Scripture: Surah 20:88–92, viagra sale The Holy Qur’an
“Then he brought out (of the fire) before the (people) the image of a calf: It seemed to glow: so they said: This is your god, unhealthy and the god of Moses, but (Moses) has forgotten!”
Could they not see that it could not return them a word (for answer), and that it had no power either to harm them or to do them good?
Aaron had previously tried to warn them: “O my people! You are being tested in this: for truly your Lord is ((God, Allah)) Most Gracious; so follow me and obey my command.”
But they said: “We will not abandon this cult, but we will devote ourselves to it until Moses returns to us.”

Thought for the Day: This is the same story we find in Exodus 32 in The Holy Bible, which isn’t surprising, since much of the Qur’an is an Arabic revelation of the First and Second Testaments. What I find intriguing is that the story itself, in any language, is a story about a people who find it difficult to give up their old ways, even when directly confronted by God. This is very telling of human nature in general. Once we get into a comfortable groove, it’s tough to get out—even if that groove is killing us.

Humans have been worshipping melted gold (literally and figuratively) a long, long time. The Qur’an refers to it as cultish behavior, and it was kind of shocking for me to think about the engine of commerce as a cult. Revelatory, actually. I’m not a huge fan of our current global economic system, as anyone who reads this column regularly is (painfully) aware. But the Qur’an blatantly calls it out, whereas the Bible is a little more thinly veiled—but only a little.

It’s hard to change systems that have been in place a long time. I think that’s why so many of us have faith in a God who is constantly working for change, constantly knocking on our skulls to get us to open our minds. It’s why so many of us, who call ourselves by many names, believe in a God who is tearing at our hearts, begging us to let love consume the world. Change is difficult, and humans have historically had a difficult time making good decisions. So yeah, I believe there’s something more at work in the universe, helping me destroy my own golden calves, every day.

Prayer: Sometimes I think of you as the master of the BBQ Pit, Holy God. I’m enjoying time in the backyard with you, roasting all the golden calves of society in the smoker, carving them up, and devouring them, once and for all.  Thanks for serving up a tangy feast that feeds my soul and ends my hunger for gold, for good. Amen.