Perspectives

I remember, back in 1985, when the song "We Are the World" by USA for Africa was popular, and it was a song that reached a lot of people here in this country. This was something that was a spin-off on "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band-Aid, a group of English artists that did the song to raise a benefit for starving people in Ethiopia. What would follow would be a whole lot of group efforts to help starving people in Africa. I was 14 at the time, and my mom even purchased the phonograph album for my special Adoption Day (birthday celebration, since I was born on Christmas, but that's for another topic of discussion). I thought that was one of the greatests songs ever written, and like most idealistic children my age, I really thought these efforts would "make a difference."

It's been 22 years since that song was written, and after listening to the words and really analyzing them, I have come to hate that song with a passion. I'm sure as youngsters, we are all a bit idealistic, and we want to make a difference in the world, but the means in which we make a difference must be thought out more carefully. Listen closely, if you ever get the chance. I have done that, and I get a sense of humanism within the song's lyrics. I'll post the chorus:

We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day,
So let's start giving;
There's a choice we're making,
We're saving our own lives,
It's true we make a better day
Just you and me.

If you notice everything I boldfaced, here, what we actually have in the song deals with humanism, plain and simple. As a maturing believer, I have come to see it, whereas, I didn't see it before as a teenager. All that to be said, it's very sad how idealistic we think we can be, and maybe we've fed a few children from starving Africa, but then we're seeing them starve all over again, and it isn't because we're not doing enough. The problem is, humanity assumes that there is so much good in us (and I believed it at one time), that we, ourselves can build a better future. Without God, we can't do it, ourselves. We can try, desparately, and we can save a few lives, physically, but we haven't given those starving for truth the food they obviously need.

Lest there be any confusion, this is not to say we should not care about those who are poor. Even people of the world want to make every effort to end world hunger. We spend an awful lot of time trying to help the world, even encourage world peace, but if our nature is to do evil, all of our human efforts will continue to fail. Our goals may seem right, but we've got to include God in those goals.

I think though, often times, as Christians we have a tendancy to over spriritualize the word. There are some very practical admonitions. for example.

Quote :

Luke 3:11 (New King James Version)

New King James Version (NKJV)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.


11 He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.”

Its not all about works but clearly we are told to do good things.

Even James talks about faith without works being dead, alone. I think there's something to be said about that, and he gives an example of someone trying to tell a poor person to "be well with God," but not offer up food or shelter to that poor person, thus being a bad example.

I'm just saying that we have a whole LOT to learn when we try to remove God out of doing our good works, and relying more on human understanding, which equates all people with being good. We know from recent events happening in the news, that isn't the case.