I'm an atheist... I've been called a religious zealot. I've been called a Bible thumper. I've been called a crazy catholic. Why? Because I support the moral teachings of the church. Even when I defend them without using God as my impetus, they still REEE like crazy.
To me, that ends up being a compliment when they think I'm religious.
Two mighty kingdoms shared a border for many, many years. The one kingdom was ruled by a just and righteous king. He was merciful and generous but he demanded loyalty. The other kingdom was ruled by a mad man. He was violent and spiteful. He ruled by fear and rewarded ambition. Neither kingdom could overcome the other and so tensions and skirmishes were common along the border as the evil king was always looking for a weakness to exploit so he could conqure his rival, take his land and enslave his people.
One day the evil king sought to spy on his enemy. He crossed the river on the border and watched the people for weeks, remaining hidden in the forest. but he grew terribly hungry and hadn’t uncovered any weakness. Despairing his bad luck and consuming hunger early one morning he decided to risk capture to forage for food. so he took a sharp stick down to the river to try to pierce a fish. After some time an old villager came down to the river also to fish. The king had nowhere to hide. He knew he had been seen. He was certain he would be recognized but the old man seemed to take no notice. In futility the desperate king continued his efforts to capture a fish while the old man, using string and a baited hook, pulled one in every so often. After several hours the old man collected his belongings, placed several fish in a basket and approached.
The old man and the evil king met each others gaze. The old man casually handed over the basket and bowed slightly while the nervous king reached out to take it. There they stood for a breath and then the old man turned and began walking away. The king stood frozen, watching him carefully. His fears had come true. He has indeed been recognized. If he failed to kill the old man he may cry out. He would be discovered, jailed and executed. But the old man did not hurry away. He did not run. He didn’t cry out.
The spying king rejoiced inwardly, threw the fish on the ground and began to wade back across the river toward home. Smiling ear to ear he thought to himself, these people are complacent in their contentment. Disloyal in their misplaced goodness and spoiled by the bounty of the land. They are ready to be overthrown because they do not know the danger they are in, neither do they respect the power their own king has to protect them. The evil king would hold a great feast tonight and tomorrow in the morning his armies would attack.
The moral: you will serve one king or you will serve the other. Not choosing is the same as choosing.
I'm an atheist... I've been called a religious zealot. I've been called a Bible thumper. I've been called a crazy catholic. Why? Because I support the moral teachings of the church. Even when I defend them without using God as my impetus, they still REEE like crazy.
To me, that ends up being a compliment when they think I'm religious.
Two mighty kingdoms shared a border for many, many years. The one kingdom was ruled by a just and righteous king. He was merciful and generous but he demanded loyalty. The other kingdom was ruled by a mad man. He was violent and spiteful. He ruled by fear and rewarded ambition. Neither kingdom could overcome the other and so tensions and skirmishes were common along the border as the evil king was always looking for a weakness to exploit so he could conqure his rival, take his land and enslave his people.
One day the evil king sought to spy on his enemy. He crossed the river on the border and watched the people for weeks, remaining hidden in the forest. but he grew terribly hungry and hadn’t uncovered any weakness. Despairing his bad luck and consuming hunger early one morning he decided to risk capture to forage for food. so he took a sharp stick down to the river to try to pierce a fish. After some time an old villager came down to the river also to fish. The king had nowhere to hide. He knew he had been seen. He was certain he would be recognized but the old man seemed to take no notice. In futility the desperate king continued his efforts to capture a fish while the old man, using string and a baited hook, pulled one in every so often. After several hours the old man collected his belongings, placed several fish in a basket and approached.
The old man and the evil king met each others gaze. The old man casually handed over the basket and bowed slightly while the nervous king reached out to take it. There they stood for a breath and then the old man turned and began walking away. The king stood frozen, watching him carefully. His fears had come true. He has indeed been recognized. If he failed to kill the old man he may cry out. He would be discovered, jailed and executed. But the old man did not hurry away. He did not run. He didn’t cry out.
The spying king rejoiced inwardly, threw the fish on the ground and began to wade back across the river toward home. Smiling ear to ear he thought to himself, these people are complacent in their contentment. Disloyal in their misplaced goodness and spoiled by the bounty of the land. They are ready to be overthrown because they do not know the danger they are in, neither do they respect the power their own king has to protect them. The evil king would hold a great feast tonight and tomorrow in the morning his armies would attack.
The moral: you will serve one king or you will serve the other. Not choosing is the same as choosing.