Jury Duty ...

My call to the New Year was ushered in by a summons to jury duty ... which got me to thinking about the word "righteousness."   Righteousness (the act of being righteous ... the act of being righteous is perhaps what bothers me and not so much the notion that something could be righteous?) is a word that I have never really liked or well understood, and sitting here today I am thinking that 'righteousness' is a BIG part of what's wrong with the world today ... what's wrong with America today ... and why so many people in the world today (especially our youth) are offended by religion in general ... why there seems to be a push back against religion in the name of  "separation  of church and state", in the form of so-called "secularism", this past decade especially.

I think often times religious people, people of faith, have a tendency to be perceived as self-righteous and that immediately puts many of those they encounter, in daily life, on the offensive ... even before a general dialogue begins to unfold.  I know many religious texts speak of a 'Righteous' God, but to my way of thinking, Our Creator displays anything but righteousness ... even though He IS by definition righteous. My reading of the Bible shows me numerous instances of God as a loving, forgiving and merciful God.  The very fact that God was willing to humble himself by taking on flesh in order to endure the human experience as Jesus, His Son, speaks to Our Creator's wisdom in His willingness to embrace humility ...

"Jesus Washing Peter's Feet at the Last Supper", By Ford Madox Brown

(Image Courtesy of ArtMagick.com)

I don't know:  I don't have all of the answers sitting here before me at this very moment ... This is just where my thoughts happen to be wondering this day.  I'll have to see where my pondering leads?  Feel free to leave me your thoughts here, in a comment, if you would like.  I welcome additional insights and other points of view.

I do think that all to often one of the most basic flaws of the 'human condition' is our tendency to jump to conclusions and to judge others from a perspective that is anything but Peace & Love so prominently evident in the words and actions of Jesus Christ throughout his life.