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Thursday, October 28, 2021

 

               SOCIAL PRINCIPLES #6 – THE WORLD COMMUNITY

 

            I am continuing my weekly blogs talking about the United Methodist Social Principles. I have discussed The Natural World, The Nurturing Community, the Social Community, the Economic Community and the Political Community sections.


            This week is The World Community section with sub-sections of:

  • ·         Nations and Cultures
  • ·         National Power and Responsibility
  • ·         War and Peace
  • ·         Justice and Law      

            Scripture says “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) John Wesley said the whole world was his parish. Our Social Principles say that God’s world is one world.


            This viewpoint is at no time truer than now. We have the internet, Zoom, social media, telephone, television, etc. where one or two generations ago, something might have happened, someone would notice it; write about it, and a long time would pass before we might have the opportunity to read about it. Some things could happen and we might never know.


            Now, something happens, and we know almost immediately. We are forced into unity through some of these “advances.” This unity often doesn’t occur naturally. While we may be unified in some ways, churches, religions, countries, nations, peoples are still diverse. I think that’s why agreeing across denominational lines, or across geographic lines, or across other lines is so difficult; we’re forced into unity, but we’re all different.

            It’s difficult for me, with my assumptions, and my belief systems, and my experiences, to understand where others are coming from and where they are going. I have to confess that sometimes I expect others to be at the same point as me, and cannot understand nations that may be at least one generation behind where I am today, or a country that has far different experiences than I have had, or people who are on their own faith journey, but are not at the same point on the same path I am.


            I have to learn, as I believe we all do, to try to understand others and accept the diversity that exists, but still know, in my heart and mind, that God created everything and everyone, and we are all loved by God.

 

           

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