Double Think

Beware double meanings in religious rhetoric. Honest leaders will mean “faith” and ”love” when they say it, but beware those who twist language to their own advantage. I’ll give you some examples

“Faith” should mean “loyalty to God”, but it can also “loyalty to the leader” or “system”. “Do not grumble” is a good command but it can also mean “do not oppose or question us”. “Taking advice” is also good, if you listen to several sources, consider it and make an informed decision, but it can also mean “do what we say”.

It takes wisdom to differentiate double meanings. It may be easy to be gullible, and let others do the thinking for you, or it may be easy to be paranoid, and constantly distrust authority. So it takes wisdom, and testing out individual issues as they arise, because often that’s when you can sus things out.

Toxic Finance and Toxic Religion

The global financial crisis teaches us the significance of trust -how a system is based on trust that leaders and members will do their job responsibly without cutting corners or deceit. In fact, trust is a majoy part of the global society. Take the powdered milk crisis of China as a case in point. We trust that food companies will provide appropriate ingredients in their products. But perhaps the problem is blind trust.

I believe the concept of trust is just as important in religion because committing to a church or an organisation involves contributing time and money and that the reputation of the organisation could reflect on you as well. Therefore it’s a good idea to test out an organisation before you get absorbed into its social network and culture -even as the New Testament says: “test everything” and as Sean Connery says in Entrapment ”First we try, then we trust”.

What’s interesting about the global financial crisis is that, theoretically, people could have seen the signs before it was too late (as I’m sure there were economists and marxists who did predict a fall). However, the signs may not have been obvious amongst all the financial activity and herd like beliefs that spread without necessarily any reason involved.

It seems now looking back people have 20/20 vision: how could mortgage companies lend to so many people without proper income or assets? After all, you won’t lend money to a friend who probably won’t be able to pay back a debt, let alone strangers. It seems so obvious to us all now as the media focuses on all the issues -but before the bubble burst, only those knowledgeable would have known the difference.

Perhaps a general life-long lesson to learn is that it’s important to read the subtle signs. It’s important to sometimes sit back an observe, rather than just follow the herd. Don’t take comfort in the fact that “everyone else is doing it, so it must be okay”. Like termites that eat wood below the surface, not everything is as it seems.

So my advise is, when looking into religion -whether its Buddhism or Christianity, do a bit of research. Ask questions. Don’t be conned by appearances. Look for subtle signs. Beware of too much persuasion, pressure to make rushed decisions and pressure on you to not ask questions. Also, if it seems dodgy, run.

About the cartoons…

If you’re wondering about my cartoons, I’ve posted about it briefly on my music blog, Struggling Muso. I have been using my cartoons to take a lighter look at religion, or maybe irony and hypocrisy in the religious world (as well as my experiences in the ICOC…).

Sometimes it allows you to convey a concept or look at something in a simple way rather than writing a whole essay… Anyways, I’m just having fun with it though comedy can convey bitter experiences in a humorous way, and I think there are hordes of people who’ve had bitter experiences in religion.

The Bible vs Religion

Verse for the Day

Thought I’d share a scripture from one of my favorite OT books, Proverbs.

A simple man believes anything

but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.

Proverbs 14:15

Hold on to a good conscience

In my previous post I discussed dealing with a “bad egg” in any kind of group setting where power and politics are involved. I supposed one way to define a bad egg is someone who has discarded their conscience so to speak. While the New Testament states that a good conscience is essential along with faith and a pure heart (1Timothy 1:5), keeping your conscience can be seen as a weaknesses in political struggles. Perhaps it’s possible to have such a sensitive conscience that you can hardly get anything done in your life, but generally it’s important to have a conscience and know what lines not to cross.

However, as they say, power corrupts, and thus one needs to be careful even in the realm of religion and Christianity. That is to say, it’s not the Christianity that corrupts, but the power within religion. Furthermore, if you get caught up in the intrigues, or become a victim, the temptation is to bite back and lose your conscience by stooping to the same tactics of deceit and slander.

The problem with losing your conscience is that I believe you lose some of your humanity. You lose the potential to have true joy. We can all obtain happiness and pleasure, but spiritual joy comes from overcoming and not letting yourself be dragged in. I guess it’s what the psalm means when he says “I will not walk in the counsel of the wicked” -he won’t join in with they’re tactics. But this is probably one of life’s challenges, especially if you’re continually provoked.

Within a democracy ideally there are checks and balances, an open media and sometimes the concept of a conscience when dealing with certain issues. This is definitely something worth striving for within society and it’s an openness that I believe is important within a church environment as well.

So, you have to protect your own heart and be on your guard for those who seem to have no conscience (and it’s probably not easy to tell). Those who seem to live as if the ends justify the means.

Pitfalls in the group

“When the wicked rise to power,

people go into hiding”

Proverbs 28:28

Whether it’s a political party, church, society, family business or office environment there’s certain to be some power-play going on. It’s human nature, but I believe there are certain principles were can hold to and some pitfalls to watch out for.

A bilateral spirit is important, because when you’re working with a group the success will depend on all the participants’ willingness to negotiate and compromise. You have to be both aware of your own needs, desires and issues as well as of the others in the group, others unnecessary conflict may result.

Other principles include honesty, tact and communication skills. Another source of conflict is miscommunication, so even things like attention to detail are important. Ever set up an appointment, only to find people confused the meeting place, or the day, or AM with PM?

This I all know from having been in a band -something that I loved doing but it required a lot of work. In fact, running a band is a great balancing act including working with different personalities, being detailed with plans, organisation, money, time commitment, allocating different tasks -from the musical to the mundane. Any band that doesn’t ultimately work well in all these areas is doomed to fall apart.

However, what about the pitfalls of power-play in the group. When you have mis-communications, differing personality problems, low moral, conflict, etc? Actually, I’m not calling these pitfalls -these are just problems you’re going to find in a group -and that we all have to learn to deal with starting from the self, and extending to all involved.

I’m proud of what my band accomplished all those years ago -we made a 12 song demo and performed quite a few times round town. However, we still had our issues, ranging from laziness, lack of confidence, lack of motivation sometimes, logistical problems and failure to plan. We didn’t conquer the world (nor were we really trying to, but I did hope to record a pro album) but we got along well, had lots of fun and wrote some good songs.

No, the pitfalls I’m talking about are recognizing the “bad egg”. The person who’s in the group not for the group’s benefit, but ultimately for self-gain, or ego, unilateralism or whatever you want to call it. The person who’s good at political  maneuvering, manipulation, shifting argument position simply for their own advantage and is bent  on eliminating rivals. It’s like a “psychological  need” for that person to be on top and where the ends justify the means.

You won’t be able to recognize such a person on the surface because they’re deceitful -maybe even self-deluded, but if you have the feeling you’re in a game, then time to let the alarm bells ring. Perhaps they make an alliance with one person at one time, but when the situation changes they shift to ally with the ‘enemy’ because it’s advantageous. Perhaps they’re nice a flattering publicly, but when you speak privately they’ll slander a rival or cast a slur. Perhaps you get the feeling they’re friends with you because they have something to gain, but should that change, they’ll be slandering you to the next bigwig up the chain.

Other techniques are provocations -often subtle, to cause conflict for their own purposes. Perhaps they’ll provoke rivals so their rivals loose their cool or storm off in anger. And their tactics can be very premeditative.

So, what’s the point I’m making about this? Firstly, sometimes my blog is about the International Churches of Christ, but this article in no way is implying any names. For us who’ve been in the ICOC, we have our own experiences and leaders we feel we can trust and some we feel we don’t trust. My point is, that the “bad egg” can exist in any church, any organisation. The issue I’d have with the old ICOC is that it allowed too much power for some leaders and that’s a great danger for letting a bad egg find an opportunity to exploit.

It doesn’t matter the ideology. You can study enough history about communist countries where political manipulation and maneuvering was all the go. So the point I’m making is, you should be consciously aware of a bad egg in any group you may be a part of. Often we’re subconsciously aware of it and will either have defensive feelings around that person (because they may perceive a threat), or feel flattered and “buddy-buddy” with that person because it’s politically convenient.

Be able to identify it allows you to prepare and pre-empt. It also means that it might be time to leave the group -why go through all the trouble. Is it worth it? If you know someone’s a bad egg, things could get nasty -provocations, slander and all-round bad vibes. And if you’re not conscious about it, you’ll be easily sucked in (and may still be if you are). Schemers are always looking for your weak points, the “buttons to press” so to speak. Being around such a person means you constantly have to keep up your defenses.

If you’re going to stick around (maybe it’s a work situation etc…) you’ll have to consider you’re own strategies and moral convictions. Are you going to fight fire with fire? Slander the way they slander? Develop you’re own “alliances”, use the same tools to provoke, deceive and use guilt trips? But isn’t unfortunate that, being around a bad egg, can cause you to become the same? And often, if you don’t use the same techniques, you’re easy prey -especially if you’re naive to it all.

Trying to maintain a certain integrity and honesty while dealing with a bad egg is probably a great balancing act -but ultimately people will trust you over bad egg, that is, after the fear and power wielded by a bad egg has passed.

I’ll conclude by saying that I think a real “bad egg” is probably a rare thing. Don’t just label someone you don’t get along as one. Just because you have personality differences or clash in some way isn’t what I’m talking about at all -this is the inevitable stuff of life. A bad egg is like coming across a thief of a fraud -there’s a distinct lake of morals or integrity or something. Like a black hole, just wanting to suck life for themselves. I’m sure for most leaders, perhaps ego has a part in it, but they’ll still have ideals, still be trying to do the best they can and still believe they have something to offer.

Christianity and politics

In my personal view religion and politics don’t mix, but that’s obviously not the belief of many conservatives in American politics. I mentioned the Herd’s rap lyrics in a previous post about how people can view Jesus and his teachings from a left perspective and now Everclear has a song called Jesus was a Democrat. (I stumbled across if via the Lefsetz letter -which usually discusses the music industry and role of the rock musos).

If you view the bible through left and right-wing filters, you’re going to find scriptures to back up your point. If conservatives talk about morality, then they’re going to find plenty of scriptures for that. If you want left-wing scriptures, check out James 5:

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.[a] 6You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.

1That’s pretty heavy stuff. If that doesn’t sympathise with left-wing retribution, I don’t know what does. Plus there’s the biblical concept mentioned in Exodus16:18 and reiterated in 2 Corinthians 8:15:

…as it is written: “The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.”

Ultimately I believe the New Testament isn’t about running government, but helping people live a spiritual life in a church community -and the role of the church and it’s community is to guide the congregation and meet the needs of the people. Lets face it, politics can get ugly, and who needs that tension in a church.

Politically I’m more left wing at the moment, but like Chris Rock has said, we can be liberal on some issues, and conservative on others. When it gets down to the individual, we all have different experiences and values. And when voting, we should be considering how the government and society should be run, not using the government to pressure or dictate what people believe. In my mind that’s just arrogant. Sure, if I want believe in Christianity, I want to make it attractive and encourage people to check it out, not control their beliefs.

I think this is why there’s such a backlash from the left in American politics. I don’t feel the religious element in Australian right-wing politics is so strong (Except for one nation) -people tended to vote for John Howard and the liberals more for their handling of the economy and representation of small businesses. But  I wonder if sometimes religion is something crooks use to make themselves look respectable.

Implications of opposition

Churches can be great social institutions but as I’ve commented on previously they can also be places of political power plays. I also talked about moral warfare and risk of seeming the “bad guy” because of opposition. It’s a theme that goes way back, as you can see in John 12: 42-43:

“Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue;for they loved praise from men more than praise from God.”

Again in John 7: 12-13

“Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”
Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.”But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the Jews.”

To many Jesus was also the “bad guy” who “deceives the people”. But the main point I’m making in this post is the leverage of fear -how a group can use rejection from the group as a means of controlling people and negating opposition. This can really apply to any social group and can stem from insecurities of someone in leadership. Often it’s really down to the integrity of the leader.

Theoretically a good Christian church won’t have this problem, because the leader should lead as a servant, thus making it an unenviable position. But in this modern phenomenon of “super churches” and personality leaders I definitely have a lot of doubts.

In the cartoon I’ve also made the issue of one-on-one discipling because I think it helped solidify a power structure in churches that is not necessary or biblical.

Comrade Jesus Christ

I was watching an Australian concert on TV last night and saw a song that impacted me called “Comrade Jesus Christ”. It’s by a hip-hop group called “The Herd” and it’s meant to have political implications, but I think it also shows up a lot of hypocrisy in modern day religion. You can check out the link here or search the song on Youtube.

http://www.lyricsmania.com/lyrics/herd_the_lyrics_40124/other_lyrics_71793/comrade_jesus_christ_lyrics_741745.html

I’ll also  take the opportunity to give a small plug for my other blog “Struggling Muso”:

www.strugglingmuso.wordpress.com

I’m still trying to do music as a serious hobby even into my mid 30’s. I have to say though, I’ve witnessed stiffling from the ICOC circus of the past. I’ve known quite a few washed up musos who’ve been regurgitated out of the system only to have no dreams left. Great singers, songwriters, performers - sure, there are others who have done well in the church and been encouraged by people in the church, but there are still a lot of casualties of people politics.