The desire to “belong” seems to be hard-wired in humans, and can
have positive or negative repercussions. On the positive side, humans
can express their sense of belonging by compassionate caring for all
of God’s creation. They can help each other grow in the awareness of
God’s perfect plan for their redemption which is rooted in
unconditional love for all that He has made and pronounced “good” and
“very good” in Genesis 1:25 and 31.
Or they can keep trying to undermine God’s plan for the redemption of
this fallen world by going backwards, prolonging the suffering, and
returning to that which must be left in the dust of the past:
concessions granted by God in His attempts to wean humans off even
greater evils – for example, human and other animal sacrifices, the
eating of flesh, slavery, cruelty toward others (both human and other
animal), the taking of multiple wives and concubines….
Every step of the way, all through history the majority of the people
have fought the truth and those who were brave enough to speak and live
it. And the same thing is happening today.
Unfortunately, there is a hard core of humans who are so opposed to
God’s true intent that they unknowingly do Satan’s bidding, all the
while trying to convince themselves and those who blindly (in
self-imposed spiritual blindness) follow along because they are too
cowardly to say or think, “That can’t be right! Would Jesus approve of
such things?” They think they are listening to the Holy Spirit when all
the while they are listening to another spirit – an unholy spirit.
“Belonging” is so important to these cowardly followers that they risk
being rejected by the Lord as were those who cried “Lord, Lord” and to
whom He replied, “I never knew you.” (Matthew 7:21-23 and Matthew
25:11-12)
Matthew 7:21-23
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the
kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in
heaven.
22 "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy
in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name
perform many miracles?'
23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from
Me, you who practice lawlessness.'
Matthew 25:11-12
11 …'Lord, lord, open up for us.'
12 "But he answered and said, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.'
~ New American Standard Bible
We hear so much about “bonding” and “belonging.” People are so afraid
to stand up for the truth that whole industries thrive on their
cowardice. The promotion of hunting and fishing as activities for
“bonding” is rampant in today’s society, with the result that men,
women, and children are selling their souls to “belong.”
Jesus considered the leading astray of “little ones” so serious that
His warning appears in three places in the Bible: Matthew 18:5-6, Mark
9:42, and Luke 17:2.
Luke 17:2
2 "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his
neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of
these little ones to stumble.
~ New American Standard Bible
Yet the cowards in the pulpits go right along with these demonic
schemes, and even encourage them. It is anti-Christian to get one’s
sense of belonging through the deception that is part and parcel of the
hunting, fishing, or bullying of any of God’s creatures. Participating
in such activities is admitting cowardice and spiritual bankruptcy.
And how about the “belonging” and “bonding” achieved through shared
food? This goes way back in history and is a very powerful incentive to
toe the line and not make waves! This sense of “belonging” is reinforced
by shared meals. Is it any wonder that the majority of modern religious
communities sponsor such ungodly abominations such as pig roasts,
chicken dinners, roast beef dinners (roast beast!), ad nauseam?
Yet many early Christians were vegetarians. As I’ve mentioned before,
all through history the founders of movements that were inspired by God
have been betrayed and their ideals have been watered down or
deliberately ignored. And Christianity is no exception; Christianity has
been hi-jacked, as I always say.
It has taken thousands of years just to get to where we are today –
which really isn’t saying much, when one considers the rampant cruelty
of wars, factory farms, animal-utilizing research, animal entertainment
(rodeos, zoos, hunting, fishing, etc.) – you get the picture. And these
are legal activities in the “civilized world”! Is it any wonder that
Jesus said that His followers are to be “in the world but
not of the world”?
When I started writing about “belonging,” I thought about the
cowardice, fear, and insecurity inherent in so much human “bonding”;
thinking about this brought to mind a passage found in The Amplified
Bible’s version of Revelation 21:8 –
8 But as for the cowards and … the cravenly lacking in courage and
the cowardly submissive…and all liars [those who knowingly convey
untruth by word or deed, all of these shall have] their part in the
lake that blazes with fire and brimstone. This is the second death.
~ The Amplified Bible
As Jesus says in the Bible, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
The public is quick to scapegoat anyone who “is different” or
“doesn’t belong.” They talk about cults and brainwashing, yet they are
part of a larger, more extensive “brainwashing” that goes on round the
clock, 24/7 – the brainwashing of the media and the rampant commercials
that proclaim that violence is good, when in fact the opposite is true.
Jesus taught us to be peacemaking children of God:
Matthew 5:9
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons
[daughters] of God.
~ New American Standard Bible
