There are several pieces of traditional Christian good advice, which Christians feel 'safe' in swapping. These vary between denominations; but would include attending church to gather for worship (especially - for Roman and Anglo Catholics - participating in the Mass/ Holy Communion), reading and studying scripture, praying, reciting the Jesus Prayer.
But after 2020, and the vast failure of Christian discernment in relation to the birdemic (now continuing with the peck) - with Christian support for almost universal closure of churches, suspension of sacraments, an end to gathering - even ceasing ministering to the sick and dying etc - we can easily think of many examples of people who followed all the good advice to-the-letter and lived fully in accordance with sound practice... yet failed in discernment and have still not repented.
To be more explicit - there were Protestants who had been reading the Bible daily and meeting in scripture study for year; there were Roman Catholics who fasted and attended mass daily; active Mormons who participated in Temple activities; Eastern Orthodox who recited the Jesus prayer...
Yet the leadership all these (and the other) major Christian churches supported the closure of their churches and the 100% priority of materialistic birdemic imperatives. And the church members abandoned en masse the core activities of Christianity as they themselves defined it (Catholics stopped Mass, Mormons closed Temples etc.).
In doing so they revealed that - as a matter of fact - these Christians believed the government and mass media more than they believe the scriptures. They believed their leadership whatever the leadership said (however illogical and incoherent, however servile to the evil fashions of secular politics). They jettisoned centuries of tradition - and adopted whatever the daily news dictated.
One thing we can (indeed must) learn from this is that traditional Christian Good Advice, and traditional Christian Practices are not sufficiently powerful for these times.
They may continue to be helpful to individuals in various ways - but 2020 shows that they are just not strong enough; however it was in the past - nowadays they cannot be relied upon.
Indeed, Christians have shown themselves unable to depend upon any external practices or guidance. None have been able to supply the discernment and courage that everybody in the world needs now.
Yet this is no cause for panic or despair - our God is the creator of this world (and sustains every person's life) and loves us each as his children... Therefore we shall never be left bereft of the guidance and strength that we need for salvation.
But (having learned the lessons of 2020) Christians now need to learn to look for guidance and strength in places that have - until now - neglected; especially, from within, the intuition of our own true and divine self; and the revelations of the Holy Ghost.
But if we look - we will find.
2 comments:
I don't believe any of this is accidental. God is imploring us to look within. Those who continue to rely upon external guidance and revelation will soon exhaust their options.
@Frank. Yes. I suspect that those who seek external guidance will be brought to a crux where they will either need explicitly to take personal responsibility for discernment and guidance - or give-up being a Christian.
Indeed, for some it will be the excuse they are looking for to give up on being a Christian - like those Roman Catholics who have left not only the church but Christianity, and claim this was because of their moral condemnation of clerical sexual abuse scandals.
Those I have met of this kind were actually pretty keen on some sexual thing which was prohibited by Christianity, and were looking for a fake principle that would let escape that prohibition - and they did whatever it was shortly after ceasing to be a Christian.
Yet their new found atheism does not prohibit sexual abuse; except on the feeble and negotiable grounds of causing suffering to children... Which implies that if abuse does Not cause suffering, then abuse would be OK! (Which is exactly what most abusers claim.)
But there are a lot of serious externally-driven Christians that seem to have painted themselves into a corner where they will not see any valid Christianity beyond their church - and they will not re-examine the mistaken assumptions that led them to the false dichotomy of My Church or Nothing.
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