Change - where does it end?

Q: I know life is a constant change like a kaleidoscope.  What about when the important "changeless" things change?  Like a belief system I was raised in, and a close sister who decides, after 55 years, to drop out of the family? A.W.

A: These days the fundamentals of life seem to be changing more and more, transforming into the unexpected and what was previously unknown.

The ideals, idylls, and idols are all up for review and transformation.

An ideal is a goal we've held that no longer serves us.

An idyll is a fantasy or play we've entertained that no longer serves.

An idol is anything that stands in the way of our growth and healthy development.

I recently read a quote by Deepak Chopra, stating that there are two symptoms of enlightenment: 1) We stop worrying, and become light-hearted and full of joy.  2) Meaningful "coincidences" become more frequent, until life is filled with synchronicities, to the point of becoming miraculous.

Such an attitude helps us move through the grief of the losses, to fill the spaces that are left with infinite being, full of joy.

Compassion, how to develop it

Q: I have been married 25 years and my husband and I are studying Buddhism.  Due to his work schedule he is unable to study with a group as I do.  He tends to drink after work and sometimes becomes somewhat verbally abusive toward me.  He tells me I must show compassion for him at these times, but when I do, it doesn't help.  Do you have any suggestions for me?  V.G.

A:  Compassion is a primary quality recognized in Buddhism.  How do you define it, based on your studies?

Try it this way.  Instead of basing compassion on the word passion, use the word compass.  "Emotion at rest, so the compass can direct."  Viewing compassion in this light, it allows us to set aside the emotion involved in a given situation so that we can see clearly the action we need to take.

You say your husband "sometimes becomes somewhat verbally abusive."  Take out the qualifiers, and it sounds like he is verbally abusive.

You may benefit by expanding your studies to include a group such as Al-Anon, and reading a book such as The Verbally Abusive Relationship by Patricia Evans, or The Gaslight Effect, by Dr. Robin Stern.

I wish you the best.

Ye Are Gods - what does it mean?

Q: Jesus repeated a strange saying from the Old Testament, "Ye are gods."  Why wasn't it changed when they translated the New Testament?  How does this saying fit with Judeo-Christian monotheism? I.W.

A: You are referring to John 10:34, where Jesus recalls and affirms Psalm 82:6.

I suspect that it was an oversight, because it equates the human listeners/readers with the Supreme Deity, or God (according to Strong's Hebrew and Greek dictionaries), and since it contradicts Christian beliefs.  Or perhaps there was a ray of light that shone through, causing the King James translation to retain this thread of truth.

It may be more in line with a monotheistic doctrine to think of the plural saying, "Ye are gods," in the singular, which would render it as "Thou art God," or "You are God."

Thinking of it in that way, it may be tantamount to saying, "You are the world," or "You are the universe."  For we are all an indivisible part of the world and the universe.  Is it any great stretch, then, to conceive of ourselves as an indivisible part of God?

In John 10:33-38, the Jews were about to stone Jesus "for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God."  Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?  If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?"

Jesus is said to be the "only begotten Son," yet in Romans 8:29, this Son is shown to be the "firstborn among many brethren."  Is this a contradiction?  It need not be, if we are willing to allow for truth that is beyond our finite comprehension.

God's Will - What Is It?

Q: Ever since I was a child in Sunday School, I was taught that my purpose in life is to do "God's will."  But every one I ask seems to have a different idea of what God's will is.  Is there a clear answer in the Bible?  W.R.

A: When I researched this very question I used the King James Version.  I found several references in the Old Testament where God's will was made known for certain people in certain situations.  And there are many admonitions in the New Testament as to how to live.

The clearest reference I found about God's will tells what it is NOT.  God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."  II Peter 3:9.

It was this verse that caused me to question the doctrine of eternal damnation.  If God is not willing that any should perish, then how could anyone perish forever?  Won't God's will be done?  Won't God find a way to bring everyone to repentance, if that is his will?

In terms of everyday guidance, John 14-17 describes the coming of the Comforter "who will teach you all things."  The Comforter within guides the willing through the many decisions that come throughout a day - will we respond with kindness and compassion, or with judgment and malice?  The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.  Galatians 5:22-23.

If God is not willing that any should perish, why should we be?

Sex Abuse Scandals in Bible Schools

Q:  Have you read about sex abuse scandals that are occurring in Bible Schools?  What do you think about this and how does such a sinful thing happen where the Word of God is revered and taught?  K.R.

A:  Yes, I am aware of such scandals.  When I communicated with the president of a prominent Bible school in Canada regarding this very topic, he wrote to me, "...I feel scripture is often used inappropriately and can be turned to support almost any position when chosen selectively and taken out of context."

It is paramount that we take the word "written in the heart," for "the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."  It is the Spirit that enlivens; doctrine and dogma do not.

That said, let's look at the environment fostered in a typical Bible school.  The teachings tend to foster an us/them attitude toward others:  someone else is either saved or not.  If they are saved, they are "redeemed," an attitude that is rife with the opportunity to harbor hubris.  Hubris is "excessive pride," "arrogance," a feeling that one is not subject to the same conditions and consequences as others; a sense of license or entitlement.  This is inherent in the doctrine of eternal bliss for "believers" and eternal damnation for "unbelievers"- the saved and the unsaved.

Dogma is often driven by an agenda that instills fear, shame, and guilt in the adherents, which furthers the cause of secrecy and cover-up.  In such an atmosphere abusers can easily hide, and leaders can easily ignore symptoms or reports of abuse.  If the abuse is acknowledged as such, the tendency is to direct the survivors to healing on the terms of the institution, which will serve the institution rather than the needs of the survivors, and will inhibit prosecution of the offenders, who are often in positions of authority over the survivors.

Thus the refuge of a religious atmosphere is likely to foster secrecy and cover-up while the abuse runs rampant, hidden from view and scrutiny.  Perhaps this is why Penn State and the BBC, secular institutions, have come into public scrutiny sooner than the incidences of abuse that occur in Bible schools.

The Catholic church scandals?  These may have become public in part because the Catholic church is one entity, while Protestantism is composed of many diverse smaller groups, better able to control members who may report abuse.