GREAT article Don. The who arena of heroes is so important in the development of children. We do a great job of it in the sports arena but not in life in general. Holding up Man's achievements and his abilities must be taught to our kids. I had a Great Uncle who was a CEO and he was my hero. I aspired to reach the level he had in his life. It drove me. It also made me realize the myth of religion and its desired outcome to hold man to a lower standard and make him conform. Discovering Howard Roark gave me another hero to look up and want to strive to achieve. Not in any jealous way but in a way to look up to him and want to achieve great things in my life. Irrational fairy tales need to be thrown away and replaced with a sense of self, who we are and what do we want for our own lives and the lives of those we love.
Falling in love, consuming inspiring art, admiring achievement or reaching for your own – these are amazing examples, Don! It should strike anybody reading this that "yes, there is not a question in my mind during moments like this that life has deep and sacred meaning." Thus building a life full of consistent, integrated values like that is the ultimate end and meaning of it. Great article and a helpful perspective.
The Bible is on your side and is the basis for your ideas, whether you or Christian leaders understand this basis.
Humans are made in the image of God. Furthermore, we are saturated with the Spirits of God.
The silencing, subjugating, and sacrificing imposed on Christians are not from God but are manmade concepts. Note that we may silence, subjugate, and sacrifice ourselves for a higher ideal, but it is never imposed by God.
Jesus freed us to speak, to walk equally with others, and to live abundant lives here on the earth. The earth was created for man, as the perfect home for man, and the idea of going to heaven when we die is a misunderstanding of the biblical story. Jesus came, not to save us for some faraway place called heaven, but to restore humans to the Garden prepared as man's home.
We study the Word to know Jesus, we walk in the Way with Jesus as brothers, and we will one day reign with Jesus, not in some up-in-the-sky place, but on earth when heaven comes down.
To study is to question and answer--it is not being silenced. To walk is to be lifted--it is not being subjugated. And to reign is to live the abundant life--it is not being sacrificed.
May I submit that many concepts of Effective Egoism (I am still learning and may discover differently) are the actual teachings of Christ, not the distortions begun by the Catholic church and further distorted by Calvinism?
GREAT article Don. The who arena of heroes is so important in the development of children. We do a great job of it in the sports arena but not in life in general. Holding up Man's achievements and his abilities must be taught to our kids. I had a Great Uncle who was a CEO and he was my hero. I aspired to reach the level he had in his life. It drove me. It also made me realize the myth of religion and its desired outcome to hold man to a lower standard and make him conform. Discovering Howard Roark gave me another hero to look up and want to strive to achieve. Not in any jealous way but in a way to look up to him and want to achieve great things in my life. Irrational fairy tales need to be thrown away and replaced with a sense of self, who we are and what do we want for our own lives and the lives of those we love.
Great comment. Thank you, Glen.
Falling in love, consuming inspiring art, admiring achievement or reaching for your own – these are amazing examples, Don! It should strike anybody reading this that "yes, there is not a question in my mind during moments like this that life has deep and sacred meaning." Thus building a life full of consistent, integrated values like that is the ultimate end and meaning of it. Great article and a helpful perspective.
Thank you!
👏
The Bible is on your side and is the basis for your ideas, whether you or Christian leaders understand this basis.
Humans are made in the image of God. Furthermore, we are saturated with the Spirits of God.
The silencing, subjugating, and sacrificing imposed on Christians are not from God but are manmade concepts. Note that we may silence, subjugate, and sacrifice ourselves for a higher ideal, but it is never imposed by God.
Jesus freed us to speak, to walk equally with others, and to live abundant lives here on the earth. The earth was created for man, as the perfect home for man, and the idea of going to heaven when we die is a misunderstanding of the biblical story. Jesus came, not to save us for some faraway place called heaven, but to restore humans to the Garden prepared as man's home.
We study the Word to know Jesus, we walk in the Way with Jesus as brothers, and we will one day reign with Jesus, not in some up-in-the-sky place, but on earth when heaven comes down.
To study is to question and answer--it is not being silenced. To walk is to be lifted--it is not being subjugated. And to reign is to live the abundant life--it is not being sacrificed.
May I submit that many concepts of Effective Egoism (I am still learning and may discover differently) are the actual teachings of Christ, not the distortions begun by the Catholic church and further distorted by Calvinism?