Common Ground: Why do/should people fear God?

COMMON GROUND is a column dedicated to encouraging respectful dialogue by posing a monthly question that is open to people from every religious/non-religious/political background.  If you would like to post a response, please email smjivey@gmail.com for details.

The question for August is "Why do/should people fear God?"  

Pastor Greg

Pastor Greg Ronning, the campus minister for Texas Lutheran University, details his perspective to this month's question below.  If you are interested in Pastor Greg's writing, CLICK HERE to link to his beautiful blog.

Fear and God

By:  Greg Ronning

In the Lutheran Baptismal liturgy there is a prayer that has always bothered me.  After baptizing the candidate we pray, “Pour out your Holy Spirit upon (name), the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence.”  It always seems strange to ask that the person just baptized and proclaimed “the beloved of God” should now live in some kind of fear of the Lord.  Of course the best way to understand this is to unpack the word fear, and begin to understand that by fear we actually mean respect.  Sometimes I wonder why we don’t just say what we mean, say respect instead of fear.  It seems like that would be a simple solution.

However this problem of fear and God is not just a language problem, I believe there is a larger problem, and it has to do with how we understand God.  As Marcus Borg says, “How we understand God matters!”

Over the years humanity has learned to personalize God as one way of connecting to and understanding God.  Yet God is not human, God is God!  And while at times it might be helpful to understand God as a kind and protective father, or a caring nurturing Mother, God is actually none of these things.  And if we get stuck in one of these, or any other human metaphor, as our only and primary way of understanding God it gets real complicated especially when you attach the word fear to this humanized God.  All of the sudden God is to be feared like an abusive Father or Mother, the bully down the street, or a stranger tempting us with candy.  Suddenly God becomes angry and distorted, and in very a personalized way.

Over the years I have met many people who live in fear of this God, in fear of a judge who is out to get them, in fear of a vengeful Christ who is coming back to destroy the world, in fear of God who looks and acts like a person who is angry and to be feared.

Yet there is another way of talking about God, a simple and truthful way, a way in which it is very hard to attach the word, the feelings, and the outcomes of fear.  The author of First John writes, “God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.” (1 John 4:16b)  Ultimately I believe God is love, a power, an energy, a positive force; and not some old man up in heaven looking down in judgment.  And this understanding of God sets me from fear.  

The most cited command in the bible is, “Be not afraid.”  The greatest commandment in the bible is, “Love one another as I have loved you.”  These words had their human moments in Jesus, the revelation of God’s love, the one who loved unconditionally even unto the cross, for God so loved the world.

God's Fencepost: Forgiving "Superman"

“Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave.” - Indira Gandhi

I had a dream the other night that I was flying. . .not flying really, but hanging on for dear life to someone from my past who could soar like Superman.  The world around us was dark and on the ground grew millions of knives that looked like medieval weeds.  My “superman” was someone who once deeply scared my soul, so hanging on was not my idea of a good time. . .but neither was plunging to my death.  So in an effort to mend the brokenness (and not end up a pincushion), I forged into a long overdue conversation/diatribe.  Superman could care less and remained aloof.  I faced a dilemma:  I could either keep hold of this cold, unresponsive person or let go and be killed.  So, I kissed him goodbye and let go. . .

. . .and immediately woke up. . .feeling like I had been beaten with a baseball bat. 

What?!?  What on earth did this dream mean?  I hadn’t felt (or even thought about) this scar in years!

I’m a big believer that God speaks to us through dreams and that if you ask Him (or my sister) He’ll let you in on the riddle.  I prayed and remained still.  It didn’t take long to hit me – my dream was about forgiveness.

 

According to the decent definition given by Wikipedia, “Forgiveness is typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution.”

No one ever pitches forgiveness as a painful process.  Nope.  They usually concentrate on the euphoric feelings of weightlessness and the freedoms gained after one truly releases the debt – whether the debtor is oneself or someone else.  In the real world, however, forgiveness is like choosing to fall on a sea of knives; it hurts our ego and requires us to relinquish a part of our being to which we have grown comfortably accustomed.  We have to re-learn how to live without the poison of resentment, which can be a disheartening process of “rinse and repeat”!  Matthew 18:21-35 says:

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."

In the middle of The Lord’s Prayer “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” brilliantly reminds us that admitting our faults and releasing our animosity is an important part of our daily commune with God.   

My dream revealed that I unknowingly needed to relinquish the hurt caused by “superman.”  This was a shock - I haven’t thought about this person in years.   But after I realized that the seed of bitterness remained I kissed it goodbye, let go and so, healed the wound.

God is good.

ACTION STEP

Who/what are you hanging onto that you need to forgive and kiss goodbye?  There are millions of people infected by the poison of hurt and resentment - whether it be directed toward (or caused by) ourselves, our families, a tragic event, politics, the government, religion or our neighbor – today is the day to let it go.   

“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” – Mark Twain

Usually the donation/tithe section of God's Fencepost relates to the post of the day.  However, there are hundreds of children in Haiti that my friend, Megan Boudreaux, is currently trying to house, feed and educate.  The situation is dire and they need our help.  So, if you're led - please "LIKE" HER FB PAGE HERE and/or to donate" CLICK HERE. 


 

God’s Fencepost is a weekly meditation/devotional that deals with morality and current events.  I, Shannon Ivey, am an openly flawed human being who simply pens what I perceive to be the important reflections of God’s mercy, creativity and unconditional love.  My mother always said that God can use something as simple as a fencepost as a mouth-piece, so that’s what my column humbly aims to be. . . “God’s Fencepost.”

Are "Hot Saucing" and "Cold Showers" Child Abuse?

Please watch the video below before reading further.  Our exploration of the ramifications surrounding this story will never be fully understood without first viewing for yourself what we are dealing with here. . .

Is punishing a 7-year-old boy by putting hot sauce in his mouth child abuse? How about forcing him, pleading and screaming, into a cold shower?

This week in Anchorage Alaska, a jury will be reviewing the case of Jessica Beagley, a mother charged with misdemeanor child abuse after the above footage appeared on the Dr. Phil show last year.

To be considered abuse, the jury must decide if the punishment was cruel, torturous and disproportionate to what the child did. According to testimony, the boy, one of a set of twins recently adopted from Russia, got into trouble at school for sword-fighting with pencils and then denied it when his mother asked about it.  

To be clear -  he got into trouble at school and lied about it.  Did his "crime" warrant this severe of a punishment?

In my opinion - absolutely not.  I'm really disturbed on a number of levels and vehemently disagree with the methods used by this mother.  However, I'm also just the mother of one 2 year old and am really interested to hear what you think.

Is this child abuse?  Should this mother be thrown in jail?  Do you think punishing this mother would result in the government having more control over how we raise our children?    

A VIDEO OF THE FULL STORY, AS COVERED BY ABC NEWS,  IS BELOW:

Paula Deen Is Worse Than Pedophiles?

Paula Deen is famous because she embodies good 'ole American comfort food.  Whether it's because sugar drips from her hard southern "R's" or the fact that her infectious belly laugh birthed the buttery warm-fuzzy, Paula Deen is America's favorite Southern Grandma.

Paula's charm, no doubt, stems from her humble beginnings.  As a single mother of two boys with horrible agoraphobia, she started a food delivery service out of her own kitchen that grew into one of Georgia's most prized eateries.  She then catapulted to super-stardom after landing a show called, "Paula's Home Cooking" on The Food Network.    Since then she has used her fame to help eradicate childhood hunger.

What a horrible human being, huh?

Well, publicity-starved and Travel Channel host, Anthony Bourdain, thinks so. 

In a recent interview with TV Guide, the "No Reservation" host let his over-inflated ego get the better of him by saying that Deen was “the worst, most dangerous person to America.”

Really?

Out of all of the pedophiles, murderers and lowlifes - this asshat is going to pick on a woman who thinks pie is the key to happiness?

Naturally, he went further by stating:


“She revels in unholy connections with evil corporations, and she’s proud of the fact that her food is f--king bad for you.  I would think twice before telling an already obese nation that it is OK to eat food that is killing us.  Plus, her food sucks"

Them's fightin' words.  Paul Deen's food may be a lot of things - but "sucky" ain't one of them.  Plus, if you don't mind my saying:  You've eaten animal balls, Mr. Bourdain.  I hardly think your palate is on par with the rest of the nation.

I'll concede that Paula's food is fattening and unhealthy, but since when did Grandma's cooking have to be freakishly fat-free?  It is OK to indulge in comfort food every now and again and if you want healthy alternative - don't watch her show! There are loads of healthy cooking shows to watch - Paula Deen's is not responsible for the obesity problem in America.  If you're obese - DON'T EAT HER FOOD!  Good gracious, people are fully capable of making healthy choices - they just don't. 

Seriously Mr. Bourdain -  if you brought to this world even half the light that Paula Deen radiates, you wouldn't need to pick on sweet old ladies to bolster your ratings.  Why don't you just kick a puppy next time?

 

"Respire Haiti" By: Mark Langham

Below is a short piece written by my dear friend, Mark Langham from Conspiracy of Hope on behalf of a most noble organization - Respire Haiti.

Restavek, is a Haitian word for a child slave. Today, 300,000 children are bound by this heartbreaking tradition that exploits their labor, their very life . Respire Haiti is changing that in the city of Gressier, Haiti.

This is Respire Haiti's story. One girl, with a heart for the exploited, left the comforts of the first world to make Haiti her home. And now hundreds, one day thousands of Haitian children will be free.

Respire Haiti from Kristi Hanusch on Vimeo.

Please support Respire Haiti in building a school for the Restaveks. Please give them back their lives. From all of us at Conspiracy Of Hope and The Independent Contributor. Thank you!!

CLICK HERE FOR THE ORIGINAL POST ON CONSPIRACYOFHOPE.ORG

Madonna: 53 Year Old Lioness

Madonna celebrated her 53rd birthday over the weekend by smooching her 24 year old French break-dancer boyfriend, Brahim Zaibat, in the Hamptons.  Her two kids, Mercy and David, played nearby as the world oogled at their "private" moment.  I'm not going to lie - at first glance I was a smidge grossed out.  

What on earth could two people with a nearly 30 year age gap have in common?  Money - plain and simple.  If Madonna wasn't the matriarch of pop music and fully loaded, I dare say that the smooch in this photo would have never taken place.  

Now whether you agree or disagree with what this photo represents - which to me is that women are now making enough money to level the inappropriately large age-mate-gap - one thing is for certain:  Madonna, along with several of her wealthy contemporaries, have leveled the gender playing field once again.  Good for her!   

Question:  What do you think - is this (a) Gross (b) Good for Her (c) A Little of Both?  

Ron Paul: The Republican's Bastard Stepchild

Anyone with half a brain knows that most of the major news organizations are not only biased, but choose a favorite candidate far before the presidential election takes place:  CNN and MSNBC favor the left, FOX favors the right and so on.  However, the coverage (or lack thereof) of Ron Paul's success in Iowa over the past few days is fascinating - they are ALL pretending that he doesn't exist.   What are they so afraid of?  I don't know about you - their distrust makes me want to investigate this guy a little further.

If you're also curious, CLICK HERE for Ron Paul's website.

Watch Jon Stewart's brilliant assessment below:

The Daily Show - Indecision 2012 - Corn Polled Edition - Ron Paul & the Top Tier
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

COMMON GROUND: Why do/should people fear God?

COMMON GROUND is a column dedicated to encouraging respectful dialogue by posing a monthly question that is open to people from every religious/non-religious/political background.  If you would like to post a response, please email smjivey@gmail.com for details.

The question for August is "Why do/should people fear God?"   




"Sean Gaffney, a Christian writer and story administrator for Warner Brothers studios.  He lives in Burbank, CA. and his response to this month's question is below:"

Imagine Fear of the Lord

By:  Sean Gaffney

I suppose there are many benefits for believers in G-d to hold a healthy fear of God – defined as a vigorous, reverent respect and awe for their Creator.  But there would be even more benefits for society in general if such a respectful awe were more widespread, and pervaded more of our every day existence.

I am reminded of one of the most depressing songs in modern history – “Imagine” by John Lennon. Depressing because it is so hopeful in intent, and yet so woeful in tactic.  “Imagine there’s no heaven,” Mr. Lennon asks of us, because a belief that there is nothing greater than us will lead to “all the people living for today.”