Why do People Believe What they do?

Perhaps some People Believe the Way they do because of a Bad Experience.  If the Bad Experience was with a Business, then they become a Democrat.  If the Bad Experience was with the Government, then they become Republican.  None of This has Anything to do with Believing in Something because it is the Correct Way to Believe.  This is all Based on Emotion and thus, it Clouds Sound Judgment.

 

Sometimes the Object of One's Anger is One's Parents and therefore in Protest, they Choose the Opposite Political Persuasion of the One's who Raised them.  This is Quite the Opposite of what is Often Said that we Believe what we Believe because we were Raised to Believe that way.  In Truth, Quite Often, just the Opposite is True, for Out of Protest or Rebellion, we choose to Believe the Opposite, rather than the Same, as those who Raised us.

 

I Really Truly do Like to Believe that what I Believe is Rational, rather than Emotional, for I Look at it Like This.  If Some People are Angry at the Government and therefore Become Republicans and Some People are Angry at Businesses and therefore Become Democrats, then the Right Conclusion to Come to is that BOTH the Government and also Businesses have the Ability to be Irresponsible and Cause Pain.  Since this is True, Neither Position is Fully Correct, because it Places Blame on Only One of the Two Parties, when, In Fact, BOTH are at Fault.  Therefore, the Conclusion of it all is Balance, not Extremes.  This Makes Perfect Sense to me and I do not see how such a Position can in any way be Based on Emotion, rather than Reason.

 

The Actual Answer to the Political Dilemma is that we Need  Ideas from Both Parties and Neither One Should Have Total Control and get Everything that they Want.

More False Assumptions/Prejudice/Conditioned Anger Responses

My Mind is so Very Very Full Right Now and yet I Wish that I could Find the Peace I Need in Order to Move Forward in my Blog.  Usually when I Feel Like this, I have a Tendency to just Brain Storm.

Let's see.  There is the Subject of Prejudice or should I call it Pre-Judgment.  Though the Definition of the Word Prejudice is, In Fact, Pre-Judgment, even so, the Last Time I was Jotting a Few Things Down on the Subject, I Found myself saying Pre-Judgment, rather than Prejudice and the Main Reason is because the Word Prejudice is too Often Connected with Racism, as if Racism is the Only Type of Pre-Judgment there is.  I've Decided to Make my Posts on the Subject Broader than that and here I go again.

Perhaps I'm too Stuck on this Subject, yet I'm Finding that I have a Conditioned Anger Response to being Misjudged and it has Nothing to do with Racism.  Could it be Possible that Misjudging and Accusing is another Form of the Same Thing as Racism?  Think about it.  Racism is a Pre-Judgment Based on the Color of One's Skin.  Why is a False Accusation any Less of a Pre-Judgment, Based on Whatever?  Why should this be Considered any Less Offensive?  Why Should someone Who is Experiencing Racism be Any More Justified in their Anger than someone who has been Falsely Accused of Racism, or for that Matter, of anything Else?  There are those Out There that have a Conditioned Anger Response to anything that Appears to be Racism, rather it Truly is or not, and then there are Others Out There who have a Conditioned Anger Response to being Falsely Accused.  Put these Two Personalities together and what you've Got is a Real Disaster.

Wow!!  That Brain Storming Session Came Out more Clearly than Expected.

I'll just Add more Later in the Comment Section.

A New Direction - Jesus' Anger, etc.

Well, I was headed down the rather peaceful path of telling you some lessons I've learned lately from our dog and from dogs in general, but this morning I woke up feeling a small sense of unrest. Since I have just finished telling all of you how important it is to not only come to God, but also to listen to Him, I guess I better practice what I preach and respond to the still small voice inside of me when I hear it. I guess this is a good opportunity for me to tell you what following God's direction is like. So often when I set out to do a certain thing and set goals for myself, I am interrupted by a strong urging to do something else. Sometimes I ignore it and continue with my own plans and sometimes I give in and change direction.

My feeling of unrest this morning was in relation to Righteous Anger and Passion and the whole question of when our Anger and Passion is self-directed and when it is God-directed. I sense very strongly that one of my primary purposes for being in the Blogasphere with the rest of you is for the sake of trying to urge you all the remain as God focused as possible.

Now, there is such a thing as Righteous Anger and it simply isn't true that Jesus was never angry. Let's take a look at the one time in which the Bible mentions His anger.

"12) And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13) And said unto them, 'It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.'" (Matthew 21:12-13, KJV)

"15) On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16) and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17) And as he taught them, he said, 'Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations' ? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.''" (Mark 11:15-17, NIV)

"45) And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; 46) Saying unto them, 'It is written, 'My house is the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves.''" (Luke 19:45-46, KJV)

What exactly is the message here? Was He just upset that they were doing financial business in the Temple, which was supposed to be a place set aside for prayer, or was it because they were charging too much for the merchandise being sold? Generally when someone who is selling something is called a "thief", it is referring to high prices and the gouging of the public, in which case, the one record in the Bible of Jesus' anger had to do with protecting the poor, not protecting the rich.

It seems a little odd that I keep finding myself writing on the poverty side of the issue even though I'm a Republican. Another obvious question that comes to mind is whether Jesus is delivering a message to individual business men to stop gouging the public, or is it a message to Governments, giving them permission to step in and put a price freeze on things when such gouging takes place. I honestly don't know the answer. Biblically speaking, it is unclear.



I've been racking my brain lately for Bible references that relate to how a Government should be run. One thing that came to mind was how the Lord directed Joseph when he was in a high place of authority in Egypt, just under the King. The Lord revealed to him that there would be 7 years of plenty, followed by 7 years of famine, and instructed him to set aside extra grain during the years of plenty. Interestingly, the grain was not later given away, but sold and the result was the Children of Israel ended up selling themselves into slavery in Egypt. Why did God allow this to take place?

Since God did not do anything to stop this, it would seem that He was in support of Free Enterprise, yet later he sent a deliverer, Moses, who demanded that the Pharaoh "Let My People Go!". What's with that? If the slavery resulted from Free Enterprise, than why should the Pharaoh later give the people back their freedom?



So what sort of direction in the Bible has God given to Kings? A lot of times they were directed to go to war. I guess I've leave that one alone for now except to say that the Israelites always sought God's blessing before going to war and if it was not given, they did not go to war.



I think of King Solomon and his Wisdom and the story that comes to mind is the one in which King Solomon settled a dispute between two women over a Child that they both claimed to be theirs. The story is interesting.

"16) Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. 17) And the one woman said, 'O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. 18) And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. 19) And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it. 20) And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21) And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.' 22) And the other woman said, 'Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son.' And this said, 'No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son.' Thus they spake before the king. 23) Then said the king, 'The one saith, 'This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead.' and the other saith, 'Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.' 24) And the king said, 'Bring me a sword.' And they brought a sword before the king. 25) And the king said, 'Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.' 26) Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, 'O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it.' But the other said, 'Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.' 27) Then the king answered and said, 'Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.'" (1 Kings 3:16-27, KJV)

I guess the real point of this story was that Solomon was a wise King, yet what's interesting in relation to Government was that in this setting the King took on the role of a Judge. It is difficult, though, to find any direct instruction as to how Governments should be run. I just pulled out an example from the Scriptures of the role of one particular King, yet this probably has more to do with the culture of the day than with any specific instruction from God. Fortunately, Solomon was a wise King, which is quite a lot more than I can say about the Supreme Court Judges in our country that currently have far too much power.



When I was considering the idea of whether or not the Bible has anything to say about Government, the other Scripture that came to mind was Jesus' words in the Gospel of Mark...

"13) Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch Him in his words. 14) They came to Him and said, 'Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15) Should we pay or shouldn't we?' But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. 'Why are you trying to trap Me?' He asked. 'Bring Me a denarius and let Me look at it.' 16) They brought the coin, and He asked them, 'Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?' 'Caesar's,' they replied. 17) Then Jesus said to them, 'Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.' And they were amazed at him." (Mark 12:13-17, NIV)

The point being made is that the coin was made in Caesar's image, but that people are made in God's image, so as far as Jesus is concerned, it would be of no Eternal Consequence if all of the money were given to Caesar and the hearts of the people were given to God, or another way of putting that is that our money is not what is important. What's important is the condition of our heart towards God, so if the Government wants the money, so be it. What is important is our heart condition towards God.



Perhaps I should return to the bottom line again and it is this.

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14, KJV)

I quoted this in a previous post entitled "Blogging Fatigue/Sometimes God has Different Plans". Before I close, I'd like to quote one more verse.

"1) A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. 2) In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat-- for he grants sleep to those he loves." (Psalm 127:1-2, NIV)

So why don't I just close with this point... All the Political Passion in the world is not going to make one bit of difference unless God's people get on their knees and seek God for direction. This message must be important, because God keeps asking me to repeat it.

Calm the Anger in My Heart - Poem

The Lord has actually healed me of a lot of the things I used to really feel angry about.  Of course, this horrible beast still rears it's ugly head at times.  We all struggle with anger at times, yet I'm so much more at peace than I once was.

Forgiveness is talked about a lot in the churches, yet my struggle was significant enough that I kept saying, "You know what?  It's just not as simple as that."  Forgiveness actually involves a little bit of a healing process and can often take a little time.   It just plain doesn't happen over night.

Here is a poem that I wrote once when I was feeling angry.

Calm the Anger in my Heart

Calm the anger in my heart. Help me to release it unto You.
Pry my fingers from their grasp.
Help me to know You know the way.
Calm the anger in my heart. Show me hope that You are there.
You're the one who changes hearts. Help me, let You do it, Lord.

(Chorus)
What can I do, when the trust has gone away?
What do I do, with the hurt that still remains?
I give it to You, Lord. Heal my pain and make me love.

Calm the anger in my heart. Help me to see Your guiding hand.
Let me cry my tears to You. Heal me Lord and show the way.
Calm the anger in my heart. Help me to see the other’s pain.
Help me feel compassion, Lord. Ease my hurt and show me how.

(Chorus)
What can I do, when the trust has gone away?
What do I do, with the hurt that still remains?
I give it to You, Lord. Heal my pain and make me love.

Calm the anger in my heart. Please forgive me, Lord, I pray.
Help me to confront some one in love,
Yet not until You’ve calmed my angry heart.
Calm the anger in my heart. Take the pain, Lord, heal me now.
Take the tears and cleanse me, Lord.
Help me to let go and trust You, Lord.

(Chorus)
What can I do, when the trust has gone away?
What do I do, with the hurt that still remains?

I give it to You, Lord. Heal my pain and make me love.

A lot of what I have to say about anger is reflected in the poem.  Anger involves more than just anger and lack of forgiveness.  It also involves hurt; sometimes very deep hurt; and quite often there are trust issues, so to simply say, "You need to let go and forgive that person." does not address all of the issues.

Only God can fully heal us of our hurts and help us to love again and letting go of anger involves healing and therefore also tears.

Another thing that helps is the understanding that we all have areas of our life in which we feel pain.  Even the ones that we are angry with have things in their life that cause them pain.  In our own humanness, it is extremely difficult to see this because we are so caught up in our own pain that it is nearly impossible for us to imagine that that "horrible monster" that we are angry at feels any pain, or for that matter feels anything at all.  Trying to see things from the other person's perspective is extremely difficult on a purely human level and most of us have mental blocks that prevent us from seeing the point of view of someone who has hurt us.

We also have such a strong tendency to hang on to anger.  It is not at all easy to let go of.  I know.  I've most definitely been there, yet God can help to break through the issues in our heart and help us to release that which we cling to so tightly.  As long as we keep holding on to the anger, it is impossible to find peace.  It's like a strong hold in our heart and letting go involves a healing process that can often take considerable time.  The reality of the long healing process has been too often ignored.

Sometimes too, there are issues of trust.  Just because we have chosen to not trust someone does not mean that we have not forgiven them.  It is foolish to not do what is necessary to protect oneself from further harm and unfortunately, lack of trust will usually change the relationship, yet trust is something that must be earned and once it is broken, it must be earned back.  This is not an issue of lack of forgiveness.  It is simply the natural result of broken trust.

The last concept in this poem is the possible need for confrontation.  If the person who has caused the pain is someone that we care about, it will probably be necessary to tell that person how we feel, yet this should not be done in anger.  Sometimes we need to ask God for help in this one, because it is really hard to express deep hurt without including anger.  Anger, though, only begets more anger and accomplishes nothing, just as the Bible says, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." (Proverbs 15:1, NIV).

Another very important thing to remember is that it is only God who can truly change hearts.  Just as it is God who can help us to let go of the anger, it is also God who can change the hearts of those who have hurt us, yet in order for this to happen, the other person also needs to turn to God for help and this is a healing process, so we need to be patient.

Lastly, and unfortunately, quite often we never do get the apology that we were hoping for.  This is what makes forgiveness even more difficult and the trust may also never be restored.  Sometimes there can even be a rift in the friendship that will never be healed, so the most unfortunate and sad reality is that sometimes the process of forgiveness can result not in reconciliation, but actually letting go, not only of the anger, but of the relationship as well, or perhaps of what you hoped the relationship could be.  This is the part of the puzzle that I struggled with for so long and wasn't willing to accept.