Father (Robert H.), Son (Robert A.) and Jesus Christ.  Holy Trinity, Batman!  Who’da thought the Schuller boys would duke it out?  Dad has a point, though — the focus should be on Jesus rather than a celebrity figure.  (Like he didn’t take center stage for a gazillion years!)  The greatest testimony for Christ, however, would have been for the Schuller men to behave graciously to one another and show true humility.

I don’t remember the speaker’s name, but he was one of the more popular ones, like Swindoll or Stanley.  I also noted that he was one of the more educated ones, a proven Biblical scholar, it seemed.  He was outlining the afterlife, heaven or hell, based upon one’s decision for Christ.  From my church background I know this means accepting God’s son as your personal savior, realizing that he died for our sins, and has gone before us to heaven to prepare a place for us.  Non-believers are destined for an eternity in hell.

That’s when it hit me.  How could intelligent men accept such statements, let alone teach them!  The questions began to pour forth from my mind, and, yes, I was still driving safely.  Could any of us name just one person, past or present, who deserves to be tortured FOREVER for deeds done in a lifespan of less than 100 years? 

I thought of three examples of life and tried to determine if any of them warranted the doom of damnation for all of the ages.  The first would be one who had led a miserable life, giving and receiving hurt and hatred.  Was that person not created by God?  Was he or she viciously evil from birth?  And what could they possibly do throughout their adult life that would cause them to deserve suffering in searing flames — for 10 BILLION YEARS - for starters?

Another person might have led a fairly decent life, with all of life’s ups and downs.  Perhaps they made mistakes, like all of us do at various times, but they felt bad for their shortcomings and were willing to feel sorry and to do better.  But for whatever reason they don’t pray the sinner’s prayer, lay their burdens at the foot of the cross or ask Jesus into their heart.  The fundamentalist Christian evangelist would emphatically predict a judgement of damnation for such a person, because they ignored or rejected the Gospel.  Shouldn’t they only get 5 BILLION YEARS since they weren’t as bad as the miserable person?  Nope.  If you’re not FOR Christ, say the preachers, you’re AGAINST him, so down you go.  To Hell with you.

Person three leads a blessed life.  Has very little conflict.  Is recognized as a peacemaker, cares for those around him, shows love and trys to see the good in everyone.  But because he believes in God, but can’t quite buy into the salvation thing, he too must suffer FOREVER because he didn’t go forward and pick up his Get-Out-Of-Hell-Free card. 

All of these folks came into existence by the will of God.  They were all given various views of God by well-meaning people who, more than likely, didn’t quite get it right.  Our presence in this marvelous creation sets the stage for many questions about what’s out there, why are we here and where are we going?  Our regular reminders of death stir us to consider our own mortality, causing us to fear the unknown, despair for the end of our days, or hope for immortality.

And what about this word “eternity”?  Even the religious folks teach that God exists outside of time and space as we know it.  Eternity is what happens after life is done happening.  It has nothing to do with time.  They teach that God so loved the world.  But a god’s gotta do what he’s gotta do.  Reject my Son, reject me.  No more love.  Nothing but pain.

They also teach that God is not willing that any should perish.  So if any DO perish, then God’s will is thwarted, right?  Come on!  If God wills anything, it’s a done deal.  If God is not willing, it can’t happen.  Either he’s God or he’s not.  So would most of us limp into heaven with broken wings?  Maybe so.  Because wouldn’t it make more sense for a loving and just Father to discipline his children and make them into obedient, loving offspring?  Wouln’t any level or duration of hell or outer darkness be worth it if it caused us to realize our own emptiness, shortcomings and need for fellowship and affection from our heavenly Father and his family?

This is the message that I believe God has laid on my heart.  It’s a message of tremendous hope and encouragement.  Reconciliation is his plan for making things right.  Life is what happens on the journey.  Love is the ultimate destination.

I originally had the bright idea that Framed By Faith would be a collection of relgious-centered news articles, with no regard for denomination or doctrinal position.  The basis for this was my belief that God created us all and that his truth can be found in all religions — or no religion.  The title implied that our very lives are framed by our view of faith, or our ingorance of it, or just simply ignoring it.  It also represented a tongue-in-cheek reference to the fact that many of us are led by well-meaning, charismatic Christian preachers/teachers who might well be lacking in the truth, giving us wrong directions for our lives, thereby framing us.

Well, perhaps I didn’t give it enough time, or I just got tired of cutting and pasting and inserting all those news links and photos.  Some have considered me a patient person, but I know in my heart that I lack it in many areas of my life, and maybe this was one of them.  I just want to write.  About what, I’m quite clueless.  I know what I believe, which is significantly different than what I have experienced with the Christian community at large.  Maybe I’ll write about that.

Or perhaps it will emerge as a journal, of sorts, regular observations of what’s going on in the world around me.  I also would like to pick up on my other blog, Steve’s Journey (steves-journey.blogspot.com).  This is more of a chronological overview of my spiritual development.  Both blog and my spiritual growth are a work in progress.

My hope is that I’ll just keep writing.  In spite of my stops and starts, I love to write.  If I keep it simple, maybe I’ll keep it going. 

It shouldn’t be so amazing that the abortion issue is still in the forefront of American politics.  I think that’s where God wants it to be.  The right to do what you want with your own life vs. the right to do away with the life within you has always been a very sensitive issue.  And the doublespeak of the politicos makes it even more frustrating.

Seeking to locate the source of all matter, the Cern scientists have caused alarm among those who fear the creation of a black hole, that will ultimately doom the earth.  They may discover, however, that the $10 billion spent on the project is quickly being sucked into a black hole.