As I was listening to some music late at night, I had a string of thoughts, the kind of inspiration that a writer normally has, if they are lucky. And I started to see how we take the inspiration we gain from our world, for granted. Then I thought of the Christan ideal of God, and also how most Native Americans view God, which is quite similar where it counts. The Natives see what a Christan calls God in the earth. The things we take for granted, like our forests, our great bodies of water, the huge rocks that form massive mountains and the grand sky above us. They worship those things, that is why they fought and continue to fight so hard to guard them. Christians rally against so many things, art, certain expressions of love, basically, anyone who thinks in a way they cannot understand. They say this is to help and protect others from harm.
The Natives see the need to protect the land as their purpose, just as Christians see protecting the image of God as their duty. The difference is Christians are protecting ideas, while Natives are trying to protect physical things which can be destroyed. It seems to me, given the Christan belief that God created this Planet and all that surrounds it, protecting these very vulnerable and often unseen wonders would be at the heart of their very cause. Yet their cause is to protect an idea, even with all the good that Christians can do, they are striving to defend something that can never be destroyed. Think about Christan Missionaries, while they bring food and help to those in need, they do so while spreading the Gospel. They see no issue with this, and in truth, there is no harm in the act, it is the unseen reason that is the issue. They assume it is helpful to give these ideas that helped them, however in most cases these people have had the same kind of helpful ideas, and it was the crushing reality of the world that made them lose sight of them. When the missionaries arrive with food, aid and most of all kindness, they have then provided a miracle to these people which is selfless. Sadly, it is mostly done with the notion that these people are lost, and that is the reason they need such dire help. Yet, in most cases, it was the evil of certain individuals encouraged by an insatiable thirst, that created poisonous ideas.
The help that the missionaries bring to these people, could do more than just aid them, it could reinstil the good ideas that were lost. Helping others is selfless, unless you have an ulterior motive. It is still a gracious act, but the weight of the action is changed by your motivation for it. Because it changes how you see the good you are doing. They are led to believe that without their ideas those in need would suffer. There is truth to that, the ideas have led to many being fed, given medical aid and for many a way back to a life worth living. Yet, what happens when these people leave those in need, they suffer once more, as in most cases it was not the idea the people needed. It was the aid you brought, the aid that your ideas inspired you to bring. This has happened too many times, and it is a fact, one that shows those ideas can do immense good, but that the idea is not what needed protecting, what needed protecting were the things that could be annihilated. An idea can never die so long as there are those who value it. Yet, an idea can do very little one it's own, you have to believe for it to become more than an idea. It seems to me that the Christians need their ideas very much, just as much as those who needed their aid. Sadly, most Christians chase after the idea of God, they find him in those who have great needs. They feel it is their purpose to do his will, but they are most concerned with protecting his will, not doing it.
They seem to think either he will perish, they will suffer, or worse that something horrendous will take place if he is not protected. If God created the universe and all that encompasses it, I do not think he will perish like Tinker Bell if we all stopped believing. However, the good that his idea brought could perish. Just as Native Americans are correct to know you have to protect our earth, Christians are correct to protect their idea of God. The issue is how you protect those ideas. An idea will never die so long as you are inspired by it, your actions will then inspire others and that is the way ideas spread. The issue that divides many from the idea that Christians protect, is that they are failing to see God's beauty where it already is. To Christians their idea of God saved them, it gives them comfort and peace, which is a wonderful thing. Yet the harm is when they fail to see God in more than themselves. If Christians are right, then I would think God would be wise enough to find a way to give his ideas to everyone.
If you speak French to a Japanese person they will not understand your grand ideas. By that same logic, God would find a way for all to see his ideas. Christians are afraid the beauty of God will vanish if it is not spoken everywhere in a way they understand. When the truth is, they lose sight of the beauty of God by failing to see it's beauty when it is not spoken in a way they understand. Ideas are universal, the way we understand them is not.
The Natives see the need to protect the land as their purpose, just as Christians see protecting the image of God as their duty. The difference is Christians are protecting ideas, while Natives are trying to protect physical things which can be destroyed. It seems to me, given the Christan belief that God created this Planet and all that surrounds it, protecting these very vulnerable and often unseen wonders would be at the heart of their very cause. Yet their cause is to protect an idea, even with all the good that Christians can do, they are striving to defend something that can never be destroyed. Think about Christan Missionaries, while they bring food and help to those in need, they do so while spreading the Gospel. They see no issue with this, and in truth, there is no harm in the act, it is the unseen reason that is the issue. They assume it is helpful to give these ideas that helped them, however in most cases these people have had the same kind of helpful ideas, and it was the crushing reality of the world that made them lose sight of them. When the missionaries arrive with food, aid and most of all kindness, they have then provided a miracle to these people which is selfless. Sadly, it is mostly done with the notion that these people are lost, and that is the reason they need such dire help. Yet, in most cases, it was the evil of certain individuals encouraged by an insatiable thirst, that created poisonous ideas.
The help that the missionaries bring to these people, could do more than just aid them, it could reinstil the good ideas that were lost. Helping others is selfless, unless you have an ulterior motive. It is still a gracious act, but the weight of the action is changed by your motivation for it. Because it changes how you see the good you are doing. They are led to believe that without their ideas those in need would suffer. There is truth to that, the ideas have led to many being fed, given medical aid and for many a way back to a life worth living. Yet, what happens when these people leave those in need, they suffer once more, as in most cases it was not the idea the people needed. It was the aid you brought, the aid that your ideas inspired you to bring. This has happened too many times, and it is a fact, one that shows those ideas can do immense good, but that the idea is not what needed protecting, what needed protecting were the things that could be annihilated. An idea can never die so long as there are those who value it. Yet, an idea can do very little one it's own, you have to believe for it to become more than an idea. It seems to me that the Christians need their ideas very much, just as much as those who needed their aid. Sadly, most Christians chase after the idea of God, they find him in those who have great needs. They feel it is their purpose to do his will, but they are most concerned with protecting his will, not doing it.
They seem to think either he will perish, they will suffer, or worse that something horrendous will take place if he is not protected. If God created the universe and all that encompasses it, I do not think he will perish like Tinker Bell if we all stopped believing. However, the good that his idea brought could perish. Just as Native Americans are correct to know you have to protect our earth, Christians are correct to protect their idea of God. The issue is how you protect those ideas. An idea will never die so long as you are inspired by it, your actions will then inspire others and that is the way ideas spread. The issue that divides many from the idea that Christians protect, is that they are failing to see God's beauty where it already is. To Christians their idea of God saved them, it gives them comfort and peace, which is a wonderful thing. Yet the harm is when they fail to see God in more than themselves. If Christians are right, then I would think God would be wise enough to find a way to give his ideas to everyone.
If you speak French to a Japanese person they will not understand your grand ideas. By that same logic, God would find a way for all to see his ideas. Christians are afraid the beauty of God will vanish if it is not spoken everywhere in a way they understand. When the truth is, they lose sight of the beauty of God by failing to see it's beauty when it is not spoken in a way they understand. Ideas are universal, the way we understand them is not.
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