Three nights ago, I woke up at 2 am feeling like I already slept 8-10 hours and it was time to wake up. When I saw what time it was, I tried to fall back asleep, but that didn’t work either, so I wrote down what came into my thoughts (the Title of this) and decided I’d write about it later. I didn’t want to mess up the next day by being tired all day. The last time I looked, it was 4:30 am. I fell back asleep but had a weird dream that I woke from that morning too. I guess I should have written this at 2 am!
“Conditioned by Tradition” describes what it seems we are. We are like Zombies when it comes to the way we live, what is acceptable, promoted today, just going along with the crowd, influencers, whatever is being “messaged” to us in our culture and accepting it, living it. It is concerning because it seems like some, or many, people are manipulated by it, completely unaware. The “zombie” analogy fits because it’s a figurative representation of those spiritually, walking dead, unaware of where they are headed. I think we are all in that condition, until we realize why we are here, what our purpose is and learn about the past (the beginning of earth). We’ve seen super hero movie scripts about good vs. evil, so that perpetuates the thought in us, making it easy for us to think this spiritual war is fictional, make believe, etc. But is it really?
If you read the bible, it tells us there is an unseen war that has been happening, continues today and will continue until the end of the earth: a spiritual war. And before you immediately reject what I’m saying, even if you are an atheist, you realize things you can’t see do exist. I’ll give a few examples: air, gravity, sound waves, and oxygen. Individually we are such a small part of our community, city, nation, continent, earth, and the universe. There is so much complexity, so much order, so much magnificence- this universe was not an accident . There is so much to say about that subject, but I don’t want to get side tracked.
To continue with the “conditioned by tradition,” thought, we need to accept the possibility of a spiritual warfare …so what is this war about? It’s about us and who “owns” us. Yes, that’s another concept we need to accept: we are owned by one or the other: by God or evil. If we are not with God, we are a slave to evil; Jesus explains this.
The links in the prior paragraph will explain this further (directly from the bible verses). When we comprehend this, then we see the manipulation that’s already transpired, notice it as it’s transpiring and also see those who are manipulated, thinking they are “free” but actually are “enslaved” Remember: Love is a choice; God gives us the choice; God is love. That is freedom. We choose it.
Getting back to “conditioned by tradition,” we are blind to many evil things, deception and manipulation that are now a part of our culture and tradition. For example, when was the last time you thought about the words in some nursery rhymes? Just why? Then we have Easter coming up this weekend. This is the most important Christian Holiday because this is when (we) God’s children (past, present and future) were “purchased” through Jesus’ death on the cross. Jesus was the sacrifice that was accepted as “payment” for God’s children. So of course this holiday is even marred by taking the focus off Jesus and putting it on eggs, bunnies, candy and whatever. It’s interesting how some pagan traditions just casually blended in and today, it’s just normal, most of us probably never thought much about it: “conditioned by tradition”. The celebrations aren’t “bad” unless we allow them take the focus off Jesus. This day/celebration commemorates the greatest gift we’ve ever been offered, and many people don’t even comprehend this, therefore can’t appreciate this.
I hope and pray that more people begin to realize our purpose here on earth, how God is trying to reach us, how much He loves us and wants us to be a part of His Kingdom. Pay attention to the “conditioned by tradition” and don’t let it happen to you.
UPDATE: March 30, 2022 (almost a year to the date that this post was first published) so I felt compelled to update this post. I was raised Catholic and realized what is contained in this video on my own without anyone pointing it out to me; and it shocked me! This video is definitely worth watching: YouTube Video Link click here.
S.A.I.L. 