Hi all, I found your last email confusing Andrew. I'm not sure what you are trying to get at. However, let me see if I can make myself a little more explicit. What do people mean when they say they are hurting about UCA Assembly resolution 84? Nothing has changed, so why are people claiming to hurt? It has to be from within that they are hurting. What is the nature of their hurt? Is it the sort of hurt that comes from not getting your own way in things? I confess, I am not hurting. My mind is active and seeking to find a way through the division that has surfaced consequent to this resolution being made public. I suspect that for some the hurt is internal and comes from the perception of being associated with a church that does not take the Bible literally. What if the Bible isn't the authority that I have imagined it to be? Where does that leave me? But what if they are wrong and I am associated with such a church; what will others think of me? For some it will surely be the feelings of hurt that arise when we feel we have been excluded from the fellowship for reasons that appear to be beyond our control. In both cases people are being led by their feelings and are either refusing or finding it impossible to understand the feelings of others. To recognise our own feelings is essential, but to be led by them is disastrous. I believe it is the path to hell. (There's an opening for someone) Read Anthony de Mello's "Awareness". While Jesus seems to be in touch with his own feelings he is also very aware of the feelings of others. But he doesn't ask us to feel good or even do those things that will make us feel good. He asks us to love our enemies, do good to those who persecute us and follow him on the way that leads to a cross. That is quite clearly not about being led by our feelings. In a world where a half of the population lives in abject poverty (existing on the equivalent of $2 a day or less but with no certainty of a meal the next day) I believe our argument about whether the Bible is literally true is an indulgence we cannot afford. I could say that much more strongly but will desist for the moment. However you regard the Bible it still says that what we do to others is what we are doing to God and that our first priority is to care for the oppressed and downtrodden. The call for justice reverberates through both Old and New Testaments. That includes acceptance of those who are different from us and caring for those who are hurting. This is much more important than having some mythical church that is pure and unadulterated. If we in the church want to be recognised as Christians, let us love one another for that is the only hallmark that God will recognise. Peter. Peter & Jan Elliott 26 Crowe Place Cootamundra NSW 2590 Phone: 02 6942 1212
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