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[at-l] Perception/Quote



Frank Looper wrote:

>The most recent church that I went to regularly takes in ~500,000 per month,
>but their outlay to local charities (foodbank, free clinic, etc.) was 400
>dollars! That's 8/100ths of 1%. My wife and I felt very comfortable and
>accepted there, but our consciences wouldn't let us stay. As of now, we're
>just tithing directly to the food bank. We don't know what else to do. There
>is one church in a nearby county that has a program which feeds ~2,000
>people on a weekly basis. However, stories like that are few and far
>between.
>
>There is no way that Christians will ever truly convert large numbers of
>folks until we make the old saw true and "practice what we preach." Like a
>lot of things, it's a one-day-at-a-time, every day type of thing.
>  
>
The parable of the loaves and fishes teaches that we have amongst us all 
that we need.  But, the church wrapped the parable in miraculous 
mumbo-jumbo, and the meaning of the parable was lost.  What really 
happened was alot of good people went to hear Jesus talk, and they all 
naturally took lunch.  But, with all the talk of doing good and sharing 
what you have: everyone was afraid that if they began to eat their 
lunch, the others would look at them, and it would make them feel bad, 
and they would have to share their lunch, and not get their fill.  They 
all felt that way:  so nobody started.  It took a guileless child to 
change the situation.  When the child's meager lunch was shared, and as 
the sharing was added to, all were fed, with lots left over.  And that's 
the way the world still is, to all our shame.  But, this is the other 
side of the parable: that even "the good" do not listen to their own 
preaching.  Frank has seen the truth.