And God declared the Seventh Day, a day of Reflection and Evaluation

At the Episcopal Church St. Stephens and the Incarnation, the Priest Martin Smith recently delivered a sermon on the meaning of the Sabbath in the eyes of God.  To him, it is a day when God rested, having completed the creation of the universe.

Well, yes, God is reported to have rested on that day, but only after having taken stock of what HE had done!  For He claimed at that juncture, "it was good"--the whole had truly been, magnificently and wonderfully, done!

The importance of HIS evaluation is that we, too, need a chance to reflect upon how we're making progress toward the goals in projects we're involved in for HIS sake.  We need that time to take stock of things.

Personally, I note my forward progress every Sunday while at the altar to receive the Eucharist.  It is during those moments before the Cross that I remember what Jesus hath wraught, and how thankful I am for having a part--howbeit tiny--in doing God's work on earth.  At that time, I also implore God to unleash His mighty power through the Holy Spirit so that I continue on to pursue a life filled with the adventure of working my part in God's accomplishing HIS will for the world.

Cultural Reforms in Religious Theology--Badly Needed Today

Theological treatises must be developed and promulgated according to the culture in which the particular religious faith is professed.  Here are some prominent principles that should be incorporated into the articles of their respective religions.

I.  Cultural Reform in the Christianity of Today
    Those believers of the Western nations are concerned with:
     1.  Climate Change.  Ignoring the issue would make Christianity irrelevant to the Christian's life in our Century.  We must get away from fossil fuels, especially.
      2.  Concern over the sanctity of human life implies the need to prevent unwanted pregnancies and avoidance of responsibility for lives that come into the world.  There must be a statement of the woman's right to exercise birth control procedures.

II.  Cultural Reform in the Islam of Today.
      1.  Muslims must learn to respect the professed faith of one another!  Specifically, as have the Christians several centuries ago, they must not turn the sword on one another.  Those Muslims in need of food and clothing must be attended to peacefully and with religious concern.  The Sunnais and the Shia'a must embrace one another as devotees of a common core of beliefs and practices.

III. Cultural Reform in the Hinduism of Today
      1.  Human life should be more highly valued than any other living biological thing!  That means cows and lower forms of animal life ought to be given a lower status in God's creation.  The waters of the rivers must be made pure for human consumption, including that of the Ganges.

In sum, the believer ought to make his religion applicable to his cultural values in ways that support human life.  God made man in His image!
 

Realm of Religious Theology (RT): Overview

The topic is: Realm of Religious Theology.

In this section, I shall be advancing ideas to be incorporated into modern theologies of specific extant faiths.  Older versions of theologies are products of human minds of religious persons expressing their faith in the Supreme to peoples who have gone before us..  They are products of cultures and civilizations that contain knowledge and faith of that particular period of mankind's development.  We know now so much more about the Creation of the world  and universe.  I believe we should periodically "reform" the tenets of each major religion to stand for the faith of our fathers recast in contemporary life.  This section represents only my attempt at making our religious faith vital in a particular contemporary age: faith cast and practiced in a modern lifestyle.