I am a Christian, but I have always wondered why I feel uncomfortable with the so-called conservative Christians. Perhaps it is because so-called Christians make a clear distinction between the saint and the secular, and have a dualistic view that the The saint is righteous and pure and the Holy Spirit is at work, while the secular is unclean, inhabited by demons, and devoid of the Holy Spirit.
No human being can ever be 100% saintly. I believe that.
We may aspire to it, but we will never become it, and if we do, we will cease to be human.
Even if you are considered a person of character, there must be something human about you.
For example, Dr. Martin Luther King (leader of the American civil rights movement). He is said to have always had a mistress. This is in spite of the fact that the Bible tells us to love own wives.
He also had a contradiction between the teachings of the Bible and his own inner life.
The Bible says that there is sin in everyone (Genesis 3:1-7), and it's not just what is commonly called "illegal behavior," but also small lies, hypocrisy, jealousy, envy, aggression, and so on. Every kind person has some flaws, and there is an example of a kind person who turned into a demon the moment she became a mother-in-law.
In other words, from the moment we are born into this world as human beings, there is something sinful inside of us, and isn't our life a struggle against that self? I think so.
When I think about it, I think that the mundane part exists in everyone, that it cannot be denied, and that God is not asking us to deny it.
Where is this written in the Bible? It is difficult to ask, but we can find it by first looking at the disciples of Jesus.
They were all former criminals, tax collectors, fishermen, and radicals (like today's leftists?). The group is quite dense, and none of them are elite class students.
What does that symbolize?
A person who has been immersed in the mundane world and lusting after his own worldly desires awakens to a teaching and undergoes soul training in order to better himself.
We can say that the Bible describes the process of growth.
That's what many people sympathize with, especially Matthew, who was a tax collector (a so-called collector) and writes with a harsh perspective on the very elite class of scribes and the hypocrites who pretend to be righteous and want to control.
It suggests that even those who try to faithfully follow the teachings of Jesus can become sinners because of their elitism.
It is also interesting to note that many of the disciples are manual laborers and not scholars.
Here are my personal thoughts....
The human soul is made up of that balance of light and dark, and that when we eliminate all mundanity, we may lose some humanity.
It is because of sin and darkness that we have the desire to be better and to know what is right.
In other words, it is not necessary to forcibly remove "worldliness" and "sin" from ourselves, but it is more healthy to acknowledge that it is natural to have a necessary degree of "evil" and that our "worldly" selves are also natural. I feel that it is healthier to acknowledge that our "secular" selves are also natural.
On the other hand, it is not good to play around with self-centered greed all the time, and I feel it is important for human beings to continue to face their "sins" and grow until they die.
This is probably why so many religions were born, and why so many ideas were born.
Humans are weak and need a guide in life.
Rather than eliminating the mundane, we need to enjoy life while maintaining a good balance between the sacred and the profane.
I would like to live a more flexible life, instead of being blinded by the "mundane" and eliminating it.
James H. Corn, the father of black theology, argued that in the early 20th century, when there were still strong vestiges of slavery, blacks were telling their naked lives stories on their guitars and talking to God in church on Sundays. This was the original human way of being, and both had "spiritual work" to do. That is the "truth".
I was impressed by Cohn's view of Christ and his deep understanding of humanity, which I had felt before was neatly grounded in conventional Western theology, but still spoke the truth about humanity.
Dr.Corn showed us that "the sacred and the profane" is the "truth of humanity," and not just one of them is right or true.
So, I am quite unique as a Christian.
Because they are trying to be "saints" and exclude themselves as "laity".
Everyone, as long as they are human, has something human about them.
Don't you find that endearing?
They may look perfect, but in fact they are timid, impatient, easy liars (light without malice), mischievous, or jealous.
I want to fix it, but I can't. It's called "seven habits without which I can't fix it.
God is good with that.
A sin that does not go too far is a charm, so let's forgive it, shall we? That's how it is.
Why did the King need a mistress?
Was he extremely frightened by the daily assassination threats he received every day, and wanted to escape from reality? Or was he just a womanizer?
I still don't know the truth.
Such a sinner, Dr. King, was given a great role to work for God , and he fulfilled it and became a martyr.
This world has always been made up of "the sacred and the profane" in unison, like a fabric.
That's why it's so energetic and dynamic.
It was a day that made me think about such things.
I wish Dr.Corn was alive. ・・・・・
I was the one who thought about it in this few days.
Balance, it's important.
#Saint and Secular
#Christians
#Dr.King
Providence of the #World
The true meaning of #God
The truth of #humanity
#JamesHcorn
