One of the most popular Saturday Night Live skits from the eighties featured Dana Carvey as the Church Lady. I mean, who can forget the ever inquisitive church lady interrogating Sean Penn or Danny Devito, with that smug judgemental smirk, as we all anticipated the prolific question "Could it be ....hmmm..I don't know...SATAN?!!!"
I believe one of the reasons the church lady resonated so well with most of America is because at one time in our lives we have all encountered that "bible thumping", fire and brimstone believer who convinced us that we would burn in the depts of an eternal inferno because of some minor indulgence. Sin.
Just what is "Sin" anyway? American Heritage Dictionary defines sin as:
What I find startling though, is the increasing number of people who believe that sin and/or morals are so subjective, that they really shouldn't even be considered. Reknown occultist, Aleister Crowley, is quoted as saying, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law." Similarly, Anton Lavey, in his penning of the Satanic Bible, is quoted as saying, "Satanism encourages its followers to indulge in their natural desires. Only by doing so can you be a completely satisfied person with no frustrations which can be harmful to yourself and others around you. Therefore, the most simplified description of the Satanic belief is: indulgence instead of abstinence."
As a father of two boys, I find myself obligated to discipline my children from time to time. Actually, it's a daily routine. Many people, when hearing the word discipline immediately conjure thoughts of spanking, verbal admonishments, and/or the abstinence of indulgences. However, American Heritage Dictionary defines the term discipline as " training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement." So in disciplining my children, it is not my intent to create misery by denying them pleasure or inflicting pain, but rather it is specifically designed to teach them how to develop morals and behavior which are condusive to the well-being of both their own physical and mental health and for the adjustment of societal decorum. In essence "it's for their own good."
In my journey through parenthood I have found that the most effective form of discipline incorporates free choice and consequences. My children know that with certain behavior comes certain consequences and that with free will comes responsibility. My youngest son loves to play with Legos but also struggles with the responsibility to put the Legos away when he is finished. however, he fully understands that should he choose to leave his Legos out on the floor for others to step and trip on after he is done playing with them, then they will be picked up and put away for two weeks, thus denying him the privilege to play with them again for a short time. Is this cruel? Is he bad or evil for failing to fulfill his responsibilities? Absolutely not. I love my son as much as I did before he left the Legos out on the floor and my love for him is in no way connected to his behavior, but his behavior is tied to specific consequences which only he can control.
This seems fundamental to anyone who has been a parent, or has been a child at least once in their life, but for some reason, it becomes difficult to apply when speaking of a "heavenly" or "spiritual" father. Some think of God, as he or she may know him, as some ominous celestial giant, who at the slightest mortal mistake, cast lightning bolts down to earth, striking the believer for his or her sinful indulgence. But if God, calling himself our heavenly father, truly loves His children, this seems inconsistent with what we know of parenthood.
I believe that God, the father, just as my father, and my son's father, lays out a path of discipline designed to mold and shape our character and who's goal is to develop a loving, caring, responsible adult. Not a wimpering, cowering, slave. Does this mean that we can not sin, or take a path that is in direct contravention to the path he designed for us? On the contrary. The greatest gift God gave us is the ability to think for ourselves and to make our own decisions. By default, we are sinful because we do not always take the path that is best for us. That can be seen everyday.
I, personally, don't see God up in a cloud somewhere making laws and rules designed to deny humankind pleasure and happiness. Instead, I see God as a loving and kind father who knows what is best for us and desires very much for his children to follow the path that he knows leads to happiness and health. But it's our choice.
So, in my most humble opinion, when taking your journey on personal and spiritual enlightenment, be wary of those religions and philosophies which direct you to do "what thou wilt" and who deny the existence of consequences to our own choices, and consider whether these philosophies take into consideration what is best for your spiritual well-being.
I believe one of the reasons the church lady resonated so well with most of America is because at one time in our lives we have all encountered that "bible thumping", fire and brimstone believer who convinced us that we would burn in the depts of an eternal inferno because of some minor indulgence. Sin.
Just what is "Sin" anyway? American Heritage Dictionary defines sin as:
- A transgression of a religious or moral law, especially when deliberate.
- Deliberate disobedience to the known will of God.
- A condition of estrangement from God resulting from such disobedience.
- Something regarded as being shameful, deplorable, or utterly wrong.
What I find startling though, is the increasing number of people who believe that sin and/or morals are so subjective, that they really shouldn't even be considered. Reknown occultist, Aleister Crowley, is quoted as saying, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law." Similarly, Anton Lavey, in his penning of the Satanic Bible, is quoted as saying, "Satanism encourages its followers to indulge in their natural desires. Only by doing so can you be a completely satisfied person with no frustrations which can be harmful to yourself and others around you. Therefore, the most simplified description of the Satanic belief is: indulgence instead of abstinence."
As a father of two boys, I find myself obligated to discipline my children from time to time. Actually, it's a daily routine. Many people, when hearing the word discipline immediately conjure thoughts of spanking, verbal admonishments, and/or the abstinence of indulgences. However, American Heritage Dictionary defines the term discipline as " training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement." So in disciplining my children, it is not my intent to create misery by denying them pleasure or inflicting pain, but rather it is specifically designed to teach them how to develop morals and behavior which are condusive to the well-being of both their own physical and mental health and for the adjustment of societal decorum. In essence "it's for their own good."
In my journey through parenthood I have found that the most effective form of discipline incorporates free choice and consequences. My children know that with certain behavior comes certain consequences and that with free will comes responsibility. My youngest son loves to play with Legos but also struggles with the responsibility to put the Legos away when he is finished. however, he fully understands that should he choose to leave his Legos out on the floor for others to step and trip on after he is done playing with them, then they will be picked up and put away for two weeks, thus denying him the privilege to play with them again for a short time. Is this cruel? Is he bad or evil for failing to fulfill his responsibilities? Absolutely not. I love my son as much as I did before he left the Legos out on the floor and my love for him is in no way connected to his behavior, but his behavior is tied to specific consequences which only he can control.
This seems fundamental to anyone who has been a parent, or has been a child at least once in their life, but for some reason, it becomes difficult to apply when speaking of a "heavenly" or "spiritual" father. Some think of God, as he or she may know him, as some ominous celestial giant, who at the slightest mortal mistake, cast lightning bolts down to earth, striking the believer for his or her sinful indulgence. But if God, calling himself our heavenly father, truly loves His children, this seems inconsistent with what we know of parenthood.
I believe that God, the father, just as my father, and my son's father, lays out a path of discipline designed to mold and shape our character and who's goal is to develop a loving, caring, responsible adult. Not a wimpering, cowering, slave. Does this mean that we can not sin, or take a path that is in direct contravention to the path he designed for us? On the contrary. The greatest gift God gave us is the ability to think for ourselves and to make our own decisions. By default, we are sinful because we do not always take the path that is best for us. That can be seen everyday.
I, personally, don't see God up in a cloud somewhere making laws and rules designed to deny humankind pleasure and happiness. Instead, I see God as a loving and kind father who knows what is best for us and desires very much for his children to follow the path that he knows leads to happiness and health. But it's our choice.
So, in my most humble opinion, when taking your journey on personal and spiritual enlightenment, be wary of those religions and philosophies which direct you to do "what thou wilt" and who deny the existence of consequences to our own choices, and consider whether these philosophies take into consideration what is best for your spiritual well-being.
