“Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? -Colossians 2:21, NIV
No; I’m not talking about the nuns. They’re OK in my book. I’m talking about the puritans- not the historically accurate ones, but of those that take things way too far.
When I first read Jonathan Edwards’ “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” in 11th Grade, I was interested to explore the obscene (as in excessive) amount of loaded, emotional language in his sermon. No wonder the already-divisive social fabric almost went haywire in those times! I kept Googling my way into the topic and I kept observing how everybody tried to incarnate that voice with fire and brimstone and holy anger.
In reality, he read the sermon in a calm and natural voice. But the people still went haywire-and with good reasons! In my town, we’d call that a palo –just as you heard it, it was a spiritual smack of the spiritual stick in the head.
Some of it is necessary, some of it we can live without. I have no problems with living right-we all have that duty.
What I can’t conceive is the hypocrisy of things…the legalism.
Need to wash yourself every time before you eat an apple? That would be good hygiene –God would appreciate that-, but be careful with what you say before you eat that apple.
Wanna tithe ten percent of your income? Amen to that, but please be mindful of giving God your all. He likes everything, not some.
Dressing good every time you go out to dinner? Go for it, but try to do the same with your Father’s house.
There’s no need to use whips and chains and cilice with ash to mortify your body. What about a clean and thankful heart in every waking moment?
We need to be clean, pure, right and holy everywhere we go- but isn’t a bit of balance certainly enough?