[Oe List ...] Salmon answers to questions

[William Salmon]

SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES FORColleagues: 
The following is one response to a series of dialogues between a faithful man and myself. Perhaps, you will find something on which to chew. You are welcome to return your views and insights to me as well. Join the fray! 

            Bill 

 

Hi Pastor:

     On the serious side.  This is one that I have thought about for years. 

            Let's say that I am about to make a decision which is against God's principals.  I want to do this thing so bad (Devil inspired) that I know that after I do this, I will ask for His forgiveness and God will forgive me. 

            Truth or consequences?

            Thanks.

----------

            Well, let's see. I just spent 30 minutes answering your questions, and then I lost it when my computer acted funny. Am I getting a message here, or what? I'll try to reconstruct what I said, but it will not be as smart (for some reason I can't spell erudite), but my words were flowing with poetic phrase after phrase; but I'll try. OK?

 

The first thing I'd need to do is to be certain that you and I are on the same page concerning our definitions of the following: 

God's principles:

Devil inspired:

His forgiveness:

 

            My definitions are experience based rather than knowledge based. Our knowledge of these words in the Christian lexicon carries so much baggage that all people can do is to have the best argument about who really has the TRUE ANSWER. Consequently, there no longer is the best argument. Life-like theology-has moved on. However, what is undeniable is how we experience them; your experience may be different from mine, but while we may differ in the kind of experiences, at least we are on common ground. So, the following are my experiences:

God's principles: 

            There is only one central (I hesitate to say, "fundamental") principle of God and that is creation is created to fulfill its' created purpose. A cow is a cow; a tree is a tree; a rock is a rock, a bird is a bird; and humans fulfill our created purpose by living the humane and gracious life while working for justice and mercy. How do I know this is God's principle? Because it brings everything into AT-ONE-MENT, and God is experienced as Perfect At-One-Ment.              

            The will of God is for humans to live the humane and gracious life while working for justice and mercy. So, what about Free Will? The part we humans never seem to get is that WE ARE FREE ONLY TO BE OBEDIENT to our intended creation! When we fail to shape up, then there is a PRICE TO PAY!

            The First Axiom of Salmon-ology is, "The reward for the deed is found in the deed itself." GOD GUARANTEES IT! Pay attention now. Every law requires a price to be paid. This is the basic (fundamental?) concern of the Great Commandment: to love God, love neighbor and to love self;  

Breaking the civil law-

            We drive down the Interstate way over the speed limit. The reward is a ticket to pay, our highway neighbors wish only the worst things for us, and we feel disgusted that we really must pay the price. GOD GUARANTEES IT.

Breaking the moral law-

            We do dumb things in the back seat of the car, then the reward is called "parenthood." The debt is carried for the next 18 years and involves college expenses. GOD GUARANTEES IT

Breaking the Holy Law-

            We choose not to study the Bible, go to Sunday School, or worship, and we won't associate (God forbid) with Christian folks. Then, when the going gets really rough - old mom lies in the nursing home breathing her last breath, and people that have no roots are blown away by every whim of fate. GOD GUARANTEES IT. 

 

Devil inspired:  

            The Devil, or the Demon, always is experienced as the Big Lie which ALWAYS IS AN ILLUSION; the Temptation story gets it right. "Come on people, a loving God is not going to punish you for being disobedient!" Do you experience the illusion here? This is like telling a cow that it is not necessary to act like a cow! To be something that is contrary to its creation is called The Big Fall--from GOODNESS, that is.  Cows, and trees, and rocks, are GOOD at getting it right, so why can't we humans get it right? (S-s-s-h-h-h, the big secret is Free Will? Not really!)

 

The Holy Spirit:

            The HS is experienced as our freedom to be OBEDIENT. Well, you say, we've been down that road up above. (No, my friend, not up THERE, but rather a few paragraphs earlier, OK?) Now, if I may go on. . . ?

            The Holy Spirit is the guarantee that we do NOT HAVE THE FREEDOM TO BE ANYTHING BUT WHAT FULFILLS OUR INTENDED CREATION. 

            So, how can we tell that people are disobedient? This is so easy! All of them have TROUBLES:

 

 "You've got troubles my friends. Trouble, right here is River City, and that starts with "T" and that rhymes with "P" and that spells pool; pool tables, that is. . .) 

 

Ah, to be the Music Man!

 

            But this is the answer. When people have troubles it is a sure bet they are living out of synch with their intended creation. They are not singing in Harmony, but they are "off key." 

            Another way to push this insight is when people think they can work for justice and mercy without being humane and merciful. What happens is called, "The White Folk's Burden;" all them poor folks need us to come solve their problems. It can't be done, my friend. This is the attempt to put others down by pushing up ourselves. It is inauthentic! It is called "paternalism." This can be the danger of building homes for "the poor." Unless we see this generous activity as penance for living in economic ghettos, then we are playing the game of, "The White Folk's burden." 

            The other way also is true. We think we can live the humane and gracious life without working for justice and mercy. It can't be done; by definition we can only be humane and gracious while we are working for justice and mercy. GOD GUARANTEES IT. 

            

God's forgiveness:

            There is a fundamental (there's that word again!) mistake that fundamentalists make when we think that forgiveness is something we earn. If there is a Christian secret then it is the announcement, 

"WE CAN'T BE FORGIVEN, 

 

BECAUSE WE ARE ALREADY FREE!"

 

            The basic problem is that humanity loses sight of this truly Good News; we are daughters and sons of the Creator who is experienced as Perfect At-One-Ment. We can't be any more FORGIVEN when we are the very reflection of FORGIVENESS itself. This is not a MORAL ISSUE; rather it is an ONTOLOGICAL CONCERN. We humans are the demonstration of what the INDICATIVE looks like. 

            Unless we embrace affirm and/or confirm this insight then we are living an ILLUSION of reality; see above (Yes, I know!) and we again find ourselves in The-Embrace-Of-The-Experience-of-the-Big-Lie. 

 

            Now, do you EXPERIENCE the danger of asking a Salmon-ologist, Secular/Christian theologian that I am, any kind of questions, in particular those that are prone to "stream of consciousness" writing? Ah, well, Forgive me!

            

            Thank you, my friend. I wanted to take your questions seriously.

            Inner Peace, 

            Pastor Bill 

 

 
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