"Great post, (imtheonlycathy). I can't stand when people have the notion that because Grace is FREE it is either "cheap" or "easy".
Most of these same people can understand the concept of a marriage between a husband and wife. They understand that when they strip everything away, what it comes down to is each spouse pledging their love and commitment to the other. That's it. Neither one has to pay the other, neither one has to earn it or meet certain criteria or "rules" for it. All that matters is that they at some point pledge their love to each other and make that commitment.
Does a husband have to buy his wife anniversary or birthday gifts? Does a wife have to cook and clean? Does a husband have to have a job and support them both? Does a wife have to have a job and support them both? Does a husband have to spend time with his wife? Does a wife have to take care of the bills and finances of the household? Does the wife have to make herself attractive for her husband?
Does either spouse HAVE to do anything beyond remain committed?
Technically, NO. People can stay married and not buy each other gifts, and not spend much time together, and not try to look good for each other, and not support each other financially, and there are many, many other thins that they don't HAVE to do. All they HAVE to do is honor their commitment and love each other. That's it.
However, if they are NOT spending time with each other, buying each other gifts, supporting each other financially (or emotionally or in any other way), taking care of each other, etc. then what kind of marriage is it really? What is the value of their commitment and love for each other? If they do none of those things, does that mean they are not truly committed to each other?
Nobody knows. They know in their own hearts, but even there they can fool themselves. For all anyone knows, the husband that never buys his wife a gift or spends a lot of time with her really DOES love her. It's unlikely, and it's unusual that someone who loves another would not show it through his actions, but it's possible.
The point is that the ACTIONS of a spouse don't make the love happen; the actions are a RESULT of the love that was given FREELY. Does that mean love between spouses is "cheap" or "easy"??? No, it is a lot of work that both parties put in. But it's not a work that HAS to be done for love to be earned, it's a work that is done out of love and as a RESULT of love.
So many of these mormons know this and live this in their relationships with their spouses, and even their relationships with others. (Even a business relationship, you have to make a move to trust the other person just to do business with him or her, and that trust is a freely given commitment, and all the work done in the business relationship thereafter is resultant from that initial mutual trust.) They live their lives by this.
But when it comes to our Lord Jesus Christ, they reject the notion that He could be as graceful as humans even can be to each other, and that He is going to make us earn what He gives us. When their spouses give them gifts, they accept it and don't try to "earn" it or "pay" for it, as they know how that would be an insult. They each accept the gift to honor the grace the spouse has shown.
But when Jesus Christ gives His own LIFE as a GIFT to us, they choose to slap Him in the face and insult Him and call Him a liar, and insist that it's not a gift and must be earned, and that if they are wrong and it IS a truly Free gift, then it must be cheap and not worth anything.
Can you imagine this scene:
Mormon Husband: Hi Honey, I have a little anniversary gift for you here...
Mormon Wife: Oh wow, what is it? (opens box) DIAMOND EARRINGS!!! WOW, thank you honey!!!
MH: Yes, I got them at the new Salt Lake City Creek LDS Shopping Mall!
MW: Well they are BEAUTIFUL!
MH: I'm glad you like them, honey!!
MW: Well, let me start by making you some filet mignon for dinner, and what I'll do is detail your SUV for you this week, and then I'll go out and buy you a nice gift to help make up for this.
MH: What do you mean?
MW: lol, honey, I'm not stupid, you know... I realize that a gift like this doesn't come without having to be earned somehow.
MH: No, dear, it's a GIFT! I got it for you JUST because I love you!
MW: Oh sweety, that's such a nice thing to say, but come on, don't take me for a simpleton! I'll make sure I look these up online and see what they cost so I get you appropriate gifts and do enough work to offset the cost for you.
MH: But, sugarplum, if you do that, that defeats the purpose... These earrings are a GIFT to you. FREE. You don't have to do ANYTHING.
MW: Look, you're being silly. How can you say such an elaborate gift is FREE??
MH: Well, it IS! And to be honest, I think it's a little offensive that you can't accept a gift from me, your own husband!
MW: Oh yeah? Well first of all, I'm no fool, I know that earrings like this don't come FREE to anyone. Of course the only exception is if they're cheap, crappy knock-offs like the ones they sell down on Canal Street out of the back of a truck. The cubic zirconias...
MH: No, those are NOT cubic zirconias!!!
MW: Oh really? I suppose you're just giving away REAL diamonds for FREE? Come on, don't be so stupid to think anyone would believe THAT. Obviously these were cheap and you came by them very easily. They're garbage.
MH: Fine, you don't want it, don't accept it.
MW: Fine, take your crappy cubic zirconias back. I'm going to go out and detail cars for a few months and buy my own REAL diamond earrings at the Salt Lake City Creek LDS Mall.
MH: Yeah go ahead. Should be interesting considering you don't know how to detail a car correctly.
MW: Well I was just going to get you to help me...
MH: Dream on!!! Give me back those earrings now
That's how stupid mormonism is."
POSTED by my dear Armenian Orthodox friend "JerseyJohnny" at CARM.
No comments:
Post a Comment