Here and there and everywhere dribbling: Subjectivity, Africa, & Love

Good and bad are subjective. Completely subjective. Right and wrong, moral objection. All subjective. How so?

President Bush thinks good is intervening in Middle Eastern affairs (bad)-kill Iraqis. He has his reasons:

Homeland security

Economics-which benefit the US and “others”

Protection of Israel (religiously speaking, God’s people)

Christian/American values, adhering to them whatever the cost, whatever the sacrifice

The “terrorists” (aka Bin Laden and gang) think good is intervening in America’s affairs (bad)-kill Americans. He has his reasons:

Homeland security

Economics-which benefit his nation and their peoples

Protection of Islam (religiously speaking, God’s people)

Muslim values, adhering to them whatever the cost, whatever the sacrifice

Seem strikingly similar? Let’s continue:

Hitler thought good was purifying the world of inferior races (bad)-kill Jews. He has his reasons:

National pride

Apparent superiority of Aryan accomplishment to others’

Belief that the Nazi way was the most effective

Racial cleansing is the path to a more perfect, productive world

Billy Graham thinks good is purifying the world of sin (bad), one grand lecture at a time-convert all to Christianity. He has his reasons:

His religious beliefs he’s learned and held all his life

His personal experience that Christianity changes people

Considering ‘sin’(bad behavior) the ultimate enemy

Career- verbal crusades gather attention to a cause

Bono and many non-celebrities think good is helping Africans where they’re at-kill disease, apathy, and poverty. He has his reasons:

Disease, Apathy, and Poverty hurt people

Africa is a neglected continent torn by wars begun by their own kind and others who make Africa’s loss their gain (genocide, pharmaceuticals, throwing guns in tribal squabbles)

The cure for hurt is Love (affection, attention, and acceptance along with those 1 Cor. 13 traits)

I was thinking the other day how I’ve been saying Jesus came to show the JEWS a way out of their religion-a religion that bound them to law and ritual instead of “walking with God.” It’s true. Jesus was a Jew who didn’t follow the Jewish belief system, but fulfilled it (aka completed, peace-out Judasim) by his demonstration of perfect love-letting the Christ in him out. However, I’ve heard several times now the question of Jesus’ intended audience. Was he just for the Jews? What about the Gentiles? Didn’t he come to SAVE THE WORLD?! :-O

My response to this is: slow down. Separate that Christian doctrine from Judaism-quit mixing the two…religion is supposed to separate. That’s just what it does. It’s expected to. But most of all, remember that Jesus belongs with Judaism, not Christianity. He might be the champion of the latter, but it was not around when he lived, nor did he create it. Humanity did as humanity does—makes tools to help it see what it can’t seem to understand themselves. And more often than not, it’s better off without those tools because humanity doesn’t recognize tools’ limits. Religion is such a tool.

Israel is referred to as God’s people. That’s Judaism. But it’s also metaphor for us-the world. Yep, just like those 10 Commandments aren’t applicable to us because they’re “law” (taking the bible literally would mean they’re nothing but good ideas to Gentiles) but because we are the God kind of people-because they demonstrate Love. Today, now, here. We have Love/God/Source Energy/the freakin Force-whatever- within us. Makes me ask why America is protecting Israel? Is the land truly holy? No; the people are. Just like people everywhere. In Africa. In the States. In Australia. You name ‘em, they’re holy-set apart for a purpose they/we may not know, understand, or truly live-or may know, understand, and truly live. We allowed these religions to create differences, and while calling upon the names of the very ideals that should unify us essentially, we divided. It’s still happening.

So Jesus (the biological person, from Nazareth, ya know?) was for Judaism. What Jesus lived as his true life, perfect love (Christ), was for the world- Jews and Gentiles. I think it’s pretty valid to say that love is the world’s salvation. Most folks I know have some kind of Christian background or know something about Jesus, as do I, so I tend to approach questions from that angle.

Just a thought:

Sometimes I even wonder why we don’t just let Africa return to its primal roots-tribal. How cool would that be?! But it doesn’t fit in with modernity. Modernity says money, lifestyle, commodities, and technology. But for me I guess the reason for awareness isn’t so much their economy relative to the rest of the world, but disease and conflict that continues to kill many, giving them no real chance at life, and they should have that, regardless of how they (chose to) live it. Doesn’t everybody?