Afghanistan part 1.

I only say part 1 because I know this won't be the last time I post about the war. The only reason I've waited until now to post about this is because I'm not sure where to start and how to tackle this complex issue.

What is peacekeeping? Canadians have had a reputation in the past of being the world's peacekeepers. But we do that by bringing guns over to another country and shooting people. That doesn't sound like peacekeeping to me.

But make no mistake that the Bible does condone battle in its pages - especially in the Old Testament. Interestingly, the Israelites were fighting in a "holy war" - on behalf of YHWH. Their understanding was that it was judgment time against the enemies of YHWH and that God was using the Israelites to increase God's kingdom and bring a theocracy to the earth (theo = God so theocracy is being ruled by God).

Our battles overseas are for, among many things, defending our future and liberating the native peoples in those lands to bring democracy. But does anyone really think that our future is safer? And do we really believe that democracy is the only way that a country can be governed? The basic understanding behind a democracy is that the land belongs to the people and so should be governed by the people - by majority and representation. People living in a democracy have personal rights and freedoms.

While I will never agree with their methods or their rationale, I find it interesting that our enemy right now considers themselves fighting a holy war. They hate North Amercian self-centredness, pride and affluence. They claim to be fighting in the name of their god. They are willing to sacrifice their own rights to living for that purpose.

I love my freedom here in Canada. I'd personally like to shake the hand of every soldier that is on the front lines. But the politics of this war we have to admit at times are suspect. And it seems that we are just reinforcing to them how prideful we think we are trying to impose our truth/our government against theirs.

4 billion

4 billion dollars is how much BC made last year in its budget. After projecting 700 million surplus, we made 4 billion. Knowing the very little I know about Carole Taylor, I'm sure she knew that her tight fisted budget would bring a windfall much bigger than she advertised. Good on her though. It's a refreshing change from the usual press about cost overruns and overspending which is the usual government rhetoric.

I, like many of you I'm sure, read headlines like this and feel somewhat like I do when I find $5 in my back pocket or shoved between the couch cushions. That means we're doing well as a province. That means our economy is booming. There are jobs. People are spending. Now the government has more money to spend on infrastructure and making our money work for us.

I'm not sure though that as Christians we should feel that way. BC is 9th of the 10 provinces in terms of how we care for the least, last and lost. Our social advocacy for the homeless, low income, single parent, sick and addicted has become very poor within our province. While I would never wish we could go back to the days of NDP overspending, it seems that we've gone the other way in terms of our social programs. How are these people supposed to get ahead anymore? Universities and post secondary education has become priced out of the range of most except the privileged few. Affordable housing is at a crisis. While there are many jobs out there, how many of them pay well enough to afford to live here? Health care is becoming harder to get for those that need it most.

This is a complicated issue and I don't want to oversimplify it. But status quo is never what God asks of us. Carole Taylor needs to loosen her grip a bit on our taxpayer dollar.

Multi-isms

Inclusivity is in. Closemindedness is out. At all costs, we are to validate people as equal regardless of gender, race, religious beliefs, socioeconomics, sexual orientation, personal interests - you name it. It is NOT popular to talk in language of absolutes today. Do that too many times in public and discover quickly who your real friends are.

The Pope yesterday declared again that Catholicism is the only true church. While I obviously don't agree with him, I admire the strength he has to say what isn't going to be worldly popular and actually stand up for something he believes in while in a very public office. It would have been easier to soften his language and throw a bone to the Protestants, Orthodoxes, and perhaps even the other major faiths in the world. That's what any good politician does. That's what anyone that wants to be accepted and liked does. But that is hardly Jesus. And NOT the God of the Old Testament.

Last week at coffee house, we talked briefly about multiculturalism, pluralism and just the general idea of Canada. Should we be melting everyone in Canada together or should we be celebrating our differences to the point of segregation?

It got me thinking about the Jews in exile during the OT. The military strategy of the day after defeating an enemy was assimilation. They would take the skilled people from the land and bring them back home. And they would take some of their people and put them into your country. Over time, you intermarry and forget about what it was like before. So instead of having a country always waiting to rebel, you simply enhance your territory by assimilating people.

For fear that it is sounding Borg-like, I'll stop. But consider this. Is the enemy destroying the church in Canada by our multi-isms?

I'm not sure why I can't leave titles anymore but truth be told, I hate coming up with titles to anything. The pressure to come up with something catchy and all...

So interest rates finally went up today to curb inflation. And the Canadian dollar is at a 30 year high. Our economy is booming and people are spending like there was no tomorrow. Jobs are relatively easy to come by these days and the appeal to education is half what it used to be because tuition prices are through the roof and there are many well paying jobs to be had with little to no post secondary education.

But more is better right? If we can get stuff cheaper, that's better because then we have money for other things. If we can make more money for the same amount of work, that's better as well. And if we have more, then we don't have to worry about money and that will make us happier right? And happiness is what we all strive for on Earth.

What does the Bible teach about global economy and capitalism? It seems to me that the Bible teaches a lot about having less and very little about having more other than to say to be careful of it. And happiness? The Bible is very clear where that comes from!

The new smoking in public rules. If you smoke, you hate it and feel picked on AGAIN. If you don't smoke, odds are, you love it and feel that finally you don't have to smoke second hand anymore. Personal freedom vs corporate freedom. What seems to always be at the forefront of our minds in North America is the concept of choice. The rule that governs us here seems to be "do whatever you want, believe whatever you want as long as it doesn't interfere with another person's ability to do the same." For example, people should have the freedom to choose to smoke - regardless the consequences - because what they do is their business. But since their smoking in public areas takes away my choice for clean air, you shouldn't be able to do it. As a society and culture, we've stopped asking if there is a right thing to do. It's personal choice at all cost. Where has the concept of TRUTH gone in our society?