Dear Friends
I recently read a fascinating book titled “My Father Bertrand Russell”, written by Katharine Tait, daughter of the famous philosopher. Russell certainly seems to have been someone who was eager to kick against many of society’s traditions. For example, he and his second wife, Dora, established a school and set up a school council consisting of both the staff and the pupils; each member was entitled to one vote when decisions were to be taken. This is an extract from the book (Katharine Tait was writing from her experience of being a pupil):
“We debated with heat and abandon, but usually we accepted the recommendations of their [the teachers’] superior wisdom. Except once, when we voted to abolish all rules for a trial period, to discover which ones were really important. I doubt if the teachers were comfortable with the experiment, but it proved a good one, because we were not comfortable either. The teachers took the line that rules were abolished for them too, and the consequence was such dreadful anarchy that we were thankful to return to the rule of law.”
It is common to hear people today complaining about rules, not least because from one perspective they can seem very restrictive. And yet, as the example above illustrates, when we do away with rules, chaos ensues. What would happen if drivers abandoned the highway code, or if sports people stopped playing by the rules? What would happen if a train decided that staying on the tracks was too restrictive? There are a thousand other examples we could think of where abandoning the rules would lead only to disaster.
Jesus entered our world and became one of us. He came not only to demonstrate God’s love, but to call people back to God’s ways. Imagine, for example, if everyone lived by the two great commandments of Jesus, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your neighbour as yourself.” Society would be transformed overnight!
No caring parent brings up their child without rules. These rules are given not to unnecessarily restrict, but to guide and protect. If we ignore them, then we will face the inevitable consequences, but if we seek to live our lives in God’s way, we will find true fulfilment.
With love,
Steve
I recently read a fascinating book titled “My Father Bertrand Russell”, written by Katharine Tait, daughter of the famous philosopher. Russell certainly seems to have been someone who was eager to kick against many of society’s traditions. For example, he and his second wife, Dora, established a school and set up a school council consisting of both the staff and the pupils; each member was entitled to one vote when decisions were to be taken. This is an extract from the book (Katharine Tait was writing from her experience of being a pupil):
“We debated with heat and abandon, but usually we accepted the recommendations of their [the teachers’] superior wisdom. Except once, when we voted to abolish all rules for a trial period, to discover which ones were really important. I doubt if the teachers were comfortable with the experiment, but it proved a good one, because we were not comfortable either. The teachers took the line that rules were abolished for them too, and the consequence was such dreadful anarchy that we were thankful to return to the rule of law.”
It is common to hear people today complaining about rules, not least because from one perspective they can seem very restrictive. And yet, as the example above illustrates, when we do away with rules, chaos ensues. What would happen if drivers abandoned the highway code, or if sports people stopped playing by the rules? What would happen if a train decided that staying on the tracks was too restrictive? There are a thousand other examples we could think of where abandoning the rules would lead only to disaster.
Jesus entered our world and became one of us. He came not only to demonstrate God’s love, but to call people back to God’s ways. Imagine, for example, if everyone lived by the two great commandments of Jesus, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your neighbour as yourself.” Society would be transformed overnight!
No caring parent brings up their child without rules. These rules are given not to unnecessarily restrict, but to guide and protect. If we ignore them, then we will face the inevitable consequences, but if we seek to live our lives in God’s way, we will find true fulfilment.
With love,
Steve
