My Favorite Verses - Vol IV (Nov 16 to Feb 17)
A collection of brief commentaries on some of the Bible’s most beloved (and often least understood) passages, parables, verses & sayings
A collection of brief commentaries on some of the Bible’s most beloved
(and often least understood) passages, parables, verses & sayings
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Acts 10:34-35 … Questioning with boldness<br />
(11/<strong>16</strong>/20<strong>16</strong>)<br />
“Question with boldness even the existence of God, because if there is One, [He]<br />
must more approve the homage of reasonable doubt than that of blind-folded fear.”<br />
~ Thomas Jefferson<br />
This quote from Jefferson need not be read as a rejection of God or a call <strong>to</strong><br />
atheism (though Jefferson himself was a Deist, and thus much closer <strong>to</strong> rejecting the<br />
Christian godhead than he was of accepting the same). Indeed, when we read this<br />
quote on its face, it merely shares the quite simple Truth that any God who creates<br />
His creations ill (i.e. lacking in objective knowledge and full of superstitious fears) and<br />
demands that they somehow make themselves well is a God not worth worshiping<br />
at all – indeed, that the raw capriciousness of such a God actually borders on being<br />
downright evil.<br />
And interestingly enough, Jesus himself seems <strong>to</strong> agree – noting as he does<br />
that his Father is not at all the damning type; that his “heavenly Father”<br />
(remembering that “Heaven” for Jesus was an internal Kingdom, not a stra<strong>to</strong>spheric one<br />
– see Luke <strong>17</strong>:20-21) was an embodiment of pure & perfect Love (see Matthew 5:48)<br />
and that such a Love was actually completely fearless and utterly lacking in any<br />
semblance of judgment (Matthew 7:1-2, Luke 6:36 & Matthew 8:21-22 et al) and<br />
completely devoid of the ability <strong>to</strong> punish others as well (see 1 John 4:18).<br />
As such, any such wholly gracious and non-condemna<strong>to</strong>ry God would quite<br />
clearly much more appreciate an atheist who honestly and humbly seeks for Truth<br />
than an arrogantly ignorant Christian who boldly claims <strong>to</strong> know the things he or<br />
she quite clearly cannot – and that this would be especially true if that atheist was<br />
one who happened <strong>to</strong> dedicate his or her life <strong>to</strong> Caring for others, while that<br />
Christian dedicated his or her life <strong>to</strong> condemning them.<br />
“I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but rather that in every nation<br />
anyone who reveres Him by doing what is Right is acceptable <strong>to</strong> Him.” ~ Acts 10:34-35<br />
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