Tuesday, March 4, 2014

FEAR MASQUERADING AS FAITH

In general, I'm leery of folks who display on their body or in their homes huge, ornate symbols of their faith. That just shouts fear to me.

A friend of my grandmother, a very devout lady...both were, in fact...had on her living room wall a gigantic cross. With the Body and roses and I don't know what all carved all over it. Painted gold. Gaudiest thing I ever did see. It would have been right at home in the big old Mardi Gras parade. Piety on parade is indeed an oxymoron.

I think what gets my hackles up is how such symbols can be fear masquerading as faith...as God, in fact. And how that kind of masquerade suckers the innocent, the angels unaware, in. Then when one of life's catastrophes hit, they are left not only with the catastrophe but also with fear right in their face. Left crying, where's my God now, now when I need Him so much?

Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with symbols of faith, it's just that our symbols sometimes become our God. Maybe God is invisible so we can't worship his image and mistake it for his love.

God is snug as a bug within just waiting to be realized...according to me.

Thank you.

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