Jonathots Daily Blog
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Undoubtedly the greatest need in our world is for some human beings to show up at the human race.
We seem to be populated by an Earth full of little tin gods who believe that once they have arrived at an opinion, their contention is supreme and should not be challenged.
People make statements:
These are statements. Other statements have been made throughout history—just as convincingly—and ended up being false.
All the people who spoke these statements were just as determined as you and me of their rightness.
If you’re going to contribute to the quality of human life, you must question your statement—and the question you should ask of any statement that you hold as a principle for your life is:
“I believe in God…but what if there is no God?”
“I’m pro-choice…but what if it ends up being a human life instead of just a fetus?”
“I’m going to heaven…but what if I’m mistaken?”
The humility necessary to be a human being includes the need to question our statements. When we’re not willing to question our statements, we become fanatics for our ideas instead of being enthusiasts for the truth.
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Jonathots Daily Blog
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Giving is the only way to get.
That concept is so contrary to human understanding that we continue to grovel, steal, cheat and grope to acquire our portion, promising ourselves that once we become solvent we will help others.
The problem with being so self-concerned is that there are eight billion other “self-concerners.” So unfortunately, the philosophy of “taking” places those who are dominant in charge, heavy-laden with prosperity.
Guess what? When they get their power, they soon forget their promise to share.
Giving, on the other hand, is the true definition of pro-choice. It is the only thing in life that we can point towards as an expression of our free will.
Therefore, the Jesonian way of living is a “giving” profile.
But what should we give? It is “giving to the 3rd power,” starting with:
1. Give a talent.
Honestly, no one will be interested in you unless you have something to offer to the tribe. You can continue to insist that the grace of God grants you eternal life while you languish in your inadequacy, but remember–Jesus told two parables about talents. You can interpret them as you will, but the conclusion is that he who multiplied his talents was rewarded.
Matter of fact, Jesus punctuated this by saying, “Let your light so shine before men that they will see your good WORKS and glorify the Father in Heaven.”
If you do not show up prepared to give a talent in life, you should be aware that you will be refused a voice in your generation.
2. Give a mind.
We are taught to “give an opinion.”
An opinion is our experience within our mind, but there is an open space where we need to acquire the insights of others.
Giving a mind is a willingness to admit that we very well may need to flip-flop on our position because our opinion was not sufficient to meet the need. It’s why Jesus said we must “reason with our adversaries” instead of rejecting them, making fun of them, or voting them out of office.
Blessed is the man who sits down with both the conservative and the liberal and walks away with common sense.
3. And finally, give a damn.
Somewhere along the line, people are going to watch to see:
What you do when you have two,
Will it be one for me
And one for you?
Generosity is not a meeting place in the heart, where we decide what we can “afford,” but rather, a realization that we truly cannot afford to have a heart that is not generous.
If you put your own face on the face of every victim, sufferer, struggler, unwed mother and junkie, you will soon find that it is much easier to have compassion.
The Jesonian is simple to define: Jesus without religion.
And Jesus taught us G to the 3rd power:
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Jonathots Daily Blog
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POPULIE: an idea that is so popular that we feel there’s room to stuff in a lie or two to plump up the concept.
Freedom is a wonderful expression but the notion that we’re all free to do whatever we want, based on our whim or citizenship, takes a precept and turns it into a populie. America is not a land of freedom–it is a community of diversity, grounded in liberty.
First and foremost, we have to understand that religion, politics and entertainment, once again, love the populie.
Politics extols the virtue of “it’s a free country” to promote planks in its platform which may historically be proven to be erred, but for the time being, gain applause from the crowd and votes on election day. Remember, politics doesn’t care about posterity–just the temporary tally.
Entertainment, of course, wants to advertise the notion of abstract freedom because then really trashy ideas or short-sighted philosophies can be inserted into movies, music and television and presented as reality, under the guise of free expression.
And religion screams of the glories of the First Amendment when insisting that there is a need to alienate some faction or movement from their ranks due to its absence of reverence.
But actually, the word “freedom” needs to be replaced with “liberty”–and there is a great phrase in the Good Book, which states, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
In other words, if you’re going to do anything in the name of God, make sure you grant the human race liberty.
What is liberty?
Liberty does not require that I give permission, or even approval, of what is done. It is the offering of choice–as long as that decision doesn’t rob choice from another.
When you place that definition on our current social environment, much clarity comes to the forefront. I am not trying to tell you that I’ve discovered the Rosetta Stone for Earth’s peace and harmony. There are many complicated discussions which will ensue on a myriad of topics, but in a nation that allows for diversity, but also still pursues righteousness, you can account for both by opening the door to liberty.
For instance, I don’t believe in abortion. But I do believe in choice.
The pro-life people would find that wishy-washy. My response? If you really think it’s wrong to kill babies, then help advertise birth control, personal control and open up more adoption centers. You do not have the right to steal the liberty of choice from your fellow-citizens.
To those who are pro-choice, who would be angry with me because I disapprove of the procedure and therefore cast a dim light on ladies who pursue it, I would say, “You can’t have it both ways.” Most people don’t advertise their abortion on Facebook. There is a stigma to it. It is a needful hesitation, giving respect to life. If a woman chooses that path, she should be granted the liberty, but it does not require my rubber-stamp.
I feel the same thing about marijuana. I don’t like it. It doesn’t meet my specifications for quality or even inclusion, but if marijuana wants to come in as a choice for people in our country, and fall under the same scrutiny as all other smoke products–in other words, being forbidden in public places, never sold to children and studied continuously for its health difficulties–then so be it.
I feel our country becomes much simpler when we allow for debate, we arrive at liberty, we provide choice, but we guide the results in the direction of a common good instead of cheering on the noisy rabble.
It is not a free country–it is a country of liberty.
And liberty requires that we offer one another choice … while allowing others to have an equal amount of choosing.
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“That which we have seen and that which we have heard, now we declare it unto you.”
Don’t you think that’s the way it should be? I see so many people talking without having any experience and on the other hand, people who have experience really speaking against their own better interests.
I have a friend who claims he’s “pro choice,” even though as a baby in the womb, he was nearly selected for abortion. That just doesn’t seem to be on point with his experience, do you think?
I have other friends who insist that they’re pro-life–until they found out they had a young daughter who was pregnant, and then found themselves conflicted and pursuing a path that was quite hypocritical to their own beliefs and contentions. Your beliefs should reflect your experience.
I am pro-choice, if by pro-choice you mean a woman’s right to select contraception, partners and the correct timing to have a child or not have one.
I am pro-life if you’re referring to the respect for all living organisms and all living things–granting them the dignity of their space without trying to pretend that the word “terminate” does not mean “kill.”
That’s why I find myself to be pro-grow. I see two teachings of Jesus which blend together beautifully in my mind to form an excellent pattern for evaluating such matters.
For Jesus said, “I have come to give you life and it more abundantly.” And he also said, “He that the son set free is free indeed.”
So I believe in a move towards life–and that every such movement has to be permitted through freedom. I think it’s a mistake in a country like ours to take away the rights and privileges of individuals to make their own decisions. I neither think we can legislate morality, nor do I think that we can propagate spirituality by insisting on a code of behavior.
But by the same token, I believe that the true essence of being spiritual is to promote life and give it a fair chance to have freedom. I am pro-grow. I am in favor of anything that helps us grow–to a better understanding of each other, the respect of the life that God has given us, and the granting of freedom to each other, to pursue happiness.
For you see, it is quite possible to be against abortion and not rob other American citizens of the right to use that option. If I believe my life is light and that I am the salt of the earth, then the choices I make will reverberate and create a stir and a testimony to those around me. I don’t have to become a clanging cymbal or a critical spirit to others to promote righteous choices.
So as a pro-grow person, I believe in the right of every American to make his or her own investigation–and also my right to promote life drenched in freedom instead of seeing it squelched.
Yes, it is possible to disagree with someone without condemning him. It is plausible to give people freedom without believing the decisions they make are identical to your heart’s desire. For after all, the best way to promote any cause is to make that cause as irresistible as possible. Otherwise, broccoli stands would be open next to coffee machines instead of boxes of doughnuts.
I believe my pro-grow stand, which believes in life, but also contends that it must be conducted with total freedom, is not a contradiction, but rather, a way for me to be of value to the world around me, by sharing what I’ve seen and heard, and demonstrating that it is more appealing than the alternatives.
I could never abort a child–because I once thought about doing it, and in horror, I retreated, only to celebrate to this day that this human life is present among us.
I could never support abortion because I have a daughter-in-law who bravely birthed a child out of wedlock–a young boy who is now my grandson and the love of my heart.
I refuse to be a fool or a hypocrite by being afforded experience in life which enables me to speak plainly and truthfully about better choices. Yet at the same time, I give all my brothers and sisters the freedom to find their own way without my incrimination.
I am pro-grow. I am for everything that moves towards life without robbing anyone of freedom.
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A voice writing in the wilderness
Jonathots Daily Blog 
