Excellent Responsibility is an awesome thing. I'll Be All Right by gsnewton75 Non-Fiction Writing Contest contest entry Artwork by avmurray at FanArtReview.com

If I believe in, "Thou Shalt Not Kill", and you believe it too, what do we have? Peace on earth - Right? A lot happened in our world before He sent us His Son to give us a last chance, wouldn't you say? As a matter of fact, every individual since Adam and Eve has been plagued with the struggle between choosing between good and evil. This of course requires discipline, but how was discipline to be learned; with punishment and rewards, or by knowing what the right thing to do should be? The problem for the first citizens was that knowing the right thing to do required a desire to be responsible and maintain a respect for those who made up the world environments at the time. The fact is, all Adam and Eve had was the talking snake. I'd say this was an iron clad case of the devil made me do it; right? What chance did Adam and Eve have? Looking at Genesis we see it begins before human time. Some scholars even describe the stories contained in the first eleven chapters as myth; however, the chapters following are well documented in ancient sources. Genesis presents our ancestors' creation and their encounter with the devil. Latter the origin of the Jewish tribes as well as the beginning history of Israel is discussed. Whether any part of it is or isn't written in the myth genre, Genesis goes on to describe the effect of evil in the world and how man's values were compromised as the result of Adam and Eve's first choice. Genesis goes on to demonstrate the love God had for his people in the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph as well as the birth of the nation of Israel. Because sin and evil continued up to the time of Noah, God decided to end life as it had existed with the exception of Noah, his family, and selected animal life. Starting over emphasized the importance to love and obey God's Will in order to receive His blessings in the future. Genesis represents, in the end, "Faith seeking Community." God gives His chosen people love and guidance despite their lack of obedience, mistakes, and failures. Since those days, there are over three million followers of some kind of world religion, each with their own philosophy and specific beliefs regarding what comes next after our earthly stay is completed. There are many other religious and faith groups that have no required belief structure, ministers, or sources of origin such as Deism, Gnosticism, Roma, and Native American spirituality. Somehow I suspect God let the concept of "Free will" go astray. Every religion has an answer to the question of the meaning of life and each religious answer includes a certain moral demand. The glue that keeps it together is the Bible which I have learned is really "God's Word in human terms." To me the New Testament is more than the Gospels and other writings, it is a "Promise" that when you make the decision to freely commit your life to God and possess the ultimate faith you will experience the powerful love of God. I do not believe that for everyone their is one faith expression that will capture completely the reality of God. In my opinion, no one faith experience has all the answers to life's questions. I think we should be open to other faith expressions, "always searching" for ways that all could benefit from the insights that others have explored and developed. Sin and death came to mankind through Adam but justification and life came to mankind through Christ. God's spirit blows where it will and Isaiah's vision of all nations worshiping the Lord on God's holy mountain is a vision and an ideal that still challenges us today. God is the God of all nations and all people. God is God and holds the power of universal salvation. When Jesus commissioned the apostles to build His church they were "ignited by the resurrection and fueled by the Holy Spirit", as a result, the church grew in all directions geographically as well as socially. Jesus had sent His disciples into the world and St Paul had opened the church to Gentles. In a sense, Christianity was simply a development of Jesus' plans and St. Paul's efforts". Based on the hope that there would be religious freedom, land for farming, and better opportunities, the great migration from Europe to the United States spread Christians in all directions. While they were exploring new ideas and developing different ways of doing things, it was the Nicene Creed, the Apostles Creed from the time of Constantine (AD 313-337), and the Reformation in the sixteenth century, that united the Protestant and Catholic Christians and kept the church together while the Declaration of Independence united all citizens of this new country politically. Our country seems to be as divided today as it was during the life after Adam and Eve. When you listen to most conversations these days, especially when it involves politics, immigration, trade, sexual harassment or any other subject requiring a moral answer nothing but a bias attitude prevails. Very little compromise seems to be acceptable in today's discussions. A vital ingredient to these discussions elucidating reader's minds are how these characteristics were developed and the issues they present came about. Perhaps a review of History would help one to discover how we received the gift of freedom in the first place and how the love, which God wants us to share, figures into the conversation. It is because of the problems we are making out of life today that I believe we should keep God and his teachings in our life, schools, government, and society. It we would study His Will, pray for His help, and ask Jesus for His guidance perhaps a more congenial solution would be generated. Time does not heal all wounds. For example, even if we look back in history to the time of our founding fathers, some of which who were Deists, you might have experienced a belief resembling today's concerns. When people considered something not realistic. It was hard for people to believe it was true. There was a tremendous amount of debate over how best to run our country, during those times and even though all were spiritual men, to some, the truth only existed when an act could be proven. One should ask themselves today whether political and religious questions demand moral and believable answers before they can or will be considered true? Where was FAITH? If you think about it, to believe in God and heaven requires faith but to know death requires nothing. Can we have faith while doing the right thing or do we die not knowing the truth. Fortunately for our country compromise was in our father's vocabulary and with God's help, all worked out. What we should never forget is Faith is a requirement to be a Christian. To believers heaven is a spiritual promise and death is a human reality. How about evil? Here are some questions for you. Is evil a simple matter of choice or can some evil be good or can some good come from evil? Do you believe that no story, or even God's "Will", has power nor will it last unless we feel in our heart that it is true and true of us? Do you think that our society needs to slow down a little and explore its behavior? Bishop Fulton J. Sheen once explained, "Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile."

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