Prayer #20: Moral Relativism
Emily: Stealing Christian music isn't stealing. It's borrowing a prayer. I mean, because if you think about it, God inspired it and basically wrote it.
Prayer #20: Moral Relativism
God, are You black and white? Do You exist at the poles? Are You as dogmatic as we have made You?
Maybe it's my sinful, imperfect self talking (hoping?), but I believe You are pragmatic and flexible. You can see the forest for the trees -- or, in the case of Divine oversight, our souls beyond the sins.
This doesn't excuse bad choices, especially when made knowingly. You're not offering a 'get out of jail free' card. And You're definitely not mollified by my half-hearted Act of Contrition recitation.
But You do accept sincere penance, and take intention well into account. So says Thomas Merton in his prayer from "Thoughts in Solitude" (one of my absolute favorites -- may I write like him one day):
You must thrive on such desires, God. They surely give You hope that one day we goofy mortals will actually get Your master plan of love and forgiveness right.
Until then, thank you for helping us and letting us live in shades of gray.
From the grayest of them all -- Amen.
Prayer #20: Moral Relativism
God, are You black and white? Do You exist at the poles? Are You as dogmatic as we have made You?
Maybe it's my sinful, imperfect self talking (hoping?), but I believe You are pragmatic and flexible. You can see the forest for the trees -- or, in the case of Divine oversight, our souls beyond the sins.
This doesn't excuse bad choices, especially when made knowingly. You're not offering a 'get out of jail free' card. And You're definitely not mollified by my half-hearted Act of Contrition recitation.
But You do accept sincere penance, and take intention well into account. So says Thomas Merton in his prayer from "Thoughts in Solitude" (one of my absolute favorites -- may I write like him one day):
... the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
You must thrive on such desires, God. They surely give You hope that one day we goofy mortals will actually get Your master plan of love and forgiveness right.
Until then, thank you for helping us and letting us live in shades of gray.
From the grayest of them all -- Amen.