United in limiting God’s circle of compassion
I love the words of a Father Faber’s hymn that begins:
‘Souls of men why will ye scatter like a flock of frightened sheep?
Foolish hearts, why will ye wander from a love so true and deep?’
Indeed, the following verses are also most dearly touching:
For the love of God is broader than the measures of man’s mind;
And the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind
Yes, but very sadly the following verses, such as the following one,
sum it up admirably:
But we make His love too narrow by false limits of our own;
And we magnify His strictness with a zeal He will not own!
Indeed, so many of us today are as blinkered as were those first
disciples who said: “Master, we found some one casting out Demons and
we forbid and rebuked him because he was not one of us” Yet
Jesus replied: “Rebuke him not, for no one can do a good work unless
God is with him” Yes, indeed! Yet, so many of us today – from pious
Catholics to puritanical Protestants - fail to have learned that
lesson.
These two major extremes of Christian
‘misinterpretation’ have one thing that they very much hold in common:
‘outside of their own comfortable circle there can be no salvation!’
Indeed, very sadly, the little knowledge such adherents hold of other
Christian persuasions is often only what they’ve picked up from
upholders of their own Faith. For but one example, up to very recent
times, for an RC to read any religious publication lacking an
Imprimatur from one of their own bishops was to be branded as living
in a state of Mortal sin! As such, it could only be absolved through
priestly absolution, The penitent – then acquiring it from a father
confessor - would most probably be admonished and gravely warned not
to dabble in ‘heretical poison!’
Well, I may have digressed in
this News Letter a good deal from strictly writing on the animal
issues of life, but such things need to be said, and others have not
infrequently called me ‘a spiritual tramp’ for nothing. Indeed, I much
prefer it to being an ecclesiastical clone! For dabbling in far off
years, in to the teachings of so many Christian sects and
denominations, has taught me one thing above all the rest. ‘It is that
most church folk, intentionally or otherwise, are regular in worship
primarily so that when they sooner or later ‘pop their clogs’ or ‘kick
the bucket’ (depending where one lives in the UK!), then they’ll have
a nice niche reserved for them in the hereafter!’ Yes, and I sense
that to meet such an assurance, the average church primarily exists!
Then why should such motivated churches involve themselves in
other forms of life, either human or animal? From a mercenary minded
aspect places of worship can’t get a Collection or a lump sum for a
Requiem from a pet dog or cat! While, as for non domestic animals,
they’re only assumed good for food, clothing or sport! As there is
money to be made from these, then churches will happily bless both the
butchers, the matadors and the huntsmen! Yes, like the Old Testament
priests who lived off Israel’s ‘fat of the land’ - while at the same
time ‘turning a Nelson’s eye’ to the shady morals of those who upheld
them most! - so it is similar with many clerics of our 21st century.
Go on to
Prophets cast out of today’s
‘synagogues!’ as Christ foretold
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