Reflections on Gandhi's Seven Social Sins



Wealth without Work
I sometimes think that the gold standard should be replaced by the work standard.

Pleasure without Conscience
It seems that Western Civilization has gotten more materialistic and hedonistic.

Science without Humanity
The real question always seems to be not whether it can be done but if it should.

Education without Character
The intellect seems so insignificant when compared with ideas like integrity and love.

Politics without Principle
True leadership embraces humility while political power is all about pride.

Commerce without Morality
Greed is bad. Why do we want more? Why do we want to get the best of each other?

Worship without Sacrifice
Cheap grace is not grace at all. Worship that does not cause us to bow is fake.


... first posted June 22, 2012

5 comments:

  1. I'm currently reading Gandi's autobiography. Here is a passage that really struck me:

    (while he was meeting with some Plymouth Brethren on the atonement)

    If this be the Christianity acknowledged by all Christians, I cannot accept it. I do not seek redemption from the consequences of my sin. I seek to be redeemed from sin itself, or rather from the very thought of sin. Until I have attained that end, I shall be content to be restless.

    How many of us want this?

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    1. Thanks for sharing that Ma. I look forward to that day when we are redeemed from sin itself.

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  2. Hi Bob,

    Gandhi was dead on about those social sins...however the quote Ma brings up, well let's just say Gandhi was rejecting Jesus and giving his excuse for doing so. That still is a form of pride, and I hope the Lord did pierce through that problem for him. Jesus redeems His own from both, sin and it's consequences, however I find that I still deal with the consequences of my sins in my flesh, and will probably have it so until I leave this world for the one the Lord has prepared for us. :)

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  3. Hi Bob and Susan,

    Your posts have me thinking. Did Ghandi really reject Jesus or was he just rejecting Christianity in the form in which it was presented to him? Ghandi wrote of witnessing tremendous spiritual pride in those going about evangelizing in India at the time and he found it repulsive. Personally, I don't blame Ghandi for not wanting to exchange one oppressive religion for yet another. Let me put my thoughts as clearly as possible. Christianity practiced as a religion is just as much a failure as an other religion. Religion is about following somebody's rules and trying to get on God's good side, so we don't have bad things happen to us or are sent to Hell when we die. Jesus Himself constantly preached and admonished the Pharisees that this was NOT what He and our Father were all about. However the religious leaders couldn't wrap their minds around the idea of God still LOVING us even when we sinned and so in their spiritual pride, they rejected Jesus. We need be careful that we don't set up roadblocks for others who might otherwise come to Christ with our own spiritual pride.

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  4. I like the dialog here. Gandhi once said:

    “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

    Hard to know what he thought of Jesus specifically from this statement (although you can from here) but it is very obvious that he did not care for the ways that Christians behaved. Reminds me that we are sometimes the only Jesus that others see.

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