You or Me?...Christian or Not?...Right or Wrong?

Excuse me, ma'am, but I was wondering if I could sit with you under this umbrella of shade since it is above average for a typical summer day.  Thank you!  I can't help but notice that you are a devoted Christian and an activist in your church.  How do I know that?  Well according to the cross that hangs around your neck, the T-shirt that you are wearing quotes an anthem or motto that most Christians live by their entire lives, "Do you know who died for you...God conquers all," your bracelet carries the letters WWJD as it dangles around your wrist, and in front of you there is a stack of books that contains the Bible, a daily devotional, a study guide for a Bible Study, and a bulletin from last Sunday's service, at least according to the date, I would say that you are devoted Christian.

Your facial expressions remind of someone who is perplexed and unsure about what is happening in the present.  Please trust me: I am also a Christian, but a specific type of Christian; one who believes but questions the nature of the Bible and its ability to remain consistent.  You don't believe I am a Christian because I am wearing black pants, a black dress-shirt, and sunglasses.  Since when does my physical appearance decide if I am a Christian or not?  Sure, what I wear may say something about who I am or who anyone is, but just because when one wears black it doesn't mean that they become, automatically, an atheist.  That is besides the point. You don't believe that a Christian would question the words of God and question what his messages are attempting to say to his followers.  Isn't it our right, as Christians, to question whether the words of God are substantial enough to meet our spiritual connections and needs?  I believe it is.  What did you say?  You believe that we should be able to question God's words. But... But what?  If you allow me to stay, I promise I will tell you why I am questioning the words of God on the realization that God is still present in my life.  And I promise to answer your "but!"

To my understanding, the words of the Bible, at least the Old Testament, were words directly from God but transcribed by those who God spoke to directly.  For example the stories of Moses were written by an another author besides Moses and besides God, meaning that the words in those stories and many others are rough translations of what God was preaching about.  This occurs again in the first book of the Bible, Genesis: In this particular book God was never accused of writing down his methods to creating the earth nor creating man, but for some mysterious reason through the writings of some other author, we are told how and when God created earth and man.  These words didn't just write themselves.  They were told by God to someone else who could have matter a fact mis-interpreted or mis-understood what God was saying.  You say these are just minor examples from a huge book of faith and inspiration.  You are correct to some degree.  These are just TWO examples out of 39 Old Testament readings which means that these are just TWO examples that create a trend or foundation for the other 37 stories remaining in the Old Testament.

Don't get me wrong ma'am, I believe in the words of God and I believe in his ways and methods, but the whole idea of following and devoting our lives to the writings of unknown authors just seems to rub me in the wrong way.

On the other side of the Bible, you say that the New Testament is a hundred percent true and free from mistakes since Jesus was physically present during this time.  I will never be able to convince you otherwise about your feelings and understandings of the Bible, but I can provide a counter argument that might make you stop and think about how error free the Bible may appear to be or not appear to be.  In the New Testament, for instance, if you carefully consider the words of Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20-21, you will notice that all these specific chapters from the apostles are telling the same basic story, but if you pay attention to what is being said, you will notice some inconsistencies.  For example, after Jesus rises from the dead, Matthew indicates that Jesus will be in this place while Mark suggests another place.  As for Mary (the virgin) and Mary Magdalen, the apostles all say something different about who was really there when the stone was rolled away.  Or was the stone rolled away?  You believe it was.  You should double check.

Well before I depart, I want you to know that I have already taken into the consideration that there is no way that I can possibly change your views on the words of God or even Jesus to that matter, but most importantly I want you to realize that although the Bible, the words of God, seem perfect, they do contain some inconsistencies which provides us, as Christians, the chance to question the words and authors of God.  Maybe this means that the words of God are meant to be changed, depending on the situation? You can take the words of God however you please, but for me, I will continue to follow his words but at the same time question if these words are really His own.

Farewell.  'Til next time my friend.  Enjoy the umbrella of shade!

Images:
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PSA: ATTENTION. WANT TO BE A MIRACLE?

ATTENTION POTENTIAL VIEWERS OF THIS BLOG.  AS OF TODAY THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 120,000 INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE ON THE WAITING LIST FOR BEING POTENTIAL DONOR RECEIVERS (www.lifepassiton.org).  WITHOUT YOUR HELP THIS NUMBER WILL ONLY CONTINUE TO INCREASE.  WITHOUT YOUR AID AND SUPPORT THESE PEOPLE MAY NEVER BE ABLE TO SEE TOMORROW; THESE PEOPLE WILL NOT ONLY HAVE TO COPE WITH THE NOTION THAT DEATH IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER, BUT MOST OF THEM WILL HAVE TO EXPERIENCE AND WITNESS FEAR THROUGH THEIR OWN EYES.  IF YOU HAVE THE CHANCE TO SAVE A FAMILY MEMBER, A LOVED ONE, AND/OR A STRANGER WOULD YOU DONATE KNOWING THAT YOU WOULD GET SOME SORT OF COMPENSATION FOR YOUR ACTIONS?  DO YOU WANT TO BE THE MIRACLE AND BE LIKE GOD AND SAVE A LIFE?  DONATE NOW IF YOU DO.  IF YOU DON'T AND ARE HAVING CONTEMPLATIONS, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENT.

Believe it or not, there are people living within this country, within this nation, within this world that contemplate whether to become an organ donor everyday of their lives.  Some people believe this kind of life saving question should not even exist as a question or a matter of questioning, but others believe that it should be of question because of certain ethical, moral, and religious beliefs.  I, in fact, am one of those individuals who remain on the fence about whether to become an organ donor or not. Even after researching this topic through personal stories, religious beliefs--such as is it right to act like God according to the Bible to save the life of another--and what the future has in store for organ donation, I am still on the fence.

But before we get into what I found,  the websites lifepassiton.org and organize.org provide statistical information that notifies the general public about the life of organ transplantation/donation. According to  lifepassiton.org,  "a single organ donor can potentially save eight lives, one tissue donor can save and/or enhance the lives of 50 individuals, and more than 90% of American adults approve of donation as a viable, life giving source" (lifepassiton.org).  Out of those 90 plus percent Americans who support organ donation only 40% of them are actually organ donors (www.organize.org).  Also according to this website, you are 6 times more likely to need a transplant than be a donor, which explains why there are approximately 120,000 individuals  waiting to, essentially, be saved by your willingness to give a part of you to them.  Only 40% are willing to give, to be a donor, to be life-saver.  What about the other 60%?  What is holding them back?

First off, some people are a little skeptical about the whole idea of saving the life of someone they do not know.  To fix this problem, people have been using social media to post or blog about how organ donation has changed their lives for the better.  For example, a young women recently shared her perspective of organ donation on my Facebook page.  Here is her account and perspective of how organ donation has changed her life: "Before my mother passed away because of cancer, she decided that she wanted to  give her corneas to her mother (the young woman's grandmother).  And because of this selfless action, her grandmother is able to see; color for color, flower for flower."  This is just one example of how being an organ donor can change the life or lives of many individuals whether they knew them directly or not.  On the other hand, some people just give to let themselves feel good about themselves.  They don't give to save a stranger's life, a family member's life or even the life of a loved one: they give so they can have a way to benefit their own life.  Is that right?  Should someone choose to save a life just to save their one?  Furthermore, should individuals be granted the opportunity to receive compensations for being willing to save a life?  Now, are people donating to save or are they donating to get paid?

Secondly, the concept of ones religious beliefs and morals come into practice when deciding to become an organ donor.  Some Christians believe that saving a life means acting like God and in turn they are replacing God and his idea of faith with science and medicine.  These individuals are also facing the fact that if they do become a participant of organ donation, their organs may potentially be going to an individual who is not Christian, doesn't believe in God, and may have been an individual who has severely done wrong in their life.  This bothers Christians who believe that God is the only "life-saver" of ones life.  For those other Christians who believe that organ donation is right in the eyes of God and humanity, the verse that they choose to follow comes from Matthew 5:43 which states, "Love your neighbor."  With this motto, Christians choose to save lives day after day and choose to act like God to anyone who needs help or attention no matter of one's past or present sins.  A life is a life.  And a life in need, is a life worth saving. (www.christianliferesources.com)

Thirdly, and finally, people are worried about what the future has in store for organ donation.  To tell you the truth, although organ donation  is a positive action that sends a profound and powerful message, it will always be a topic of controversy and contemplation because of one's ethical, moral, and religious belifs.  The future of organ donation lies on the shoulders of everyone, but for now those approximately 120,000 people who are on the waiting list will have to wait until someone takes a stand and becomes a life-saver and a miracle for a family member, a loved one, or a stranger.  For me, I'm not ready to be that miracle.  Are you?

THIS HAS BEEN A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT.  YOUR PREPAID PROGRAM WILL RETURN MOMENTARILY.

Images:

http://www.unitypoint.org/desmoines/filesimages/Articles/organ-donation.jpg

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