wisdom (and you need patience) in this approach.

"Only God is God" denotes God doesn't brook any competition. He acknowledges other small-g gods, but no other big-g gods. That's foundational to grasping these Commandments.

It's a heady standard, but He expects willing and complete allegiance, Scripture does not envision part-time followers. There are no Sunday believers, then live like the devil Monday through Saturday.

Okay, you probably do know those type, so let me re-phrase it: The life of genuine faith is a seven-day a week lifestyle. Nothing else will do. If there are those who try to serve God and gods, there is a strong likelihood they are not true believers.

He is fully aware other concepts, and movements, but there is only one Him (really bad grammar, but great theology). I am not trying to prove He exists. I am working with the assumption that He does, then move on from there.

"No other gods" (lower case "g" intentional) suggests that there are other gods, other deities, in the world. History is replete with their names and their character. I speak in particular of the gods of the Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists, as examples.

He is not another version or a different religion's god. He is completely different in a superior and greater way. If you have some discretionary time on your hands, check and compare. I have examined a number of them myself.

Total allegiance is not a foreign concept: Marriages do not survive when there is divided affection; the same can be said about work, play, teams, citizenship, and politics.

The God of the Bible is an eternal, perfect, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present Being. I am coming from a certain premise that He exists, has always existed, and will always exist. You may not see that, may not even care, or take a polar opposite view.

That opposite view may take the form of atheism or pantheism-- "no God" for the former and "God is in everything" for the latter. That's fine, in the sense people are free to believe what they believe, but, as you know, all beliefs have consequences.

A walk outside in the dead of winter with the belief that one can wear inadequate clothing has consequences; a swim in a shark-infested river has consequences. You may believe all is well in the area of spirituality, but the focus is not your faith—it's the truth or object of your faith.

To repeat: The God of the Bible will accept no competitors. This is the essence of this first commandment. We discover that He is the creator of all things (another serious worldview clash in how we view the origins of the world), He is also the ruler of the universe, and in Him "we live and move and have our being." That was one of many profound statements made by a radical rabbi who was converted to Christ, when he spoke at a Grecian speakeasy 2,000 years ago.

My simple point (hopefully not too simple) is that there is a premise of the existence of God in historical, cultural writings. That premise is then accepted or rejected, based on individual's belief system.

There are two tracks here: Either God exists or He doesn't. If He does exist, then His existence is expressed in the rest of the Commandments, with unparalleled benefits for the our culture, and by extension, the whole world.

"No God," and it falls apart. "Know God," and it's the most powerful and meaningful motivation for everything good.

Something on my Mind: No God but God (1)

This column is the first of several connected ones, as I tackle the Ten Commandments and apply them to our current culture. Many readers over a certain age may recall (but not necessarily embrace) these teachings; others, younger ones will likely have no idea what I'm talking about.

At this point, I may be more motivated to show the latter group that these seemingly antiquated biblical edicts are actually relevant in today's culture. There is no urge on my part to attempt to put anyone under the Law of God, nor is this a step towards establishing a "theocracy" (rough etymology: theo = God; cracy = rule)!

I will do my best to not preach, or even sound like I'm preaching. That's a challenge, because I do find the Bible immensely relevant in today's world. And because this novel idea of applying the principles of the Ten Commandments to today's society is worth considering. It saddens me that our culture has turned its back on the Bible, and despises those of us who value its teachings.

Not only that, I believe we have suffered as a result of our rejection of biblical truth. In particular, I believe that murders, adulteries, stealing, lying, and envy (five of these Ten Commandments) would decrease, if we followed them.

My basic premise is as follows: I see these Commandments as having a profound relevance to today's culture; if practised, they would have an equally-profound affect on the families, economy, jails, and well-being of our nation. There is absolutely no question about it, in my opinion.

I will tackle them one at a time, allowing maybe a week or two per commandment. That depends on hows much comes to mind as I write.

The Ten Commandments are immersed in a historical, cultural context. They were recorded on stone (twice) and practised (or rejected). I could give you names and dates, but that is not my focus today. You can google that yourself, or ask your resident theologian.

I am not writing to debate whether they should be applied today, or whether the New Testament fulfills their teaching, or whether keeping them is a means of salvation, or whether Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Law, or whether certain religious groups are right or wrong to maintain them for today. Not for a second.

(That paragraph alone to be the basis of a book.)

I have no problem dealing with each or all of the above. It's just not the purpose of this column and not the goal of this series. I just want to show the positive outcome on our culture if we all (writer included) didn't use f-bombs, didn't swipe things that didn't belong to us, kept our hands off other people's wives (or husbands), didn't long for our neighbour's boat, and so on.

I'm not sure if you had a chance to read from the Bible as I asked you to last week. If you did, you'll see that the first commandment deals with the supremacy of God. This will be possibly the hardest Commandment to express (my part) and the hardest one to accept (your part).

Each of the other nine Commandments flow from this one. The moral, ethical, fiscal, and spiritual ramifications develop from the simple premise that there is one God. Even the Bible itself starts with the four words, "in the beginning God...," no apology, no explanation, no rationale.

Some will struggle with the whole concept of a Divine Deity (vs. a god or Power or Being or Force, or something or Someone inside or outside of themselves). Or you can simply write the God thing off, and call yourself an "atheist" (another rough etymology: a =no; theos =God). Along the same lines, you may call yourself an "agnostic" (further rough etymology: a = no; gnosi= know) because you don't know for sure.

Fair enough. There are a lot of angles here, but the one that resonates in my heart, based on strong empirical evidence, is that there is a God Who is behind and above everything. And if you're open-minded and reasonable, you'll hang in there till the end. Just don't dismiss me out of hand yet.

As a culture there is a reason why we need to stop murdering, adulterating, stealing, lying, and envying. The advantages are overwhelming, but it starts with a clear-cut understanding of Who God is.

I will continue to flesh this out next week.

Something on my Mind: The Ten Suggestions, Sort of

After ten or twelve or fourteen years (I've run out of fingers counting) of writing this column, I think you, my beloved reader, will have a sense of where I am coming from. You can label me, or libel me, loathe me or love me, and I'm good with that.

So long as you pay for the coffee, it's all good.

One week, I can be political; the next, personal. Sometimes, I can be soft and gushy; other times, I can be a bit of a hardliner. There are topics that really grab me, so I run with them for a few columns; other are one-hit wonders (as in I wonder where that came from?)

Very few are planned out in any detailed form, and that is intentional. I am not writing a treatise or a document. This is not a paper for my doctorate. I am writing as one fellow human to other fellow humans. I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I certainly raise a lot of questions.

I work hard at writing well, trying to use the right word in the right spot, and I trust that if there are any other writers or grammarians out there in newspaperland, I will pass the test. But I also write to those who don't have that bent, but enjoy reading and writing, and being entertained. Believe me, it is a fine line that I am trying to maintain. Whether I keep that balance, I cannot say. You, beloved reader, will be the judge of that.

You will see that I come from a background where right was right, absolutes ruled the day, and everything significant was governed by the Good Book. No, let's call it what it is: The Bible.

That background formed my worldview, as you know. It colours my values, my morality, and my choices. It factors into how I view education, ethics, environment, and economics.

You will have your worldview, only your sources may be different from mine, so the results are likewise different.

And I'm okay with that. But I am not okay with that if those who oppose me choose to cram their religion or irreligion (not a word, I don't think) down my throat. I think that's a reasonable response on my part, and I trust you feel the same.

That is where I get really, really concerned about the state of our state, if you will. We are constantly being bombarded by invectives to make people like me look and sound like bigots, homophobes, imbeciles, and jerks, simply because we see things a different way.

Thus, I am very saddened by the direction of many systems today; take your pick: every level of government, financial and educational institutions, the media and the arts, and yes, even the church. That last category really hurts, because I am an active and participating member of a local gospel church, and I like to think that if anyone should has it right, the church should.

The church should, but often, it doesn't. And I suppose I can be as guilty as every other church person at times.

On the basis of the above--my longest, rambling introduction on record, I think—I am going to introduce a series of columns, starting next week at the earliest, based on the Ten Commandments. Please do not stop reading, roll your eyes, and go have another beer. Read on, if you will.

I want to take the tact that we would be better off in a myriad of ways if we as a free society would practise, or at least attempt to practise the Ten Commandments. If any compliance with any set of suggestions or rules would make life longer, safer, cheaper, happier, and fuller, wouldn't it be worth a try?

Of course, I believe they are commands with consequences (positive and negative), and history bears that out. I am saying "suggestions," or "ideas," or "hints," in essence, to be a little funny, a little sensitive, and a little softer for the reader. But they are called "commandments," so let's go with that from now on.

I dare you to go find a Bible and look up the second entry (Exodus) and read chapter 20. If the Book itself is written by mere man or is a fairy tale, there is nothing to fear; but if it is what it claims to be, I posit that it will be the most productive investment of your time ever.

I claim without any exaggeration that if the Ten Commandments were practised, there would be such a radical change in our culture, you wouldn't even recognize it as the same world you live in now.

Happy thinking.