by W. J. Daniel, Melbourne, Australia
I have, for some time, been perplexed by the fact that the people I rub
shoulders with both in my profession as well as in my day to day living, behave
in unexpected ways. Some people I know not to be Christians or whom openly
profess to be atheists or agnostics, behave with dignity and show a great deal
of compassion to fellow beings and are profoundly indignant of the injustices
present in the world. At the same time some who vehemently assert their
Christian connections and commitment are crude, show intolerance to the fellow
Christians, not to mention to the rest of the mankind.
It was only when I reflected on the following verses spoken to us by the Holy
Ghost through the writings of St Paul that I began to understand this paradox.
The verses 12 to 16 from chapter 2 of St. Paul's letter to Romans in Bible (Contemporary English Version) read as
follows: 12 Those people who don't know about God's Law will still be punished for
what they do wrong. And the Law will be used to judge everyone who knows
what it says. 13 God accepts those who obey his Law, but not those who
simply hear it.
This English translation is the simplest and clearest I have found in all the
Bible translations, I have come across.
I now know that we create man made barriers, which in effect keep some good
people away from our version of Christianity. To use Jesus' words 'we tie up
heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders'.
See Also: To Serve not to be Served
The Solution to the World's
Problem
14 Some people naturally obey the Law's commands, even though they don't
have the Law. 15 This proves that the conscience is like a law written in
the human heart. And it will show whether we are forgiven or condemned, 16
when God appoints Jesus Christ to judge everyone's secret thoughts, just as
my message says.
While the Good Shepherd was mindful of His Duties IN THIS WORLD more than His
Rights as the Creator of all sheep, how could we the sheep belonging to the fold
of the Good Shepherd be more mindful of our rights IN THIS WORLD?
We may be sure that there are some exceptional young people graduating from
there as well as from other academic institutions, but they are not going to fix
our world.
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