Humanity has the uncanny ability to value the wrong things and devalue the most important things. We also live in a world of blame, where when something goes wrong, we feel compelled to focus our attention(negative or positive) on someone.
In our current cultural confusion it’s easy to see both of these things happening with a strong focus on blaming the institution. We are at a point in history where most, if not all, of our institutions have failed us. Politicians lie, clergy abuse, groups play favorites, police abuse their authority, moms and dads are alcoholics, abuse in the home, favoritism in classrooms and playing surfaces, it’s everywhere. Some have felt that sting more or less, but in the end institutions have failed to uphold values that reflect justice.
Because we are smarter than everyone else, we come to the conclusion that the institution I create will be at the center of worldwide peace and harmony. We can create something better! It’s a noble idea, but it’s not backed by history and it forgets an important word…HUMAN!
This gets to one of these loaded words where people differ. For years Humanism has taught that mankind is basically good. Whenever it’s not good we simply need to offer a little education, a little reason, a little boost in confidence and self-esteem. Because mankind is basically good all of these problems are an easy fix. Just come up with a “Dare” program. If you want to keep kids off of drugs, tell them they are bad. A little education can solve anything because humanity is basically good. Through satire, I rest my case!!
Some of you don’t have much interest in Christianity for a variety of reason, but just for a moment, see if a Christian view of things makes more sense. God says that humanity is wrong at it’s very core. Humanity seeks to be proud, selfish, greedy, cruel, dominate, lie, cheat, steal, bribe, kill, spread rumors, undermine, divide, blame, criticise, ostracize, use, on and on and on. A look at the news or a little introspection and it’s exceptionally hard to argue against what God says our base problem is.
Institutions are governed by humans. The manner in which humans act is the level to which the institution will rise or fall in manners of justice and treatment of people. To replace an institution with another institution is a failure to understand that the failing part of this is the HUMAN component.
The measure to which I honor, love, respect, encourage, teach, correct, model, serve, speak honestly, do honestly, ask for righteousness is the measure to which any institution becomes something that brings life to it’s people, or destruction to it’s people. And when the institution is filled with many people doing the same, there is the thing we are all hoping for.
At the heart of what we need is to be recreated in God’s image, stop sinning towards each other and God and start loving the same way He loves us. We don’t have a race problem, class problem, “fill in a thousand blanks” problem. We have a sin problem that God has always wanted to take care of and make us whole.
Do you want to be well? Does our country want to be well?
Truth, Grace, and Time 