You wanna know about poverty - do ya?

You won't believe what poor people are doing until you actually get to meet them - aren't they pathetic - God forbid I ever get my hands 'dirty' and 'put in some work' to deal with....yuck....them. My parents raised me right and I work hard to get ahead in life - those poor people are lazy, drunks, addicts, losers, bums, criminals, and dirty. They need to resurrect more jails for these people. Keep these 'poor' people away from me:

(1) Just robbed a store to put some food on the table for me and my 5 kids
(2) Killed my girl-friend because I hate myself for the addiction that's killing me
(3) Rotting in a jail cell because Momma never know how to love me and Dad was too authoritarian
(4) Just got a welfare cheque for $200.00 - first time I ever seen this much money
(5) Holding you up in your house so I can sell your sh*t and pretend I am rich too
(6) Blood all over my hands from watching my friend get stabbed to death at a house-party
(7) Hiding under the bed since my mom is getting beat to a bloody pulp by my dad - and they are intoxicated again
(8) Have trouble with social interaction since my mom and dad rarely said a legible word to me - and when they spoke I was being 'cut down' or ridiculed
(9) Selling drugs to my neighborhood - I don't care who dies - I need the money - and I have never had money or responsibility before
(10) Want to kill the police for arresting and beating my brother to the ground - they also threw my momma to the ground and called her all kinds of abusive names
(11) Dropped out of school because nothing they teach me makes any damn sense in the 'here and now'
(12) Strung out in the basement - no one is around - I know I am dying - but no cared about me anyways
(13) Stealing cars and doing B-N-E's because I want to make some money and my parents don't give 2 sh*ts where I am tonight
(14) Had to steal your sh*t because my parents drank all my allowance up - and I don't care about you when no one cares about me - don't be stupid
(15) Had to kill that kid for trying to 'test me' - I'm violent because I know I can keep myself safe - I ain't failing where my parents did
(16) Strung up in the basement - I had to live with sexual abuse all my life - rather be hanging than hanging around here anymore
(17) Family has no respect for me in my accomplishments - they think I am trying to be 'better than them' - I feel worthless and I wish they were dead
(18) I'm begging in front of 7-11 since I gave up hope- no one cares about me - just give me some cash to drink as you look down on me - your the reason I am doing this you inconsiderate assh*le
(19) Been in jail for 6 months now and each night is lonelier than the last - it's kill or be killed in here - 'Don't let them see you cry', I know - but it's hard to live like no one loves you.
(20) Got 3 kids to raise and I'm on my own - no clue where the father is - some days we go without food - my kids get suspended at school for not listening - I have no life but when I can get my hand on a drink or two I am downing it - can't say whats worse - the stress of these kids lives in my hands - or the fact I am a failure.
(21) Got razorblade marks from shoulder to wrist - been so dulled by my existence - it's when I cut I actually feel something - that's so much better than nothing
(22) Life has no meaning - look around - all I see is people living poor - what's the point of that? - no hope for as far as the eye can see
(23) Been on the street corners for 3 months - I need the money for my kids - I do drugs to forget what it is I am doing - I hate myself and I hate these assh*les that pick me up - but for once I feel like someone does 'like me'
(24) Never owned a home, a decent car, or had the money to even think of that stuff - even if I had the chance I wouldn't know where to start - I know jack sh*t about the bank system
(25) I can barely afford to keep my power and energy bills going - welfare isn't cutting it anymore - most people won't give me a job - addictions are dragging me down - rch people look down upon me - they are going to get theirs.

This is merely a sample of the inner-city struggles and the issues they have to deal with. I meet these people all the time and have throughout my life - and when I mean poor and broken - well - this is what I mean. It's a struggle the church had forgotten about. I am resurrecting it.

Dollars & Figures - could we really solve some problems?

Here is my take on church budgets and when I researched I was quite amazed at the kind of cash we are dealing in as a church society.

Giving in 7 National Churches (Canada)

Alliance Church - $22,537,661 (possibly including more countries)
Lutheran Church - $10,924,620
Mennonite Church - $3,420,000
Evangelical Church - $3,836,882
Christian Reformed Church - $9,835,920
Free Methodist Church - $768,900
Pentecostal Assemblies Church - $8,830,044

Total: $60,154,027 (based on giving about $5.00/month for each member)

Some Examples

(1) Alliance Church: Has 429,000 members that raised $22,537.661 - each person was giving approximately $53.00 a year (or almost $5.00/month).

(2) Evangelical Lutheran: They have 182,077 members and if each gave $5.00 a month they would raise $10,924,620 in a year.

(3) Mennonite Church: Has 57,000 members and of each gave $5.00 a month they could raise $3.420,000 a year.

(4) Evangelical Fellowship: They have 15,000 members (and families) and they managed to give $3,836,882 in 2005.

I took all my statistics from each Canadian churches official website - for member counts and some even had annual budgets posted. I found out that churches are raising a heck of a lot of cash - the majority of it is being used by the churches for various projects - for the Alliance those projects mainly include the 'mission field' (money leaves country) and for others very similar projects - some of them even addressed poverty.

My question is this: can this kind of cash help to re-define the Christian stance on poverty? Can we develop new programs to address needs within our inner-cities? Do we have to power base and resources (people/money) to handle those programs? Let's say we gave more than $5.00/month in these churches - what would be the end result? I wish I was dreaming these numbers but 'hey' while we got Capitalism as a system - let's use it for some good - the kind where we address the the ideas in Matthew 25:35-40.

'I have a dream...'

I Wish We All Were Ready - for this type of message!

"I would agree - there is no justification for me hoarding what I own - to another's demise. The way I see it is quite simple - if they ask, and I do nothing - then I am not listening to the voice of God or even following a single teaching from Jesus (break one - break em all). I have forgotten to love the other as much as I love myself - apparently I have healthy love for myself - but loving myself just seems selfish after awhile." (SVS)

"I have a warm house when there are plenty of others that don't and that I'm allowed to have a library of books amongst other things while there is even a single death from malnutrition or starvation (not having enough), there is no justification possible for this. Reasoning like, "I am a good steward" or "I can bless others with what I have" or even "I and my family are entiled to a little something" ring extremely hollow to me when I can save lives by giving even a fraction of that to others. People are dying because they need and do not recieve the things I have. I am responsible for these deaths, I have murdered the other, broken the command "Thou shalt not murder" and killed my neighbour." (Heinini)

"Levinas points out that this isn't simply stabbing them with a knife, there are many ways in which we murder, and all of these are "self-ish" pre-occupied with self, justifying self, perpetuating self, always at the expense of the other." (Heinini)

"In essence I agree with you about the 'have's' and the 'have nots' and learning to go back to when we played as kids - and sharing. The idea is not an extremely hard one to understand from the gospels and Christian writings - it's there in red and white a lot of times. So in essence, I agree with the concept." (SVS)

"I think we need to develop programs and ideas that will get people to think along these lines - programs that find a way to use what 'we have' to help the people that 'don't have'...I can see the power of the point of view - working with one another is of the highest importance. Many people are so heaven-bound they forgot about their responsiblities here." (SVS)

'To Hell With It All' - Commentaty on Hell?

"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! Luke 12:4-5" (Bible)

"This teaching is hard to accept but after some serious thought and prayer it makes sense to me. And I am not just focusing on the requirements and warnings of the faith, I have found a better realization of the blessings also." (Ken)

"A man holds a gun to his wife's head and says, "Say you love me or I will shoot you." What could it possibly mean for her to say she loves him? Is that love? A god holds the fires of hell beneath humanity and says, "Love and believe in me or you will spend eternity in the fire." What could it possibly mean for humanity to love that god? Is that love? I neither love that god nor believe in him. He never existed except in our own masochistic thinking." (John)

Oh the fires of hell are raging for this topic...does hell exist and if so, why? What is your take on the 'hell' that is mentioned quite a bit in the gospels - how do you deal with interpreting things like 'gehenna' and 'brimstone'? Inquiring minds want to know - and some even want avoid it.

When Communism meets Capitalism

I just finished reading an article in the BusinessWeek (www.businessweek.com) magazine about Chinese factories and American companies - the meeting of Capitalism and Communism. The magazine focused on factory work conditions and American investment - 3 points came up as 'obstacles to reform' within those factories (concerning work conditions).

(1) Price Pressures: American's expect to pay less for the goods they recieve and since 1996 prices on many articles (ex: clothes, toys, and games) has been dropping - Americans have become accustomed to paying the low prices.

(2) Few Alternatives for Manufacturers: Other low wage nations enforce their codes of conduct more stringently but China is very efficient in workforce, infrastructure, supply base, and massive ability to manufacture so much in so little time. Problem is China doesn't enforce codes of conduct as efficiently.

(3) Worker Demands: The Chinese workforce is quite alright with getting as much hours as possible and not making overtime pay (3-4 hours OT a day on a 5 day workweek) - however this is not what American companies endorse yet they never use their leverage to change the situation.

The problem with the whole scenario is that these Chinese factories are breaking all the American rules for 'code of conduct' in an effort to keep American business on their soil. The problem really lies with the 'pricing' - most Chinese factories admit that on order to meet American demand for what a product should be produced for (ex: $0.64/hour) they have to not pay overtime - and there isn't much they can do to change that (since Americans demand a low price on a lamp or sweater).

The Chinese 'doctor' the accounting books during audits to make it look like all is fair - they only get found out during routine visits by American companies visiting those factories first-hand. There is even Chinese companies willing to help 'doctor' those books for the factory - as a help to keep them in business. All the while, even when the American companies know some of the discrepencies (ex: no OT or underage kids working) rarely do anything since that's a Chinese thing to deal with - again, bottom line is the focus for both sides. The end of the article even states this is still an 'economic reality' - so this is still happening (right now as I type on a Dell computer).

So next time you shop at Wal-Mart, Target, Nike, Adidas, Eddie Bauer, Nordstrom, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Motorola (owns a literal factory), General Electric (owns a factory also), McDonalds, Walt Disney, Home Depot, Sears, retailers under 'Young Sun Lighting Co., and J.C. Penney - remember they all do business with China so you can 'pay less' for their products.

Of an even greater note, we can't solve the inequitable problem in China but we can learn this simple lesson - with all the money we save for buying at these outlets on all the products we buy each month - possibly we can use that money we save to help someone struggling here with poverty - although the Chinese still will be worked to death - let's not let their sweat go wasted on a Capitalist machine that also forgets it's poor here.

Christianity - What's Money Got To Do With It?

"The Kingdom of God doesn't mean the "haves" should be forced into handing over what they have (although in death everyone will hand over everything) and give it to the "have-not"s. It means they should not put their trust in their riches." (BB)

"Historically speaking, the best any government has ever been able to do at creating prosperity is to allow the individuals who work and entrepreneur to be rewarded by the free market and those who don't to suffer...Historically speaking the poor are best served by the free market. Anyone who tells you different simply envies the rich..."(BB)

"Statistically speaking a person who does only 3 things is virtually guaranteed of staying out of poverty: 1) Get a job, any job 2) Don't fornicate/commit adultery 3) Graduate from highschool" (BB)

"We will always have the poor to give to (through what Paul calls, "The most excellent way", that is, charity), but not everyone has Jesus. No government program or redistribution of wealth can bring people to know Jesus. In poverty there is suffering, but without Jesus, life is simply not worth living. And that is why giving money for people to know Jesus is better spent than money on government hand-outs." (BB)

The question of money is dealt with quite extensively in the gospels, and in some of the letters. My questions about money are quite simple:

Can we be rich? Should we be rich? Is this a blessing from God?
Do we have to give? If so, how much and to what?
What do we use 'money given to God' for?
Is addressing issues of poverty a biblical imperative?
Does the church have a double standard concerning money?
Do politics of the nation represent Christ's original vision regarding money?
Is responsibility of your wealth even an issue in the bible?

Just questioning the ideas about money - I have heard a lot of conflicting idealogies about the correct Christian stance in my lifetime - if I had to live by one biblical model - what should that be? Someone please show me -I am totally confused.

Is This What Jesus Taught? Show me where.

I just watched a documentary on the Evangelical church in the USA. Can't say I was exactly estatic for the faith after seeing the show - and some of the absolute mis-nomers I seen being taught and thought - as the true teachings of Jesus.

(1) Jesus' name: There was a variety of different methods being used to push the gospel and get conversions - and all of them stake their claim in Jesus and his teachings. They must have shown about 10 various ministries and all of them more unique than the last (a comedian, rodeo, wrestling, creationists, protests, poltical agenda's, putting up $25,000 crosses, huge rallies, a car show, skateboarders, etc). It got me thinking - how much of this is actually in the gospel message? If you look closely - not a single one of these ideas came from the original message.

(2) Politics: Why are Christians so 'hell-bent' on joining this faith with politics and spouting useless rhetoric like 'let's take this country back for God'? People like Falwell, Dobson, and others think this is one of the core mandates of the faith - heck, the Evangelical union helps to register all their congregants (and supplies them with the platform of the candidates according to what they label 'Christian Values'). There is a very strong tie between Evangelicals and politics - and I am left speechless on the issue.

All I ask is one simple thing - show me where the gospels or the letters back this idea - and I will follow suit. It seems to me this an addition by the Evangelical church into the faith - as a direction - more than it is from the gospels/letters. The teachings seem to point more to working with people in a supportive level - locally and personally - than about swaying political agenda's. Why mix your faith with Capitalism? - When the faith is more communal in nature. If politics was the answer I think the gospels would of mentioned that - however - they do not. I have to side with the teachings - and the teachings seem to proport the idea of acceptance, invitation, working as a support system, and working on behalf of one another - in such a way as to help those depleted and drained in society from the prisoner to the poverty stricken.

(3) Money: I couldn't believe the amount of money being spent by the Evangelical's on petty and useless things - like rallies, crosses, protests, cars, buildings, etc. I mean some of those political agenda's and rallies were costing a pretty penny (one event even had fireworks). They booked the finest stadiums, had the finest press releases, and got some of the best entertainment - all of this adding up into the hundreds of thousands of dollars - dare I say, millions?

Simple question - where is this type of monetary extravagance in the teachings of Jesus? Show me and I will also donate to these 'worthwhile causes'? I can't find this type of teaching anywhere in the gospels - but it's very prevalant in the Capitalist manifesto's. So who's fooling who here? All the teachings of Jesus seem to reflect that money is not what we want to gain in this life (nevermind churches storing it up for these big events) - but life is more important than money. Why isn't this money being spent on worthwhile programs for people depressed, drug addicted, poverty stricken, disabled, elderly, etc...I mean, that's life right there. Isn't the biblical teaching about investment in other people and not about ourselves (or our agenda's)?

(4) Salvation: The whole ordeal of this money spending and variety of gospel messages was about one simple thing - conversion or change. I am all for the salvation of the individual but I think the church is missing the mark here - these 'one night stand' conversion events. Isn't our version of salvation a little deeper than that or more sacred than a 'simple prayer'? Where is this version of salvation in the gospels? I mean people got 'saved' but the communities were a lot smaller - and if I am correct - in Acts they shared all they had with one another - they took care of each other (again - a support group). To me, conversion is a process and it takes time to create a whole new paradigm for life - do these big events provide that kind fo attention to detail?

(5) Acceptance: Mel White, a former ghost-writer for Jerry Falwell, was on the video also. He talked about his 'coming out of the closet' and how he still attends Jerry Falwell's church - even though he is banned. He wants to know what they are saying and what their next political campaign against him is. I watched that in absolute horror and dismay - this attitude of self-righteousness and bitter hatred - where is this in the gospels? I saw Mel crying in the crowd, a man that loves his faith, and I couldn't help but well up also - they treat this guy like he's already dead. I just imagine that Mel see's the same thing I do - crying for the people that are so hard-hearted they can't even stop to pretend to care about people un-like themselves.

I commented after I seen the show 'I wonder if Jesus was to walk into one of their services if they'd even recognize him?'. Then I realized 'whatever you do unto the least of these (my brothers), you have done it unto me'.

I'd gladly shake Mel's hand and invite him in to any place I went. I'd gladly take my money and donate it to people in society that are struggling. I'd gladly lay my life down to see another human have as much chance to succeed as I did. But I won't lay my life down for a system that rejects 'the least of these' and does so with justification that can only be explained as additions to the teachings of Christ. I ain't no skeptic - I'm just saying 'show me where'?

What is sin and How do we know?

"If God no longer holds our sins against us, then what is sin?" (Bruced)

"The question is "then why sin?" Why embrace a thing that is not godly once you have received the grace of God?" (JJ)

"Who here has no sin?...According to God, sin no longer exists. Certainly, there are things we will do that harm ourselves and/or others, but the penalty for that is of this world, not of God. He only sees Jesus when he looks at His creation. Jesus covered it all, and made it all new, fresh, and clean in God's eyes...Causing harm to ourselves or others might be stupid and painful, but it has no effect on God's view of us. Through Jesus, we are righteous to God, fully redeemed and fully forgiven forever...Sadly, not even the christians believe that." (Bruced)

That age old question of 'sin'. I have my opinions on it but what do you think? How do you define 'sin'? Does the standard change with time? Is 'sin' something that has been 'finished'? Tell me, what are yout thoughts about that word 'sin'?

What's Love Got To Do With It?

""I think we need to view scriptures in the light of God's true character which is love!" (The Ledge)

"Spiritual love is serious. To say that God's love means He is OK with whatever choices we make is to overstep the quality of love entirely." (BB)

"Love is not indifferent to living righteously. Love is the fulfilment of all righteousness. And "tolerance" (that is, the practice of stomaching the indecent practices of others) is not a virtue, but a necessary evil. Mercy, on the other hand, (the practice of forgiving someone for what is acknowledged to be evil) is a virtue. " (BB)

"I read about Jesus and I see him embracing people within those sins - drunks, prostitutes, and thieves (that should be a song Chris). Top that off and Jesus broke cultural barriers in relations with Samaritans and Romans - and also broke Jewish laws (including the sabbath and touching lepers). It seems to me Jesus looked through religion and saw the hope of these people - and simply loved them. He loved them without a real good social reason to do so - even for his times. But if we are gonna question the nature of love then we have to question Jesus' love in that also - he seemed to not make rules within which his love existed or would exist" (Svs)

What is the definition of biblical love? Are there a set of rules that set out a guideline for the basis of our love to others? Can our love be limited? Just what is this love that Jesus spoke about?

Homosexuality - What should be our response?

I was having a normal day then a few comments came my way that deserve their own post - and honest discussion. Check these out and let me know - what's the best route here as it concerns our faith?

"Christians don't have any right to protest against homosexuality or any secular topic" Scratch that and replace with;"Christians don't have any right to protest against homosexuals or other political agendas". Note; I can believe something that you don't without judging you." (BK)

"Would you agree that the Bible says homosexuality is a great evil?" (BB)

"I would disagree with this assumption as 'a great evil' (what does 'great' mean exactly?)" (Svs)

This was a highlight of some of the threads from a previous post - so what do you think - what is our best route (or even correct route) as Christians? Oh yeah - the homosexuality issue - bound to push a few buttons - but we need some honest and frank discussion on this issue.

Living - Dying - Both - Why Not?

I was thinking about a biblical concept for quite some time, mainly because a self-professed atheist said it makes no sense (or lacked rational). I thought 'wait...I am a very rational person and do things to make lives better and I hold that belief' - so I decided to take a closer look at it. Just maybe I was wrong - I mean - who knows until they examine the ideal.

'Your living to die and dying to live'...this is a biblical ideal (what!). It's the whole 'losing your life to live' ideal taught by Jesus. This was taught to me as such a stupid belief that lacks any real sense - and I was like 'cha'. It makes all the sense in the world and dare I say it - we all live like this - it's just what do we focus (put perspective) upon.

I figure we are all living (for something) towards a goal based on our perspective of life. We know this is true because as we read this we can breath, take a drink, have a smoke, well - anything you want. But we are also all dying - day by day we lose one more day - it becomes the past and there is no 'turning back' from the inevitable (the day of our demise). The cup is half full and half empty - and this again - is perspective - and I am more a 'live-r' than a 'dyer' - but aren't we all?

But my point is this: we are living and dying for the same perspective we hold on our life. If someone says 'I live for this moment' - they also mean 'I'd die for this moment' - and some do. So...the way one lives is also the way one dies.

So it makes all the sense in the world for Jesus to ask us to give our lives for the cause - since we are going to do it anyways - for this cause, for that cause, or for no cause - our living and dying is part of that process (by our mere acceptance of the cause). So I live for Christ and I believe all these values from the teachings - or I 'live in them' - and I also 'die in them' - for my life is not removed from the process by the cause - actually the cause becomes a part of me.

So whether I live or die - I was doing what I believed and what my perspective was. Not to say all good people won't be shot or murdered - they might - but they lived for their cause - and they also died in that same cause. Not saying the good people won't die by old-age - they might - but either way they lived their cause and died for it too. Living life means you hold a perspective and whether you realize it or not - you're also dying for it (day by day passes and you hold the same view until finally the next day just stops coming).

Final point, consider the case of a murder - person murders a person - he in turn gets killed as an act of revenge - the person dies for what they believe (that the one person should die - so they sow something that comes back to them). It's the same for the good, the bad, and the ugly - we all have brains and perspectives and we all live in those ideals - and then we eventually pass away - but those ideals define our lives (and sometimes our deaths). So you are living to die for something - we all are - and that's the circle of life.

I Learned Something Today...

I have done some thinking these last few days about the faith that I love - and I have done a lot of reading and blogging in that time. I have come to the most absurd conclusions ever (on this blog anyways) - and I am not sure why this is.

I have become way too liberal in my thinking - in some senses of that word - and I have to turn around and be more grounded (or level-headed). I found I was fighting against the 'churched-folk' or the 'evangelical right wingers' (on the basis of a few good things) but I noticed I was shutting those people out - and treating them in a way that wasn't fair - I was being hypocritical (in some sense) and I should of been more open. I found out they 'aren't the enemy' although some may be 'close-minded', they are people that need to be enlightened as much as any of us have been.

I noticed that a lot of times we want to 'bash their evangelical heads against the rocks' (and there is a time and place for this imagery) but we need to start seeing them as we were - as mis-guided and foolish in our actions - having the knowledge of a 'said God' but not knowing the power of the 'said God'. And not all people of the faith are this way, some are, but not all are in this 'limited thinking' mold. I guess I learned (like Stan & Kyle) that I need to be more open to all people - things are not quite as they seem - I lived in that lie for some time - but now I know it's a self-invented perception.

This faith is under a lot of scrutiny from a lot of weird places - I learned this from interaction with muslims, atheists, evangelicals, free-thinkers, scientists, liberal Christians, etc. I don't mind challenging the ideals of the faith that 'don't work' - or even the structure of the church - I enjoy knowing that we need change - this has become quite obvious. But if you have a hard time saying 'we' when talking about the church - you just crossed a line that you never knew you did (and that's your right as a human being). If it is true you entered the 'other side' of this dialogue - then any criticism laid is a really a criticism wasted (since 'you' are not in the 'we' anymore - you actually 'gave up' on the 'we').

I have found all this liberal jargon is quite fun and a great way to vent some of the current frustrations we have about the faith - I actually have little problem with that (hell I do it too). But if you can only play the 'blame game' and not find alternative answers to these problems that you and others are experiencing - what good can that be? Are there answers? Yes or no?

I come from a neighborhood in some serious trouble (see last post) and I have realized this faith offers more hope than any single program, tv show, song, or complaint - some of these people in the 'hood' just want some stability and a paradigm to live by - and frankly - I have to say, this faith is the best solution to the problem (or at least an all around way to start dealing with it). In this faith we have hope, structure, ideas of dedication, compassion, love, stability, care for the poor, etc. In this faith is a great paradigm for the new believer - and for those who have been broken in half - by the world around them.

I have had a lot of people tell me how useless the bible, the church, the faith, Jesus, prayer, and worship all are - but have you ever been without hope? Do you remember the feeling of 'being lost'? Well remember that and then throw in heavy problems in crime, addictions, education, family stability, and lack of faith in authority - and you might catch a glimpse of why this faith has a great ability to reach 'the actual poor'. Maybe we all just got too 'rich' for our ownselves.

But there is problems in the structure of church - I know that and I want them changed (or at the least challenged). There are problems in interpretation of scripture - I know that also and I want that changed (or at least challenged). The focus of the church misses the 'real poor in society' - I know this and I want this changed - immediately. There are problems of narrow-minded-ness and of unity - I know this and I want this changed. I am not sure where I fit in, left or right or centre-minded, but I do know that I want to see change in the church and more unity amongst the majority of us - and I think we need to not forget the faith - or those still in the faith that just might need us to walk beside them.

North Central: Canada's Worst Neighborhood

North Central (Regina) - my home neighborhood - all my formative years were there (ages 12-26): I got an education there, learned about life, became a criminal, was poverty-stricken, got my first car, was introduced to my faith, made my closest friends, and was around many of the Aboriginal people groups from across Saskatchewan (whom my closest friends consist of). This neighborhood has been deemed by Macleans magazine as 'the worst neighborhood in Canada' - that's the whole country - based on statistics. What does it mean - it means I gotta break this down.

I was watching news and they interviewed a lady named Julie Shore (who still lives in the neighborhood) - and I think she exemplifies a lot of what this neighborhood is. Her life story consisted of these elements - being stabbed, having her mother killed, addicition to drugs, and then turning to faith - in which she admits she finally got her 'first job' (she was approximately 27). I watched the story and I was like 'and...', I mean this is so commonplace that I hear her story and I barely 'bat an eye' - been there or seen there. Here goes the story.

The statistic is really not news to me - I think I knew this was the case. Growing up and attending Sacred Heart School we would compete with the neighboring schools for the highest crime/violence rates amongst schools - Sacred Heart won the dubious award 2 years in a row in the late 80's. I actually am not sure that title ever leaves the school systems in that area.

I lived in the neighborhood for almost 15 years and I can say that crime rates grew the whole time I lived there. Last year was the culmination of year's of struggle - Regina was both the murder capital (per capita) and crime capital (per capita) in all of Canada - we have dropped to 2nd half-way through this year. Most murders in Regina occur in North Central - or can be traced back to that neighborhood. Then you have a strong drug scene, the growth of gangs (who run the drugs), prostitution (even children), mass poverty (welfare), education rates which equal under a 50% graduation rate, lack of funding for programs, alcoholism, and a crime rating that shoots through the roof for theft and break n enters - so much so if you live there you expect to have your car broken into - we even keep our doors open so they don't break a window. Is it the worst? I only lived there and nowhere else - to me it is pretty bad and Julie Shore called it 'the worst neighborhood she has ever seen' (a sentiment shared widely in North Central).

There used to be no 'guns' in the inner-city or North Central - the last few years changed that - I have a friend serving a 3 year sentence for a shooting at the Empire Hotel. Gangs and drugs made it neccesary for the equipment - but it's only been introduced in the last 5 years. Knives and stabbings are horrendous - apparently in Vancouver they called us 'stab city' - a moniker with some truth - I have a few friends that have been stabbed in the past 10 years (nice scars). But this is the horror of living there - and most of this sh*t comes out at night - and I actually advise people not to walk through there at night - for safety purposes (if you don't know anyone) - might get jumped and robbed (happens more than it gets reported in our city). North Central is weird that way - a lot of sh*t never gets reported - we just 'deal with it' (one way or another).

For me this is my home neighborhood - when I get the chance to be there I am. I have such a love for that place and I want to see it become a better place for the poor, broken, destitute, and sometimes - despised. That neighborhood has some of the most open and nicest people I have ever met in my life - and they are realer than real down there - they don't mince words or beat around the bush - another aspect of it I love - 'it's this way or that way (don't sh*t me)'. I found many of the people down there to be quite welcoming and racism is quite small - it's racism in authority that have kept many of the Aboriginals in this neighborhood out of opportunities. I love the fact I can relate with the people in the 'hood' - I am one of their own who is making a difference - and trying to help others get employment. I just love that place - I actually wanna move back but that's for me and my wife to argue over.

I'm just saying - the report is saying something to the city of Regina - stop ignoring the problem - just because it doesn't effect you and you don't see it - doesn't mean it ain't happening - this Mcleans article was a wake-up call - let's start making things right.

Intellectual Faith - Good or Bad?

I have been doing a lot of reading from various people and their thoughts about the Christian faith and I have noticed something - the intellectualization of the faith - the faith in mere debate and radical study. I am wondering if this is a good thing or something bad?

I think studying and looking at the scriptures is an important thing - even the historical context of the faith is of importance to me - since I have only the early authors to rely on for accuracy in the biblical writings (ex: Matthew, Peter, Paul, James, and John). I have found through much study that many questions surround the validity of this faith - questions regarding the resurrection, the person of Jesus (did he even exist?), the sayings of Jesus (are these his sayings?), historicty of events in the texts (did they even happen?), is Jesus the Messiah, differences between Paul and the gospels, the Gnostic texts, errors in the bible (ex: contradictions), and tonnes of stuff about variations in the faith from early Christianity (ex: building of the canon). Basically, there is a question for everything you read about in the actual texts.

To be perfectly honest, how the hell do you know who is being intellectually honest and who isn't? Who is telling the closest story about what's true in the texts and who isn't? I find that both sides on the debate (believers and non-believers) have an agenda and it is hard to determine which side is being realistic. I have read stuff by atheists, muslims, fundamentalists, historians, jewish writings, professors, and blog writers...each one has their own sense of credibility if u ask me. So I look at the whole picture and think - well, who is telling the best story here?

I also take at a look at people that don't over intellectuialize this faith and I see the dearness of the faith to them - it's not that they aren't asking questions but they truly believe in God, no qualms about that. On an even closer look one will see that faith is dropping out in countries with time on their hands to merely study the texts as compared to those with less time on their hands due to hardship (in which religion continues to either grow or remain at an even level). It really makes you wonder about some of the sincerity of the faith that these texts were meant to produce and what it is producing in some circles. I think eventually faith communities in Europe and the America's will continue to drop until it becomes non-existent if things don't change.

What needs to change is always the big question. Maybe the reality of what those texts are supposed to mean in an intellectual community - since it is not yet irrational to believe the teachings of Jesus - which is only counter-acted by 'doing', not 'talking'. I think the faith of Christianity can have a greater impact if it becomes a religion of doing - mainly in sustainable programs for the communties churches reside in. People can speak for years and write all the books they want, but doing is something tangible and means something to both the doer and the reciever (which is not something we can put a price tag on). To me the doing means you actually believe the rhetoric you are saying - it's the step right after thinking it through. So in some sense, it's the doing that matters - not so much the lip-service.

But this is where I am at in life - I hear a lot of good things and bad things being said about the faith of Christianity - each side is as convincing as the next (no one seems to be winning the battle here). What I am yearning to see is the Christian faith revolutionize itself into a strong 'doing' community that will stand the test of time and not be washed asunder by rhetoric - which oddly enough - the services are built around. Talk is the beginning - but we have years of talk in church circles - we need some action - some 'doing' - some substance - a reason to believe that doesn't merely involve more 'talk'. Intellect is a good thing - I am thankful for all the thinkers - but action is greater - I am even more thankful for those that lay their life on those words and do something about it - for without them this faith is at a loss of words.

Rational Response? Don't Complain!

I was checking out sites on the internet, basically doing nothing I happened upon an Atheist site called 'Rational Response' - seems to be related to a documentary I watched called 'The God Who Wasn't There'. I actually thought the documentary was done quite shoddy but I did enjoy the content and the story line.

The story of the documentary seems to follow some dude who goes back to his Christian school and kind of calls them on certain things - the scene with the principal was quite funny (he was squirming). At the end of the film he supposedly blapshemes the Holy Spirit - whatever that means I am not quite sure at this point - or what the disciples meant I am not sure - but this dude thinks he did exactly that in the show - whatev's. The documentary goes into Jesus being a figment of the disciples imagination and that he fit 17 of 20 mythological traits - thus proving Jesus was a fake - I am like 'whatev's'. Basically, it's a disgruntled ex-Christian school kid with an axe to grind and this was his outlet - this documentary - then I found the website.

I have conversed with many an Atheist in my life but this site is the icing on the cake. Now I don't care if Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Brian Flemming want to knock the Christian faith - hooray, but for what exactly? This site is like so damn dumb, except the chat, that it defies even their supposed logic.

1. The whole 'who can blaspheme the best' thing is just ridiculous (can even send in a video). They wanna test your moxy and your faith in nothing, what's the difference between that and believing there is a God? Both require some sort of belief/faith - even if it they call it unfounded.

2. The dude has an axe to grind and he blames God for those problems, or at least as a source of those problems - hey I hear ya bro - but c'mon, like church and God and all things related made a single person's life turn out the way it did - whatever happened to choice and rationale? Each person is accountable for their actions, whether they follow a certain teaching or not, whether in this world or another.

3. Is the church solely to blame for the world's problems? Is the bane of our existence this Christ figure and the faith established upon him? Seems to me a close look, and a little bit of un-biased rationale, will expose the very fact gov't is involved in every step of the way in the evils of society (and at times they use religion as their side-kick). I look closely at history and I see politics and the working of that power as the one with the decisions to make to alter world events - not the church - the church has what for a power figure - the Vatican state - and they do what - tell people don't do this or that? Last time I checked no Christian state had any earthly power including arms, law making abilities, and police systems. Why? There is no Christian states around - except the Vatican - whatever that is called - and it is vastly limited (in a war for example or world politics).

4. They are raising money, for what I am not sure, but I am guessing to keep their mission of denouncing Christianity alive. Now some people gave money to keep the site going and I am not knocking the power of people to give but is this really a worthwhile cause? Is it helping a single person in any single verifiable way? I mean, they have to own a computer to at least participate - thus meaning they have to have some cash or be 'well to do'. I'm not sure but couldn't they raise funds to something for somebody? Help the poor - start a soup kitchen? Visit the sick in the hospital and care for their costs? Visit the prisioner and possibly help them reach their family in these hard times? Use that money for something but to simply promote a bunch of philosophical bullshit and pretend that means something is just, well...as dishonest as churches that spend that money on bigger buildings - they are the hypocrite they despise. This is a sore spot with me - when I know poverty and the help some of these communities need.

Don't get me wrong I am calling the site as I see it, a god-damn farce and only exists for us to play mind-games with one another - but if that's the solution an Atheist is giving me - I'll stay in the faith. It just pisses me off when someone has the audacity to rail on something yet they have no alternate solution - just some mind games to play. I am sick of it when Christians do it and I am sick of it when Atheists do it - present the problem but offer no viable solution to the problem - they just want to have some sort of self-righteousness about themselves. Get off that high-horse and think, I mean, on both sides they call themself 'rationale'.

So don't blame the church - unless you're going to get involved and try to make a difference. Don't blame the un-believer - unless you're going to get involved in that person's life - in some real, honest, touchable way. Don't tell me about the problem unless you first sat down for at least a few hours and tried to find an answer to it - cause it makes no sense to merely bitch. I am calling a problem a problem and a problem won't solve itslef - unless we have absolutely no rationale and think it might. No get involved in a real way or back the f*ck up for those that are. Last thing I need to hear is more criticism about faith, God, evil, the church, unbelievers, the poor, depressed, gov't, etc...cause I live by this - as much as you can complain you can do just as much to solve the problem.

I ain't done nothing I ain't used to doing

I was the drunken prophet that I wrote about
I was the sincere sinner that they moaned about
I was talking about peace when outside there was war
I was taken outside and thrown to the world

I haven't read the bible in about 4 weeks
I was drunk for 3 nights on coke n whiskey
I watched your marriage fall apart and bleed
I gave you the room that I needed for me

I did all the things I wasn't supposed to do
I got married to someone who you never knew
If you're looking for pills I got this one for you
I ain't done nothin I ain't used to doing

I watched cancer take someone out of my life
He lay on my couch day after day just so he could die
I was asking for a miracle but I got denied
I ain't afraid of looking mortality in the eyes

I was holier than thou and you holier than me
I was a mother's son who was everything to everybody
But I ain't a good person and I ain't no saint
I'm just a sinner that caught a lucky break

I heard people say they're broke while they're rich
I seen the most righteous reject the hands of the lifeless
I ain't got much but what I have I give to you
I been lied to so many times I've created an alter ego

I had people tell me who they thought I am
I was covered in labels just because they can
I am a drunken prophet I am an unholy man
I wanted the truth from those I can't understand

I can't tell you that I am something that I am not
I can't make credibility magically appear on the spot
I can't make the interpretations anymore clearer
I can't hold you hands while the time draws nearer

I was given something a glimpse of what is to be
I often wondered if the future was even there for me
I read the lines of books from former times
I never lived nothing that I couldn't make mine

I am me, I had drinks with the most broken
I am me, I had ideas which were not stolen
I am me, I gave compassion to the undeserving
I am me, I ain't done nothing I ain't used to doing

(societyVs - Does nothing, he ain't supposed to)

Mythology or Historicity Implied?

I just finished writing some comments on another blog about the issue of the historicity of the person Jesus Christ - was he real? Or was he person made up and written by the gospel writers and letter writers? I have heard these claims a lot and it made me wonder, would this destroy my faith? I resound with an absolute 'yes'.

The claims of this faith are that Jesus was the Christ, lived amongst us as a human being, suffered the death of the cross, then resurrected and was seen by people. Can any one of prove that with 100% certainty...well...no...we weren't there (or witnessed any of these events). So yeah, there is reason to believe he could be imaginery - none of us saw this happen (why couldn't they have media or video recorders in that day?). But what we do have are some things called gospels, letters, and the early church writings - again we cannot even verify who wrote them as we were not there while they were penned. So, strike two against the faith.

But the gospels and letters were written and they are the only sources to explain that period of time, nothing else exists...this is either strike 3 or we just might get on base here. You see some see this as a strike-out - no outside proof from historians so this has to be false. Problem there is not many historians are concerned about recording these issues - unless they get bloody well violent (this movement did not). But the fact there is something recorded means that someone had a reason to write it - and since this is the only account of the life of Jesus or the disciples (for that matter) - then by nature they are all we can go by. Either they hold some legitimacy or they are an internal community making stuff up - to build a religion of their own apparently.

If they made it up, what was the motive for such writings? One would have to say, a new religion - a fulfillment of the messianic prophecies - since that's what comes out their writings. But why a new religion and why depart from traditions your family has held so dear, for so long? For a made up 'Jesus' person, a figment of the imagination, a supposed messiah, etc. I think most people don't realize how tough it would of been for these disciples to leave their long established faith (Israel) - it was their hope, their promise, their connection to God - it was basically their whole life (Torah and law).

But 12 people want a new religion and they come up with an elaborate story (betray one of their own - Judas) where Jesus lives, teaches, does miracles, dies, and resurrects to the benefit of the Gentiles & Jews - not a single member being a Gentile but they had concern for them too (including Romans and Samaritans). Such weird writings where they make themselves into, well idiots - Peter comes off as brash and a denier of this faith, John and James are young and zealous - wanna kill people at one point, Matthew is a 'tax collecter' (not very admirable), Judas kills himself, etc. They paint themselves down and make Jesus look, well 'great'. I get it, I really do. They made up a fake person so they could make up a fake religion - what I don't get is the motive? Why? Was Judaism really that horrible to them? Did they think this idea would free the Jewish people from Roman oppression? Was their fame in it for some of them? I mean what makes a normal bunch of people leave their God, nation, and lifestyle?

You see if it is fake then all promises are null n void and these gospels and letters have no authority whatsoever - and whoever follows them is doing it for recreation alone. Some of the promises being eternal life and a close understanding of who God is or 'was'. Basically, there would be as much truth in there as in Greek mythologies about Zeus - they would be on an even keel and either can be worshipped as God (as far as I am concerned).

The other big problem is Paul and his letters. These pieces of literature point to the same ideas - Jesus lived, died, and resurrected - same claims as the gospels. Paul seems to tell quite the tale about himself and his turn to Christ - being a former high person in Jewish ranks. He then turns only to have himself nearly killed a few times, hated by his own people (both Romans and Jewish), takes quite the beating in a lot of places he ventures too - and in the end for what - to push a myth on other nations of peoples? He also verifies the fact Peter, James, and John all backed his ministry and were his pals - even though he was a later addition. I mean maybe Paul was all lies too - who knows - we never watched him pen the letters. But what is his motive? It can't be fame or prestige - he has that. Money - he has that. Religion - he has that. He's sado-masichistic and just needs to take the beats to 'get off'? What exactly? He sure seems to love pain is all I know.

I look at that pile of trash and I think - no historicity in the gospels and letters in and of themselves - 'give me a break' Nell Carter. The fact they exist means a whole hell of a lot and to think otherwise means you either have never considered the times of the disciples nor have you considered motive of the suspects. No one seems to gain a damn thing of these early disciples of Christ - fact is - all of them die with nothing or under persecution (for their own beliefs). They are rejected of their own faith (Judaism), persecuted by their own faith (Judaism), risk family, friends, and livelihood (means of survival), and are then killed for that - and for what, a name? There's no logic in that or who is that stupid? Unless, they had some truth to what they were writing.

What do you think? Is this all a big hoax or does the bible in and of itself contain some historicity?

I Really Wanna Know...Who are You?

I have been thinking upon my past for sometime now, and no one knows me out here, so I figured I would give you a glimpse into the maniacial world of 'who I am'. Summed up in histories and life events - with the colorful use of Sesame Street wording (best show ever).

A - Assimilation. My people (First Nations of Canada - Cree/Saulteux) were forced to become like the French and English communities that took over Canada. First Nations people had there religion, politics, language, culture, and livelihood taken from them and switched for another one. They were taught to be English or French - not First Nations. I am a by-product of over 150 years of this interaction.

B - Bird, my last name. Originally in Saulteux 'Mista-keep-ness' meaning Landing Bird (the original name of the person from whose lineage I come from). Canadian gov't felt it neccesary to brand my family with a last name so they shortened it to Bird.

C - Colonialism. The English gov't's doctrine of 'Manifest Destiny' afforded them the right to overtake Canada and place upon the inhabitants a system they used in Britian. It was the conquering of the land in the name of God and Queen. This then led to the dehumanization of the inherent races upon this land - this still plays out in parts of the world (ex: Iraq). It's the 'we know best' attitude (over and above these inhabitants).

D - Desnomie. My mother's family's last name. It's a Metis name from the late 1800's and is mix of Cree and French. They were adopted into my reserve via marriage.

E - Education. Peepeekisis, Balcarres, Thomson, Wetmore, Sacred Heart, O'Neill, Johnson, and Scott Collegiate - and the school of hard knox. And tonnes of friends from all the other schools. Stay true to your roots.

F - Family. I have a big family of 6 brothers (one deceased) and 1 sister. I have a mother still living, a father who died when I was 10, and grandparents from both sides who died before I ever knew them. I am now married to a Greek-Ukranian girl for 2 years now.

G - God. For as long as I can remember there was a God. I used to pray to him as a scared child during thunderstorms or abusive nights that happened with my parents. I never thought there wasn't a God and I saw the need for a God throughout my life. The questions of existence mean as much to me as hope itself.

H - Hierarchy. I have a real love/hate relationship with structured systems. From the days I was small until my teen years I could not trust social services, police, teachers, politics, etc. The system was a cruel bitch to my people (and to me) and I recieved more the lashing of it's anger than the comfort they say it provides. Thus I am by nature a questioner but I know these systems are meant for so much more.

I - Indian. That's what Columbus called the first people he met in South America and that name is forever grained in Canadian politics as the term to classify First Nations. I actually use the word all the time with my friends and is within every piece of legislation regarding First Nations people of Canada (ex: The Indian Act). A term used also to classify a variety of Nations under one branding (ex: we are Cree, Saulteux, Mohawk, Haida, etc - lots of nations and people groups).

J - Jason. This is my first name and it is most interesting. I was not named after a single ancestor from my lineage, although every other single sibling in my family is. Coincidence, no. You see I was actually dis-liked from birth (my father was sure I wasn't his) so my mother was left to the naming - she chose a name popular for the day. I was named after 'nobody' (which is somewhat a disgrace where I come from). Odd thing is I was born like nobody I know - I was born in a car on the way to the hospital. I have sinced changed my name to 'born to fight' - having been in such a way as to fight for his life.

K - Knowledge. I have a great thirst to know as much as I can about any single thing that sparks my interest. I pulled straight 'A's throughout school and have two degree's (Bachelor of Theology & a Bachelor of Business Administration). But I know I am way short of what I want to know about life.

L - Love. I grew up without love (generally speaking) and was not much of a loving person. I had problems with my dad (physical abuse) and with my mom (who abandoned me at the age of 11), so recourse did I have? But I remember attending church this one time and I felt the extreme freedom of the love of God - of which this day I count a miracle. I can't say what happened that day but my outlook went from sad to happy, hurt to forgiveness, judgment to mercy...and I refuse to look back from that perspective.

M - Mercy. I am nothing without mercy. I know the life I live can only string itself together under the mercy of those who should look upon me. When I was broken, they cared to fix it. When I was poor, they cared for me. When I was hurt, they hurt with me. When I was wrong, they forgave. When I owed them, they counted it as nothing. I am nothing without mercy.

N - Negative. My outlook on life sways from positive to a negative very quickly, and this from the life I was born into. I am negative, I see my people suffering (as I did) under atrocious conditions of poverty, welfare, discrimination, crime, abuse, and violence. In me is an anger that refuses to be burnt out.

O - Open. I am open to all points of view, not knowing by innate knowledge which is the best to choose. I give people the benefit of the doubt when I am wronged, I have an open ear if your views can only sharpen mine, and I am non-chalant about who I am.

P - Peepeekisis. This is where I come from and this is the name of the reserve my family lived on for almost 100 years. This reserve was a 'test run' for the gov't to see if First Nations people could become farmers - my family comes from Keys (matriarch) and Cote's (patriarch) and they were shipped here to become farmers (none of us farmers to this day).

Q - Queen City, Regina. This is the city where I made my home at about the age of 12 (19 years ago). I grew up in North Central - our inner-city. I attended the school region with the highest rates of violent crimes and murder (about 90% of murders in our city happen in this area). I never had a single friend that owned a home (all rented), a new car, or wasn't in trouble with the law. I, myself, have committed every petty crime one could imagine just to scrape by or have pocket change. I rolled with a gang before this city even had them, only because we wanted to protect ourselves (and make some money). I am aware of what poverty does to people and how having 'no place' can become a factor in what you become.

R - Residential Schools. My mother and father were products of the Canadian/Church system of Residential schools in Canada (literally a genocide without the death part). These schools were set up so First Nations kids could be a part of Canada - problem was they were also designed to strip every single kid of their culture (ex: language, hair length, symbols, etc - all outlawed). The kids were taken from their homes and shipped to these school systems (without the consent of their parents - mandatory) and the kids may not see their parents at all for the whole school year. The physical and emotional abuse in these schools made them prison-like and the kids were trained to resent being 'Indian' - identity issues cropped up afterwards. My mother and father were incapable of the kind of love they desired to offer us kids - I realize that now, they never saw their parents parent them.

S - Salvation. I came to Christ when I was 18 with no education (dropped out), no money, no hope, and no goal for life (my goal was just to live). I had a family mired in poverty (along with friends), alcohol, drugs, and the welfare condition and I had friends who were partying, into criminal activity, violence, drugs, sex, etc. When I came to God, I came willingly.

T - The Action Group. I started this little endeavor earlier this year (jan 06) as a way for churches to address the needs of people within poverty conditions. We haven't grown from more than 5 members and the idea is still continuing to press on me. I see an endeavor that can both unify the churches and help eliminate some of the conditions of poverty - I have big goals and if I give up, who's actually going to care?

U - Unity. I have been striving for church unity for about 1 year now, little to no results are showing. It's just not that big of an issue it seems. But if 'divided we fall', then there is only one answer.

V - Violence. I have lived a life surrounded by violence, for as long as I care to remember. I was physically abused, in turn I fought others. The lives around me in my community are shrouded with this time and time again, it's hard to turn a 'blind eye' when you have experienced it first-hand. The jails are packed with violent offenders and some of them are my friends (It has been reported that 75% of Aboriginals make up the population of jails in Saskatchewan). This is one of the reasons I challenge my fears of people, I just won't play the victim role any longer.

W - Wards of the State. First Nations people were deemed 'wards of the state' under Canadian gov't and even have legislation to prove it (Indian Act). This same act has usurped Indian rights for generation after generation causing it to never gain a foothold of independance. This legislation provided for an Indian Agent to direct the affairs of First Nations people (still exists to this day). They funnell the money, take a cut then deliver it to First Nations for housing and what not. It has been the sole reason for all the problems in First Nations people. They set up the schools, didn't allow us to vote until 1961, gave us a pass and permit system (so we couldn't even leave the reserve until the 50's), started us on a welfare system, etc. If you ever took a look at South Africa, they used this legislation (Indian Act) to build their Apartheid Act.

X - X-cellence. I have this weird thing about winning awards thru-out my life. In Kindergarten I won a trophy (attendance), In grade 8 I won the academic award, In grade 12 I won numerous scholarships, and in university I also won numerous scholarships. I have two degrees in which I never failed a class. Still ain't too proud to beg.

Y - Youth. I really missed out on a child-hood in my life but I did have the funnest youth experiences ever. All of my friends used to play sports every week - pretended we were pro's (hockey, basketball, football, baseball, etc) with all the equipment we stole. We used to bumpershine in winter, get chased by the cops for what we called 'bombing', kicked down garage doors for pop bottles, stole bikes/clothes/raided gardens together, played all kinds of pranks on one another, collected cards and comics, made our own baseball bats one time, played blind tag in the church, stole from stores (one time got caught), and for that I love every single one of them and they are as close to me as family. This list could really go on and on.

Z - Zen. All things come around that go around. I should have to pay for what I have done. It's the basic principle I now life my life by.

Give Unity a Chance

Everyone talking about
luther-isms
calvin-isms
catholi-cisms
prebytery-isms
evangelical-isms
alliance-isms
methodist-isms
mormon-isms

All we are saying is...give unity a chance

Everyone talking about
charismatic-isms
Baptist-isms
Wesley-isms
Emergent-isms
Unitarian-isms
Reformed-isms
Episcopal-isms
Pentecostal-isms

And all we are saying is...give unity a chance

Everyone talking about
Othodox-isms
Mennonite-isms
Gnostic-isms
Adventist-isms
Vineyard-isms
non-denomination-isms
Waldensian-isms
Quaker-isms

And all we are saying is...give unity a chance

Everying talking about
Yahweh-isms
Jehovah-isms
Christian-isms
Father-isms
Freedom-isms
Fellowship-isms
Brother-isms
Disciple-isms

And all we are saying...is give unity a chance

Everyone talking about
Scripture-isms
Faith-isms
Servant-isms
Icon-isms
Prayer-isms
Worship-isms
Tithe-isms
Proselyte-isms

And all we are saying is...give unity a chance

Everyone talking about
Everywhere-isms
Nowhere-isms
Somewhere-isms
Anywhere-isms
Returning-isms
Human-isms
Science-isms
Learning-isms

All I am saying is...is give unity a chance.

Credibility: How do I know who is credible?

I have been wrestling with this issue for the past few days and figured I would throw it on a blog. Credibility within the Christian faith is becoming increasingly something I look at more intently, as if I would find answer to who is and why? What I have found is that credibility is something the church thinks they can decide as to 'who speaks the truth within their faith'.

Being an outcast (of sorts) from within the Christian juggernaut (which consists of many a strand of denominations) I have come to see my own credibility (as a person that speaks for the faith)...it is close to non-existent. It's not because I don't have the background or study to so speak for the Christian faith, I only lack one thing...harmonizing with the denominational beliefs. I am so spooled as an outcast with no real way to speak into the very thing I claim, faith in Christ...at least until I hold some position within the juggernaut or rightly uphold their missions, visions, and laws (see any denominational church website for more on that). But I accept that and continue to strive for more clarity on the subject of credibility.

I see the church as something that designates itself and has lost some it's 'voice' and in need of real accountability. They claim to be following the faith in it's fullness and it lacks nothing...right from the way the church is set-up, worship, offerings, interpretation, and prayer. If you are within the structure in some position then you have the 'say' of what can be done, if you are a lowly peon like myself (a congregationalist not striving for more then that) then your 'say' is limited to the group of congregants you 'hang with'. Top that off denominations cannot speak with other denominations and you get a ball of confusion with no end in sight (for clarity). Begging the obvious, if this denomination thinks it's right and the other thinks it's right (yet practicing varying beliefs)...which is credible?

They will tell you they gather all their beliefs from the bible and 'thus and thus' says the passage of scripture they base their beliefs on (or doctrinal statement)...but if you read any statement they take scripture from 'here and there' in a paste job for justification. To be honest, is that true to the intentions of the biblical writers? If we follow their pattern (paste job I call it) then I can justify anything I so choose and I have seen it done...slavery, tongues, war, and circumcision to name a few. I ask then, if they being credible do use the bible as a 'paste job' for justification, how is it if I read the whole book or letter (and find the context and intent) without using a quoted scripture have none? Simply put, I am not on the 'A' list of people within the faith nor do I use the bible as a scripture quoting machine.

In my questioning is the 'rub'...call it credibility but it also leads to accountability. I suppose they my faith does not have it all together as they so seem. We have denominational splits and a church choice for every day of the week (which Paul was adamantly against saying there is one body not 100's of them). These denominations rarely, if ever, work of the same page and discuss their beliefs as to what needs to be taught within their strands of faith (as in councils of Nicea and the early church fathers did to hash out their ideas), thusly they are not working together as much as they make it seem (not even in the same cities). No one calls into account people within their Christian faith that are giving it a 'bad name' or mis-using the scripture for what seems 'evil' ends (ex: gay-bashing). There are list upon list of such things and if I were to go into them all I would be writing to no end (wouldn't have room for it all). But what I am saying is on the question of accountability is the church has no avenue within it for such questioning.

But my solution is simple and is one I live by, we have the right to question our respective churces on their practices if they do not follow the intentions of the biblical writers. I have come up against 2 in recent days and I will recite them here. (1) A certain church in my city is telling a person to stop taking prescription meds and psychiatric counselling since they are deemed 'evil' and not of the faith (this person has schizophrenia) and reveal a lack of trust in God. (2) A person within my city who claims 'Christianity' as his faith is going around passing out leaflets, posting things in the paper, wearing t-shirts, and picketing anything 'gay' as 'doomed to hell'. He has been fined by the city $17,000 for his abuses but refuses to quit. He is not only an outright 'gay-basher' but claims this is from his biblical beliefs and has been 'called' to do this.

2 scenarios of many but they will suffice. Who holds these people and their teachings accountable to what is really taught in the Christian faith? Are they credible and who deems what they say as such? Problem is they are within the structure and have their haven in some denomination that see's no problem with their actions. I see a problem in their actions and a strong rebuke is coming (if I ever get a chance to find out where they worship). You see even in my lack of credibility I still have enough sense to know these people are wrong in their interpretation. If a 'gay person' does not have the right to be treated as I am treated, then show me justification for such an action? As far as the church not allowing the schizophreniac the help he so deserved and offering teaching that triggers problems within him, I also have to step in and question their tactics. I know we live by faith but this is ridiculous. If he has does have 'that kind of faith' then we should do all the more to support someone who I consider of the 'poor' in society.

I am asking for accountability (and it stems from the church perspective - or credibility). If it is too much to ask then I will ask again and again until something is done. How can I, a person of the same faith, sit back and watch this game of incredulity go on? I can't. It's driving me and many others straight out of congregations in droves. Time we stood up and in these 'non-profit' organizations and offered some checks n balances. So if you give money, ask to see the books and how your money is spent...if you don't like it request a change. If the teaching in your church is not quite right...step up and question the leadership about it...they are no more than designated leaders anyways...and request a change. Start programs that allow for your faith to be enacted in some way...if the leadership so disapprove...request a change in leadership (if the idea you hold is true to the faith). It's a call for accountabilty and working together in this faith to stop the destruction from within.

I am reading the Qu'ran

I have recently started reading the Quran and the OT at the same time, well the Torah of the OT as it stands now. Fascinating reads the both of them and I would suggest if anyone reads tge Quran to read it aside the OT...it's funny how the Quran picks from the Torah and Genesis a lot.

Why amI reading the Quran? I have the ability to do so and I want to know more about this religion and some of the motives behind it. Also I have a friend that is a Muslim and he gave me a free copy, I figure I'll put it to good use.

I really have some reservations about the Quran at this point. I have read 5 chapters (Sura's) in and some of things Mohammed is teaching is just right out there (from left field so to speak). I find the book more trying to convince me this is God (Allah) than any other type of scripture I have ever read. It also sends a lot of mixed messages from a reader's standpoint. But I'll mention some noteable things I have found.

1. Men are allowed to marry up to 4 wives (but not to treat one better than the other). Should I take exception to this...I know my wife would.

2. The divorce law is beyond weird. If a man leaves a woman then marries a 2nd time and divorces again, then the woman can come back to the man only when she has since divorced a 2nd time (a matter of equality). I have found this just doesn't work on any level. Also divorce seems quite allowable for matters of small circumstances and the man takes 2/3 of the property.

3. Those who fight on behalf of Allah have a greater reward (higher position) in the garden compared to those who do not fight (although they still get to the garden). At one point Allah mentions that we may not like something that is good for us...in reference to fighting. However, if you can somehow forgive and let people off from their penalty then you are also considered great. So fighting is good and fighting is not good?

4. The Quran borrows tonnes from the OT in regards to laws...food laws, who you can marry, etc. They also use Abraham as their guidepost in faith (as ther father of the Muslim faith) and add Ishmael onto the old saying 'Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob'. The book wavers on if the Jew can be a friend or not and comes close to calling them the enemy at points (for their lack of faith in Allah) but it never crosses that line (as of 5 chapters anyways).

5. The Christians are in the same boat as the Jewish faith, in that we haven't accpeted Allah. We seem to stand on better moral ground are even called 'their best friends' at times. However, Mohammed again wavers on this and considers us non-believers like the rest (apparently in those days we must have accepted them more readily). To Mohammed we committ the most grievous of sins (detestable and worthy of punishment)...we allow there to be more than 1 God in joining Jesus to what we refer as the 'Trinity' (actually mentioned in the Quran). This is unforgiveable (mentioned a few times as the worst sin).

6. At the very beginning of chapter 2, as proof of the validity of this book being from God, there is challenge to write a better Sura (scripture) than the one's you will read...it then goes onto say this is impossible. However, I think I may be able to at least match Mohammed's ability and I still find the writings of the disciples a lot better than that of Mohammed's.

7. Everything that is written is always followed by 'cause Allah is such n such'. Who can argue with that? I find this the same as a Christian saying 'because God told me so'...to which you cannot argue. So basically the book sets itself up so that you cannot argue against it or you argue against God and this is damnable (who wants to be arguing with what God said?). This is what I mean by trying to 'lead the reader' into something in which they have no voice.

8. The people that were once believers and followers of Allah seem to be a hated sort...the Muslim has the right to kill that person wherever he should find him...likely because he backed out of fighting on Allah's behalf and watched his former brothers die in battle. Note to self, if you ever do convert you are stuck.

I am only 5 chapters in thus far and those are some of the questions I have found. But if you want my personal opinion, since I am well read in the OT & NT, I think Mohammed was quite familiar with the Jewish Torah and the early disputes amongst Christians and Jewish people, namely on the validity of their scriptures. He must of saw how in-cohesive they were towards one another and built arguments upon that. He also must of felt a great urge to call his own people into account based on what he knew about the OT and NT...for unity purposes and to offer a better way than what they had (which he calls 'pagan').

I really feel for the guy since he just wanted a better life for his people and on that I can't knock his intentions. There are a lot of good morals being taught within the book (as with all scripture) and the idea's of charity and forgiveness rank high as virtues of Allah (Allah is oft-forgiving and oft-Merciful...mentioned around 50 times thus far). So I think it is a great read and something to do if you want to understand some of the idea's behind the 2nd biggest religion in the world. It is really helping me to understand my brother (who is a Muslim), although I may have reservations about some of the teachings, and to step on an even playing field with him. I am not reading to condemn him but to uplift him. Even if I should find myself condemned in the Quran, love is greater than that and mercy is a good reminder of the human condition. So...what do you think of this?

Tear it down and I will rebuild it in 3 days: Changing the Status Quo

Lately I have had the chance to review the aspects of the church I have problems with, in talking with friends and counter-parts. I have come to sincerely realize the church 'doesn't think it has a structural problem' or it goes unrecognized. Which is hard to ignore when I read plenty of bloggers and their absolute dismay with the current affairs of the church. Some say 'you shouldn't care' while others think 'it is unchangeable'. But I find it hard to watch an institution that I both love and care about lose some of the original focus of the gospels, which are the greatest teachings I have ever read. So the real question I pose is 'can the church be changed?'.

1. The Structure of the Church

Here is the structure laid out: Power people (Pastors, teachers, church board, elders, musicians), the show (worship, offerings, testimonies, message from head guy, and possibly some prayer for you), and the audience (congregation). The role of the whole thing is draw you closer to God whether that be in a 'sinner's prayer', some worship, learning from ideas of the speaker, or some ministering towards you (ex: praying over you + the laying on of hands). This is the daily service in a nutshell. The church also asks for your money (standard rule being 10%) for which they use for the ministries they have which might include missions, sunday school, local charities, bible college or a school, pastor's salary, new equipment for the band, additions to the building, etc. This is basically how it looks to the people that are 'in the know'. Can that be changed or better yet, should it?

2. The Problem with trying to change it (credibility)

You see it is okay to have questions about your faith (just don't doubt) but to have questions about the affairs of the church may be as 'taboo' as asking if God is a 'woman' during a Sunday Service. The problem lies in the fact you have no credibility unless you are the 'power people', hang out with the 'power people', or have some pull with them (ex: a family member). So if you have no credibility with that crowd then you are 'out of luck' in trying to make any changes whatsoever. If you a simple 'audience' person well you count for very little in their midst since you have no 'sway' with the power people nor do you have an active place to voice concerns. There is no credible people outside the 'power people', since they carry the doctrines of God and apparently live them out better then the audience (thus they have the right to minister these ideals to you). If you do have questions and want to make a change then you best be approaching the 'power people' and relating your ideas...nothing might happen but this is the correct procedure. So even if you have, well let's say, 2 degree's (one a bachelor of theology) and a wealth of great ideas to use you still are sub-servient to the leaders and your ideas are not valid since they never came from the minds of the enlightened 'power people' of the church...maybe they feel slighted by the fact you have these ideas in the first place and they cannot be shown to be 'behind the times' (lest someone question their position of power).

3. The absurd reality: we are all equals

The really weird thing about this whole structure is that we are all equal and no one has more power than the next dude. Nowhere in the bible is someone ever deemed as more powerful than others nor is this structure taught as gospel truth (it's actually not even mentioned in there so we have to find it on a blog). Music is never mentioned as part of the faith, although it is fun, nor is the importance of buildings as the place to meet God. But still the status quo will not be changed unless you know the 'power people' (who have no power except that they have from a denomination bestowed upon them - ex: accreditation). Then how do you personally change the structure, you go around their rules and do it yourself (a lone wolf so to speak).

4. Tear this building down

If you want to change the structure of the church you are in there are some easy steps to follow in the process. First, deny the right of the 'power people' to determine your faith - I know it's absurd but this is where to start. The 'power people' are just as human as you and I and make mistakes and some are paid by the structure (with respect) to uphold it...so they are kind of compromised in that regards. Secondly, don't doubt your ideas if the ideas are biblical. Just because some 'power person' says they are not, you already know they are trying to uphold their beautiful traditions and will not move to the left or right for you (you are a peon and have no power anyways so 'it's in one ear and out the other'). Thirdly, go about it for yourself and don't let the church decide if it is 'ministry worthy'. You won't have access to the money they have, nor the resources they have, but that is half the battle and something you can do nothing to change. Best thing to do is ignore their ministry lines and do you own thing without their blessings. Fourthly, rally the people to support your endeavor (obviously from the audience) and offer them a way to do something meaningful besides watching the show. They will be your support group and where your resources will come from. Once they feel empowered the 'power people' will not be able to break you down (they like to single out lone wolves). Lastly, be prepared for the worst. You will be denied by the church, you will be called all 'evil things', your reputation will become useless, you will be judged harshly, and in the end you will be an 'outcast'. But that's what you get for trying to change the structure and have no 'power' to do so. These same ideals got Jesus killed in his day, so I say be prepared for the worst.

So I personally believe the church structure can be changed and the focus they have can be altered. I don't think the church is beyond hope in this regard but it is quite the challenge. The 'old dogs' won't let their guard down too quickly and there bark is worse than their bite. Still, if you see problems in your church and want a change, well here's a model to use. At some point the 'old dogs' will fade away and their upheld traditions will fade with them, have some patience. If you are blessed enough the 'old dogs' might even support your idea, which feels great. Why do I say wait it out? Well, I don't agree with church shopping and if you are in a congregation why should you leave to get what you need? That seems divisive to me and further supports their irresponsibility as change agents in society. The adamant question is 'does it work'? Well I don't know but it seems like someone else did this in His day.

Is God Green? Evangelicals Fight Over Genesis

How did conservative evangelicals, who tend to present a unified front on most matters of political significance, end up in such a public battle over how to approach environmental issues like global warming? What's behind this difference of opinion? (Taken from http://www.pbs.org/moyers/moyersonamerica/green/environment.html)

In most respects, the divide comes down not to a disregard for the world — which is, for evangelicals, the creation of God but on how exactly to care for that creation. Evangelicals part company on what God calls them to do about the environment: where to focus their attention, how to interpret scientific data, what the role of legislation and/or the free market should be in protecting the environment and human interests. Does God ask Christians, explicitly or implicitly, to make environmentalism, or "creation care," part of their ministry and political platform? (Find out more about creation care, wise use and environmental stewardship)

Concern for the environment, and the current debate it has engendered, might be a hot topic in the evangelical community, but it is not a new one. Environmental policy debates emerged among evangelicals...in the 1960s and '70s. There were some critics, like medieval scholar Lynn Townsend White Jr., who went so far as to blame organized religion itself for the world's ecological ills, arguing that medieval Christian attitudes in particular, and the entire Judeo-Christian tradition in general, taught a disregard for nature and led to exploitation of the environment. That argument finds echoes today among certain evangelicals who insist that in Genesis, God gave man "dominion" over the earth and its creatures — essentially, carte blanche to do what he wants with his environment.

But for a number of religious Christians and evangelicals, this represents a dangerous misreading of the Bible. God, they contend, appointed man steward of the world, to protect it and sustain it as a way to honor to the divine work of the Creator. Caring for the environment, they say, isn't a political issue — it's a theological imperative.

In 1970, one such group, the National Association of Evangelicals (NEA), released a strongly worded policy resolution that called on Christians "to support every legitimate effort to maintain balance in ecology, preservation of our resources, and avoidance of the cluttering of our natural beauty with the waste of our society." And they didn't hedge at adding a bit of fire and brimstone: "Today those who thoughtlessly destroy a God-ordained balance of nature are guilty of sin against God's creation." (Read the documents)

In 1993 the Evangelical Environmental Network began to turn creation-care beliefs into action, publishing a declaration which began, "As followers of Jesus Christ, committed to the full authority of the Scriptures, and aware of the ways we have degraded creation, we believe that biblical faith is essential to the solution of our ecological problems."

But another religious group, which later became known as the Interfaith Council for Environmental Stewardship, wanted to take the environmental debate in a different direction. They made their opposing views known in the 1999 "Cornwall Declaration on Environmental Stewardship," which warned that groups like the Evangelical Environmental Network's presented "a romantic view of nature, a misguided distrust of science and technology, and an intense focus on problems that are highly speculative and largely irrelevant to meeting our obligations to the world's poor."

The Cornwall Declaration stressed a free-market environmental stewardship and emphasized that individuals and private organizations should be trusted to care for their own property without government intervention. It also claimed that environmental concerns like global warming, overpopulation, and the extinction of species were either unfounded or greatly exaggerated. In the words of Father Robert A. Sirico of the conservative Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty and member of Interfaith Council, "Environmental ideology is increasingly being used, not to preserve nature's beauty, but to restrict human enterprise that is essential to a more humane existence for people."

The Evangelical Climate Initiative The rhetoric over the role of evangelical Christians in the global warming debate escalated significantly in February 2006 when 86 Evangelical leaders signed and publicly released a statement entitled Climate Change: An Evangelical Call to Action.

Among the tenets of the statement:

(a) Human-induced climate change is real.
(b) The consequences of climate change will be significant and will hit the poor the hardest.
(c) Christian moral convictions demand our response to the climate change problem.
(d) The need to act now is urgent. Governments, businesses, churches, and individuals all have a role to play in addressing climate change-starting now. (Read the document)

News that the call to action was in the works in January 2006 prompted the Interfaith Stewardship Alliance, a group related to the Interfaith Council for Environmental Stewardship and the Acton Institute, to attempt to forestall any global warming policy statement by the National Association of Evangelicals. They sent the group a missive warning them to "not adopt any official position on the issue of global climate change," as "global warming is not a consensus issue, and our love for the Creator and respect for His creation does not require us to take a position." Led by high-proflie evangelical leaders Charles Colson and James Dobson, (also included Pat Robertson/John Hagee/Calvin Beisner) Interfaith Stewardship Alliance called for the National Association of Evangelicals not to put their name to the document.

For others in the evangelical community, taking a public stand on issues like global warming just isn't part of the religious plan. Christian broadcaster Jan Markell believes that evangelicals are called by God to win souls for Jesus, not to take up social issues, and that environmentalism distracts from the real mission of the evangelical church.

I personally like the fact the NEA took a stand for something to do with the environment, which caused the split in the first place within evangelicialism. I have been fairly big on social issues and this one fell into my lap while watching Moyers TV show. What do you think? Is environmentalism a Christian ideal or just a bunch of hog-wash?

Losing My Religion: That's Me in the Corner

I was asked by another blogger (Jim Jordan) to comment on the 'Losing My Religion' lyrics and I thought that was a great idea. I am a fan of REM and this song's title really meant something to me when I began to write this blog, so here's my take on the song.

Losing My Religion (R.E.M.)

(a) Life is bigger, It's bigger than you, And you are not me
The lengths that I will go to, The distance in your eyes
Oh no I've said too much, I set it up

(b) That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion

(c) Trying to keep up with you, And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no I've said too much, I haven't said enough

(d) I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try

(e) Every whisper, Of every waking hour, I'm choosing my confessions
Trying to keep an eye on you, Like a hurt lost and blinded fool
Oh no I've said too much, I set it up

(f) Consider this
The hint of the century
Consider this
The slip that brought me to my knees failed
What if all these fantasies come flailing around
Now...I've said too much

(g) I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try
But that was just a dream
That was just a dream...just a dream

(a) Life is bigger than any of us and this is what causes our search for something outside, greater than us (Ex: God). The person admits they are not you and their search is their's. The lengths to get to know God are numerous for anyone but they are met with 'distance' by people within religion (can't relate to them and their rules). They feel they can't reveal too much about themselves to the religious (fear of judgment or being told all the answers) but they still wonder.

(b) My take on the chorus is 2-fold. Firstly, the person who 'hears' us has their doubts justified by those in the 'corner' (the congregation) and those in the 'spotlight' (the preacher) - it's all 'mere words' in a structured system. Secondly, I used the title because I empathize but also because I am 'losing my religion' - (1) casting off old religious structurism's and (2) the faith I love has become something useless in society (a lot of talk) with little action (I challenge it).

(c) The hopelessness of the individual to meet our high expectations (ex: perfectly sinless or rules based system) and they become unsure of their own faith. Leaving them with no recourse for action or any voice within the church, 'they say too much, they never say enough'. They see the problem but cannot handle being left voiceless in a 'don't question God' system.

(d) The people can see us trying or 'putting on the show' but they cannot relate with it. We laugh we sing and we seem so damn happy...what about those who come to the church not that way? I can see their problems with relating to a bunch of 'happy all the time' clones (almost fake to them?).

(e) Again the person is trying to live up to the rules set for them by religion (ex: prayer and repentance) and they are trying to obey (as hard as they can). They are watching you to see if they can find the little bit of answers they cannot seem to find in religion (since you have been there longer and may know more about the system). In all their mis-connections within religion they feel 'hurt, lost, blind and foolish'...like they missed a mark or something. Again saying too much can work against you in the system and in these doubts 'the religious' feel they have to somehow correct you.

(f) In the final part the person feels they have gained nothing from religion. They ask us to consider this religion as failed, even a fantasy...due to the fact they only got the hint this was all 'faked and contrived' (a systemic way of viewing God failed this individual). At this point the individual admits 'they've said too much' and this will not be tolerated within that system.

(g) It was all just a dream, a dream they feel has no validity in their personal life. The system failed them and they feel it's more 'a dream' than a reality.

I am not saying I agree (by no stretch) but I empathize with the views being expressed. A lot of people lose their trust for a rules-based system that tells them who/what/where/when/and why about God (like there is no mystery). The religion that is so sure isn't at all, they can't relate to someone struggling (system vs. personal touch). I don't think my faith is 'a dream' but I can see how someone can get there, in pure dis-illusionment with the church and it's 'do's and dont's'.

It seems like anyone that says 'God said this...' or 'God taught this...' or 'God told me...' can pretty much put anything after those sentences and how can you dispute it? God said it! A lot of people are using God's name in 'vain' and feel they have the right to invoke His name when they feel questioned (a total cop-out). They use God as someone who backs their idea's and to provide them with a 'self-righteouness'. That's the essence of this song. The right to question someone'e beliefs as possibly, not quite what it seems. I am in this role with mainstream church at the moment, wanting this ideal but seeing ideals so clamoured in the system that questioning the doctrines/dogma's is questioning God also. Basically, how do you get around that? Easy. Leave altogether and forget you questioned. But that's also irresponsible and changes nothing in the system that will forget you just as easy. Quite the conundrum. I'll err on the side of questioning.