We may never know much about the thorn Paul wrote of or even what it might have been. There has been much speculation by biblical scholars as to what it was or might have been. I do not suggest that today’s blog topic was it but I do believe it could very well be mine and yours as we work at living a Holy Life. Never had thought about this even though I often have used the word conscience many times and have even used it as an analogy suggesting that what we referred to as conscience,  was for the Christian, possibly the Spirit speaking to us. A new book, which I acquired on the suggestion of a friend in the faith has led me to today’s blog subject. The book written by Calvin J Roetzel, now in its sixth printing is titled “The Letters of Paul”. Less than twenty pages in and Wham! A few words written by the author and I am encouraged to do some internet surfing and of course spend some time with Merriam Webster. It seems from times gone by and up to this very moment there has always been this thing called conscience, depicted in the secular world as that little man on our shoulder, sometimes even as a little devil, or a kinder picture being that of a cricket, “Jiminy Cricket” to be exact. In his book Mr Roetzel suggests that for Paul there were “things of the conscience”  that were there in times of his following Christ. At this point I guess we should ask, just what is this “conscience thing”? We found and favor this definition.

“The conscience is defined as that part of the human psyche that induces mental anguish and feelings of guilt when we violate it and feelings of pleasure and well-being when our actions, thoughts and words are in conformity to our value systems. The Greek word translated “conscience” in all New Testament references is suneidēsis, meaning “moral awareness” or “moral consciousness.” The conscience reacts when one’s actions, thoughts, and words conform to, or are contrary to, a standard of right and wrong.” (gotquestions.org)

May I suggest some areas that interest me in relation to what things that might drive this “conscience thing”. One being Cultural Awareness.

Cultural Awareness
-the inner sense of what is right or wrong in one’s conduct or motives, impelling one toward right action: to follow the dictates of conscience.

-the complex of ethical and moral principles that controls or inhibits the actions or thoughts of an individual.

It is suggested that this cultural framework, is a term used in social science to describe traditions, value systems, myths and symbols that are common in a given society. A given society may have multiple cultural frameworks. I found it interesting that in some of my reading it was noted that the Hebrew saw himself as a member of a covenant community, not as an individual, and that community being one related to God and his laws. That is to say that a Hebrew was confident in his relationship to God as long as the Hebrew nation as a whole was in good fellowship with him. That being the Hebrew way of looking at conscience, let’s look at the Christian side of this “conscience thing”. Now I could stumble around for a couple of hundred words or so but I believe that which is written in an article in gotquestions.org is a much better and clearer way.

“The New Testament concept of conscience is more individual in nature and involves three major truths. First, conscience is a God-given capacity for human beings to exercise self-evaluation. Paul refers several times to his own conscience being “good” or “clear” (Acts 23:1; 24:16; 1 Corinthians 4:4). Paul examined his own words and deeds and found them to be in accordance with his morals and value system, which were, of course, based on God’s standards. His conscience verified the integrity of his heart.
Second, the New Testament portrays the conscience as a witness to something. Paul says the Gentiles have consciences that bear witness to the presence of the law of God written on their hearts, even though they did not have the Mosaic Law (Romans 2:14-15). He also appeals to his own conscience as a witness that he speaks the truth (Romans 9:1) and that he has conducted himself in holiness and sincerity in his dealings with men (2 Corinthians 1:12). He also says that his conscience tells him his actions are apparent to both God and the witness of other men’s consciences (2 Corinthians 5:11).”

Here lies a fault of today’s society. We tend to not acknowledge those values we disagree with and they receive little or no consideration as to how we interact with others. With all the issues facing the Christian community these days, that is a rather narrow view. We tend to simplify this “conscience thing” by bypassing the obvious question, “what forces shape our values and guides our consciences?” Are we influenced by a conscience guided by Godly thoughts or are we influenced by the culture of the day? First I guess it would be best to understand this “state of consciousness”. My trusty dictionary says it is “the quality or state of being aware especially of something within oneself.” This fits perfectly one of the defining characteristics of Paul. Paul was very much aware of what was his inner-self so to speak or more plainly from a Christian viewpoint, the leading of the Holy Spirit with-in himself.

We need to ask ourselves what is it that feeds our conscience? Is it the word of God and the desire to follow the example of Christ and submit to the will of the father in our lives? Are we obedient to God’s law as given by him in the Ten Commandments.

“Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Your precepts” (Psalm 119:97-100, NKJV)

Is it really that simple? What about the pressures of the day? Would it not be reasonable to expect that if we accepted the cultural permissiveness of this day and even worse embraced them, our attempts to live a Holy Life might be compromised? If what we feed our conscience is made of the current cultural permissiveness, could that be a problem for the Christian person? If we look at our conscience as a way to evaluate our actions, then would it not be reasonable to believe that it could be a thorn in our side? I know I have once again left you with more questions than answers. I do find it comforting that beyond the words there was a person who was just like us. We all struggle every day to live a Holy Life and it is remarkable that Paul sought to be “of good conscience” as a servant of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

How about you? Are you of good Conscience? There is that old adage “you are what you eat” implying that what we take in can effect our bodily health. It is stated in such a way that it is not condemning but does put the responsibility on the person to whom it is directed. Could we say that our conscience is an old adage that calls our attention and responsibility to carefully consider what motivates our actions and speech? If you have read this far, I thank you for staying in the pew and allowing me to ponder openly with you.
God is Great! I would pray that all of us would welcome the Holy Spirit into our lives, even when God uses it to through our conscience to give us direction to continue in “the way.”

God Bless,
jk

Few will disagree that our nation today is one of general unrest and that civil discourse is almost impossible due to the turmoil that exists among our people. Turmoil which is best described as a state or condition of extreme confusion, agitation, or commotion brought on by the hate and rhetoric of people determined to destroy anything they disagree with. This effort is aided by a complacent media that no longer reports news but instead choses to write the news. Where do we in the pew fit into this world of uncivil behavior driven by hate and thirst for power? First thing that comes to my mind is that a Christian, a follower of the way could not meet God’s commandment that we are to “Live a Holy Life” and subscribe to any of the beliefs or practices that are destroying our society. Please stay with me through this blog, be aware I am stretching a bit to make a point.

My first stretch is to give form to this madness. The first place we go of course would be the political parties, who themselves are going through a transformation of sorts. Why here first? Because political parties are constantly seeking to gain or consolidate their power base, and power corrupts.We can then move on to factions within these and here lies one of our clues. There are the liberals, the conservatives and add to that the “far left” and of course the “far right”, the last two sometimes referred to as “ultra”. We all can agree that dialogue between these groups can be difficult but we have moved way past that. Still…..while these differences of opinion can be heated, they are not the problem.

My second stretch is to suggest what is driving this destruction of civility and tolerance, to give it form, so I suggest this rather unusual thought. Theocracy……and yes I can hear you asking, does he know what a theocracy is?
theocracies. 1 : government of a state by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided. 2 : a state governed by a theocracy.(www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theocracy)

Stay with me now. I am saying that this level of hate and lack of civil discourse requires some form of organization. I am saying we are seeing a new form of government. Now some folks are pointing to a shadow government, there has always been a shadow government. Ever hear of those “smoked filled back rooms”? We are dealing with a “Theocracy of Hate”. Those involved in this belong to a government built on hate and have become the powerful “Purveyors of Unrest”. I am simply suggesting that this environment of hate, intolerance , and lack of civility contains a well organized and informed structure which is well financed, closely controlled and goal oriented. It operates like a Theocracy, led by people who are considered to be infallible in judgement to the point that their orders are treated as if they came from a divine source. Disobedience to the source is not tolerated. Talking points, the political process of plausible argumentative replies used to answer a difference of opinion, well they have become a holy mantra of justification.

The “third stretch” is recognizing that this particular Theocracy has also become a “Purveyor of Unrest” within the community of faith, the family of God and those who try each day to live a holy life. Yes folks we are like a bunch of frogs in a pot filled with water waiting to come to a boil. By the time we feel the heat it will be to late. We see what is going on around us but refuse to accept the fact that this “Theocracy of Hate” has allowed this purveyor to come among us and peddle daily the increments of unrest that weakens the faith. You may ask, what might these be? One of the most important and the one that leads us to the rest, is this insatiable desire to rewrite the Word as to its meaning so as to fit the demands of today’s society. Now I realize that a statement such as “meaning of the word” leaves open the process of opinion and that is not all bad. There are many within the church whose “opinions” are crafted to advance their agendas in order to consolidate their positions and power. Hey, you think I might have left the barn with a few less bales of hay than needed? Look at what those who held positions of power and influence in Christ’s day were willing to do to maintain and strengthen it. Call it what it was, a political murder.

I asked at the very first of this post “Where do we in the pew fit into this world of uncivil behavior driven by hate and thirst for power?” The answer for the committed Christian…….WE DON”T. The Kingdom of God is not of this world and we have been called out, to be different, to be a living example of the love of the Father for his children. We read in Isaiah 57: 20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. The wicked will always be with us constantly causing problems which creates the unrest among the Community of Faith. So what to do. It might seem harsh but we cannot allow ourselves to be drawn along the path they have chosen to walk. If we are to have peace within or hearts and minds we must heed that which is written in Isaiah 57:21 There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.” We must separate ourselves from their evil ways. You may interpret this however you wish. Let’s move on to Lamentations 5:5 Our pursuers are at our necks; we are weary; we are given no rest. Think about this for a moment. We are besieged by those who wish to marginalize our faith and denigrate our God. I will stretch a little more within this stretch. In Deuteronomy Chapter 12, verses 8-14 we are told God will choose a special place for His people to worship, rejoice and rest in the promised land. In verse 12:9  for you have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance that the Lord your God is giving you. Even though this book is written before our reading of Lamentations there is some advice here that can be carried forward and makes sense. Amen, we have not yet come to that place. There is still work to be done and souls to be saved. Going back to Isaiah 59:8 The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths; they have made their roads crooked; no one who treads on them knows peace. We as the Church cannot allow ourselves to be caught up in this
theocracy of hate which will sow the seeds of unrest among our community and weaken our ability to “Go Forth….” I close with these words of our Lord and Savior

John 14:27
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

jk

I am not a theologian or a lawyer but can’t get this subject off my mind. It has been said that a good writer always writes about those things he knows about which makes my writing about this even more puzzling. I can read and the tools of the digital age allow me access to a great deal of information. I was drawn to this topic because of the prevailing attitude concerning Laws and Rules. I consider rules to be the children of Law and they can sometimes become a bit unruly. Then as I pondered on this sudden revelation I was drawn in even more by a news story in the Washington Post, the link will be included later in this blog.

For law to work best it must be enforceable, fair and written in such a way that it protects those values that best reflect the will of the majority. There are of course other views. I will quote from Wikipedia:

“Law is a system of rules that are created and enforced through social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior. Law as a system helps regulate and ensure that a community show respect, and equality amongst themselves. The law shapes politics, economics, history and society in various ways and serves as a mediator of relations between people.”

I think it can be said with some confidence that the influence of religious beliefs form the basis of many secular laws that are written. Our constitution in part is written by men of religious leanings, some of which worked their way into our constitution. The point of today’s blog is the disturbing trend of people to just simply ignore the law as written because it does not fit their agenda or social needs. Again I go to Wikipedia to look at another form of law.

“Canon law is the body of laws and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (Church leadership), for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law, or operational policy, governing the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches), the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the individual national churches within the Anglican Communion. The way that such church law is legislated, interpreted and at times adjudicated varies widely among these three bodies of churches. In all three traditions, a canon was originally a rule adopted by a church council; these canons formed the foundation of canon law.”

Please understand that I am aware of how tedious a read this can be but I want to be accurate and fair. So we start here. Over the past few years, months, weeks and days there has been a display of open disdain for the law as written, discussed, voted on and enacted in the required manner. Immigration laws, sanctuary city laws and just recently our withdrawal from the Paris Accords. Now the Paris thing is a bit different but the response to it by certain interests fits with the direction I am going. If you don’t agree just ignore. I might add that Paris is an agreement not a Law. Here again we see that opinion is far more important than law or any agreement. We have looked at two different forms of law and now I will add a third, again from Wikipedia.

“The Seven Laws of Noah (Hebrew: שבע מצוות בני נח Sheva Mitzvot B’nei Noah), also referred to as the Noahide Laws or the Noachide Laws (from the English transliteration of the Hebrew pronunciation of “Noah”), are a set of imperatives which, according to the Talmud, were given by God as a binding set of laws for the “children of Noah” – that is, all of humanity.
Accordingly, any non-Jew who adheres to these laws because they were given by Moses is regarded as a righteous gentile, and is assured of a place in the world to come (Hebrew: עולם הבא Olam Haba), the final reward of the righteous.
The seven Noahide laws as traditionally enumerated are the following:
1 Do not deny God.
2 Do not blaspheme God.
3 Do not murder.
4 Do not engage in illicit sexual relations.
5 Do not steal.
6 Do not eat from a live animal.
7 Establish courts/legal system to ensure obedience to said laws.

According to the Talmud, the rabbis agree that the seven laws were given to the sons of Noah. However, they disagree on precisely which laws were given to Adam and Eve. Six of the seven laws are energetically derived from passages in Genesis, with the seventh being the establishing of courts.”

There is another type of law, the “Law of God”. I have used that term a time or two in different blogs and it can open a whole new subject for a blog. But let’s keep it simple.How does all of this tie together? It seems that regardless of the origin of the law we have evolved to a place in time that in some issues have no law but that of opinion, and it is divided. We choose to do that which pleases us or fits our agendas, which begs the question, why the law? This may not be the best answer but I liked the fact that it is simple and straight forward.

“Law is simply a guide for people to follow to ensure cohesion, agreement, and peace in civil and interpersonal relationships. Without an understood standard, enforced by a sovereign ruler, everyone would act according to his own whim or desire, and nothing good or worthwhile would be produced” (http://www.truegospel.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Basics.tour/ID/6/What-are-Laws-of-Kingdom.htm)

I have noted that the references to the law above are from Wikipedia, you might want to seek other definitions elsewhere. I will continue on with what I have here. At the start of this blog I pointed out that it is best to write about things you have knowledge of, my next point. For more than 34 years I identified as a United Methodist and still hold a great affection for its people. The Methodist Church today is engulfed in a difference of opinion concerning same-gender issues. I am not going to mire this blog in an argument in which I have no standing. (I am a Christian so of course I have a faith-based reason about this issue.) I intend to use this as an example of the power of Opinion over Law. I refer you to:

Book of Discipline (United Methodist)
The Book of Discipline contains the laws, rules, policies and guidelines for The United Methodist Church. Its last edition was published in 2016. Without going to the link above I pulled this out and it serves the point I wish to make.

“…….is followed by a brief history of the church, then the church constitution, and a statement concerning the doctrine and theology of the church. The Social Principles of the church follow. Finally the legislative section, by far the largest part of The Discipline, appears.”

Other denominations have similar publications that serve the same propose.The following news story is an excellent example of the issue I am writing about. Let’s be clear that this is church law, earlier I listed some secular laws that have seen challenges based on opinion. The church law contained within the Methodist Discipline states that this is not allowed and provides actions to be taken. Before we jump on my Methodist friends we should make it clear that this particular issue has risen its ugly head in many other main-line denominations. The issue here is not the same-gender thing but the this practice of discarding, ignoring, and other wise completely by-passing law in favor of an opinion is not owned by any one group or interest. The link below is the story I have referenced.

www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/06/07/the-united-methodist-church-just-appointed-a-transgender-deacon/?utm_term=.1d9c77c771d2

I started out with the statement that Law is an adventure in Opinion. Why is this? If we incorporate our laws into rules that reflect the Rule of Law, how is it that Opinion, secular or religious now is in many issues the ruling factor. It would seem to me that a law which has been put into place by whatever agreed process is in place and is recognized by a majority vote of the government, institution, or organization would require a similar process to change the law or rule. Do we now live in a society that simply accepts and agrees on what Opinion has the loudest backing, the most money or the ability to just accept their view as Law and to obey the law is optional based on their opinion?

I guess I have left you with more questions than answers. You might say you are confused as to where I was trying to go with this. So am I…….I leave you with this thought. If we are unable to determine when life begins and after all these years we still have a difference of opinion as to how that applies here…….then I guess all our lives are subject to the Opinions of others.
God Bless,
jk