Tag Archives: Foundational Precepts

Moral Response

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We, His creation are intuitively curious. It’s not enough we ask questions, we see the necessity of adding, “what if” to the answer. It’s not enough we find the foundation; we look for what the foundation is built on. Our life is a vision of voyage. The destination of this vision is experience, the destination of this experience is life, and so it goes on and on through familiar terrain and on uncharted waters. So, what should be our response to the worldwide pandemic? Let’s listen to the wisdom of our hearts which tells us, the greatest gift is creation, without it there is nothing at all. Each of us is unique in body and soul. The body’s greatest gift is the soul. It is ours to nourish and protect as we navigate this world of strife and temptation.Our connection to the divine is the triune body: the mother, the father and the kiss of the Holy Spirit which is our soul at the moment of conception, and the reflection of the triune God. By His authority we are the stewards in His creation.   

Every major religion which has become sustainable through the ages believes in the sacredness of human life. The government will never be the source of the best decision to be made for an individual. Governments are created out of empire building; the best decisions are made for the salvation of souls. So, our response to this pandemic is to save our souls by saving theirs. We will do whatever it takes to protect the sanctity of human life. The young and the old, the healthy and the infirmed, the righteous and short sighted, the greatest among us and the inconsequential are all called to the banquet at His table, all called to be stewards in His creation. Our physical world is a complex arrangement of priorities; we look to our governments to turn this complexity into process. When this process is centered on the individual we find success and harmony, when it’s not we find deceit and devastation. As world citizens and practicing Christians we will walk the thin line between what is right thinking and what is not, what is allowable and what isn’t, what is sustainable and what ends in tragedy. In these troubled times, we shouldn’t look at reasonable steps to take, we should look at responsible steps which will be taken; we shouldn’t look at what we have done, we should look at what He has done for us.

Form and Content

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   To understand the model Form and Content, we need to discern the foundational precepts of the Form and then recognize the shared content with other models. Perhaps the purest depiction would be to use the metaphor of the hourglass. Immediately recognizable in its structural form and full of a measured amount of sand for its content. The hourglass has one purpose, a unique form and a single content. However, Form and Content is not so straight forward in a world of men, women and ideas. 

   For example, some Eastern religions believe God is everything; Christians believe God made everything. Here we see two very different forms about the essence of God, yet both share lots of content. Both have monasteries, centers of learning based on written and oral traditions. Both have strong social justice standards, share many of the Ten Commandments and most importantly both believe in a higher power. Another example is Islam, Muslims believe in a God almighty, have reverence for Mary and believe individuals must follow the will of God. This is also true for Catholics, yet no one would say, if you want to be a good Muslim you would have to be Catholic. It’s obvious, Muslims would say it is blasphemy to call the Almighty our father, for Christians it is foundational. Two very different forms, lots of shared content.