Do You Believe In Good?

Do You Believe In Good?
Do you believe in Good? As the general rule do you believe that treating others right benefits everyone, even you in the long run? In Christian terms, do you believe in the Golden Rule, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you?”

If so, you’re basically an optimist. And if you’re optimistic, it colors the way you see, experience, and interact with the people and the world around you. It colors your understanding of the past, present, your expectations for your future, and your ability to fulfill your dreams, your potential, and live a meaningful human life. And if so, you’re a Christian according to my own best interpretation/understanding of the term.

If I said someone was “Christ like” I’d mean that they treat others with respect, dignity, and consideration. This in fact, makes them what the world needs more of, namely good, humane, human beings. Call me a humanist if you will, but anti-human is anti-Christian to me. And being humane is being Christ like!

Now, does that mean you have to advertise your faith on the bumper of your BMW or Chevy truck? Does it mean that you have to tell others about the strength and the power of your beliefs and your God? Does it mean that you have to attend church, or publicly praise and give credit to God after you score a touchdown? Or pray before meals & bed time? Or disapprove, disrespect, discredit, or belittle in any way, people who wear religious labels (Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Jew) that differ from yours?

Does it mean that you have to approve of self-righteous, self serving, self indulgent, dollar hungry, commercial television evangelists who clog the airways today with poisonous socio-economic politics, prejudice, and hatred/bigotry, disguised as religious conviction? Does it mean that you have to vote Republican?

My answer? It means exactly the opposite! God doesn’t need your bumper sticker advertisement. God doesn’t need nor care about your public testimonial. He’s not pitching an infomercial or running for office. He doesn’t care if you ever walk into a church or tell him what you want in your prayers. (On the other hand he’d probably appreciate you just listening once in a while.) And he could care less about touchdowns.

God cares only about your heart & actions, not your label! More specifically, he cares about how you think of, and treat other people (the Golden Rule?) regardless of their religious affiliation/label, ethnic background, race, age, sexual orientation, or gender. And if you treat other people right, you may call yourself a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Hindu, a Jew, or even an atheist, and still be very Christian in my eyes. On the other hand, you can call yourself a Christian, but if you don’t treat other people with dignity and respect, even (especially) if they’re different from you, and if you don’t carry yourself with a tangible sense of humility, you fail my Christian test immediately!

If I was a betting man, I’d wager that God has as particularly low opinion of self righteous, self serving, self indulgent, money grubbing, bigots and hypocrites who wallow in religious talk, put on a show “in his name” and fill the minds of naïve friends and followers with social poison. My God would throw these charlatans, these anti-human money-changers out of his house on their ear, and tell ‘em to stay out. Amen!!