Photo cover detail from Godvernment by Tom Sheppard (C) Copryright Thomas K Sheppard
Tom Sheppard
4/10/2020
Today is Good Friday. The day Christians celebrate as the time when Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled his mission by atoning for the sins of the world, was crucified, and on the following Sunday (Easter) rose from the dead to begin the resurrection of mankind preparatory to them being recalled into the presence of God for judgement.
Not coincidentally, this is also the weekend when Jews celebrate the Passover. Remembering how God killed the first born of all Egypt to punish them for not letting the Israelites depart, while passing over every Israelite houshold that smeared the blood of the sacrificial lamb above their door.
Egypt was afflicted with several plagues before this final, terrible visitation brought death into nearly every household. The death of the first-born hit the house of Pharoah as well as that of the slaves and everyone in between.
Today, we are all feeling a bit like the Egyptians.
As of this writing, COVID-19 has claimed 97,292 lives and infected more than 1,623,910 (confirmed) people world-wide. It has shuttered the economies of nearly every country and inspired the US government to pass a stimulus bill that will have massive tax implications for everyone after this crisis is behind us. It has also allowed state governments and the Federal government to implement curtailments of our constitutional rights which were unthinkable just a few short months ago.
Today, some localities (Rhode Island) have police and National Guard going door to door searching out potential violators of travel restrictions with orders to forcibly take violators into custody and impose quarantines.
A few months ago, if the Federal or any state government had ordered us to stay at home and taken travel restriction enforcement actions they would have been met with massive protests in the streets. I mention this not because I think we should be fighting these current restrictions. I mention this because I fear that now that we have crossed this boundary where our constitutional right to freedom of assembly has been breached and accepted, this will condition the citizens to be more accepting of similar actions in the future which may be motivated by power-grabs instead of genuine public safety.
Today, Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has asked that all who are able fast and pray for relief from this plague. This is not just for the 16 million members of his church. It includes an appeal to all people of faith. He solicits our prayers for those infected, the medical professionals caring for them, the scientists trying to stop it, and for our economies. He asks God to stop this plague, if it is His will.
I wonder what would happen if God decided to stop this plague in its tracks? What if, in an instant, the virus simply shut down? How would the world react? Would they thank God, seeing it as a miracle? Or, would they pin the abrupt cessation on some fluke of cosmic rays?
I suspect that many would credit divine intervention, if it ended so abruptly. However, if God enlightens the minds of some scientists and guides them to create an effective vaccine, instead of intervening directly what would people say then?
I fear many would overlook the role God plays in revealing things to our minds and guiding us. Instead, they would simply credit the scientists, claiming that humankind saved itself.
The plague of COVID-19 isn't the worst thing to happen to humanity in the last 100 years. The worst thing happening to humanity is the failure of their faith in God. There is no counter which shows how many people in the world are suffering from failing faith and how many have already died spiritually.
God, having engineered humanity and all creation from the ground up is uniquely knowledgeable to cure the Corona Virus. Having all power he is uniquely able to make changes in the body of every living person and cause the virus to cease to be effective. In spite of this knowledge and ability many people lack faith. They don't believe that if God exists that he has any rational motive to do all the good things he can do. They do not understand that his motives are the same as those of every good parent, because he is literally, not figuratively, our parent. He is our creator just as our earthly parents are our creators. He is the father of the spirit that resides in each of us and he is the father of our bodies by virtue of being the father of the bodies of Adam and Eve, our first parents.
If God is a loving parent with the ability to stop all this carnage and suffering, why doesn't he?
Some will wield that question like a sword, trying to disembowel any person of faith. But, have they really considered the question?
Does good parenting consist of solving all the problems your children have for them, without any effort on their part? When you see children where that has happened, you see children who are spoiled brats with an overweening attitude of entitlement. Those children become monsters.
Good parents prepare their children to solve their own problems and leave them the freedom to fail and help them to learn from those failures.
A piercing examination of sacred scriptures from all cultures reveals just such a pattern. God gives humankind tools, knowledge, and directions. The scriptures provide anecdotes of people who failed and then learned and of those who failed to learn and perished. Some scriptural stories are appropriately cautionary. Others show what can happen when we succeed and subtlety clue us in that success may not be what we think it is.
The COVID-19 plague, like any other disaster I have witnessed, will result in two primary outcomes for those affected. Some people will seek to take advantage of the chaos to enrich themselves at the expense of others. The crisis will bring out the worst in them. Other people will give selflessly, knowing that there is no adequate earthly reward for the service they render others. The crisis will bring out the best in them.
Will this plague bring out the best in you, or the worst? You cannot choose whether or not the crisis will affect you. You can choose how you react to it.
Not coincidentally, this is also the weekend when Jews celebrate the Passover. Remembering how God killed the first born of all Egypt to punish them for not letting the Israelites depart, while passing over every Israelite houshold that smeared the blood of the sacrificial lamb above their door.
Egypt was afflicted with several plagues before this final, terrible visitation brought death into nearly every household. The death of the first-born hit the house of Pharoah as well as that of the slaves and everyone in between.
Today, we are all feeling a bit like the Egyptians.
As of this writing, COVID-19 has claimed 97,292 lives and infected more than 1,623,910 (confirmed) people world-wide. It has shuttered the economies of nearly every country and inspired the US government to pass a stimulus bill that will have massive tax implications for everyone after this crisis is behind us. It has also allowed state governments and the Federal government to implement curtailments of our constitutional rights which were unthinkable just a few short months ago.
Today, some localities (Rhode Island) have police and National Guard going door to door searching out potential violators of travel restrictions with orders to forcibly take violators into custody and impose quarantines.
A few months ago, if the Federal or any state government had ordered us to stay at home and taken travel restriction enforcement actions they would have been met with massive protests in the streets. I mention this not because I think we should be fighting these current restrictions. I mention this because I fear that now that we have crossed this boundary where our constitutional right to freedom of assembly has been breached and accepted, this will condition the citizens to be more accepting of similar actions in the future which may be motivated by power-grabs instead of genuine public safety.
Today, Russell M. Nelson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has asked that all who are able fast and pray for relief from this plague. This is not just for the 16 million members of his church. It includes an appeal to all people of faith. He solicits our prayers for those infected, the medical professionals caring for them, the scientists trying to stop it, and for our economies. He asks God to stop this plague, if it is His will.
I wonder what would happen if God decided to stop this plague in its tracks? What if, in an instant, the virus simply shut down? How would the world react? Would they thank God, seeing it as a miracle? Or, would they pin the abrupt cessation on some fluke of cosmic rays?
I suspect that many would credit divine intervention, if it ended so abruptly. However, if God enlightens the minds of some scientists and guides them to create an effective vaccine, instead of intervening directly what would people say then?
I fear many would overlook the role God plays in revealing things to our minds and guiding us. Instead, they would simply credit the scientists, claiming that humankind saved itself.
The plague of COVID-19 isn't the worst thing to happen to humanity in the last 100 years. The worst thing happening to humanity is the failure of their faith in God. There is no counter which shows how many people in the world are suffering from failing faith and how many have already died spiritually.
God, having engineered humanity and all creation from the ground up is uniquely knowledgeable to cure the Corona Virus. Having all power he is uniquely able to make changes in the body of every living person and cause the virus to cease to be effective. In spite of this knowledge and ability many people lack faith. They don't believe that if God exists that he has any rational motive to do all the good things he can do. They do not understand that his motives are the same as those of every good parent, because he is literally, not figuratively, our parent. He is our creator just as our earthly parents are our creators. He is the father of the spirit that resides in each of us and he is the father of our bodies by virtue of being the father of the bodies of Adam and Eve, our first parents.
If God is a loving parent with the ability to stop all this carnage and suffering, why doesn't he?
Some will wield that question like a sword, trying to disembowel any person of faith. But, have they really considered the question?
Does good parenting consist of solving all the problems your children have for them, without any effort on their part? When you see children where that has happened, you see children who are spoiled brats with an overweening attitude of entitlement. Those children become monsters.
Good parents prepare their children to solve their own problems and leave them the freedom to fail and help them to learn from those failures.
A piercing examination of sacred scriptures from all cultures reveals just such a pattern. God gives humankind tools, knowledge, and directions. The scriptures provide anecdotes of people who failed and then learned and of those who failed to learn and perished. Some scriptural stories are appropriately cautionary. Others show what can happen when we succeed and subtlety clue us in that success may not be what we think it is.
The COVID-19 plague, like any other disaster I have witnessed, will result in two primary outcomes for those affected. Some people will seek to take advantage of the chaos to enrich themselves at the expense of others. The crisis will bring out the worst in them. Other people will give selflessly, knowing that there is no adequate earthly reward for the service they render others. The crisis will bring out the best in them.
Will this plague bring out the best in you, or the worst? You cannot choose whether or not the crisis will affect you. You can choose how you react to it.
Tom Sheppard is a business consultant and coach to small business owners and individuals. He is a recognized author with dozens of titles in business and fiction to his credit. One of his endeavors is to help those who want to see their own book in print. He does this through his trademarked Book Whispering Process (TM).
The author is not an official spokesperson for any organization or person mentioned herein.
(c) Copyright 2020 A+ Results LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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If you believe Government is NOT the answer to all our problems, you will want to read Godvernment: Government as God
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