soapboxdiner

Get the log out of your eye, blind woman

Was watching The God Channel (as we affectionately call CBN here in the sbd household) today. Stop laughing! Yes, I occasionally dose myself with TGC. I occasionally find enlightenment in *some* of what the evangelists have to say - once I screen it all through my internal mesh collindar of "this is so commercial. and impractical. and contra-conducive to the original message of love Christ shared. No, I won't send you my money."

But sociologically - and once screened even spiritually - there are occasional gems of wisdom that can be scrubbed clean and used. Such was the case today.

The woman evangelist I usually really enjoy - can't remember her name at the moment - was naturally talking about love - agape she called it. She was discussing the fact that selfish, self-centered people are inherently unhappy. She wasn't meaning selfish and self-centered in the hurtful to others kind of way, she meant people who are enmeshed in their own cares. People turned inward, worriers.

She was making so much sense. Talking about agape love being a thing that you pour from yourself onto others, your thoughts being about spending your time with those you love and focusing your energies on building them up and making their lives richer. This, I think, is a thing the world needs more of. And it makes a lot of sense that once you stop fretting over the trivial things that irritate you in a person and start thinking along the lines of what you can do to promote healthier relationships, that will come back to you and you will be happier. In one word, karma.

This all makes sense in a "duh" kind of way, yes? But base human nature doesn't generally work on those terms. It is something we have to rise to, usually.

Anyway. I was "right there" with her in her sermon. She was sharing a philosophy with me that was moving and inspiring. And then she said this:

Like insecure people. All they can share in their relationships is a constant dose of compliment me, reassure me, don't contradict me. I can't take your objective criticism because I'm already falling apart on the inside and I can't take it from you, too. -- Don't insecure people just irritate you?

Know what she softened that blow with? Do you know what she used that shocking seque to teach?

Nothing. That was the end of the sermon. The show just cut to her sitting in her office asking for financial contributions.

That right there is why I no longer go to church. It still amazes me that there can be people in this world claiming to teach agape love to the masses and yet can in one sentence void all the positivity they are trying to teach.

Amazing.

9:51 pm - 08.15.02
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