Thursday, March 11, 2004
Ten bombs explode in Madrid, Spain and the world takes notice. It will take us days, perhaps weeks, to turn the page to other news. One of the plotlines in Patterson's "The 3rd Degree" is that a whole group of people can't "turn the page" when they read about disease, poverty, violence and death in the developing world. These people are the ones who protest against the World Bank and World Trade. These are the people who riot in Seattle and in Paris and in London. It comes down to how awful the news has to be before an individual can no longer just turn the page without acting.
"Draw close to God and He will draw close to you." Critics say that Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" is too violent, but read that first link about the bombings in Madrid, which is led by "I saw a baby torn to bits." The Passion was violent and Jesus went through it to make a new covenant with humanity. You have to wonder, don't you, what Jesus would do about Terrorism.
Our most important commandment is to love God and the second most important is to love each other. Mankind is so far away from that. Even those who want us to love the world and raise everyone up to the same level (those Seattle rioters) get their point across through violence. It is a dark time in a dark world. God has worked since Adam and Eve to reconcile us with Himself. From the covenant of Noah, represented by the rainbow, to the covenant of Abraham represented by circumcision, to the covenant of Moses represented by the ten commandments and the journey of the Jews out of Egypt, God led us toward and prepared us for the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. The way out exists, but the path seems further away by the day.
"Draw close to God and He will draw close to you." Critics say that Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" is too violent, but read that first link about the bombings in Madrid, which is led by "I saw a baby torn to bits." The Passion was violent and Jesus went through it to make a new covenant with humanity. You have to wonder, don't you, what Jesus would do about Terrorism.
Our most important commandment is to love God and the second most important is to love each other. Mankind is so far away from that. Even those who want us to love the world and raise everyone up to the same level (those Seattle rioters) get their point across through violence. It is a dark time in a dark world. God has worked since Adam and Eve to reconcile us with Himself. From the covenant of Noah, represented by the rainbow, to the covenant of Abraham represented by circumcision, to the covenant of Moses represented by the ten commandments and the journey of the Jews out of Egypt, God led us toward and prepared us for the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. The way out exists, but the path seems further away by the day.
