Thought for the week - ONE WORLD, ONE DREAM…..ONE LIE?

Tuesday, 02 September 2008
solomonstarnews.com

I WAS rather intrigued by the theme that the Chinese people had adopted for the Olympic Games. “One World, One Dream.”

Well, the first part is easy enough to understand. Of course there is only one world. One in the physical sense anyway.
We know what it looks like, where it fits into the solar system, how big it is, how much of it is land, and sea, and we know roughly how many people live on it – all of us human beings, much the same, with minor differences such as skin colour, size, education levels, wealth etc.

Yes, there is one world, in that sense. Of course there are other ways of looking at the world too, which very clearly show out the world is not one.

We used to talk about the one third and two thirds world, or about developed and developing nations.
We can talk about the rich and the poor, the healthy and the sick or disabled. And when we begin to look at the world in that light, there is more than just one world.

The world that the disabled impoverished slum dweller lives in is a very different world that the multi millionaire businessman in the western world.

The world of the subsistent gardener in a Malaita village is very different that that of the middle class family in a Sydney suburb.

As Christians, we can also look at the world from a faith perspective, like the Bible does. Here too, we see not just one world, but two.

We see the world of faith, and the world of unbelief – the world of people in fellowship with God through Christ, and those not in fellowship with Him.

These two worlds are also called Kingdoms – the kingdom of heaven, of God, of light, as opposed to the kingdom of darkness, of Satan, of evil. These two Kingdoms or worlds are very different.

But from a physical perspective, there is indeed one world. But what about the “One Dream” part? Is there any such thing as one dream for the world?

Somehow, I doubt it. I suspect it will be more realistic to speak of many dreams. Each one of us will have his or her own dream.

Each nation may have its own dream, but they will be vastly different from any other. But is there any one dream that might just draw us together, a dream we may share? Let me quote the explanation from the Olympic website:

“One World One Dream” fully reflects the essence and the universal values of the Olympic spirit –  Unity, Friendship, Progress, Harmony, Participation and Dream. It expresses the common wishes of people all over the world, inspired by the Olympic ideals, to strive for a bright future of Mankind.

In spite of the differences in colours, languages and races, we share the charm and joy of the Olympic Games, and together we seek for the ideal of Mankind for peace. We belong to the same world and we share the same aspirations and dreams.
Sounds very ideal, doesn’t it?  Can anyone really disagree with that? Well. I, for one can. And the reason is that it is trying to strive for a God ordained goal without God in the picture, and using godless philosophy.

God’s revealed plan for humanity is to live in peace, first with him, and then with one another. A look at the quote from the Olympics puts mankind with a capital M. In other words, it is all about man. The Olympic world and spirit has man at the centre.

And that just doesn’t work, does it? History has demonstrated that well enough. Even while Russia and Georgia were competing in this so-called spirit of unity and peace in Beijing, they were shooting each other on the ground in Eastern Europe.

And while the Chinese were putting on all the smiles for the visitors and athletes to their city, the oppression against the people in Tibet continued.

It’s time we stopped believing the humanistic lie. Oneness can never be reached by using principles inspired by the Olympic spirit (whatever that may be).

The bright future we aspire to can only be attained one way. It will not be through sport, or through any humanistic philosophy or ideal.

The Bible points us in the right direction. It points us to faith in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul reminds us that there is a way to peace and unity. Let’s see how he puts it as he writes to the Ephesian church.

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit……one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all….”

There we have the key. The theme that will help us find unity and peace for all humanity is found in Jesus. One world, one hope, one Saviour. If only people and nations would turn to Christ. But it does of course start with you and me.

Are we following a humanistic dream that will never be realised, or are we following a Saviour who gives true and eternal peace and joy?