Dear Chhotebhai Noronha, It was really refreshing reading your article on 'Goanet Reader'. when you started with "I am an Indian Christian, and believe in the uniqueness and divinity of Jesus Christ. This is not because I was born into a Christian family, but because I have experienced the love and power of Jesus in my life", I thought this was yet another article full of Christian 'cliches' but something made me read further.
YOu have the REAL Spirit of Jesus. The real spirit that is inherent part of one's Being does not change with pain or suffering, failures, financial losses or Brown fiction. Its a JOYFUL spirit at all times! All those who go through life no matter what, through sufferings, pain and dying to self, yet do it with JOY, will know by dirth of their wisdom that the things of God, divine things cannot be perceived by human minds. All other things of this world that are valued by the ways of the world take a secondary space. As St. Ignatius said: 'My heart does not rest, till it rests in you, oh Lord'. Being a Christian, I am Blessed, as I did not have to search the 'LOrd" in whom I can 'rest', for long. I invited Jesus into my heart and did not expect a miracle, but a miracle I have!! I decided to live HIs Life, voice His thoughts, think like Him, say what He would have said in any situation, behave how He would and my Heart is at 'rest' because of HIs WAYS. And I know no fiction book or movie can take that away. Dan Brown has never loved with his Spirit - if he had, he would know that when you love in spirit, it does not matter whether your loved one is married, or poor, or anything. You just love because you do! As you rightly say, to a Christian with the spirit of Jesus in them, nothing matters - these are people who are meant to be disciples for all eternity. Just as a married couple are bound together for better or for worse, so does the Church of Christ cling to Him, for isnt the Church His Bride whom He has dressed in white and made clean and Loved? Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His anointed? (Psalm 2:1, 2) I have read 'Angels & Demons' by Dan Brown and it did not have any impact on me. Dan Brown has made a lot of money on his lies and didnt Jesus say: 'What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and thus lose his soul' Let Dan Brown taste the 'love and power' of Jesus in his life and he would have gladly traded it for all the money in the world. But the Browns of this world do not go by Wisdom of the heart. Someone has to head Satan's army - atleast now we know who it is. The one all-important thing is that the Gospel of God should be recognized as the abiding reality." Yet we have to ask ourselves today when this abiding reality comes under direct attack who will defend it? The answer can only be that those of us who have been transformed by its truth for eternity will and must defend it here and now. I only write the above after searching my heart and I would say to my Christian brothers and sisters - trying to oppose the book and movie would only make the enemy think (because the enemy has no proper faculties) that its a matter of losing or winning. This is a time for mature and calm wisdom, its also a time for loving forgiveness. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Read all Goanet messages at : http://www.goanet.org/archive.php?name=News&list=goanet _____________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. Goanet mailing list (Goanet@goanet.org)