{"id":6348,"date":"2016-06-23T06:29:07","date_gmt":"2016-06-23T10:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=6348"},"modified":"2016-06-23T06:29:07","modified_gmt":"2016-06-23T10:29:07","slug":"agreeing-on-whats-bad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=6348","title":{"rendered":"agreeing on what’s bad"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"photo-1442115597578-2d0fb2413734\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As I wrestle with reaction to recent current events, I find myself mentally thumbing through the mantra of why we can\u2019t somehow just all get along. We don\u2019t. We won\u2019t. And thus there seems too much infighting to make any authentic progression. So our means of crafting solution becomes less about listening, respecting, and evaluating varied viewpoint; it instead becomes more about recruiting others to our supposed side. If recruitment is significantly successful, listening, respecting, and evaluating varied viewpoint become no longer necessary.<\/p>\n

What I\u2019ve noticed in our recent infighting, is that we can\u2019t even agree on what is bad.<\/em><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll say that again: we can\u2019t agree on what is bad.<\/em> We fight about even that. Where is the moral clarity? What is the definition of right and wrong? Does such exist any more?<\/p>\n

Most of us (most of the time)<\/em> agree with what is right\u2026 love, joy, peace, patience, perseverance, kindness, charity, etc. But agreeing with what is bad is harder for us.<\/p>\n

The most succinct, complete list seems embedded in the ancient scriptures. Let me offer an abbreviated paraphrase:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. No other gods, only me.<\/em><\/li>\n
  2. No carved gods of any size, shape, or form of anything whatever. <\/em><\/li>\n
  3. No using the name of God, your God, in curses or silly banter.<\/em><\/li>\n
  4. Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. <\/em><\/li>\n
  5. Honor your father and mother.<\/em><\/li>\n
  6. No murder.<\/em><\/li>\n
  7. No adultery.<\/em><\/li>\n
  8. No stealing.<\/em><\/li>\n
  9. No lies about your neighbor.<\/em><\/li>\n
  10. No lusting after your neighbor\u2019s house, wife, possessions, etc.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    A couple commands would benefit from added explanation\u2026 The idea of \u201cno carved gods of any size, shape,\u201d whatever, for example, means that our own two hands cannot create something that authentically serves as a god.<\/p>\n

    Secondly, regarding the call to honor the Sabbath\u2026 I suppose we each do that differently; but I think the underlying idea is similar to being intentional in setting a time aside each week to be still \u2014 to thank and reflect upon the One who made us\u2026 resting\u2026 recognizing this world isn\u2019t and has never been \u201call about me.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Today\u2019s challenge comes in the other eight commandments. I don\u2019t think we agree anymore that those are really so bad\u2026<\/p>\n

    Honor your father and mother?\u00a0(… well, until those parents don\u2019t raise you the way the rest of us think they should\u2026)<\/em><\/p>\n

    Adultery? (… well, sometimes you were just meant to be with someone else\u2026 if it feels right, it must be right\u2026)<\/em><\/p>\n

    And no lies? No lusting?\u00a0(… oh, come on\u2026 we all do that!)<\/em><\/p>\n

    My point is that what\u2019s bad has digressed into a point of contention.<\/p>\n

    Note that when a person walks up D.C.\u2019s First Street steps to the majestic Supreme Court Building, near the top of the building is a sculpted row of the world’s historic law givers. Most of the figures\u00a0face the man in the middle who is facing forward; it is Moses holding the Ten Commandments. Fascinating in regard to the acknowledged infighting, in recent years some have argued what Moses is holding; they are two stone tablets\u2026 but, as some contend\u2026 There\u2019s no visible writing on the tablets\u2026 Moses could have been holding something else!<\/em><\/p>\n

    I suggest that a single, even halfhearted viewing\u00a0of\u00a0Charlton Heston\u2019s most epic role will leave little doubt what Moses could and would be holding.<\/p>\n

    That\u2019s it. We fight about it. If we can diminish any significance of the Ten Commandments \u2014 as noted by their prominence in the highest court of the land \u2014 then we can justify acting as if what they actually say isn\u2019t that bad.<\/p>\n

    But if we can\u2019t agree on what\u2019s bad, it\u2019s pretty hard to discern what\u2019s actually good.<\/p>\n

    Respectfully\u2026
    \nAR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    As I wrestle with reaction to recent current events, I find myself mentally thumbing through the mantra of why we can\u2019t somehow just all get along. We don\u2019t. We won\u2019t. And thus there seems too much infighting to make any authentic progression. So our means of crafting solution becomes less about listening, respecting, and evaluating … <\/p>\n

    Continue reading “agreeing on what’s bad”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-issue","category-daily-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6348"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6357,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6348\/revisions\/6357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}