|
“My Kind of World”
Lots of folk would like to remake the world these days. There are lots of different visions of what this world ought to be like. From the reports of public media, most people want an IPod in every pocket. Some want a pistol in every pocket. Others want a roll of twenty-dollar bills in every pocket. I'm a modest kind of fellow. Give me an uncomplicated cell phone for my pocket. It doesn't need to make pictures or provide games for my amusement. I just want to be able to call home in an emergency. Oh, and I'd like to have my Swiss Army knife in my pocket too. The little scissors on the knife are handy. And I know a fair number of folk who would be grateful just to have a pocket.
The more I think about it, the more attractive a simple kind of world is to me. I'll call it a “Ten Commandments/Beatitudes/Golden Rule” kind of world. There are ten of them, these commandments. You can find them in two places in the Bible: Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.
The first few commandments concern the relationship between God and human beings. I am a person of faith, so I am happy to begin my kind of world by honoring nothing more than the God who liberated the people of Israel from Egyptian slavery. I'm not interested in making any idols. I'm not going to use the name of the Lord in a trifling or vain way. And I think it is good to honor the Creator by resting on one day out of seven. This is what one might expect from any self-respecting God.
The rest of the commandments are very revealing about what the God of the Bible expects in his world. They concern relationships among human beings. These commandments instruct us to honor our parents. They prohibit murder, adultery, stealing, lying about our neighbors, and finally, coveting our neighbor's wife and belongings. A non-religious person may argue against those God-related injunctions but how can any decent, thinking person oppose these commandments that strike a blow for basic civilization? It's a beginning for the kind of world that I want to live in.
The second list of foundational blocks upon which I want my world to rest are the eight Beatitudes of Jesus. They are found in the Sermon on the Mount. (Matthew 5) These assertions of Jesus are what St Augustine calls the “ideal for every Christian life,” Those who are dispirited, mournful, meek, merciful, pure of heart, peacemakers, persecuted for righteousness' sake--these are the blessed. Let me live in a world that values these things.
The Beatitudes also state the rewards of the life to come. This is pretty neat if you are interested in living in the kingdom of heaven. If you want to be comforted, here's the way. If you want to inherit the earth, or receive mercy, this is for you. Here's how to be called a child of God. Finally, here is the answer to how to see God. I want a world in which I can learn how to be comfortable in an environment which God blesses.
Finally, give me a world ruled by the Golden Rule. Jesus put it this way: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” (Luke 6:31) It is sometimes called the “Ethic of Reciprocity.” This is the banner under which the quest for justice and human rights marches. Ah, if only the religious people whose faiths feature these commandments, beatitudes and this rule would temper their ideas and actions with what their scriptures teach them. What a wonderful world this would be!
|
