Gospel of Doug: What to Do?

Many times attempting to lead a Christian life we have to make decisions about the different paths we will take in our life. Scriptures state if we are humble in our faith, God will help us with our decisions. I think lots of times we worry more about what others will think our decisions, than taking the time to reflect on the decision we should make in the first place. In the Gospel, a father asked his two sons to work in his vineyard. One of the sons said no, than he went and worked, and the other son said yes, and then he didn't work in the father's vineyard. One of the lessons I get out of these scriptures is; if we make a bad decision we always have the ability to revisit a bad decision. God allows us to revisit bad decisions. In my case, I think sometimes I may be too proud to revisit a bad decision, because of how it will look to other people. The other lesson I got from these scriptures is that if you are humble, God will help you make a good decision, and help you revisit bad decisions. Being humble to me, means being flexible, and keep checking back with the Lord about the decisions we make. God really wants us to be successful, but being successful is up to us, if we are not humble enough to put God first, than the likelihood of success decreases accordingly.

Lesson Eight

Bridge and Sunset

Gospel of Doug: Relationship with Others

First Reading:  Ezekiel 33:7-9 Thus says the LORD: You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel; when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me.  IF I tell the wicked, “O wicked one, you shall surely die,” and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, the wicked shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death.  But if you warn the wicked, trying to turn him from his way, and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself. 

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    This was one of the readings for Mass Sept. 6, 2020, it is always a reading which makes me a bit uncomfortable, and I find myself wanting to raise my hand and complain. It is hard enough to attempt to live  good Christian life myself, and save myself, and yet I am going be held responsible for someone else's wicked ways. And if in a sense, if I don't speak out, I basically risk my relationship with God.  Aren't we told not to judge others, we have no idea what they are going through, nor do we know what their relationship with God is, maybe they believe they have a good relationship with God, and maybe they do, maybe they even have a better relationship with God than I do. For me, this reading or command, always seems like a catch-22. First we have to decide who is wicked. Am I wicked? Yes, probably sometimes I am. How would I feel about someone approaching me, and speaking out on my actions and or beliefs. I would hope I would listen, but I doubt I would, I would probably just get pissed off at the person, and maybe unfriend them on facebook. If you read the rest of  Chapter 33, it doesn't get any easier. But basically we are called to speak out for the Truth, and the Right, and what God has laid down as the law in scripture. God is asking us to stand up for Him and for His people. We should condemn abortion and homosexuality as sins, even when we seem in the minority. We must quit rationalizing everything, and take definite stands. This has nothing to do with judging, or imposing our beliefs on anyone. We are to stand for God's word. If we know His word, we will know wickedness  when we encounter it. Ultimately this is about love.  God's love for each of us, and our love for God. But that doesn't make it any easier . . . . .

Fish and Weeds

The Gospel of Doug: Relationship to God

Are souls, black, white or brown? How about male or female? Gay or Straight? Does your Nationalism, or Religion define you in the eyes of God? My answer and opinion is no, a soul is none of those things. Nor do any of those things define who you are in the eyes of God . . .One of the main reasons I believe this and say this to be true is a verse in scriptures ; Jeremiah 1:5: "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the Nations." Jeremiah was talking about himself in this verse, but I believe God was talking about His relationship to humanity in general. God knows us, our souls, before we are even formed in the womb, and I believe that is how He recognizes and builds relationship with us. How He sees our souls. God doesn't see black, white, or brown, male or female, gay or straight, American or German, or Catholic or Lutheran, He sees us in relationship to our souls. Do we use these characteristics to grow our soul, and expand our relationship to God, or do we allow these things to come between our souls and our God. Our souls are the only part of us, that are eternal, the only part that remains to define us in God's eyes. When people talk about God loving everyone, He does not love us because of the characteristics that define our earthly existence, He loves us because of the part of Him that exists in us. We can not have a true and good relationship with God, unless our souls are right, and the most important thing in our life . .Our souls are the presence of God in our lives. Our souls grow or wither in relationship to how we live our lives. Is our skin color, sex, sexuality, nationality or religion more important, or are our souls? Your relationship with God depends on this answer.

Lesson Seven

The Gospel of Doug: Happy Endings

 Last Sunday's gospel reading was the one, where Jesus tells His disciples He must go to Jerusalem and die, and Peter says no, and Jesus says, "Get behind me Satan.".  I listened to both a Catholic sermon, and an Episcopal sermon on this reading, and thought both missed the main point. I won't go into those sermons, but I will give you my thoughts on this reading.  . . .Peter is a follower of Jesus Christ, because as Jesus is the son of God, Peter believes he is backing a winner. His vision of the future, is fairy tale stuff, happy ever after stuff . . .Jesus gets mad, because Jesus knows that is not reality. Jesus doesn't promise happy endings, He promises us, life and peace, but no happy endings. Just as in our day and age now, people by the millions believe in happy endings , . . .love, and equality for everyone,  . . .Sorry but that is not reality, it will never be reality, hate will always exist, inequality will always exist. The reality isn't in the happy ending, it is in the journey, and the suffering, and sacrifice . .That is where God's work gets done, and God's love exists . . .When we give ourselves over to God, and do the crappy hard stuff.  When we have the breath and strength, and the peace of mind, to go about our jobs, and let go of the happy endings, where everything is rainbows and hugs and kisses and warm fuzzies . . .When our focus isn't longer on those times, we are finally doing God's work . . . .

Lesson Six

Racial Unrest

August 29th, 2020, I just heard a black liberal talking head on MSNBC admit to the fact, the Democratic Party has used Black America to elect Presidents for generations.   That is not new, but her theology about the Democratic Party shocked me.  . . . . She basically admitted that using race was the only way Democrats had been able to elect a president.  She started her diatribe by admitting, the last Democratic President to get a majority of the white vote, was Lyndon Baines Johnson. Carter, Clinton, and Obama, none got a majority of the white vote. Obama only got 39% of the white vote.  I was not shocked by that, but what shocked me was, her basically admitting that spreading racial unrest was how the Democratic party approached elections.  Democrats were not necessarily interested in helping blacks, only keeping them voting Democratic.  

     I realized the truth of this, when as a teacher of history, I taught about the racial history in America. The founding of America, and the Constitution, blacks were used to attain power. How?  During the writing of the Constitution, an amendment was added to count blacks as 2/3 of a person, to increase the number of citizens in states with slavery, giving those states more representatives and power. 

     After the Civil War and Blacks were freed, the Democratic Party, intimidated Blacks not to vote. They kept Blacks dependent on the Democratic Party for any of the political freedoms Blacks possessed. Democrats during the next hundred years or so, continued to create racial division and unrest. President Woodrow Wilson, a Democrat, segregated the Federal government during his two terms in office. Future Democratic presidents were more than willing to help Blacks as long as Blacks remained dependent on them. Blacks could not show any independence from the Democratic party without suffering retribution. Republicans have ignored Blacks and even been racist towards Black causes, not only because Republicans were indifferent to Black suffering, or in many cases racist, but also because that is what the Democratic Party wanted, and that is how it kept is power.  Even LBJ when passing the Civil Rights Act was looking out for the Democratic party, saying Blacks (only he didn’t say Blacks) will vote Democratic for the next two hundred years.  

     One of the ways, the Democratic Party has kept Blacks powerless, is through their policies towards the Black community. Keep the community dependent on the Democratic Party though social government handouts and keep the population weak , by keeping the population from growing. 

    Look at population numbers from the United States census. In 1970, Blacks made up 11.1% of the population, Hispanics made up 4.4%, by 1980, Blacks made up 11.7% of the population, Hispanics made up 6.4% of the population, by 1990, Blacks made up 12.1% of the population, Hispanics made up 9.0 % of the population, by 2000, Blacks made up 12.3% of the population, Hispanics 12.5% of the population. By 2010, Blacks made up 12.6.% of the population, Hispanics made up 16.3% of the population. In 2060, the year it is predicted the white population will no longer be the majority population look at the numbers . . .whites are predicted to be 46.7 %, Blacks 12.6 % and Hispanics 31.6 % of the population. 

    Blacks are losing their political power, because of the polices enforced by the democratic liberals who dominate their politics. Why do think Joe Biden, made the gaffe regarding how he saw the Black and Hispanic communities. Why do you think President Obama deported more Hispanics than any other President in modern history, and yet at the same time created DACA, (which does not solve the problem, only creates a political issue which can be exploited for decades to come.) The democratic liberals, who for decades have used the Black voting base, to get and retain power, are in the process of looking for new racial groups to continue the policy of racial unrest, all for the sake of political power. But not being in position to control the Hispanic vote, they are trying to pander to them, and create relationships with Hispanic votes. The problem being many Hispanic voters are conservative by nature. Thus in 2020, the will be an election of racial unrest . . . . otherwise, as the liberal talking head admitted, we will not win this election.