Participating in a group on Facebook entitled Christian Anarchists I made reference to two ideas which need considerable elaboration, but the group discussions there do not seem readily responsive therefore I am inspired to blog about them, and particularly since I have not been very active here recently. The first consideration is to look at my suggestion that to identify certain items as tools is not anarchistic. The second reference is to the suggestion that there is is no oxymoron in describing our version of anarchism as Christian Anarchism, but I would have to deal with that one in a separate blog entry.
Back then to my suggestion that the idea of a tool should not exist in the thinking of a Christian Anarchist, or any sort of anarchist for that matter. There must be several entry points into this discussion. Re-tooling factories to make guns instead of spades might be interesting, and a spade is not a tool in my mind anyway. When early man picked up a stone to use as a tool, that was the end of anarchism because I guess he thought he owned it, and as Proudhon emphatically declared, property is theft. I am going to cut short my non-sensical ramblings on tools in this entry, as I am inspired to write about something else. I also started an entry on my views of God, which I will include here, so I can move onto what I consider to be more inspirational. Suffice to say I see that a tool in this statist society is an instrument of control, to be used to enable man to control man, and/or man to control beast, plant-life and his inanimate surroundings. Anarchists should not be out to control anything or anybody; live life to its full and let God have His Say in all matters. "What ever will be will be".
Concerning my views on God, I think my previous blog entry has been submitted, but I am tempted to put it in again. The Bible loves repeating itself.
"The Intellectuals Speak Out About God: A Handbook for the Christian Student in a Secular Society", (September 1, 1984), by Roy Abraham Varghese (Editor).
I respect the Bible, and occasionally read a Scripture if it has been referred to me by someone in conversation or writing, or if I have a notion and want to read what the Bible says about it, but again this does little to bring me closer to God. All sermons and printed literature from the established Churches leave me cold, they are all saying the same things over and over again and I tell them this, or dismiss the literature saying I am already converted, and tell the preachers they are wasting their time and I am wasting my time reading the literature. Perhaps one day I will read something, or hear something said which will astound me, and I hope and pray for that.
This position of mine has led me to think that I could write about my views of God, and of course I would be humbled yet pleased if it had an influence on someone. I am of course no intellectual, just a common man searching for some truth in this wicked world, so here goes.
To begin, I have to believe that there exists a supernatural realm undetectable by all of our worldly efforts in our known time and space. Our understanding of electromagnetic waves, strong and weak nuclear forces and the mathematical theories associated with these phenomena bring us no nearer to this supernatural realm, in spite of the fantastic advances in science, technology and engineering which this understanding has brought us. Our only connection is a spiritual connection, and I am adamant in my belief that there is a spiritual side to my existence in this world and that I need to feed and nurture it just as much as my need to nurture my physical, intellectual, emotional and psychological aspects.
My acceptance of the existence of God is really quite simple. I look and marvel at the beauty of creation, the geosphere, the biosphere and now possibly the noosphere (Teilhard de Chardin) through telecommunications, and this evolution cannot have arisen by chance. There has to be a great designer. As far as I know all religions aspire to this concept of a supernatural being, or beings, but for me the only religion which makes complete sense is Christianity. Why is this so?
The Bible has to be the basis on which I hold this view. I cannot accept that a great designer has no purpose in creating the universe which we observe, and the most obvious purpose is to fulfill its creation (I assign no gender, that is a figment of man's imagination to make the stories of the Bible more acceptable to mortal man) with the advent of human-kind in its likeness. There may well be many other life-forms in the universe, but none will have the possibility of a spiritual connection with God, anymore than any of the millions of life-forms here on earth which we do know about. With God designing us in its likeness we were given free will and the ability to choose, it did not want us to be mere puppets on a string. Most of us have chosen badly, exemplified by the story of Samuel giving the Israelites a king against God's advice. But its plan was simple. It knew it would come to earth as a man with whom human-kind could relate more easily rather than with some mysterious supernatural being. Jesus was God, none of this nonsense about Him being the Son of God; this was written into the Scriptures by the writers so that the readers of the time could again relate more closely to God, through Christ. Being God, I have to believe that the resurrection of Jesus as a man was a reality in this world, that God's return to the supernatural (heaven) as a spirit occurred, but it remained with us as the Holy Spirit which now resides in each of us assisting us with our spiritual connection with God.
On then to my inspirational ramblings. To give some background, I am wheelchair-bound, my doctor visits me once every three weeks to change an in-dwelling urethra catheter and this is a permanent feature. In the week before he comes I am in serious pain, he will come early and put me on a drip with morphine. After having a week with little sleep, I then get eight hours solid sleep, wake up to thank God (and the morphine) and wait for the next bout of discomfort. This week my doctor unusually sent me a power thought which inspired me to write this entry.
"Power thought: Dear Jesus, I want to run with purpose in every step. Teach me what that means. Help me redefine my purpose so it aligns with your grander purposes. Show me where I fit in your kingdom. Thank you that you've made me to live in this time period, this place, with these people around me. Help me to make the most of my space so that I can continue to run with endurance the course you've set for me to run. Amen".
Those of you who have followed my blogging will notice that this was the prime reason for writing my seven letters whilst in hospital. I do believe I am inspired to think, talk and write about Christian Anarchism, with no intention to proselytize or try to get others to my way of thinking. That would not be anarchism, but if it causes some to question the role of authority in our statist society then I can only be pleased.
Back then to my suggestion that the idea of a tool should not exist in the thinking of a Christian Anarchist, or any sort of anarchist for that matter. There must be several entry points into this discussion. Re-tooling factories to make guns instead of spades might be interesting, and a spade is not a tool in my mind anyway. When early man picked up a stone to use as a tool, that was the end of anarchism because I guess he thought he owned it, and as Proudhon emphatically declared, property is theft. I am going to cut short my non-sensical ramblings on tools in this entry, as I am inspired to write about something else. I also started an entry on my views of God, which I will include here, so I can move onto what I consider to be more inspirational. Suffice to say I see that a tool in this statist society is an instrument of control, to be used to enable man to control man, and/or man to control beast, plant-life and his inanimate surroundings. Anarchists should not be out to control anything or anybody; live life to its full and let God have His Say in all matters. "What ever will be will be".
Concerning my views on God, I think my previous blog entry has been submitted, but I am tempted to put it in again. The Bible loves repeating itself.
"The Intellectuals Speak Out About God: A Handbook for the Christian Student in a Secular Society", (September 1, 1984), by Roy Abraham Varghese (Editor).
I respect the Bible, and occasionally read a Scripture if it has been referred to me by someone in conversation or writing, or if I have a notion and want to read what the Bible says about it, but again this does little to bring me closer to God. All sermons and printed literature from the established Churches leave me cold, they are all saying the same things over and over again and I tell them this, or dismiss the literature saying I am already converted, and tell the preachers they are wasting their time and I am wasting my time reading the literature. Perhaps one day I will read something, or hear something said which will astound me, and I hope and pray for that.
This position of mine has led me to think that I could write about my views of God, and of course I would be humbled yet pleased if it had an influence on someone. I am of course no intellectual, just a common man searching for some truth in this wicked world, so here goes.
To begin, I have to believe that there exists a supernatural realm undetectable by all of our worldly efforts in our known time and space. Our understanding of electromagnetic waves, strong and weak nuclear forces and the mathematical theories associated with these phenomena bring us no nearer to this supernatural realm, in spite of the fantastic advances in science, technology and engineering which this understanding has brought us. Our only connection is a spiritual connection, and I am adamant in my belief that there is a spiritual side to my existence in this world and that I need to feed and nurture it just as much as my need to nurture my physical, intellectual, emotional and psychological aspects.
My acceptance of the existence of God is really quite simple. I look and marvel at the beauty of creation, the geosphere, the biosphere and now possibly the noosphere (Teilhard de Chardin) through telecommunications, and this evolution cannot have arisen by chance. There has to be a great designer. As far as I know all religions aspire to this concept of a supernatural being, or beings, but for me the only religion which makes complete sense is Christianity. Why is this so?
The Bible has to be the basis on which I hold this view. I cannot accept that a great designer has no purpose in creating the universe which we observe, and the most obvious purpose is to fulfill its creation (I assign no gender, that is a figment of man's imagination to make the stories of the Bible more acceptable to mortal man) with the advent of human-kind in its likeness. There may well be many other life-forms in the universe, but none will have the possibility of a spiritual connection with God, anymore than any of the millions of life-forms here on earth which we do know about. With God designing us in its likeness we were given free will and the ability to choose, it did not want us to be mere puppets on a string. Most of us have chosen badly, exemplified by the story of Samuel giving the Israelites a king against God's advice. But its plan was simple. It knew it would come to earth as a man with whom human-kind could relate more easily rather than with some mysterious supernatural being. Jesus was God, none of this nonsense about Him being the Son of God; this was written into the Scriptures by the writers so that the readers of the time could again relate more closely to God, through Christ. Being God, I have to believe that the resurrection of Jesus as a man was a reality in this world, that God's return to the supernatural (heaven) as a spirit occurred, but it remained with us as the Holy Spirit which now resides in each of us assisting us with our spiritual connection with God.
On then to my inspirational ramblings. To give some background, I am wheelchair-bound, my doctor visits me once every three weeks to change an in-dwelling urethra catheter and this is a permanent feature. In the week before he comes I am in serious pain, he will come early and put me on a drip with morphine. After having a week with little sleep, I then get eight hours solid sleep, wake up to thank God (and the morphine) and wait for the next bout of discomfort. This week my doctor unusually sent me a power thought which inspired me to write this entry.
"Power thought: Dear Jesus, I want to run with purpose in every step. Teach me what that means. Help me redefine my purpose so it aligns with your grander purposes. Show me where I fit in your kingdom. Thank you that you've made me to live in this time period, this place, with these people around me. Help me to make the most of my space so that I can continue to run with endurance the course you've set for me to run. Amen".
Those of you who have followed my blogging will notice that this was the prime reason for writing my seven letters whilst in hospital. I do believe I am inspired to think, talk and write about Christian Anarchism, with no intention to proselytize or try to get others to my way of thinking. That would not be anarchism, but if it causes some to question the role of authority in our statist society then I can only be pleased.
