Man-made rules
Blogger has been giving me problems all day over the past two days. I've tried and tried to post, but the moment I hit "Post & publish" I get 403 error messages in both frames, and the post doesn't go through. Then I can't even get into Blogger's homepage, it gives me a 403 error too. The whole thing is enough to make me swear, I tell you. That last post only got published after trying at regular intervals for five hours!!!
Yesterday morning I was driving, and I had one of those "Bible on cassette" things playing. See, I usually don't have time to read my Bible in the morning, because I wake up the absolute latest I can and then get ready and rush to work. I am Not Alive in the mornings, at least not until 11am. I have been known to walk around with my eyes closed!
Feeling guilty about not reading the Bible, I decided I'd listen to it instead. Except I'm finding that the guy reads it too fast - I'll hear the verse and have a thought, and before I can absorb it, the guy has moved on to read something else. Arrgh! I need to sit down somewhere and scribble notes!!!
Anyway, he was reading from Colossians:
- Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
--Colossians 2:20-23
- I'm tired of being judged for having friends who are not christians. I am tired of being told I'm going to hell because I hugged a homosexual man whose long-term relationship had just been ended badly. I'm tired of being damned for drinking a glass of wine. I'm tired of being told I shouldn't have a pierced tongue because pierced tongues are 'sexual'. HELLO!!! Yes. It is sexual. My wife enjoys it very much, thank you.
One of my closest friends has three earrings on each ear, a belly button ring, and a small tattoo. She is also a Christian - and one of those who walk the talk.
Before getting her tattoo, she discussed the whole issue with her parents. I have to admit, if I ever wanted one, I certainly would never DREAM of telling my parents! They'd probably faint, and when they revived, they'd say something like, "Over my dead body!"
But J told her (very godly) parents, and they discussed what sort of picture she wanted and where she'd have it placed, and what it would mean, and all that sort of stuff.
I confess that I was a bit... shocked when she told me she wanted to get a tattoo. I'm as guilty of stereotyping as anybody is. Tattoos, in my mind, were things that only "wild girls" had. Most likely promiscuous wild girls. Ouch.
But I knew J. And I knew she wasn't "wild", and most definitely was NOT promiscuous. In fact, she was probably doing a better job of living out her faith than I was!
So I sat down and thought about my prejudices. And discovered that I didn't really have a good reason for them. These "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!" rules are, as Paul said, based on human commands and teachings, and have an appearance of wisdom.
He was also right (surprise, surprise) about them causing "false humility". How many times had I looked at a heavily tattooed person with a delicious shudder and surmised, "This guy must be a thug"? Unspoken was the thought, "I'm glad I'm not like that!" Ouch ouch ouch.
So now when I encounter a "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!" rule, I try to remember to check for the plank in my eye before jumping on the other person for breaking the rule. How about that?