kc bob: CLICHË

Showing posts with label CLICHË. Show all posts

Beware the Half Truth

Religious life seems to be filled with clichés that are almost true.
Here are a few with my short takes on them.

Everything Happens for a Reason:
Some things do happen for a reason.
When God closes a door, God opens a window.
Hopefully the window is on the first floor.
God Helps Those Who Help Themselves:
God helps those who cannot help themselves.
Let go and let God.
God usually does not do things he wants us to do.
What Would Jesus Do?
Not the same as what does Jesus want me to do.
You can’t outgive God!
But you can outgive things given to religious groups.
Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together.
Coffee shops are great places to assemble for fellowship.
God Won't Give You More Than You Can Handle:
Sometimes we need others to help us handle life.
God Said It, I Believe It, That Settles It:
Simplistic readings of the scriptures are not helpful.
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
What if God did not bring you to it?
Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin:
Love your neighbor. Hate your own sin.
You're never more safe than when you're in God's will.
Sometimes being in God's will involves torture and persecution.

Did I miss any of your favorite clichés? Perhaps you can share one or two of them?

In trying times I think it is relevant to talk about how people use religious clichés when speaking to hurting people. Some seem to superstitiously cite them at the strangest times. And many clichés, in some weird sense, give us a way to superficially get us past the awkwardness of responding to difficult situations. Here are a few clichés with my thoughts.

Let Go and Let God!

I think that I would like it better if it said "Let Go and Trust God".

But For The Grace Of God, there go I!
What strange theology credits God for helping me but not you?

God hates the sin but loves the sinner!
Seems to communicate the idea that God is all about what we do.

God is still on the Throne!
Sounds like some of the superficial advice that Job heard from his friends.

God helps them that helps themselves!
My thinking is that the gospel is all about God helping those who cannot help themselves.

Don’t be so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly good!
I suggest the the "heavenly minded" are usually people in denial of earthly reality.

Prayer changes things!
Mostly I think that prayer changes us and the way that we act.

Love the exclamation points! Thinking about these religious clichés reminded me about the word "Christianary" that my friend Jim made up many years ago. We Christians do seem to love to use all sorts of religious words and phrases that many unchurched folks do not understand. Do you have any religious clichés to add to the list?

... originally posted April 3, 2013

9 Unbiblical Statements Christians Believe

The Christian Post shares the nine statements here. I list them, with my take on them, below:

God helps those who help themselves.
We are all spiritually helpless and unable to help ourselves.
God wants me to be happy.
Happy is a pretty superficial word. Even so I want to be happy.
We're all God's children.
To be his child requires a spiritual birth.
Cleanliness is next to Godliness.
Gotta work on my fingernails.
God won't give you more than you can handle.
Define more. Define handle.
We all worship the same God.
I worship God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Bad things happen to good people.
Bad things happen to everyone.
When you die, God gains another angel.
Probably not. But I suspect we may be more angel-like than we think.
We're all going to the same place when we die.
Big assumption. Why do folks think that everyone is immortal?

Read more at The Christian Post. They really have better responses than mine. ツ

Please let me know what you think about these nine religious statements.

Absolute Relativism

Ever heard someone say 'Everything is Relative" or "There are No Absolutes"? Ever think about how they are 'Absolute' statements on 'Relativism'? You think that someone might say it like this "Maybe Everything is Relative" or "There may be No Absolutes".

Growing up in the Half Empty Land of New York City definitely skewed my life with a predisposition towards half-emptyism. I am challenged to believe that the cup is half full. I used to cloak my cynicism saying that "I am a realist" ... pretty funny when I think of it.

In retrospect I have to believe that the glass is absolutely half full. Or maybe half empty? Of course, in the picture at the left, the glass is a mug and it's more full than empty. ツ

How do you see the glass? Please leave a comment and let me know.

Unstoppable Destiny?

The words on this image reminds me of the old religious cliché that opines "if God brings you to it He will bring you through it". Anyone ascribe to this version of a destiny that is predetermined apart from human interactions? To be clear, I am not speaking to eternal destinations but ones which espouse the idea that God has a specific earthly destiny in mind for all of his children. Like the idea that one person was destined to be a doctor and the other a plumber. Or maybe one person a Roman Catholic and the other a Baptist. Seems strange as I write it but I think that more people think that this is the way that God operates. I mean really, does it matter to God whether one teaches in a church or in a public school classroom? I guess all I am espousing is the idea that our future is not narrowly predestined in heaven. What do you think?

This blog is so Cliché

I added a new tag, CLICHË, to my blog yesterday when I wrote about God's timing being perfect. It got me to thinking about all of the ways that we speak in clichés. This site claims to be the largest collections of clichés. Here are a few of my favorites.

     "Already got one paw on the chicken coop"

     "Eat your own dog food"

     "Show them how the cow ate the cabbage"

Take a look at their list and let me know if there is one you like.

Is God's Timing Perfect?

Saw this image on Facebook today and was reminded that this is the third time I have written about timing. The last time I wrote about having Faith in His Timing. Three years ago I shared a few quotes about Timing. There is something about this issue of things happening at the "right time" that captivates all of us.

I think that it stems from the ideas of sovereignty and providence. The former being "God's absolute right and ability to do all things according to his will" and the latter "the foreseeing care and guidance of God over His creation". Here is what, in part, I shared on that a few years ago in a post that I called
"I like Providence more than Sovereignty":

"We can error if we believe that because God is sovereign He wills bad things to happen us. We can also mistakenly take His providential care for granted thinking that our actions are not important because He can use bad stuff as well as good."

So when I think about God's timing being perfect I don't think of timing so much as a sovereign chronology of time but more as an opportunity to trust in the providential care and presence of God. I think more of God being there when things happen rather than God making things to happen. Maybe is more about the perfect presence of God rather than the perfect timing of God? What do you think about these ideas of sovereignty, providence and perfect timing?

What doesn't kill you can make you stronger!

Saw this on Facebook and thought that I'd share here. I have experienced these three choices. I have gotten bitter over tragedy. I have let bad things define me. And thankfully these days (most of the time) those things are helping strengthen me and make me a better man. Can you relate?

St Patrick's Day Clichés

This website has an amusing list in a post titled: 10 Ways to be a Total Cliche on St. Patrick’s Day. Here are the first five clichés from the list:

Wear Green: Wearing green is the standard dress for St. Patrick's Day in America, even if the color is considered unlucky in Ireland.
Pinch Anyone Who's Not Wearing Green: To truly be cliché on St. Patty's Day, you should pinch anyone and everyone who's not wearing green. Who cares if they're complete strangers or two feet taller than you – pinch away!
Drink Green Beer: Drinking green beer is mandatory for a cliché St. Patty's Day. Why would you settle for an Irish stout like Guinness when you can have a festively dyed Miller Lite instead?
Wear a "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" Pin: You can find these cliché pins at just about any store around St. Patty's. But just because your pin says "Kiss me, I'm Irish" doesn't mean you'll get that lucky.
Eat Corned Beef and Cabbage: It doesn't get much more Irish (or cliché) than having corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day. You can order the dish at your favorite Irish pub, or better yet, make it at home.

I have to admit that, even though I am 50% Irish in ancestry, I usually forget to wear green.. Ann makes up for it. I also do not pinch anyone, have never had green beer and I do not wear pins. But I do love to eat corned beef and cabbage.. sometimes even on March 17th.

How about you? Will you embrace some cliché like behavior tomorrow?

Ziggy on Absolutes

The many changes these days in the economy gives one cause to pause about what you can be sure of. Once upon a time I had a firm grasp of life and could have listed off many things that I was "sure of".. these days the list is not quite as long as it used to be. Without using a cliche.. what things are you "sure of" these days?

The Best Things Are Free :)

Don't you just love cliches :)

Translating Religious Cliches

God said it, I believe it, that settles it! => I don't want to talk about it!

God is still on the throne! => I really don't know what to say!

Praise the Lord! => I am uncomfortable with awkward silence!

I'll pray about it! => Go away!

Let's pray! => I am uncomfortable discussing this subject!

God loves you and so do I! => I watch Hour of Power!

What would Jesus do? => I don't know what to do.

The Lord told me! => I am afraid to say what I really think!

God has no grandchildren! => I want my kids to know Him!

In Jesus name! => Amen!

Feel free to add to the list - including the translation J

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