THE SOUL

Has the heart and soul gone out of Religion?

"Whatever you did for the least of these my brethren you did for me."
Jesus said in Mathew 25:40.

Jesus spoke to the heart with simple stories of life.

The very heart and soul of religion is fighting to change and become more involved in the big problems in the world today. Religion that has in itself caused divsions must be prepared to look beyond belief and start acting and fighting for justice and equality.

I ask myself what earthly use is religion?

How can it help us find solutions for all the big problems in the world today? We all have our own struggles with health problems; prejudices,
apathy and hopelessness. It seems we have no say in the decisions are politicians make. Is one party different than another? Money is being spent on making the rich comfortable while the poor are neglected and abused. We can not even stand up for helpless animals like the poor seals clubed to death because we want to cloth our athelites in sealskin hats.

Jesus was enraged at the injustice and mistreatment of those who were poor and sick and desparate for God's blessing.

We do not live in a country where there are countless craters made by grenades; where people live with fear and suffering. We who have so much need to be more helpful to those who have so little.

We have to start preaching a new message in our own churches and in other countries. We need to learn more about the ways of others and stop thinking like tribal people who believe they are right and justified to kill those who disagree.

Somehow we need to hear the message of Jesus who described the kingdom of heaven as a call to change and to work towards making this world a better place here and now.

We need each other to work together to fight for change and to cry out against injustice and poverity. This is the soul of our religion not the salvation of just our souls but salvation that feeds the poor and stops the fighting and heals the wounds that have allowed hatred to live on and on.

Religion has been caufgt up in fighting moral issues of judgment and condemnation, biblical interpretation, endless controversies over wine drinking and guitar playing and pulpit sharing.

I do not know the answers but I am glad that the church is trying to change and respond to the most important issues. Many Christian people are feeding the hungry and providing clothing and blankets and becoming exhausted because the problems are beyond them.

I believe that the soul that becomes alive and really wants to love will work towards helping the helpless by becoming more generous with their time and energy, Maybe our young people will not be sitting in church but going out and working among the outcasts.

I do not expect any comments but dad said it was very good so I guess that means he agrees.