What it means to follow the way of the Shepherd.

I see it all the time, in every newspaper, on every news channel, on every religious channel and even on the radio. Self-proclaimed Christians telling us that we must think, act or do things this way or that. That you have to take a particulariar side on a given issue. And if you don't, they brand you as not being a "Real Christian".

And, of course, what they are really saying is that we all need to be their kind of Christian. They want you to become part of their denomination. It's all rather political. The Catholics, Lutherans, Baptists (among many others) all have their list of issues, their platforms. They all seem to believe that only their particular point of view or perspective on a given subject is the true "Will of God".

I am of the mind that instead of worrying about being a real Christian, mankind would be better off if everyone aspired to be a True Christian. What is a true Christian? My definition is; someone who studies the actual life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth and strives to live his or her life emulating Him, not following the dogma of the Church, like lemmings.

Each denomination has it's own agenda and it's own interpretation of what the Bible says and thus, in their belief, the actual "Will of God". I don't think any of them have it completely right, some not even close. Despite all the various points of view out there, what really matters are the direct teachings of Jesus himself and the stories of not only what he said, but what he did, how he lived his life. Love thy neighbor, mercy, compassion, tolerance, understanding, etc.

Was he the real Son of God, a divinely inspired prophet or just a regular guy with some radical ideas? In the big picture, does it really matter? You can debate who he was and what his true origins were, but the fact remains that he was, above all other things, a great role-model. We should all aspire to be more "Christ-like".

My intolerance for “zero-tolerance”.

Under “zero-tolerance” policy there are no second chances, no three strikes, its just your caught, you blew it, in the slammer you go. No ifs, ands or buts. You’re slapped with detention, probation, expulsion, imprisonment. So sorry, but you broke the rules. Don’t commit the crime if you can’t do the time. I could go on, but I won’t.

Sounds good doesn’t it? Let’s put the fear of law back into those who would break the rules. No mercy, tough love and all that. Unfortunately, crime/rule breaking is not a simple issue that can be solved by a simple answer. Not all crimes are created equal and not all criminals are the same.

Case in point; you have two boys, Bill and Jake, both age 15. Bill has a bad reputation, is in jeopardy of flunking out of school, has a along list of prior convictions and is caught with 5 marijuana joints. Jake is a “good kid”, has good grades, has never caused trouble, but made a bad choice, tried a joint and got caught with it. Under zero-tolerance policy, both were caught with marijuana, therefore both deserve expulsion and perhaps imprisonment.

Now you may take the hard line and agree that both kids deserve what they get. Personally, I don’t. I don’t think Jake deserves nearly as severe a punishment as Bill does. I believe that extenuating circumstances should play a part in the judicial system. But policy dictates otherwise. God knows we don’t dare treat one person different from another!

There is at least one other problem with zero-tolerance, it’s the lawmaker’s easy way out. With “policy” automatically dictating what will happen, the authorities get to act politically correct, treating everyone equally, and they are free from having to make judgments based on the situation. They need not take any risks; politically, legally or ethically. Lawyers, judges, teachers and principles all get to hide behind a shield of “zero-tolerance” policy, keeping the status-quo. No one is expected to stick their neck out and state what is right or wrong with a given situation.

Simply put, Zero-tolerance can do serious damage to those of us that just made a bad choice and we will ALL stumble sooner or later. Also, it allows our authorities to take the coward’s way out. What do we pay them for anyway? As a society, shouldn’t we demand the proper punishment that fits a specific crime?

Learning to swim.

My friend "Bob" (he knows who he is) and I thoroughly enjoy discussing and debating EVERYTHING! Politics, religion, science, pop culture, etc. Generally, we agree on most things and usually come to an understanding. However, when we discuss the more abstract issues such as morality, ethics and philosophy, we usually come to loggerheads. The problem is that he is a devout Christian and I am more of an agnostic.

Metaphorically speaking, I see our situation in the following light. The world we live in, the reality we inhabit, is not unlike a Sea of Chaos. So many endless possibilities. So many vexing mysteries. So much history that has been lost. Indeed, so much that we don’t know and may not even possess the faculties to properly comprehend.

I swim through this dizzying ocean, free of constraints and limitations because I don’t lock myself into one particular point of view. I look up into the vast, star-filled sky and ponder. I dive below and gaze upon the wonders under the waves and search for answers previously lost or just forgotten. I move with the ebb and flow of the tides. I float along with the currents as they will. I look for patterns in the chaos and try to piece together strands of lore, truths and constants that I can believe in.

And then I look at my friend, "Bob", clinging tenaciously to his Bible, as if it were a life preserver. His stubbornness forcing him to remain stranded on the water’s surface, able only to see the rocking waves that toss him about, for good or ill. He can’t see all the other factors that create the ripples that affect his world. He doesn’t look up to see the weather patterns gusting or down to see the currents twisting. He just grips his life preserver ever tighter, ever faithful that the rough waters will pass and the peace and calm soon come and hope it remains for as long as possible.

He probably thinks me arrogant as hell for writing this, but its not meant as an insult. If fact far from it.
Tis better to have faith in something than in nothing at all, eh?
Its simply and honestly how I feel about our rants and raves. Is he right, am I right or do we both have it wrong? Who knows for sure? All I DO know is that I wish I could get him to loosen-up his grip on that life-preserver and join me for a good swim.