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Metta -- you have a valid point in your first comment
Priests, ministers or whatever are simply human beings subject to the same shortcomings that all of us are. It is the realization of this point: "I think so many of us struggle to be good - many of us talking about the way to be good before we may have the right to speak about it - before we completely manifest it ourselves in our own lives - which in essence makes us hypocrites like this man who kicked the dog." and the subsequent self examination from this realization that ultimately makes us better people.
posted by
gomedome
on June 29, 2005 at 6:59 AM
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I agree with you
I've been thinking about what I had written - there should be a standard of conduct... yes... one shouldn't kick a dog, yes... I think where my thought processes are coming from is myself.... I love God - yet I am a miserable failure... I yell at my kids on occassion... I get really angry on occassion - I do things that one who say they love God should not do... I fall... no, I'm not trying to take any position of leadership - but, I do come onto Blogit and speak about love but I do not always manifest it... I guess my compassion for this priest (or minister, preacher) comes for my hoped compassion for myself and my own falls and my longing to be better myself...
I think so many of us struggle to be good - many of us talking about the way to be good before we may have the right to speak about it - before we completely manifest it ourselves in our own lives - which in essence makes us hypocrites like this man who kicked the dog. If I and everyone else waited until we had reached perfection before speaking out - I don't know where we'd be. People with the best of intentions fall - and sometimes it is a very good thing - a humbling thing that makes the person look into the mirror and realize the hypocrisy of their own actions...
Oh, I could ramble on and on....
posted by
Metta
on June 28, 2005 at 9:54 PM
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Metta -- those are nice words that ring with a bit of truth but......
The behaviour of kicking a dog is unbecoming of any person but also underscores other problems. Anger management issues possibly? In any event, this sort of behaviour is a direct affront to any message of love, charity or kindness which I believe is the point avante_garde was making. When a person is punting puppies they are not a good spokeman for worthy ideals. As much as I would like to go along with the theme of your comment when you suggest that ministers etc. are just human, I have to throw in that there is a minimum standard in any line of work.
posted by
gomedome
on June 28, 2005 at 8:41 PM
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avant
i saw my preacher kicking a dog in the parking lot one evening, and i thought, 'you hypocritical bastard.' that was pretty much when i realized that i was being duped.
I don't know that you were actually being duped... people struggle, people fall - as Kabir would say "very few get far" - because a man is a priest or minister doesn't mean that he is at one with God - it means that he has had a desire either to be very close to God - or to control people - but usually the desire to get close to God preceeds the other, I would believe.
We have an unjust view of leaders in the church - that they should be "God"-like - and that is just an unrealistic view to have of these people. Because one has a relationship with God or even wants to have a relationship with God does not make them a saint - it makes them a human being wanting to be more than they are - better than they are - but it does not make them infallible.... I know, because, while I am not a church leader in any sort - I want to be close to God - and I regularly fall and get up, fall and get up, fall and get up...
this probably didn't need said -
posted by
Metta
on June 28, 2005 at 7:43 PM
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gomer
really good post. i had the same questions about that age, and no one seemed to have any real answers. then i saw my preacher kicking a dog in the parking lot one evening, and i thought, 'you hypocritical bastard.' that was pretty much when i realized that i was being duped.
posted by
avant-garde
on June 28, 2005 at 12:30 PM
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I know who Zarathustra is
or Zoraster... I know who Krishna is and Ram... I know who Jesus is... and Shiva... I know who Mohammed is...
religion is just the beginning of the path - you must get past it to find the Truth...
posted by
Metta
on June 28, 2005 at 8:59 AM
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good post
you've researched well.
keep questioning
you won't find answers unless you do
but questioning is no guarantee either that you will find answers
answers are elusive
although some will disagree
posted by
Xeno-x
on June 28, 2005 at 8:19 AM
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Gome
peace brother.
posted by
calmcantey75
on June 28, 2005 at 8:13 AM
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