false idols
I probably run by 4-5 churches on my regular route and always get a kick out of the church signs - you know, the ones that say "punch thy neighbor, get head squashed", "steal cookies, lose one eye", "sin = eternal pain", I'm all for scaring the masses into behaving like civilized people but today i ran past this sign ..
"No God .. No Peace
Know God .. Know Peace"
Am I the only one who thinks this is ironic? How many wars are started in the name of "God", or due to variations in what "God" represents to different people.
Perhaps the sign is more figurative, "knowing god will bring you inner peace" .. i could rant about how rich that is but JC might take offense and strike me down.
recent branches
Mike Royko (Chicago columnist I read a lot in high school) had a take on this I found interesting: a column called "Dear God" from 1981 - in the midst of Lebanon's civil war. Too bad much of it still seems so timely, but at least things are now looking better in Ireland.
It's the lead entry in this link.
http://www.geocities.com/benjo4u/royko/royko.htm
A church a couple blocks where we live got hit by lightning a couple weeks ago and started on fire. Fortunately, once the storm passed, firefighters were able to control the fire (not sure how much damage inside - but the church is still usable). Here is what they put on their sign after the lightning strike:
"Are you fired up for Jesus....... we are!"
That gave me a nice chuckle - glad to see the positivity in a not-so-good situation.
whats that picture of?
Steven - the picture is a close up of the Easter Bunny with a blurry cross in the back. I really like the photo - i didn't take it. The person who did wanted to show how fake idols (Easter Bunny, Santa Clause, etc) were taking the place of the real reason for these holidays .. "god".
I'm sure if the photographer saw my blog she wouldn't be happy since I'm throwing everything (god, easter bunny, .. ) into the same category.