Category Archives: Religious

Most anything dealing with the religious nature of life. This could be interesting, or not, or enlighting, or perhaps, inbetween

A Challenge MOST Cannot Meet 2017-53

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A Challenge MOST cannot meet  2017-53

 

To those of us that are of the Christian faith I ask: What does God and/or Jesus Christ want or ask of us to do?

We claim to be Christians, but do we, as a whole, really follow the dictates of our faith – Christianity?

OR, do MOST of us, a large majority, just do what we feel is enough, but not the whole?

How much of us, does Jesus, Our God, want from us? If, you answer, as much as we can give, I doubt if that is the correct response!

I really believe that most of us cannot give to God what He wants. Some yes, MOST no!

What He wants is ALL that we have!  NOT a smidgen, not a little, NOT part, but ALL! I am NOT talking about just money, possessions, or the like, but instead, something that is more tangible and personal- OUR LIFE, with all of our actions, our thoughts and beliefs, our very BEING!!!

What He wants and gets are different things, but there is a plus side. He takes what He can get, meaning just as the way we are today.  Not perfect, all sinners, less than 100% in giving, complacent, waffling, mediocre, and just plain us, the way we are.

I think it would be hard to give ALL to God. Not very many of us could or can do so. BUT, I also believe, God understands this and as such, He loves us the way we are in life, even though we could do better in this respect.

God is a good God. I say He is even great, and I love God for this and always will do so.

Thanks be to God,

Peace,
Den Betts                                                            denbetts@gmail.com

I am right and you are wrong 2017-52

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I Am Right, You Are Wrong!!!! 2017-52

 

Huh!!!  I could not believe George, said that to me. I know George, who is someone that lives in the northern county from where I live.  The subject of our discussion is not important, but his statement really got to me.

We were having a simple discussion, and he threw this out to me. Maybe, someone has said this to you too and, if so, you know my feelings. What to say back?  Hmmmm..  A shrug of the shoulders and then my asking him, “How COULD you say that.

Well, some things we talk about can be debated, but many statements are definitive in nature.

I could say, “The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.” No argument there!  I could also say, “The world is round”, but a flatlander could come back with “Not so, it is definitely flat!” My chance to say, WRONG!!

Again, back to George.  I made an opinion of something and he said I was wrong and he was right. It is like his saying “vanilla ice cream is the best.” I then say, “No chocolate is”.  WE ARE BOTH RIGHT, because it is our opinion on a non-definitive issue.  Whew!!!!

George thinks he is right about most things anyhow, so I humor him and most often do not comment at all in what he states ln these cases.  He doesn’t like that, but that is the way it goes.

A fellow blogger, and self-avowed atheist, said I was wrong and his thoughts were the correct answer, in my statement that “there is a God.” Hey, he cannot PROVE there is NO God, and I would have a difficult time proving there is in an absolute way.   A stalemate!!!!

For my own reasons, I KNOW there is a God and Jesus is His Son; but that is me and my journey and in this respect, I KNOW I am right and not wrong/incorrect. This subject will be discussed and bantered around until the day when the second coming is a reality, and everyone will KNOW, will truly know…

I don’t care what the atheist thinks about God; that will be his problem to find out someday. Since I know God is alive, active, and aware of my existence, through His presence that is with me, I don’t have an issue with others that do not believe. So be it!!!

Peace,
Den Betts                               denbetts@gmail.com

Was Jesus Christ a Liar or Just Crazy? 2017-51

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Was Jesus Christ a Liar or Just Crazy? 2017-51

The other part of this question is – OR was he God?

He claimed to be God, as the son of the Heavenly Father, but was he?

It was important to Him that others thought so.  Either we believe Him, or we do not; no in between thoughts about this; Yes or no!

If we think he was just a good moralistic teacher, we have to think that what He said way back then, goes beyond being just a moral teacher.

What He said goes beyond what a mere man would say.  Maybe, we would think He was a borderline crazy, equal to a drifter thinking they are Napoleon, or the like; again, nothing in between!!!!

If He was lying, he was also deceiving his followers and disciples. Those He taught in His three years of known and written ministry, He would have been giving false hope to these followers, of all sorts. He also faced Cruxificition and would have backed off to save His life if he was lying; I would have done so, and many others then and now would have also.

Another if!  If Jesus was crazy, he did not act so.  He said too many profound things that have been chronicled. He did so many unique and great things and all he did and said were from a stable and sound mind, in the process.

A mere man does not create miracles, cure people of afflictions and raise the dead as He did. NO, I do not think He was lying, nor do I believe Jesus was crazy, but instead, He was God, as the Son of God. He sits on the right side of God and is there waiting to greet us when we make the final journey from here on Earth.

God and Jesus are alive, they are active, they are aware and present always, around and within us as the Holy Spirit, always.

Peace,                                                         Comments or Questions

                                                                                        @

Den Betts                                                         bettsden@gmail.com

 

Thanks to Josh McDowell from “More Than a Carpenter”. I encourage you to read this book and, also the one from C.S. Lewis entitled “Mere Christianity”, both being available from Amazon.

Rite of Passage 2017-49

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Rite of Passage  2017-49

The change from one aspect of life to another, but it can take a meaning in so many ways of life. When the social standing is affected by the “Rite of Passage”, then we can look at the “Self” in a different way than before it happened.

We all have experienced this ritual of life that changed us so very much in the process. This can occur for others to see and experience with us or it can be of a secluded event for only ourselves to be affected and known.

For me, it is one, which I have been blessed or made more whole, but most definitely it changed me in many ways.

Years now since it began, the Rite slowly evolved, adapted, tweaked, and became what it is today.  A journey of life everlasting. One that is mine to own, accept, attest to, take credit for, in its endeavors.

I have become more introspective, much more caring toward others, less aggressive, having a feeling of humbleness, with less prejudice, and more contentment, and above all having love towards others, all others.

Again, I claim this “Rite of Passage” as my own, mine to ponder, enjoy and live to its fullest. 

I jump up and over from one stone to another in getting closer to God and Jesus Christ. I visit one room of life and continue to the next, opening and closing doors to experience the ramifications of what each has to offer and how I can become closer to the One I love.

There have been setbacks, two steps forward and one behind, but overall, it has been one of getting closer and closer to God in the process. The realization that it is about ME was inspirational when I finally realized it as such. It was, and is, not necessarily about me with others, even though others are part of the equation.

The journey was long in coming, and since it began, it has been more than interesting and wonderful,  and truly enlightening. My journey began March 3, 2010 and the “Rite of Passage” began at that time. Time does fly by for all of us, and it is hard to contemplate that it has taken me so long to realize the things I know now. 

Sometimes the ritual of life does have a long and tenuous experience of time, and I do not regret the time it took, or is taking, but instead relish existence of the Rite in all its glory and consequences.

 Life is good, God is Great, and life goes on.

Peace,

Den Betts

Honesty 2017-48

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Honesty    2017-48

 

 Honesty!  An easy word, but sometimes hard to put into practice!

Sometimes it is just being honest with ourselves, and other times it is with others that we have to, or maybe should, be honest with them, in the scope of things.

OK, I have two things going here, Self and Others. 

Self:  We can try to be as honest with ourselves as much as we can be, but it just doesn’t happen sometimes. We want to believe we are, but are not.  Normal…

We deceive ourselves in thinking we are being upfront with ourselves, but when we look back we can see that we were not. 

Some examples:  Perhaps I am realizing that I MIGHT have Alzheimer Disease early stage. I MIGHT want to ignore this and not be honest with myself. It is a HORRIBLE disease and I might want to NOT be honest with myself in this case.

Another scenario: What if I started to regularly drink alcohol in excess every day. I MIGHT want to NOT think that I am an alcoholic and continue to do so, regardless of the facts, but in reality not be honest with myself.

OK, moving on to others……  Do I want to be honest with someone else that I know, OR do I want them to be totally honest with me? Perhaps not.  Would friendships be ended?  Would feelings be hurt? I would think it is a possibility that this may happen. BUT, by not being honest, many things can be prevented or instead, cured in the process of being honest. 

Some examples:  Letting a friend know that what they are doing is disrupting others, where they do not see the facts of their actions. Maybe the alcoholic in my other Self example would be benefited if it were a friend instead, and were told that they are drinking too much and suggesting they get help.

It could be we would lose a friend, in the process; depends on the friend and how close we are to them.

Honesty is, in a big way, the adherence to the facts, being fair and straightforward in our conduct, being truthful and sincere, and, of course, being frank in our expressions.

If we are believers in God, I would say that He knows the truth, always, and we cannot be dishonest with Him, for He knows all.  He is with us always, He is aware, he is alive and He is Present with us, being active with us, again, always……

Can we be honest with ourselves and with others?  Don’t know!!!!

 

Peace,
Den Betts                                            bettsden@gmail.com

Who, What and Where is God 2017-46

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Who, What, and Where is God? 2017-46

For a believer, that might be a stupid question! Or NOT!

In reality, God called himself, “I am”, as told to Moses of the Hebrew Bible by saying “I am who I am”. The Hebrews called Him YAHWEH, and some have spelled it as JEHOVAH, incorrectly, as it is said by some.

Regardless, God spoke of Himself as “I am” and when others speak of Him it is interpreted as “He is”, which I interject as a point of interest.

When I pray to God, I thank Him for His Glory and say, “Dear Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth, the one God of the Universe and continue thanking Him for the blessings He has bestowed on me, which are many, many, many.
Let me continue with an interesting (?) thing about this prayer. I have someone I know, who is an Atheist, who states, “There can be no God of the Universe, it is TOO BIG! There are stars with planets and He cannot be the God of ALL of them.” He continued,” If He made people in His image, like on Earth, what about elsewhere in the Universe; are they human in appearance?”

Well, since I am not a stellar traveler, I could not state a reply, with facts, in response. I did answer with, “Because He is God!” I wrote before on the subject “The Faces of Jesus Christ 2017-35” where I suggested that Jesus would have the face and ethnicity of who he was speaking with at the time. Perhaps that is true with God, regarding a planet having intelligent beings that look like something we cannot even imagine and call the one God of the Universe their God. He would be in their image and they would think of God in this way, looking like them.

God is the “I am”. God is the Creator, and God is everywhere; period. He loves us unconditionally and looks at all of us as His children. He is alive, He is active, He is aware, and always present to us.

Peace,
Den Betts                                              Comments, questions at bettsden@gmail.com

Apathy 2017-42

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Apathy   2017-42

 

The indifference toward or an absence of interest in or concern about emotional, social, spiritual, the physical life and the world in general. WOW, what a lack of feeling for something, or someone.

Historically, Christians have condemned apathy as a deficiency of love and devotion to God and his works. How does this occur? What happened to make someone feel this way? Many reasons to attribute apathy feelings or non-feelings toward a religion or actually, anything, but if you add comprehension to the equation, then apathy becomes a measured way of knowing something is not right in the psychic of the mind.

We humans must cope with stress almost all the time in some way, and if we have to get “over” a situation or tragedy, then an apathetic reaction can be expected to occur. The term “without feeling” comes from the Greek word apatheia from, apathes, without feeling, so the origins of the word make sense to its original beginnings.

I would think a phycologist has better definitions and examples of how apathy affects us, but suffice to say, it does and in many ways.

I wondered if this word could be attributed to some today, in their religious belief systems. The word apatheism is the philosophical view that one should be apathetic towards the existence or non-existence of god(s). It is more of an attitude rather than a belief, claim or belief system.

An apatheist is someone who is not interested in accepting or rejecting any claims that gods exist or do not exist. An apatheist may thus decide to live as if there are no gods. The existence of god(s) is not rejected, but may be designated as irrelevant.

The indifference or lack of interest on this topic makes them just not interested in the topic and the argument that morals do not come from God. If a god exists there would be no changes with regards to morality, therefore a god’s existence or non-existence is again irrelevant. They just don’t care!!!

I will argue that one suffering from apathy DOES have feelings of some sorts, but there are no qualms of disbelief, but instead, just indifference.  Apathetic agnosticism dwells on the claim that no amount of debate can prove or disprove the existence of one or more deities existing, and they do not appear to be concerned about the fate of humans. Their existence has little impact on personal human affairs and should be of little interest. Therefore, again, “I don’t know and because of this, I don’t care.”

Could this feeling of apathy be the reason many today have no religious affiliations? Do they have no feelings about the thought of a life beyond what they have on Earth today? Does the agnostic non-religious feelings outweigh those having belief in God? An atheist believes they should live their lives with disregard towards a god or gods and practical atheism doesn’t see the god question as irrelevant in contrast to apatheism.

I don’t know!  I believe in one God, Creator of the Universe. This God, is active, alive, aware, and present always.  I feel somewhat sorry for those that have opposite feelings or no feelings at all about God, but realize they have the right to think what they do. 

Den Betts                            bettsden@gmail.com

Peace 2017-41

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                                                                                        Peace    2017-41

Peace is word meaning tranquility, calm, restfulness and not meaning discord and the like. It is used for greeting and sometimes in asking for quiet or order.

I use it in closing my emails and suggest that those receiving them, have periods of time that are indeed, calm and collected and tranquil in nature. It is my way of saying, take care and be restful in your life.

It would be terrific if our existence would be a long enduring form of peace without conflict, fear, or violence of any sorts, but that is usually not the case.

If we have a peace treaty, hostility sometimes stops, and this is due to some kind of compromise involving communication back and forth between the warring factions, which is usually the beginning of the end of conflict. This is the ultimate goal of those involved with the process.

Christians who believe that Jesus of Nazareth to be the Jewish Messiah called Christ (meaning Anointed One) also believed He was the messianic prophecy of Jesus, in which He is called, the “Prince of Peace”, one of many such titles that Jesus was given over the years my Christians.

Peace can be measured.  At least, it can be shown to exist by some groups using indicators of internal and external levels of peace today.  Iceland is said to be the most peaceful country in the world with Syria the least, according to the Global Peace Index produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace which evaluates peacefulness in countries, using 23 indicators of the presence/absence of violence. Wonder what it is like, living in Iceland? Other groups rank other countries either better or worse than these mentioned.

Peace on Earth, is the concept of an ideal state of happiness, freedom and peace within and among all people and nations on earth.  To achieve this stature is argued back and forth as to how to achieve this and is debatable. The basic Christian ideal specifies that peace, can only come by the Word and love of God, which is perfectly demonstrated in the life of Christ. Even this is contradicted in the Scriptures, but this is one context that I have read.

Anyhow, peace be with you. May you live in peace, be peaceful and may peace be part of your life forevermore.

Peace,

Den Betts

“I AM” 2017-40

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                                                               “I AM”    2017-40

Where do we state what we are today?  Do we make a declarative statement of who we are, and how we are? Are we brave enough to say what we believe in, and more importantly, live the life of what and how we believe?

What is “I AM” and how does this relate?  Way long time ago, a man-God, named Jesus, stated this. Jesus said, “I AM” and in fact, He WAS and STILL Is, what He said! As God revealed Himself as “I AM who I AM”, His Son let it be known that He was also, “I AM”, as a divine name equating Himself with the “I AM” title God gave Himself, to Moses, centuries before.

Moses was a reluctant man, not ready to do the will of God, and questioned just who God was at the time. God had to identify Himself as being the divine being to Moses and stated, “I AM” to Moses and still Moses kept questioning Him. This can be read in Exodus regarding Moses, and in the Book of John about Jesus and His “I AM” statements, especially in John 14:6 where Jesus said, I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life.

So, how or what does this mean to me?  I can state I am a husband, a father, a son, or many other things, but more than that and more important to me, is where I say this:

I declare a fact that “I am” a child of God! I do NOT hinge or deviate from this fact, but instead proudly state this, as I said, a fact, not a supposition of life.

I therefore say, “Do NOT try to force me to say otherwise, for I willingly say, “I am”. I do not even hint of my being anything other than a child of God, and nothing more. I feel others can make the same claim, and go further by reiterating their beliefs in a divine being that created all of us.

As such, do not try to tempt me, for “I am” and will not be tempted by you or anyone else, from my beliefs in God or what He means to me.

Do know, that “I am” and anything like greed, wealth, riches, and any material things cannot sway me in my beliefs, because I cannot be bought and cannot be changed on how I feel toward God, my Creator.

Also, do realize that, because “I am”, nothing you can say, do or show me, will change my mind; for what you think is what you think, and may not be what I think.

I say this, “to you Mr. Devil, the evil one — be aware that “I am” baptized and am immune to your wishes, your desires that are not what I want — ever, and I will reject you, I will fight you, I will not accept your evil presence around me —- ever!!!!!

For listen again, “I am, I am, – forever more, I am, and always will be a child of God, loving Him, being a student disciple of Jesus Christ and enjoying the presence of His love. God, the Almighty, is alive, He is aware, He is active and foremost, His presence is with me always.

Den Betts                            bettsden@gmail.com

Was Jesus a Good Christian? 2017-39

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                                                   Was Jesus a Good Christian?  2017-39

Of course not!  He was of the Jewish heritage and most likely WAS a good Jew for his time. That is to be expected, BUT the Jewish leaders did not think so.  They connived with each other, and baited him to expose his thoughts about the Hebrew religion.  They persevered and managed to trap him into a situation where they could take Him to the Roman authorities to be found guilty of a charge they wanted to make against Him.

Jesus was a Rabbi and, as such, was a teacher of the Hebrew Scripture. He KNEW the past writers of this religion and could bring up passages that made His sermons standout. 

I do not know what a “Good Christian” today would be. Who decides? Who dictates to those around them that someone is a good this or that?  If that happens, then those people are being judgmental and that says something about them and not the one they judge.

Being able to quote Scripture at moment’s notice, does not make you a good Christian. Knowing the stories of the Bible does not make you one either.  It shows that you have a great memory at least, but not necessarily a great pious person. 

I would think it takes effort on one’s part to LIVE the life of what Jesus would want you to do, and using his teachings, as a guide to life. It is HARD to live a life like that of someone (Jesus) who was practically perfect. OK, some would say absolutely perfect, but I am sure he had some faults not reported in Scripture.

To strive for perfection or at least betterment of self would be a great goal. To NOT be discouraged in the process is probably a good reality, but the important thing is to try.

Den Betts