2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. (Gen 1:2)
The Liliputian Egg; The North and the South; The Rich and the Poor; Republican and Democrat; Catholic and Protestant; Heaven and Hell: Black and White.
Opposites, poles apart that never the twain shall meet. It's two bandwagons running off in opposite directions expecting and demanding everyone jump on their wagon or forever perish in dead wrongness.
We all do it. Well, maybe you don't, but I do.
It's our nature, it's built inside of us to want it our way; to have all the marbles; to demand all the best for ourselves.
Not only is it our nature, but the devil's as well. He wants it all, us all on his side, to join him in the pit, to prove him right (or whatever his purpose is.)
And it's God's nature. And that may be where we got ours from, since He created us in His image.
There is nothing more black and white than God's Word (unless you have a Bible with Jesus' words in red.) It's either yes or no, right or wrong, up or down, heaven or hell with God. He allows no middle ground. We either win the race, or we fail. There's no "Well, I tried" in God's Rule Book.
God even went so far as to say that if we are lukewarm, He will "spit you out of my mouth."
It's human nature to try our best to persuade others to go our way, to give us what we want, to gather everyone on our side in order to prove us right. "40,000 Frenchmen can't be wrong," the saying goes. Yes, they can! 40 million Frenchmen, or any other designation you wish to apply to that number, can be wrong.
In fact, when it's all said and done, and we stand before that Great White Throne, we are going to find Billions of people have been wrong - many of them fighting to the death to prove that what you and I believe, was the one and only way.
We twist and bend, add and omit, distort the meaning of; and if that doesn't work, we flat-out lie in order to get our own way.
As a baby in the crib we began trying out different ways by which to force our will upon others (which attests to mankind being born in sin, which means "disobedience") and we continue adding to our skills as we grow older.
This nature of ours, which is contrary and rebellious to God, is what God demands that we rid our self of - which is why so many of us rebel even harder against Him and His commands.
Do we have to be at odds with one another? With God? Isn't there some sort of compromise we can make? Can't we just give up a little of our self? And take in a little of what someone else has to offer?
What about the "Grey Area?" How about Harmony? What about World Peace instead of War? Why not a One World Government? Why not a One World Religion that promotes love, peace and acceptance of all?
A fantasy, do you think? Or do you believe it's possible and a goal worthy of pursuit?
I believe that everyone would like to have such a harmony. I believe that everyone would vote for just such a thing - as long as it was going to be their Government, or their Religion, or their Brand of Peace.
One World Government. Sounds like a high ideal, doesn't it? Who wouldn't want that? Peace and harmony with no one arguing about this or that. Maybe all languages being the same. All Nations working for a common goal?
Have we ever had such a thing? Or anything near it?
I do believe we have. I can think of a few attempts at such a thing. Has anyone ever heard of Assyria? Or Babylon? Or Media-Persia? Or Greece? Or Rome? Or the British Empire? Or Communist Russia? All these had a One World Government in mind, and fairly well succeeded in accomplishing their goal.
But those were essentially dictatorships, one might say. True, so what about a democracy? Let's take the USA as an example. After all, isn't Peace and Justice For All what democracy is all about?
How is the USA doing in - oh, let's say; Morality. Do you think perhaps morality in this country is on the rise? Holding it's own maybe? Possibly going down a little, do you think?
How about Education? Do you feel better or worse each year as you send your child off to school?
Finances: The dollar getting stronger around the world? National debt holding it's own? Production up? Exporting more than importing?
How about world influence: Americans loved and respected around the world? World leaders look to us for guidance and examples?
Government: We trust our leaders? We can have confidence that they are watching out for the best interest of the people? They are protecting the environment? Are spending wisely? Are improving welfare and retirement? Watching over the morality of the Nation by protecting the rights of the elderly, the unborn, the family and family rights and responsibility? Hospitalization costs going down while becoming more efficient?
Political parties: They work together toward a common goal? They are respectful of one another and always tell us the truth about themselves and opposing candidates and initiatives so voters can make an honest and educated choice at the poles?
So - is Democracy working? In the direction the USA is going, how will it look in a hundred years?
OK, how about a One World Religion? That shouldn't be too difficult, should It? I mean, for the Buddhist and the Humanist we would have to take God out of religion to make it work. Do you think they would mind believing in God a little bit just to make it work? How do you think God would feel about altering His Word and Purposes here and there? Think He would mind?
Or how about some mish-mash of all the religions? Perhaps a watered down version might satisfy everyone, do you think"
Remember Human Nature? "I'm Right, and Your Dead Wrong"?
Well, what if we were to all become, let's say; Muslim? Which sect? If you pick the wrong one, it could be disastrous for you.
How about Judaism 2,000 years ago. There certainly could be no other religion more harmonious than they. They even had God's word that they followed faithfully, allowing no deviation whatever. They surely were working in harmony.
Ever hear of the Pharisees and the Sadducees? Worlds apart in their belief. But they did agree on one thing - that the One who tried to bring on a One World Religion had to die, as well as anyone who agreed with Him.
Then what about Christianity? That should certainly fill the bill, shouldn't it? After all, Christianity is all about "Peace and Love," isn't it? Isn't that all the Bible talks about? Man getting along with Man? Doesn't the Bible prove that Love is what life is all about?
Do you find it "interesting" that everyone uses the Bible, in one form or another, to prove their point? That even those who do not believe in God quote the Bible? That people who demand the Bible is untrue, full of errors, and is the work of the devil - quote the Bible to prove their point?
The Word of God is a Work and a Wonder.
So, why not Christianity as a World Religion? Would it work?
Well, let's take a look at history and see if we have any clues. And I believe we do. For hundreds of years we did have Christianity as a World Religion - after a long battle where Christians were fed to lions and burnt at the stake or beheaded.
Yes, Christianity ruled, in the form of Catholicism - and if anyone disagreed in any way with what they taught, they were burnt at the stake or beheaded.
OK, that was Catholicism; what about Protestantism? Again, which one? Fundamental? Charismatic? Methodist? Baptist? And if you finally break it down to one of these - then you have to chose which sect you will settle on: the First Baptist? Second Baptist? Hundred and twenty fifth Baptist? After all, Protestant means to "Protest," which brings us back to our Human Nature.
But, perhaps if we watered down Christianity a bit. Like, perhaps, take Christ out of Christianity, and had just "-tianity," maybe that would work?
We may get to find out if it will work pretty soon because there are a lot of groups trying to do just that - if they can only get together and agree on anything. There seems to be a bit of conflict in such areas as the gender of God, the purpose of God, if God exists, if we are gods, Angels - and just about everything about the Bible except the phrase "In the beginning," which is rejected by the evolutionists.
But, who knows? Given another billion years of evolution (a-hem) maybe they could get together and harmonize the Bible. I suspect they will have to take any reference to God, Jesus, the Holy Ghost, Heaven and Hell and references to Jews (discrimination) out of the Bible to do it, but who knows?
We've looked at black and whites, and attempts to create wimpy-grey in order to solve the human problems we've created. Is there, perhaps, another way? How about trying "And" instead of "or"? Has that ever been tried? And if so, how did it work out?
I can think of a few examples in certain areas where it has been tried and worked out fairly well.
In foods, for example, we have salt and pepper and sweet & sour pork.
In music we have base and tenor, barbershop harmony and drum & bugle corp.
In the entertainment field we have many such as Mutt & Jeff, Abbott & Costello, Hope & Crosby, Martin & Lewis, Laurel & Hardy, Tom & Jerry, and the Roadrunner.
In nature we have Summer & Winter, North & South poles, Light & dark, fire & ice, and birth & death.
So it appears as if incorporating both ends of the spectrum, instead of isolating them or homogenizing them, seems to work. But how would we mere humans ever go about creating such a thing? And if we did figure out a way to accomplish this feat, do you think God would go along with it? How about the devil?
Let's assume that they would go along with our plan. What would we then have?
Well, for one thing, we would have love, right? And if we add the antithesis (opposite - that's my show-off word for the day) of love, we then would have hate.
We would surely want to add peace to the list, right? And to have peace, we then would have to have - war.
And I think just about everyone would agree that wealth would be a nice thing for us to have, but, it seems, to have wealth, we would also have to have - poverty.
Are you picking up on a pattern here? Does this picture at all seem familiar to you? Isn't what has been pictured here what we already have in this world?
Well, it seems, at least with what I have come up with in this study, that there isn't much hope for our worthy goals. But surely there is a way to bring it all together, isn't there? Can you think of a way to improve Government and Religion?
The Bible tells us of two attempts at such a thing. One is called the "Beast System" of government, which will just about destroy the world. The other is called the Millennium which introduces us to Eternity, where God will put the world back in order and bring about the peace and joy we all seek.
Don't we?
Tumbleweed
