Criticizing

Friedrich Nietzeche wrote, “Let us stop thinking so much about punishing, criticizing, and improving others. Instead, let us rather raise ourselves that much higher. Let us color our own example with ever more vividness.”

For the next six months we are in for a lot of political punishing criticizing from both Republicans and Democrats. Both sides will spend millions on ads telling us how bad the other side will be if elected. It really won’t make any difference as both parties are so corrupt that they are bought and paid for and often by the same people.

Where are the statesmen who can lead by positive example and provide our country with vision and pride? All we seem to have now are politicians who seek only reelection term after term. I think it is our own fault as we keep reelecting them to office all the while wondering why the other states keep voting for their crooked politicians.

I am praying for America.

He made his Bible an Idol

I was talking with a man about the Bible and about the process for choosing which books went into the Bible we have now.  He almost put his fingers in his ears! He actually said to me; “God gave us the Bible exactly as it is in the King James Authorized Bible. How can you preach the Word of God if you don’t believe that?” It had been so long since I heard some one say that. I was stunned for a moment.

He did not want to hear anything else. His faith is so weak that a change in his preconceptions would shatter it. He had made an idol out of his King James translation of the bible. Every dot and word had to be perfect and with out error of his faith in God was gone.

It is scandalous for Christians if we remain contented about our own ignorance and understanding of the Bible. This includes the history of how the Bible came to us and the movement of people in the Holy Land. The more I learn and understand about the scriptures the more powerful they become for me. This even includes all the human frailties that produced it. We must understand that God did not dictate word for word the Bible we have today. It was written by men and women who had a powerful personal relationship with God and passed it on to us in their own words.

To accept what that man believes about the Bible is to make an idol out of the book.