Jeremiah 23:1-6
I was listening to a You Tube clip of Dan Savage on the Bill Maher show today. I will confess to being a real Dan Savage fan. Dan was unapologetically direct in his talk about a great many things, perhaps one of the reasons I like him so much. Bill Maher asked about the recent marriage equality victory in Illinois. He also asked about the Roman Catholic Bishop there holding an exorcism against gay marriage (and being gay I presume). Dan wasted no time going for the jugular. His response was not tempered, he asked if the Bishop had ever held an exorcism for all the priests that had molested and f**d little boys. Dan feels as I do, that the Roman Catholic church has lost any moral authority they may have once had. The hierarchy has led countless people astray and continue today with off handed, irrational and insulting remarks that the pedophilia scandal in the church is because of 'the gays'. They fail to note they are two distinct things and fail to acknowledge that a major part of the scandal was the actual cover ups and lack of concern for the victims. How sad. How ironic, when a very large percentage of the clergy are gay. This is a simply a whirling dervish of insanity that has embraced the church.
I was going to say I have to temper myself here but I am sure it doesn't sound like I have. Regardless, it is clear that the church has lead countless people astray. What Jeremiah prophesied is true once again and new in the 'one true religion'. If, it is the one true religion, then they are really in trouble for the errors of their ways.
Without minimizing the damage the church has done ( and continues to do ), we are all capable of leading others astray. How is that? I can think of a couple of examples right. off. Perhaps we find the route to our wholeness and we wish to share it with others. Perhaps we are so zealous we fail to realize it may not everyone else's journey or route and yet we proclaim it as 'thee way' to salvation or wholeness. Perhaps we are not that zealous, perhaps we do not proselytize but we are willing to simply dismiss anyone who does not share our vision. We become an elitist club where others are expendable. Do not associate with them!
If we are shepherds and sheep, we should be very wary of anyone who is willing to sacrifice sheep for the good of the group. Jesus after all would leave the 99 to find the one and find value in the one. In another passage the 'father' killed the fatted calf to rejoice in the fact that the prodigal son had returned. The shepherds of today have a few too many rules to be respected. A few too many rules so that we know that they are not from God. If not, they are at the very least errant sheep themselves. God gave us only two rules, two commands if you will. Not respecting others journey was not one of them. Not respecting mutual, consensual, genuinely loving relationships was not one them. Fabricating holy days and rubrics are not any of those laws either.
The rule are those two great commandments which revolve around love; love of self, love of neighbor and love for our creator. If we really have concern and love for everyone, including ourselves, we should at the very least honor each others' journeys and help each other in any way we can, accepting who we are and where we each are on our journey. As for lost sheep, welcome everyone and love everyone seeking out all of God's creation without limit.
If we are shepherds and sheep, we should be very wary of anyone who is willing to sacrifice sheep for the good of the group. Jesus after all would leave the 99 to find the one and find value in the one. In another passage the 'father' killed the fatted calf to rejoice in the fact that the prodigal son had returned. The shepherds of today have a few too many rules to be respected. A few too many rules so that we know that they are not from God. If not, they are at the very least errant sheep themselves. God gave us only two rules, two commands if you will. Not respecting others journey was not one of them. Not respecting mutual, consensual, genuinely loving relationships was not one them. Fabricating holy days and rubrics are not any of those laws either.
The rule are those two great commandments which revolve around love; love of self, love of neighbor and love for our creator. If we really have concern and love for everyone, including ourselves, we should at the very least honor each others' journeys and help each other in any way we can, accepting who we are and where we each are on our journey. As for lost sheep, welcome everyone and love everyone seeking out all of God's creation without limit.
Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the LORD.
Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the LORD.
Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply.
I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the LORD.
The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: "The LORD is our righteousness."
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