The title says what's on my mind this morning, amending what's right. It's an action man and societies have been doing since the beginning of time. If one believes the Bible we were given just one command, thou shalt not eat of the fruit of the tree in the center of garden. Man broke that command and the amending began at that point. Yes, we were instructed to not eat that, but it wasn't our fault, we were tempted and deceived. So we started to make amends. There is a lot of that going on in the old testament, sacrificing animals, building towers, and other stuff like that. Amends were being made by changing the laws. That went on until a new covenant was established. The old ways were set aside for the new. The reality is we made some amendments to the contract. I'd suggest those amendments are happening every day. But whether that takes place in politics or morality, we have a way of calling it enlightenment. Seeing things in a new light, making amendments to what was right, now deciding that it was wrong. Amendments are intended to makes things right. The challenge for mankind has always been, to do right. We failed at that, and instead made amendments.
This is of course all predicated upon one assumption, that God is perfect. God, whatever that entity is, makes no mistakes. You can't amend (make better) perfection. So that leads me to a question. Why isn't man perfect? How is it that God could create an imperfect being, in his own likeness. We are told it is because we were given free will, the ability to choose for ourselves. Could it be that was a mistake? No, God doesn't make mistakes and so it is by design. We have to believe that or the whole thing makes no sense. So what are we trying to amend? Man is attempting to amend man is the only answer I can fathom. Isn't that what laws are all about? It is man's attempt at delineating right from wrong. The ultimate law is God's law, at first it was only one. Then there were 613 laws given in the old testament. That's what all the amendments were about in that chapter in history. But remember a new deal was made and amendments were made. Now there are only ten laws, what we call the ten commandments. Out of the 613 laws of Moses only ten were kept. It was an amendment. The question is, was it an improvement? Well it certainly gave us more leeway in determining right from wrong didn't it. We are taught however that the 613 laws of Moses were not from God, but what the Hebrews believed. The ten commandments came directly from God, a sort of Amendment to the 613 laws of Moses. There are some that would abolish all laws altogether.
All of that is, of course, just my thoughts on such stuff, call it philosophy if you like. I don't think of it in that way, I'm just thinking about stuff. I try to relate the stuff man has been doing and saying for centuries to what is happening in the world today. I'm looking for a common theme, a course that has been followed. Seems like it is making amendments to what is right. That has taken place throughout the history of man, century after century. We call it by various names, ideology, politics, government, religion and all the deviations and revelations associated with all of that. The United States of America declared our right to be free. Following that we wrote a constitution to delineate what our principles were. Indeed the constitution begins with an explanation of just what the documents purpose is. Among them is the phrase, "to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity". It means to protect individual freedom not just for ourselves ( those writing the constitution at that time) but to our posterity (that is our children and our children's' children). That is what was ratified and agreed upon in 1788. Just three years later, 1791 ten amendments were added, what we call the Bill of Rights. An amendment being made to what we declared right just three years earlier. In 1992 the latest amendment was added, #27. What is that about? That concerns Congress getting paid, an amendment first proposed in 1788. Does it make the constitution any better? Is it an improvement?
In order to amend something we first have to decide that it is wrong in the first place. That is what we are discussing today, and have been discussing since Eve was talked into eating that apple. She then convinced Adam to give it a try. We are all constantly barraged with calls to make amends, that is to say, improve things. To make things right. What we need to understand is that we should not amend what is right to satisfy what others believe to be wrong. When we listen to our own truth we will always make the right choice. Bad behaviors are learned behaviors. It is my belief we all inherently know right from wrong. Choose carefully who you listen too. As a general rule, if you have to be convinced by others that something is right, it probably isn't. It's probably what is right for them.
This is of course all predicated upon one assumption, that God is perfect. God, whatever that entity is, makes no mistakes. You can't amend (make better) perfection. So that leads me to a question. Why isn't man perfect? How is it that God could create an imperfect being, in his own likeness. We are told it is because we were given free will, the ability to choose for ourselves. Could it be that was a mistake? No, God doesn't make mistakes and so it is by design. We have to believe that or the whole thing makes no sense. So what are we trying to amend? Man is attempting to amend man is the only answer I can fathom. Isn't that what laws are all about? It is man's attempt at delineating right from wrong. The ultimate law is God's law, at first it was only one. Then there were 613 laws given in the old testament. That's what all the amendments were about in that chapter in history. But remember a new deal was made and amendments were made. Now there are only ten laws, what we call the ten commandments. Out of the 613 laws of Moses only ten were kept. It was an amendment. The question is, was it an improvement? Well it certainly gave us more leeway in determining right from wrong didn't it. We are taught however that the 613 laws of Moses were not from God, but what the Hebrews believed. The ten commandments came directly from God, a sort of Amendment to the 613 laws of Moses. There are some that would abolish all laws altogether.
All of that is, of course, just my thoughts on such stuff, call it philosophy if you like. I don't think of it in that way, I'm just thinking about stuff. I try to relate the stuff man has been doing and saying for centuries to what is happening in the world today. I'm looking for a common theme, a course that has been followed. Seems like it is making amendments to what is right. That has taken place throughout the history of man, century after century. We call it by various names, ideology, politics, government, religion and all the deviations and revelations associated with all of that. The United States of America declared our right to be free. Following that we wrote a constitution to delineate what our principles were. Indeed the constitution begins with an explanation of just what the documents purpose is. Among them is the phrase, "to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity". It means to protect individual freedom not just for ourselves ( those writing the constitution at that time) but to our posterity (that is our children and our children's' children). That is what was ratified and agreed upon in 1788. Just three years later, 1791 ten amendments were added, what we call the Bill of Rights. An amendment being made to what we declared right just three years earlier. In 1992 the latest amendment was added, #27. What is that about? That concerns Congress getting paid, an amendment first proposed in 1788. Does it make the constitution any better? Is it an improvement?
In order to amend something we first have to decide that it is wrong in the first place. That is what we are discussing today, and have been discussing since Eve was talked into eating that apple. She then convinced Adam to give it a try. We are all constantly barraged with calls to make amends, that is to say, improve things. To make things right. What we need to understand is that we should not amend what is right to satisfy what others believe to be wrong. When we listen to our own truth we will always make the right choice. Bad behaviors are learned behaviors. It is my belief we all inherently know right from wrong. Choose carefully who you listen too. As a general rule, if you have to be convinced by others that something is right, it probably isn't. It's probably what is right for them.
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