Saturday, July 4, 2009

A New City for the Disenfranchised

Getting ready to become a statistic has real benefits if you look for them. It's like being impaired with a physical disability. People look at you differently, often feeling sorry for you ... but, the prisons of society are removed when you become different. So, why not make a community filled with people who are disenfranchised, helping them with mentoring and life skills, in a new city away from "the norms of society?" Christ crucified and resurrected would be preached in the city called, "Azaryahu." Work, worship and wisdom would be foundational in such a city. Believers of all flavors would be welcomed ... but leave doctrinal biases out of the day to day living. Best of all, it provides a transforming opportunity for "the invisible people," the statistics (like I'm about to become) of the homeless, or the abused, the addicts looking to get out of their prisons, the damaged looking to heal.

The city of Qumran, as well as the typical monastery, would be closely related to the idea I am proposing; it is not a new idea. It has models for success. Working at creating revenue for participants would establish a cottage industry that would have allow individuals as well as families the opportunity to live in a godly environment. So many people are getting eaten up by the current structure of the ism's: capitalism, socialism, communism.

If you've read "The Fall of a Believer (Parts 1-5, June 2009 archive)," you see the problems that put people into this new category of being disenfranchised happening to the successful as well as the tragic figures; they materialize in all walks of life.

When you are blessed with talent, marketability and socially desirous skills ... you are effected by the scope of society. Let's look at what society is promoting right now.

Global Economic Meltdown: Years of indifference by corporate greed (both democrats and republicans, both liberals and conservatives) has led to an erosion of value this once great country produced for all its citizens. (See Debt Level)

Global Political Meltdown: Years of me first mentalities in political parties has eroded the value to its citizenry that has abrogated the responsibilities of taking care of the development of virtue within their countries. If your ideology differed, you were demonized; the debt (also viewed as the note) for that short-sighted, narrow-minded approach is coming due.

Debt Level: An unrealistically high percentage per person. If you made $48,000, you would have (in today's debt level) debt approximating $180,000. Even European countries, where privitization has occurred, the debt level is based upon unrealistic valuations of assets that are diminishing in value.

Corrupt Institutions: From Wall Street to the SEC, from governmental "watchdogs" and pork barrel spending to instability of oil prices, Federal Reserve policies, taxation and credit abuses ... these were once stable and calming factors that were at the core of government. As with Rome, once the people found they could get money for nothing from the public coffers, the citizens were left holding the chaff.

Family Meltdowns: Addictions, abuses, divorces, incest, abortions, factions and infighting ... nuclear families are endangered, and the rhetoric to strengthen families falls to people who are themselves hurting and missing the mark, in many cases. Accountiability must be before God.

Where does this leave individuals who want to grow, without the rhetoric of secular religion drowning their consciences and observations? This is not a city for everyone. It is for the disenfranchised who are looking for a home. Worshiping at the footsteps of growth and change, we sacrifice the nobility of truth and lose the ability to take care of the people being damaged by generational curses/missteps and past sins.

More to come ... hopefully!