After reading my husband Frank’s sermon titled “The Greatest
Spiritual Gift of All” that he gave in 1992 in two local churches, I
was looking through the book Guided by the Faith of Christ
by Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D. when I came across the following paragraph
that seemed to fit right in with Frank’s sermon:
Many people claim that their deepest religious convictions derive
from divine inspiration. However, the human capacity for
self-deception is strong, and it is tempting to believe that our
acquisitive mimetic desires reflect the will of God. One way our
acquisitive mimetic desires differ from divine desires, I am
convinced, is that divine desires are always loving and compassionate.
We can be confident that we are on the right path when others regard
our actions as compassionate. Conversely, when people claim that we
are victimizing other individuals, we should seriously consider their
concerns.
As you’ve probably guessed, “The Greatest Spiritual Gift of All”
refers to “love.” And when you stop to really think about it, the most
loving and compassionate lifestyle is one which refuses to harm any of
God’s creatures – human or nonhuman; in other words, a vegan way of
life.
Frank’s sermon “The Greatest Spiritual Gift of All” will be published
in the Sermon section of our website next Sunday – January 25th.
http://www.all-creatures.org/sermons.html
To read our review of the book Guided by the Faith of Christ
by Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D., visit:
http://www.all-creatures.org/book/r-guided.html
