Throughout the centuries, great philosophers have attempted to explore the riddle, involving human existence, but without meaningful success. Humans continue to struggle with the question of whether a man is different from other animal species, or not. What could have been the purpose of Man on Earth, if different from other animal species? With his, apparent superior mind, why is Man unable to solve his own problems, including those associated with life in general?
In approximately two thousand years of the Christian dispensation, there have been those claiming to be followers of Jesus. But history shows them as having all along, pursued a divergent Christian philosophy when compared with what Jesus taught. Christianity is known to chiefly subscribe to the idea of personal deliverance. Ironically, it is in Christianity that one finds the most self-centered people than is assumed to be the case with nonbelievers.
As created in God’s image, none among humans can be regarded as junior or senior to others. Possessing knowledge ahead of others does not entitle one to be senior to others. It simply provides such a person with the responsibility to help the ignorant to come to terms with the truth. This is where Christianity stole the tenets of God’s Kingdom. Self-centeredness makes Christianity admirable to the unwise.
Those truly subscribing to God’s Kingdom know that Christianity empowers them with the responsibility to advance altruism. God’s Kingdom implies the ability to take responsibility, as God’s children, created in God’s image. This answers the question of what the person gives to others, more than benefitting from them.
When Jesus taught the principle of altruism, He was highlighting the idea of responsibility. The people identified as enemies need education, more than they need shunning, for their stupidity. Jesus was not talking about a mechanical love. He was talking about the responsibility, with which those claiming to be His followers were supposed to adopt and apply.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?” (Matthew 5:43-46) (NIV).
This was the idea of responsibility. Notice that such people are not advised to only love, but also to pray for their enemies. It goes without saying that this is not applied by today’s Christians, whose excuse is that such an undertaking cannot be applicable by humans. Hence, Jesus cannot be likened to human beings.
They cover their denial of Jesus’s teachings by expressing fake adoration when conferring Him with the Trinitarian membership. Embroiled in the spirit of worship, and desiring safety within the Christian religion, most people get deluded into this tomfoolery. Such fakers, simply, go against Christ’s teaching:
“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:15-18) (NIV).
The commandments inferred by Jesus include what is said in Matthew 5:43-46, shunned by theologians. Even if they reverently make Jesus a member of the Trinity, they do not love Him, as long as they refuse to keep His commandments. Others treacherously conclude that the commandments referred to, are the Ten Commandments taught in the Old Testament.
However, Jesus was talking about taking responsibility in carrying the burdens of ignorant humanity. Of course, Jesus knew that His teachings would not appeal to the majority of those surviving in the flesh. I would be naïve to assume that this teaching attracts the majority. Nevertheless, this teaching is as true as the rising sun tomorrow.
The matter of responsibility has got nothing to do with worshiping, necessarily. Responsibility simply means awareness of being created in God’s image. That means the lacking of good things in one’s environment is a result of one’s failure to take responsibility. Blessed are those realizing being born to make a difference in any hopeless environment.
The world we live in; believes in profiteering, more than serving others without recompense. Nothing takes away the fact that engaging in benefiting other people without recompense, advances God’s Kingdom. God’s Kingdom advances the principle of altruism, as taught by Jesus, against self-centeredness.
Commercialization can be considered virtuous when answering the fundamental question of altruism, more than self. This is different from the idea of maximizing profits, at the expense of other people. Commercialization advances profiteering, more than sharing. The philosophy of successful businesses is profit-making, more than necessarily benefitting others.
From this, stems all problems of humanity, including the dreaded corruption. The considered successful business people sit in the comfort of lavish possessions and admiration from other people. The idea of serving becomes frustrated at the point of enjoying the effects of abundance and comfortable admiration by other people.
Those desiring to be part of God’s Kingdom, ought to have this cast in iron. All troubles of humanity can easily be eliminated, when the dignity of humanity is adopted and applied by all. There is no secret in that there are people who love pet animals, more than loving human beings. Such conduct is considered virtuous, by other animal lovers. This alienates the idea of Jesus dying for humanity, rather than dying for animal species.
A careful search-light will reveal that even the considered most devout Christians cannot identify with altruism. At the pinnacle of altruism is appreciating the identity of humanity, being inseparable from God. A human being was created to be causative, rather than being the effect, in his environment. There is no way a person can profess to love God, when unable to love his fellow brother.
Currently, this world experiences problems, due to lack of knowledge, more than problems caused by accidents. The envisaged God’s Kingdom can be caused by humans, rather than being imposed on humans. The significance of this utterance is that it is possible to experience God’s Kingdom, even in this life. The hindrance is, simply, the fear, caused by shadows of darkness.
Resulting from ignorance, the forces of darkness cause turmoil among humans. It takes the willingness to disregard forces of darkness when adopting the principles of altruism, before experiencing God’s Kingdom. The forces of darkness influence humanity to assume that survival requires self-protection, more than protecting others. Such a datum prevents one from appreciating that survival is only possible when protecting others, more than self.
There is nothing esoteric about altruism, as also complimenting the law of reciprocity. Those making the environment ungovernable, are criminals who cannot confront their wayward behaviors. The term, “Mind your own business” sustains the unworkable conditions. Humans can be as human as able to solve other people’s problems. Yet humans can be as inhuman as unable to solve other people’s problems.
The criminal elements are, simply, a result of failure to take responsibility. Such a wicked behavior was adopted by a populace, all along assuming that there was virtue in minding one’s own business. The idea of tithing is cultivated by a desire to receive blessings for self, rather than advancing what could change sinful humanity. This is what sustains confusion.
Without adopting altruism, humanity is doomed. I used to loath observing a herd of wildebeests, choosing to do nothing when one of their own, becomes a victim to a single predatory lion. How could the entire herd, comprising hundreds, fail to rescue their own? It was only after having made a cognition of the natural ecosystem in God’s creation that I ceased to be bothered by such reality. God created those creatures to behave like that, enabling the flesh-eating animals to also survive.
Nevertheless, humans were never created to be food for other species. Let alone being taken advantage of by other fellow humans. The safety of humanity is in adopting altruism. A neighbor who harasses his wife should be taken to task, by a responsible neighborhood. A vulnerable feminine should not be attacked by a criminal when putting virtue in “minding one’s own business”.
I am reminded of a Christian Brother who once commented that Christians should not worry about evil things in this world. His idea was that it is impossible for Christians to advance goodness in a world as evil as ours.
His suggestion being that Christians should simply wait for God’s Kingdom; as only Jesus was capable of straightening up things. This simply shows how deep Christian deception has sunk. Such a statement is not different from that talent holder mentioned by Jesus:
“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:24-30) (NIV).
Sadly, the above parable may, indeed, describe the majority of those calling themselves “Christians.” They religiously keep themselves out of trouble. Thereby denigrating those confronting the rogue government of Emmerson Mnangagwa. They hide behind misinterpreted Scriptures, in order to avoid responsibility.
There is no doubt that the courageous young women, like Namatai Kwekweza and the Johanna Mamombe crew, have received insults more than encouragements. Such insults would be coming from the young men, unable to see anything beyond current survival. The term “Responsibility” is foreign to most of our young people.
Under normal conditions, the idea of “mind your own business,” would, simply, be shunned. The entire nation finding it necessary to rise up, decrying the dictatorship. The lone voices of the Hopewell Chin’onos and others give hope. But we are as good as dead, as long as the Zimbabwean majority behave like a herd of wildebeests.
We have people, publicly known to be so corrupt, as to drive the economy to its current condition. Instead of displaying contempt, most disadvantaged people treat such criminals as normal. Instead of taking responsibility, they blame God for all the existing bad things. The reported mysterious disappearances are treated as normal, as long as not affecting one’s own relatives.
We live in a world that frowns at those doing the right things and protecting those causing havoc. The entire problem of humanity emanates from dubious Christianity, using Christian religion for self-gain. They spend most of their time praising God for protecting them. Yet God may, actually, be protecting them from dying, in order to help them repent from their evil ways.
“In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness” (Ecclesiastes 7:15) (NIV). God is actually pleased to see the righteous dying, rather than the wicked. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants” (Psalms 116:15) (NIV).
It is true that, although sinful, this world has produced a few people known to have made a difference, advancing God’s Kingdom. Such conditions are made possible by those appreciating the idea of taking responsibility. The greatest Scripture subscribing to God’s Kingdom was left by Jesus:
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12) (NIV).
There is nothing esoteric about this Scripture, as applicable by anyone. It is about taking responsibility for other fellow human beings, regardless of racial or tribal background. This is different from those assuming that being filthy rich, is a sign of being loved by God, where the rest of the population struggles in abject poverty.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing relief to those having witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. In a simple conversational tone, most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long-awaited providential oasis of hope.
The Print copy is now available at Amazon.com for $13.99
Also available as an e-copy at Lulu.com for $6.99
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
