If you're caught up in a Split, Splinter or Sliver of the WCG, and in particular, Bible prophecy, your life is constantly just around the corner, over the hill or soon coming. The news of the day is read as constant sure signs of the end of time and the onset of the Wonderful World Tomorrow and the Kingdom of God. Life now is not your thing. It is life to come and soon that one is taught, week after week and sermon after sermon , as being the whole reason for your existence and the reason for great sacrifices now. Your time, money, heart, loyalty and attention is focused on anything but your real life now. It is exemplified by Dave Pack's insane expectations of you for to hold all things common, except for him of course, and "Send it in" foolishness, which evidently many do. It is also Bob Thiel's hunt and peck around fake prophetic ministry for news that fits his ideas of soon, shortly and it won't be long now.
And all the time, one's real life now is ebbing away.
Alan Watts gives a nice reminder of a concept many Church of God devotees might do well to consider before it's all gone and "It is appointed unto all men once to die..." trumps "We shall not all die, but we shall all be changed..." Remember, those who said that are dead and gone too.
....and too...
If you actually listen to Alan Watts... a bonus offering from Garth!
The Dance
On the other hand..
ReplyDeleteStay open minded. Things aren't always what they seem to be.
Don't think too much you'll create a problem that wasn't even there in the first place.
As human beings we suffer from an innate tendency to jump to conclusions; to judge people too quickly and to pronounce them failures or heroes without due consideration of the actual facts and ideals of the period.
I often think along those lines. What I've experienced has had it's traumatic aspects, but I wouldn't be where I am today, understand what I now understand, etc. if I hadn't danced the dance. It's all meaningful to me, but the universe couldn't care less.
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