Are you better than a rich man? Are you better than a conservative?
Prove it, by your works of love in the world.
If we live selfishly, we are no better than they; our evil is only reduced proportionally by our capacity for evil. We are condemned by the exact same standard by which we condemn.
Love Is the Standard. Love Is the Sole and Supreme Good of the universe. Not love of the mind, not love of emotions or thoughts or prayers or words or feelings, but love of the heart, which gives birth to love of the hands and feet. That Love Is God.
Every one of us is in need of repentance before Almighty Love. Every one of us falls short of that Standard, of His Infinite Goodness. Every one of us is called to take up the Cross of self-giving, of self-sacrifice for others, to give ourselves up and to pour ourselves out for our least brethren in this world as He has done for us. This is His New and Old and Eternal and Only Command.
I see this subreddit spend a lot of time quoting James 5, and spitting on the rich and those seemingly more loveless than us. I say we should spend more time encouraging and advising and building one another up in that very Love which we shake our heads at others for lacking. How can we go out and serve Love better? How can we go out and be better disciples to Love in our own lives?
I like posts like this one or this one or this one or this one, talking what a good Christian should do, what a good Christian should be like, asking each other for advice, helping and educating and encouraging one another. This is what we should be spending our energy on – thinking about what we are called towards, what we are called to find ways to aid and to be a part of for ourselves. Not thinking about all the ways others fall shorter than we.
Indeed, we should be praying for those most in need of repentance before the Face of Love! I pray for Donald Trump. I pray for the Bezoses, the Musks, the Bolsonaros and Erdogans and Putins and Sauds of the world, that *God will grace t
... keep reading on reddit ➡Okay, help me out here.
The Church teaches that the way to find out if the Church is true is by taking Moroni's Challenge, right? Well, I decided to look at Moroni's Challenge because I haven't in awhile to really understand how it "works" and as I was reading it I was confused.
Moroni 10: 3-5-
3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
It explicitly says in these verses that you should be asking if it's not true, not that it is true. Have any of you noticed that before? What are you" supposed" to do? If you pray and ask God about it not being true, what would that warm feeling mean? Would it mean that it's not true, or that it is true? I am super confused about this. Can anyone tell me what they think of this? How do people gain "truth" from this?
>Pope John Paul II, weak in body but strong in spirit, left India on Monday after a defiant 62-hour pilgrimage during which he affirmed people's rights to change their religion and snubbed Hindu fundamentalists demonstrating for an end to Christian conversions.
>In the dusk of his two-decade papacy, the pope made no concessions or conciliatory gestures to those Indians and Hindus who feel that Western civilization has weakened their culture and that the work of Christian missionaries has enfeebled their religion.
>Instead, he launched a crusade for more Christian converts in Asia on the very day Hindus celebrated Diwali, their main annual festival marking the triumph of light over darkness, a time for hospitality, food and fireworks.
>The 79-year-old pontiff exhorted a synod of Asian bishops to evangelize the region in the coming millennium. He told them to go forth and conquer the continent for Christ just as the church had done in Europe during the first millennium and in the Americas in the second.
>On a night when the Indian capital sounded as if a war had broken out as millions exploded fireworks to scare off evil demons for the next year, the pope insisted that changing one's credo is a basic human right. He was speaking at a meeting with Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist and Jewish religious leaders.
>"No state, no group has the right to control either directly or indirectly a person's religious convictions. Religious freedom constitutes the very heart of human rights," he said.
>40,000 people did come to the Nehru sports stadium for Sunday mass, the pontiff's only public appearance
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-11-08-9911080178-story.html
#Background of Modi-church meet
As Gujarat CM, Modi's visa to US was revoked. Technically Gujarat Riots were given as the reason. But not a single Democrat had lobbied for the ban, visa ban was actually lobbied for by Republicans and evangelicals, as one of those who got his visa banned proudly writes in this NYT piece. Visa ban was because of Modi posing some impediment as CM to missionary activity in Gujarat.
https://np.reddit.com/r/RegimeChange101/comments/pbhjgv/old_nytimes_blog_narrates_how_evangelicals/
Background: **German churches funded by state executed church tax are some of the biggest funders of our NGOs practicising political activism in India. German church tax funded Misereor funded NGOs had filed PIL again
... keep reading on reddit ➡
I'm curious what are the opinions of this community based on the content of Boshan's exhortations? Is the "self-indulgent" and wild behavior he describes a way of avoiding and suppressing dis-ease and never resolving it?
Exhortations For Those Unable To Arouse The Doubt By the Chinese Master Boshan (1575-1630)
"If you’re unable to arouse the Doubt when practicing Zen, you may fall into self-indulgent and wild ways. Meeting others, you sing, dance, and carry on. By the river and under trees you recite poetry, prattle and laugh. Swaggering about busy places regardless of others, you convince yourself that you’ve resolved the great matter. When you see a worthy teacher open a meditation hall, establish rules for the sangha, do zazen, chant the name of the Buddha and other virtuous acts, you let out a scornful laugh and curse him. Since you’re unable to truly practice, you disturb others who are. Not knowing how to truly recite the sutras, worship or confess your faults, you hinder others who can. Unable to truly inquire, you interrupt those who do. You can’t open your own meditation hall, so you interfere with those who have. Unable to give a real Dharma talk, you interrupt those who do. Seeing a worthy teacher present a Dharma talk in front of a large congregation, you think up complicated questions and indulge in silly exchanges, giving a Zen shout or a slap.
The worthy teacher recognizes such things as no more than ghostly spirits playing games. If he does not indulge you, however, you spread groundless rumors: 'He doesn’t understand the Dharma principle – what a pity!' This is your wavering mind obsessed; if you continue this way, you will fall into demonic paths and commit serious offenses. Once your good karma is exhausted, you’ll fall into the hell of incessant suffering. 'Even good intentions have bad results.' Alas!"
While reading Ecclesiastes 11:5
“Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.”
A few commentaries really challenged me. Here’s one from Matthew Henry:
“11:1-6 Solomon presses the rich to do good to others. Give freely, though it may seem thrown away and lost. Give to many. Excuse not thyself with the good thou hast done, from the good thou hast further to do. It is not lost, but well laid out. We have reason to expect evil, for we are born to trouble; it is wisdom to do good in the day of prosperity. Riches cannot profit us, if we do not benefit others. Every man must labour to be a blessing to that place where the providence of God casts him. Wherever we are, we may find good work to do, if we have but hearts to do it. If we magnify every little difficulty, start objections, and fancy hardships, we shall never go on, much less go through with our work. Winds and clouds of tribulation are, in God's hands, designed to try us. God's work shall agree with his word, whether we see it or not. And we may well trust God to provide for us, without our anxious, disquieting cares. Be not weary in well-doing, for in due season, in God's time, you shall reap, Ga 6:9.”
And an excerpt from Gill’s Exposition:
“good is to be done at all times, as opportunity offers, throughout the whole of life, and in all conditions and circumstances;
for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that; the seed sown in the morning or in the evening, which good work shall best succeed; therefore do both, try all ways, make use of all opportunities;”
Sometimes when I want to do a small, kind thing, I will doubt myself and think “Will it even matter though?” And this answers my question. Maybe it will. And that “maybe” is worth it.
https://preview.redd.it/2fn86licv5181.jpg?width=1040&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5ba087beb2cfd3c77912bfd6c66083c30557b0fd
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh - pg. 8. Ishráqát (Splendors)
Nevertheless We exhort the loved ones of God to observe justice and fairness, and to do that which would prompt the friends of God to evince tender mercy and compassion towards each other. He is in truth the Counselor, the Compassionate, the All-Bountiful.
- Bahá'u'lláh
>Pope John Paul II, weak in body but strong in spirit, left India on Monday after a defiant 62-hour pilgrimage during which he affirmed people's rights to change their religion and snubbed Hindu fundamentalists demonstrating for an end to Christian conversions.
>In the dusk of his two-decade papacy, the pope made no concessions or conciliatory gestures to those Indians and Hindus who feel that Western civilization has weakened their culture and that the work of Christian missionaries has enfeebled their religion.
>Instead, he launched a crusade for more Christian converts in Asia on the very day Hindus celebrated Diwali, their main annual festival marking the triumph of light over darkness, a time for hospitality, food and fireworks.
>The 79-year-old pontiff exhorted a synod of Asian bishops to evangelize the region in the coming millennium. He told them to go forth and conquer the continent for Christ just as the church had done in Europe during the first millennium and in the Americas in the second.
>On a night when the Indian capital sounded as if a war had broken out as millions exploded fireworks to scare off evil demons for the next year, the pope insisted that changing one's credo is a basic human right. He was speaking at a meeting with Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist and Jewish religious leaders.
>"No state, no group has the right to control either directly or indirectly a person's religious convictions. Religious freedom constitutes the very heart of human rights," he said.
>40,000 people did come to the Nehru sports stadium for Sunday mass, the pontiff's only public appearance
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-11-08-9911080178-story.html
#Background of Modi-church meet
As Gujarat CM, Modi's visa to US was revoked. Technically Gujarat Riots were given as the reason. But not a single Democrat had lobbied for the ban, visa ban was actually lobbied for by Republicans and evangelicals, as one of those who got his visa banned proudly writes in this NYT piece. Visa ban was because of Modi posing some impediment as CM to missionary activity in Gujarat.
https://np.reddit.com/r/RegimeChange101/comments/pbhjgv/old_nytimes_blog_narrates_how_evangelicals/
Background: **German churches funded by state executed church tax are some of the biggest funders of our NGOs practicising political activism in India. German church tax funded Misereor funded NGOs had filed PIL again
... keep reading on reddit ➡