"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
-Galatians 5:1
Monday, January 05, 2009
Freedom
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
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9 comments:
What's the revelance of this clip to you tonight?
I am thinking that different people will interpret it according to what they understand the meaning of freedom really is. My guess is that you may feel you are fighting for your freedom as well - but at what cost, but more chains and less self-determination. I can respect your desire to move what you believe to be good forward, but at what cost?
Are the people free to choose (really?), or do we - the laity - suddenly now have to deal with feudal lords masquerading as Episcopal bishops? Is that what we've come to now? Isn't that why our ancestors left England and Scotland and even Wales in the first place - I know mine did. But of course, they were Quakers. Maybe they were right after all.
bb
I can tell Lisa Fox the relevance of the clip to me. Taking a brave, principled stand, especially against a bunch of bullies and thugs, can have it's risks. However, some things are worth taking those risks, even losing one's life, as the brave William Wallace informed his fellow Scots in that scene.
They'd rather die, fighting for what is right, on their feet, than be reduced to the persecuted forced to their knees.
You can try to gloat all you like, but it means nothing. The brave parishes in San Diego stood firm with God, against those who sought to subvert the faith. They are to be admired and respected.. because they truly are the salt of the earth, and will not be vanquished.
You might think you are gaining something, but you've lost something far more precious. This is the beginning of the end of the sham that is the episcopal church.
No, Perpetua, I didn't come here to gloat. A friend linked to BB's site, and I was truly curious as to what the clip meant to her. And so I asked. It was as simple as that.
Thanks for the response, BB. You find good clips, and I often enjoy them.
As to the feudal lords, I simply observe that those affiliating with provinces like Nigeria and the Southern Cone are losing much of the power that the laity in TEC have. The "feudal lords" are in the "Global South."
But you have answered my question, and I am grateful. I didn't want to make assumptions.
I am at work and so cannot see the video.
But I can tell you what freedom means to me, and I see two types of freedom, external and internal.
External Freedom means I can worship freely without laws or governments telling me where and when I can do it, so long as I don’t interfere with others. This is the nub of it all – liberals and their governments try to prevent this or force me to worship their way, and condemn me if I think differently.
The freedom Christ gives us is inside – so no matter our circumstance or what others think of us – Christ is in our hearts, helping us, guiding us and always there for us when we are tempted by the outside and by our own failings. And I see that liberals largely reject this because it means we have to look to God to help control and guide us, rather than a government that is more interested in power and control than salvation.
It is far easier to receive forgiveness from others than from God, because others really don’t care and heaven forbid can no longer judge. God, being in our heart, is more eager to truly forgive and receive us. But because he is in our hearts, he knows our sincerity – or lack of when we ask. When we are sincere, freedom reigns.
There is a saying – The Truth shall set you free. But first, it will make you miserable.
Anonymous Catholic
I'm curious:
Exactly what powers have the laity lost by associating with the Global South primates? I'm rather unaware that CANA et al. give less of a voice to their laity than TEC. Lisa, do you have documentation showing this?
I'd suggest that Lisa Fox read the article by the London Times, Matthew Parris, an athiest, by the way, who wrote an article about how Christianity is needed in Africa, not NGO's or secular organizations which do little to no good at all. Here is a quote from the piece:
The Christians were always different. Far from having cowed or confined its converts, their faith appeared to have liberated and relaxed them. There was a liveliness, a curiosity, an engagement with the world - a directness in their dealings with others - that seemed to be missing in traditional African life. They stood tall.
At 24, travelling by land across the continent reinforced this impression. From Algiers to Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and the Central African Republic, then right through the Congo to Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya, four student friends and I drove our old Land Rover to Nairobi.
We slept under the stars, so it was important as we reached the more populated and lawless parts of the sub-Sahara that every day we find somewhere safe by nightfall. Often near a mission.
Whenever we entered a territory worked by missionaries, we had to acknowledge that something changed in the faces of the people we passed and spoke to: something in their eyes, the way they approached you direct, man-to-man, without looking down or away. They had not become more deferential towards strangers - in some ways less so - but more open.
Here is the link to the read it in it's entirety: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article5400568.ece
It's not the bishops of Nigeria or the Southern Cone who are feudal lords, for they are filling the faithful's hearts and minds with the freedom that only Christ provides, and redeeming their souls from bondage.
The feudal lords, are those who feel the need to control the thoughts, words and actions of others. Who threaten, persecute the faithful, and when that doesn't work out, steal the houses of worship from the faithful. KJS, and her henchmen in and out of TEC, with it's hierarchy, epitomize the feudal system.
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