Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Faith in Faith vs Faith In God

Woodrow Kroll wrote…
“An old friend used to tell me, "You know, if you just have faith, that's all that matters."

It was one of the most misleading tidbits of spiritual advice anyone could ever dish out. Sadly, it's a false hope millions of people cling to.
Why is it false?

It is not true because faith has no meaning unless it rests upon something or someone. Faith requires an object. You cannot simply "believe." You must believe something. You cannot merely trust. You must trust some object, some philosophy, some fact, yourself or some other person.

It follows, then, that the "something" you believe or the "someone" you trust is of supreme importance. If you have faith in a fraud, a religion, material wealth or an untrustworthy person, you'll suffer the consequences of your badly placed faith. My friend was naively saying, "Just have faith in your faith." What a costly illusion!”

Watching…
In the last few weeks we have watched as the markets have tumbled and people’s life savings dropped like a stone tossed in the lake. From a substantial investment portfolio to zippo in a heart beat. They have little now but the last letter from their investment advisors. What they had poured a lifetime of energy into was evaporated in days and even hours.

People that had fairly large bank accounts with large sums of money wondered if they would get any out – if their bank buckled under the strain. They also wondered at how long the cash in the bank would get them through the next part of their life.

For one writer/commentator to speak about this as being similar to the 1929 Crash in the Markets – was frightening. I remember the black and white documentary films of men jumping from windows on Wall Street in New York. (Photo of Crowds outside NY Stock Exchange 1929)

One recent report of one very wealthy man losing $6.3 Million in one day’s drop is supposed to be real. There are likely hundreds of reports that were never given.

For the US Government to react the way that they have tells you more about what is going on than anything else. They are on the brink of some very nasty stuff.

President George Bush was grave looking in his sidewalk speech/announcements outside The Whitehouse. I felt for this man in this powerful position speaking without any power at all. I wondered how much he personally has lost financially – just before he exits his job.

Some of the articles that I have read put the costs of the War in Iraq at $2 Trillion in 2006. And they were spending over $200 Million per day since that time.

It has to be that our American neighbours to the south are in deep trouble.

Their faith has been in Military Might for one and the power of their dollar backed by the mighty investments that they have. Their faith has been in their Government and this is shown as the Government steps up to bail them out of the Financial Crisis now. For many they still maintain they "Just have faith in my faith."

As I read over the series of events that precipitated the Stock market Crash in October 1929 – it has so many likenesses to what is happening now(read link below).

In 1929, in Southern Saskatchewan, my grandfather and grandmother had a one year old baby and with her four older siblings. They worked hard and made a living. The tremendous impact of Wall Street would not affect them until a few years later when equipment and prices started to climb and grain that was produced was not selling – let alone not growing. The Dirty 30s would be their final blow.

My grandfather never had any stocks and bonds that I knew about. I imagine that he had listened closely to the radio on Wednesday, October 30, 1929 as reports came to everyone of people beginning to take their own lives. I imagine also that this is the reason that many of our family never invested in the stock market at all.

I came across an interesting story that demonstrates the faith in faith idea… or at least faith in self… His name was T. John McKee(Theophilus John McKee) – but was born Theophilus John Syphax. McKee was a White name. Syphax was a well known Black name. T. John did not want to live as a Black Man – so everything in his world became White – including his marrying a White woman and living completely in a White world.

He lived this way from April 1902 until 1948 – when he was “discovered” to be Black…or came out of his hiding as a White all those years. There was a lot of money involved – read it – you will love the story(link below).

As part of his White disguise he studied at a Theological college – “Trinity College” which leads to a Ministerial degree – a lot of God stuff. They must have talked of faith in his courses… yet he didn’t get it about God. Strange – very strange…

Pause here…
In this Blog today I have wondered from “Faith in Faith” – to the American Financial Crisis – to the Iraq War and it high costs - to T. John McKee…

All of it points to a lack of faith in one power. For me it is God. It was God that my Grandparents put their faith in so early in their lives. That being done it then affected us deeply as grandkids. That is likely why I have a bigger investment in Heaven’s Stocks than in Wall Street or Bay Street.

That is why I am poor here on Earth – but will be very well off in Heaven.

My question to you is – “What is your Faith placed in?” If it is anything other than God it could be shaken seriously some day – then what?

Why not make a Heaven Investment today – Try God!

~ Murray Lincoln ~

Sources…
Wall Street Crash of 1929
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street_Crash_of_1929
A Most Difficult Decision
http://onedroprule.org/about2286.html

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