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WeveAlwaysKnown:

WhyDontWeDoit?

JaneGilgun

Idontgetit.Forthousandsofyearshumanbeingshavehadthekeytothegoodlife

whereeveryonewouldhaveenoughandwewouldcareforeachotherandourselves.Yet,threequartersoftheworldspopulationsufferbecauseoftheactions

andinactionsofotherhumanbeings.ThekeytothegoodlifeistheIsraelShema.

Hear,OIsrael:TheLordourGod,theLordisone.LovetheLordyourGod

withallyourheartandwithallyoursoulandwithallyourstrength.ThesecommandmentsthatIgiveyoutodayaretobeonyourhearts.Impressthem

onyourchildren.Talkaboutthemwhenyousitathomeandwhenyouwalk

alongtheroad,whenyouliedownandwhenyougetup.Tiethemassymbolsonyourhandsandbindthemonyourforeheads.Writethemonthe

doorframesofyourhousesandonyourgates(Deuteronomy6:4-9).

RelatedtotheShemaisthis.

Donotseekrevengeorbearagrudgeagainstanyoneamongyourpeople,

butloveyourneighborasyourself.IamtheLord(Leviticus19:18).

Tome,thisistheoriginalGoodNews.Thisiswhatpeoplecouldhavelived,

breathed,taught,andactedupon.Somedid.Manydidnot.So,wehaverapes,

murders,childsexualabuse,kidsshotonthestreets,waterboarding,countriesthreateningothercountries,starvation,andholocausts.Wehavebudgetcutsthat

harmthemostvulnerableandbringmorerichnesstothesuperrich.

Selfish,devastatingme-firstactionsthroughouttheworldarecommittedby

countlesshundredsofmillionsofpeopleoverthousandsofyears.

ItdoesntevenseemtomatterthattheChristiantraditionsoughttofulfillthesetwo

principles.ThisisfromthegospelofMark.

Oneoftheteachersofthelawcameandheardthemdebating.NoticingthatJesushadgiventhemagoodanswer,heaskedhim,Ofallthe

commandments,whichisthemostimportant?

Themostimportantone,answeredJesus,isthis:Hear,OIsrael:TheLord

ourGod,theLordisone.LovetheLordyourGodwithallyourheartandwith

allyoursoulandwithallyourmindandwithallyourstrength.Thesecondisthis:Loveyourneighborasyourself.Thereisnocommandmentgreater

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thanthese.

Wellsaid,teacher,themanreplied.YouarerightinsayingthatGodisone

andthereisnootherbuthim.Tolovehimwithallyourheart,withallyour

understandingandwithallyourstrength,andtoloveyourneighboras

yourselfismoreimportantthanallburntofferingsandsacrifices.

WhenJesussawthathehadansweredwisely,hesaidtohim,Youarenotfar

fromthekingdomofGod.Andfromthenonnoonedaredaskhimanymore

questions(Mark12:28-34).

Jesuslivedthesetwocommandments.Hecalledoutthosewhocausedsuffering.

Someofthoseinpowerdidnotlikeit.Theykilledhim.Ashewasdying,Jesussaid,Forgivethem,Lord.Theydontknowwhattheyaredoing.

Indeed.Manystilldontknowwhatwearedoing.Wefoundedareligionbasedon

Jesusslifeandteaching.JesusdidfulfilltheScriptures.Hebroughtforwardthemostimportantideashumanbeingswilleverhave.Weapparentlyseehislifeandteachingthroughaglassdarkly.

WhatHappened?

IwonderwhatitwilltakeforpeoplewhosaytheyareChristiantolivethewordsthatJesusfulfilled.Manyhavelivedthesewords.Yet,somanyothersgotheirmerry

ways,destroyingotherpeoplewhiletellingthemselvesandthoselikethemwhat

wonderfulpeopletheyare.ManypeoplebesidesJesushavebeenkilledforlivingthesewords.

Iwonderwhatmakesitsohardtolivethesewords.IwasraisedChristian.These

wordstooksecondandthirdplacetorulesanddogmathatIheardfromthepulpit

andinreligiousinstruction.Originalsin,theimmaculateconception,JesusisGod,Maryisperfectandyouarenot,confessyoursins,donttouchthehost,andallthose

otherthings.

WhatHappenedtoExperience?

TheexperienceofalovingGod.TheexperienceoflovingGod.Theconsequencesof

experiencingtheloveofGod.Wherewasthistalkedabout?Ididnothearaboutthis

fromthepulpitandinreligiousinstruction.IdonthearpeopletalkingtoeachotheraboutwhatitmeanstoloveGod.Wevegottensofarawayfromthewordsof

ScripturethatmanypeoplehavenoideawhatitfeelsliketoloveGod.

IfweloveGod,wenaturallyloveourneighborsasourselves.Wedontputourselves

aboveothersandthinkdestructionhasgoodoutcomes.Inoureverydaylives,wethinkabouttheconsequencesofouractions.Weworkonlettinggoofrevenge

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motives.Wedontletotherspushusaround.Wesetsimplelimitsandletothers

knowwhentheyhavecrossedtheline.

Wetakegoodcareofourselves.Wedontputourselvesdown.Weworkonlettinggoofourownself-hatreds.Wecareaboutthewell-beingofothers.Wedontputothers

down.Weworkonnothatingothers.Thisisallsosimple.Whatmakesitsohard?LetsdowhattheShemasays.Talkto

ourchildrenabouttheloveofGod,talktoeachother,talkwhenwegotobedand

whenwegetup,putasigninourhomes.Letslivethesesimplewords.

SpiritualbutNotReligious

Morepeoplethaneverarespiritualandnotreligious.Nowonder.Theyhavean

inklingofwhatitmeanstobespiritual.Theyknowthroughexperiencethatthereissomethingbeyondourselvesthatgivesourlivesmeaning.Theymaynotsaythey

loveGod.TheymaybeuncomfortablewiththewordGod.Whywouldnttheybe?Thewordhassomanymeanings,includingthefatherinthesky,anall-powerfulbeingwhochosessomeandnotothers,thepunishingbeing,thebeingwhogrants

ourwishesornot,amongsomanyothers.

PeoplewhoarespiritualandnotreligiousknowGodisloveandseekthespiritualas

aplantseekslight.Theyrecognizethattheylongforsomething.Theymaycallwhattheylongforaspiritualpresence.SomepeoplecallthisGod.

IfpeopleinreligiousinstitutionsputtheShemafrontandcenter,churcheswouldbe

filledwithpeoplewhonowarespiritualandnotreligious.Manypeopleareturned

offbythemessagesandbeliefsthathavesubordinatedthecentralmessageofallreligions.Thecentralmessageisthis.LovetheLordyourGodwithallyourheart,

andsoul,andmightandloveyourneighborasyourself.Allelsefollowsfromthis.So

simpleandyetforthousandsofyearssubordinateandmostlyignored.

Whatapricewehavepaidforignoringthesesimpleprinciples.

WhyIWroteThis

Iwrotethisafterfourdaysofangerandupset.Thesedifficultemotionsaroseinme

afterspendingfivehoursatasocialserviceagencythatservesthemosthigh-risk

childrenandfamiliesinthecountywheretheagencyislocated.Iheardstoriesofamotherwithfouryoungchildrenwhoisabouttobeevictedandwhohasnoplaceto

go.Iheardofateenagegirlinbedwithherboyfriendwiththebedroomdooropeninfullviewofasocialworkerwhowastalkingtothegirlsmother.Iheardofaboy

inresidentialtreatmentforvolatilebehaviorsandwhoseonlysupportinthisworld

isabouttodieanearlydeathbecauseoflungdiseasecausedbyhersmoking.

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Inthenewspaperthisweek,Isawaseriesofthreephotosoftwomenfightinginthe

streetsofanArabcountry.Thefirstphotoshowsthetwoofthemabouttoshoot.Thesecondshowsoneofthemenimmediatelyafterhewasshot.Thethirdshows

themanwhowasstillalivepullingonthedeadmanasiftoawakehim.

Theeventsintheselivesarepreventable.Suchhorrorsdonthavetohappen.IfwelivedthewordsoftheShemaandtalkedaboutthemasScripturerecommends,theseeventswouldnothappen.Ourownliveswouldtakeonnewmeanings.

GodisNotMoney

ThereisoneGod.Godisnotmoney.Godisnotpowertogetyourownway.Godisnotsocialstatus.GodisnotIambetterthanyouandmineisbiggerthanyours.You

arenotGod.

Godisloveofothersandoftheself.PeoplewholovethemselvesloveGodand

others.WhatevermaterialgoodsandsocialstatusthattheyhavetheyusetofosterloveofGod,others,andtheself.EverythingwehaveandareissubordinatetotheloveoftheoneGod.