Monthly Archives: September 2017

Faces of Jesus Christ 2017-35

Posted in Religious by

Faces of Jesus Christ  2017-35

There are many renditions of artist interpretations of what Jesus Christ looked like, and these have been portrayed through the ages.  One of the most common pictures is the “laughing Jesus” that is shown with Him laughing about something and it shows him with flowing hair on his head, facial hair, and features, very much like an everyday guy you would see in the streets of America , with long hair.

Lately, artists have given us examples of what a typical mid-eastern man would look like who lived in the then Israel of the 1st Century.  It is different than the laughing Jesus, and looks Arabic to a degree.  These pictures show a ruddier complexion, shorter and darker hair, larger nose, etc. that could be more accurate of the then Jesus. 

Since, Jesus is not described in Scripture of the Bible, any rendition could be accurate.  It does not matter, because that was then and he fit in as a native of the area, when he lived in that area.

I have this scenario for consideration.

When I made a statement about someone who I was trying to convince there was a God, and Jesus Christ as the son of God,  I stated that “If Jesus Christ were to knock on the door, he would probably go and answer it and tell the beggar to go elsewhere.”

I wonder if I was suggesting that Jesus would look like the typical picture that was common and would have come dressed as he would have when He was alive?   Or, would he look like a modern-day man with a suit on, with shoes and overall garb that made Him fit in today of the 21st Century?

That got me thinking.

What if Jesus were to make himself known to individuals or a gathering of people today; how WOULD He look to each of us? I don’t know, but it would be neat to experience that moment again.

I have presented my past experience years ago, of meeting Jesus in what I titled, “The Happening”, but I do NOT recall or remember what Jesus looked like then.  That was not the crux of the experience really, and how He looked was not the important part of the moment then. 

My point is this.  What if every person of any nationality, creed, ethnic background, could see Jesus in THEIR minds how He would look like, to them, and each of us could accept how he looks as our own. A white man would see a white man, a black a black and an Asian an Asian, etc. 

Why not?  There would be discourse because each would argue that Jesus looked like them, and not the other, but that is a minor thing. 

 I read in Scripture, about a meeting of various people in the Bible got together with the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:1-13, those in attendance all spoke their own language and could understand each other, that was an example of how looks could be the same thing in acceptance.

Den Betts

Mean Spiritness 2017-34

Posted in Contemplation by

Mean Spirited   2017-34

 

I had a nonviolent run in with what I would call a “mean spirited” person the other day.  Some would have called him a bastard with mental problems, but I will not do so. The details are not that important, but the thought that there are people out there that are like that, is in-settling.

What exactly is mean spirited? One definition of mean-spirited is someone that is unkind, motivated by cruelty or intended to be hurtful. An example of a mean–spirited person is someone who loves to see others fail. That is one definition, but there are many that can be used to describe this person.

I know of one that claimed to be a racist and in the way he told me, I could tell he was, somewhat, even proud of the fact he was one of “them”. How the H     can you be proud of being a racist with all the things that are known about the past ones and how they acted?

I think he was also a typical (if there is a typical) mean-spirited person.  He is, in my mind, a very unhappy person, has ills that make him look at life in a negative way, and his life might have been not what he wanted it to be.  Not sure of the last one, but he does not brag about how his life was in the past.

Mean-spirited people have their own agenda based on sometimes cowardly and petty actions they have done, timidness in nature, weak minded overall and just plain MEAN in nature.

At times, we have to put up with these people, due to a relationship of some sorts. This can be a short and if they are a large part of your life, it could be a long term and emotional pain of dealing with them.

I remember the racist one I know.  He would bait me and say things to see if I would argue with him, and I did NOT play into his power game of life.  I did not want to get into an attitude of being like him, mean-spirited in a negative way, because I would have been just like him.

I ended up not seeing this person again and do not try to contact him, go to breakfast or any other way of communicating with him.  I feel better in doing so.  I do not have to grit my teeth when listening to him spout off about subjects I feel are wrong.

It could be that he needs help in some way professionally, but I am not his keeper, and the distance is too long for me to get involved on a regular basis.  I would not be surprised he does not miss me, and is happy, in his way, with his life. Don’t know; don’t care; moving on!

We control our surroundings for the most part and happiness is up to each of us to attain. Taking personal responsibility for our actions IS the road to happiness.

Den Betts

Is Religion Dying Out? 2017-33

Posted in Religious, Spiritual by

Is Religion Dying Out? 2017-33

No, Not dining, dying.  I don’t know! Though, I do see signs of religion not being that important to people today. 

As we, in the more civilized world, have become more affluent and as we feel we are more secure in our environment, and even more educated perhaps, it is possible that people, in general, are becoming more rational and less in need of religion.  Many areas of the world, and in certain cultures, are divorced from the domination of religious affiliations, and influence. Religion, for many, is becoming less important in everyday life in the upper advanced cultures. I will not even mention anything like moral reasons at this time.

When I travel to my church on Sunday morning, I feel, that I am the only one up and the roads are NOT busy, not crowded, and not full of vehicles going to their church for services.  Since I live in an Amish community, I must say, there are horse and buggies on the road, so I must watch out for them.

I would think that, as improved living conditions occur, a decline in a religion also is the result. The feeling of need is lessened or unimportant.  I remember 911 and the uptick of religious feelings for a small period of time afterwards.  We were fearful of the unknown and church attendance had a surge of recurrence right afterwards.

The decline has occurred worldwide and I read that many modern secular democracies, more and more people are identifying themselves as non-affiliated with religion. I realize that it is “uncomfortable” to discuss this subject with people, because of many reasons. I do know some people that said it is convenient not to go to church for many reasons. Those that said this do not have a logical reason, but it could be said by some, their reasons are petty at best. Everyone is different, and I realize this as fact.

I do not believe that those that say they are non-affiliated, can be called atheists, but instead belong to the secularism group of people. When I looked at my notes from my teaching Sunday School at church, I could see that Christians made up about 31% in the world then, and declining, Muslims around 23% and growing, and the non-affiliated about 20%. So, religion is not dead, just not doing well today.

In addition, many people state they do NOT belong to an organized religion, but are spiritual, whatever that means to everyone stating this. Instead of dying out, religion may be, becoming dormant. I do not think atheism will take over, but those leaving religion will become members of a less defined religious belief or just simply unaffiliated overall.  I know, I consider myself, Spiritual and Religious, two different words meaning different things in my mind.

In a contradiction, I read that places like China, Christianity is growing the fastest, which is strange.  Some places, like Australia, where church attendance is about 10% is somewhat holding at that percentage, but they were always thought of as a predominantly secular country.

This discourse has many source references so I did not list any.  I do not know what Wikipedia has on this, which is weird, my not going there for data.

Anyhow, I believe that there is a God.  God is alive, God is active, God is aware, God is Present and around and in us always.  He, as the living God, loves us regardless.

Den Betts

Ashamed to be a Christian! 2017-32

Posted in Religious by

                                                                                          Ashamed to be a Christian? 2017-32        

WHAT!?   How can anyone be ashamed to be a Christian?

I am not talking about those that abhor the Christian faith or how some people that claim to be Christian that do things, say things, and promote things that are NOT in keeping with the teachings of Jesus Christ. 

Those that do so, as Christians, are INDIVIDUALS doing the things they feel are right in their minds, good or bad. They use the word Christian as a rallying cry to perhaps “prove” their point in some way, perhaps based on Scripture, where the Bible is then used as a weapon to make a point.

What I would like to suggest is this. Using the story of Paul as an example, I feel that Paul was an ambassador or apostle of Jesus.  He would travel and proclaim that Jesus was the Messiah and he DID travel far and wide to do so. He did it without worrying about being ashamed to spread the word.

Paul, then, was also a preacher, who was bringing the good news of a man, who was God’s Son, that promised salvation due to His dying on the cross.  Paul was not ashamed to do so, even though he spent about 25% of his ministry time in jail, due to his words about Jesus.

He was by default a teacher evangelist by bringing individuals to the point of committing themselves to Christ. It was his duty to teach them how to live a life of a Christian, to discipline them, and have them grow in their faith.  He did so without being ashamed for his actions.

I therefore make a claim that we, I, you, should NOT be ashamed to state your faith in Jesus Christ as a Christian and most importantly, LIVE a life that the teacher Jesus taught us, living the life of and how a Christian would do. And NOT BE ashamed to do so. Do NOT be ashamed to be a witness for Christ in the process. If we suffer for Him, be willing to embrace suffering with Him.

The old saying, shit or get off the pot is saying, make a decision! Stand up for what you claim to be. If you are a Christian, say you are one, show that you are not one by name, but one by the actions you do. If someone states they are doing something as a Christian, question them on their intent and remind them that Jesus taught certain things, and ask, are their actions per His teachings?

Christianity is not just about going to church. It is, again, living the word of Jesus. The one word that stands out to me is L O V E.  That word is one that Jesus taught more than anything.  We need more love in the world. Maybe WE can start loving our fellow man more, and that will make a change. 

Peace,  Den Betts