Bono's Own Words

[80sU2isBest]

St. Paul said it better than me - Faith without the works is dead.

Fiirst, that's not what that chapter is about.

Secondy, it seems that if someone doesn't do the good works YOU think they should do, their faith is dead?

Are you claiming that God told you what everyone should do?

I bet Bono wouldn't have been offended by my reminding churches that it is their MORAL OBLIGATION to see to the needs of the poor.

That's not what you do. You harass people about one thing - supporting the AIDS cause. Anyone and everyone that doesn't support that cause, you deem as morally inferior.

Well, you know what? My nephew has cerebral palsy. I support that cause. I say that your faith is dead because you don't. You are morally inferior to me because you don't give to that cause. Of course, I have no idea what cause God has laid upon your heart to give to, but that doesn't bother me - I still make the judgment that you are not doing God's work.

There, how you like them apples?

That's something he does everyday and no one here criticizes him.

Bono doesn't come on to this forum and hijack threads about "U2 music at church" and the song "all because of you" and turn them into a platform to slam churches for not giving to AIDS causes. Bono has much more tact about the whole thing. Bono does what you say you do, which is "reminding churches that it is their MORAL OBLIGATION to see to the needs of the poor". What you have done is set yourself up as some sort of AIDS enforcer; you beat up the church bcause you think they're not doing enough. You condemn, you judge, and still somehow find a way to work the Corinthians love chapter into the whole thing.

 

[Jamila]

As I am currently in the midst of planning FOUR events that will take place in my community to raise awareness of the AIDS pandemic and extreme poverty in Africa ( one which will occur with a local interfaith organization) and my time is very limited (doing God's Work, I pray), this is my last comment on this thread:

Jesus told us: Love thy God with thy whole Heart and Soul and Love thy neighbor as thyself.

The first contention is evident: I don't think any of us would be in this forum if God wasn't paramount in our lives.

For me, I am of mixed Christian/Jewish heritage - raised in both traditions ( but am partial to Christianity).

God has seen me through many difficult times in my life. And, as a result, I have come to cherish God's Words evenmore.

The Jesus I grew up loving and trusting in from the NT was a messenger from God, of God, and thus I TAKE HIS WORD VERY SERIOUSLY.

As Bono has said, there are over 2100 references in the NT regarding our responsibility to take care of the sick, to feed the poor, visit the lonely, etc., while there is only one reference in the NT where Christ speaks about judging others.

Thus, the Jesus I KNOW and the God I WORSHIP is a God that EXPECTS ME TO KEEP HIS WORD and be about the business of ACTIVELY working to rid the earth of sickness, loneliness, poverty and injustice. PERIOD. NO DISCUSSION. NO VACILLATION.

(pt 1)

 

[Jamila]

I see in Jesus' words no room for vacillation or qualification.

He doesn't give us room to do what He tells us to do when we are ready or when we are comfortable to do it. He doesn't tell us it's OK with Him if we don't do it. JESUS JUST TELLS US TO DO IT.

And I have - as imperfect as I am. I live and breathe the opportunity to SERVE GOD through doing ALL I can to make the world a better and fairer place to live.


(Many of you have judged me for being judgmental while not admitting that your own statements show your own judgment against me. It seems we may all have been wrong with each other.)

Right now, I am involved with planning 4 events in the next two months in my community to raise awareness and activism in the public to stop AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa. This will require a lot of volunteer time and effort on my part and I pray that God will be satisfied with my burning desire to DO WHAT HE COMMANDS US TO DO.

(pt 2)

 

[Jamila]

Many here do not seem pleased with my unrelenting reminder to those of us who claim to be Christians of Jesus' command to us.

But while those here may be irritated with me because of my fervancy for us as Christians to do ALL that we can to make our world a fairer place, OTHERS ARE GLAD THAT I SPEAK UP.

The children in the AIDS orphanage in Uganda that I raise money for are glad that I am not silent.

So are the people in the AIDS home in Lesotho (southern Africa) that I collect clothing and personal care products for.

And my dear friend in South Africa who has lost 4 out of her 7 grown children to AIDS and is now left trying to care for 17 of their children (her grandchildren) on her nurse's salary is very grateful that I am not silent about these issues and am over here in the USA doing whatever I can to help Africa out of her worst moment of human crisis.

So, condemn me if you like - it doesn't concern me because I KNOW that I am DOING A SMALL PART OF GOD'S WILL on earth.
And I know that the people I know and work with in Africa are pleased with me. Their opinions of me are much more important to me than anything that can be said here.

I will leave this thread now. I don't have much time to spend on forums right now. I'm too busy trying to fulfill a small part of Jesus' command to us - not just proselytize about it.

And I will let Bono's words speak for themselves. (You can either heed them or misconstrue them - the choice and the judgment will be yours.)

Bono's words are a mighty source of inspiration to me to become the change that I want to see in the world.

I wish you all a bigger and more broken Heart so that you will posess a truer understanding of Jesus' commandment to us to "Love thy neighbor". It's much more than just a suggestion - it's part of the essential way into Heaven.

I bet Bono would tell you so.

 

[80sU2isBest]

Jamila,
I am sorry you feel that you have been judged. I'd like to know, however, what anyone said that was a judgment of you? All I have said is that you are judging the church for what you perceive as a failure to give to AIDS causes. But that is true. You even admit it in your last posts. I have not however, made any condemnation of you, nor have I really insinuated that you are morally inferior to anyone.


Yoc've changed your tune. You have gone from saying that giving to AIDS charities is what the church must do to saying that God tells us to feed the poor and help the sick. That much is true (it is not however, as you say, "part of the essential way into Heaven"; nothing man can do can earn his way into heaven).

The church has no failing along the lines of feeding the poor and helping the sick. Missions (both foreign and domestic) are the church's specialties. How many Christian missionaries do you think there are in the world, Jamila? A whole heck of a lot more than you'd probably give credit to.

And think about all the hunger/sickness charity organizations founded for, and run mainly by, Christians. Let's see - there's World Mission, Feed The Children, Compassion International, etc. etc.

In other words, if you're thinking of slamming the churches for their lack of effort in the feedingf the poor/helping the sick area, don't even go there. Your charges won't hold water.

It's nice that you are organizing 4 AIDS awareness events in your area. Good for you, organizing 4 AIDS awareness events in your area.I am glad you told us that you are organizing 4 AIDS awareness events in your area.

But what have you done to help people with cerebral palsy? Do you volunteer your time to help adult men and women get jobs because the general population wouldn't dream of hiring them? If not, shame on you.

Do you run in marathons that benefit breast cancer research? If not, shame on you.

Do you sponser a child in Rwanda? If not, shame on you.

Do you spend your free time at the homeless shelter, helping distribute food?

Do you give 50% of your income to help fight heart disease? If not, shame on you.

I do all of the above. In fact, there's not a charity around that I don't give money or time to or both. In fact, I'll be at all 4 of those events that you have organized in your area. I want to make extra sure that I've got all my bases covered, because I am incapable of being told individually by the Holy Spirit which
cause(s) I should support. Also, I want to make sure that when I pass on and God says "Why should I let you into my kingdom?", I can say "Because I was a very good boy and did every thing within my own mortal power to get here", rather than "It is nothing I have done. I am bought with the blood of Jesus".

 

[BostonAnne]

Yes.. they do!! This is what has kept me from finding church I could believe in.

With that said I am in Bible study with a wonderful older lady who is not judgemental or overbearing and we explore the areas of the Bible we both have interest. This is what restores my faith!

Try ucc.org

 

[BostonAnne]

The church has no failing along the lines of feeding the poor and helping the sick. Missions (both foreign and domestic) are the church's specialties. How many Christian missionaries do you think there are in the world, Jamila? A whole heck of a lot more than you'd probably give credit to.

And think about all the hunger/sickness charity organizations founded for, and run mainly by, Christians. Let's see - there's World Mission, Feed The Children, Compassion International, etc. etc.

In other words, if you're thinking of slamming the churches for their lack of effort in the feedingf the poor/helping the sick area, don't even go there. Your charges won't hold water.

It's nice that you are organizing 4 AIDS awareness events in your area. Good for you, organizing 4 AIDS awareness events in your area.I am glad you told us that you are organizing 4 AIDS awareness events in your area.

But what have you done to help people with cerebral palsy? Do you volunteer your time to help adult men and women get jobs because the general population wouldn't dream of hiring them? If not, shame on you.

Do you run in marathons that benefit breast cancer research? If not, shame on you.

Do you sponser a child in Rwanda? If not, shame on you.

Do you spend your free time at the homeless shelter, helping distribute food?

Do you give 50% of your income to help fight heart disease? If not, shame on you.

I do all of the above. In fact, there's not a charity around that I don't give money or time to or both. In fact, I'll be at all 4 of those events that you have organized in your area. I want to make extra sure that I've got all my bases covered, because I am incapable of being told individually by the Holy Spirit which
cause(s) I should support. Also, I want to make sure that when I pass on and God says "Why should I let you into my kingdom?", I can say "Because I was a very good boy and did every thing within my own mortal power to get here", rather than "It is nothing I have done. I am bought with the blood of Jesus".

I believe that helping Africa and other counties in poverty is social justice - not charity or a cause. You are right that everyone has to pick and choose a cause as they are all important and you can't support everything. Celebral palsy and breast cancer research are perfect examples of causes that need support and hopefully many people can support these causes -but everyone has to pick and choose.

Social justice is another issue. Social justice calls for a change in how we do business in the world. It is larger than the charity scale - governments need to address the issues and make ammends. While we don't have a cure for celebral palsy and breast cancer, we do have the medicine to keep people with AIDS alive for many more years. The problem is that the people cannot afford the medicine that they should be able to take. While we might have to put off assisting in research, how can we justify putting off getting medicine to people to help them live when it exists?

I believe that Churches do need to change their view of indifference over this issue of social justice. I also happen to be a member of a congregation and believe that there is no better support system in the world. congregations rock! They just need to step up and stop allowing so many lives to be lost every day due to something that can be stopped.