COFFEE BREAK 128

+ Updated at 12:29pm, Thursday, January 21, 2010

+ In her continuing and determined effort to chastize John Shuck and all Progressive Christians, Viola Larson wrote: "John Shuck does bother me because he so brazenly denies my Lord while holding an office that is meant, by way of ordination, to glorify, love and proclaim Jesus Christ. And it bothers me that so many others allow this to go on, even encourage it. There is a word for that it is called apostasy." You can see this comment and the post which blasted us and all the comments at http://naminghisgrace.blogspot.com/2010/01/where-are-we-at-what-about-jesus-christ.html

I responded:

Dear Viola,

I do not believe John Shuck is brazenly denying your Lord at all. His understanding of your Lord obviously differs from yours on many points.

Many of us have come to accept the reality of hard-wired homosexuality as a reality of humanity. Your obsession with this particular issue is homophobia, nothing less. I hope you get over it. And Jesus had nothing to say about it at all. And the 3 or 4 other references to it in scripture are problematic and probably culturally-conditioned and certainly not written in stone.

It is sad when people decide they are right and others are wrong without any effort to be humble and willing to acknowledge our human limitations.

Einstein was one of the great minds and hearts of the last century and he said: "My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind."

A great American judge, Learned Hand, said "The spirit of liberty is the spirit of not being too sure you are right.”

Gandhi said: "Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.”

And the great Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, who is featured in "Meaning of Life, Part 43" at Shuck and Jive said:

"Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. All systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth."

and:

"Do not think that the knowledge you presently possess is changeless, absolute truth. Avoid being narrow-minded and bound to present views. Learn and practice non-attachment from views in order to be open to receive others' viewpoints. Truth is found in life and not merely in conceptual knowledge. Be ready to learn throughout our entire life and to observe reality in yourself and in the world at all times."

and:

"Do not force others, including children, by any means whatsoever, to adopt your views, whether by authority, threat, money, propaganda, or even education. However, through compassionate dialogue, help others renounce fanaticism and narrowness."

Those are the first 3 of his 14 precepts which are full of wisdom and compassion and common sense. Go to http://seaox.com/thich.html and scroll down to the bottom of the page to see them all.

Love + John A Wilde + Whitesboro NY + www.abundancetrek.com + "The day will come when, after harnessing space, the winds, the tides and gravitation, we shall harness for God the energies of love. And on that day, for the second time in the history of the world, humankind will have discovered fire." -- Teilhard de Chardin

+ Sunshine along the Erie Canal feels good for a second day.