Introduction
This blog was created with the aim of inviting people to heed Jesus's call to love one another—a call found in the long discourse He delivered immediately after instituting the Last Supper (and the accompanying washing of the feet) and prior to His death. Below are the posts on this topic that will appear on the blog in the near future:
Christianity as Ideology According to E. Fromm
In his essay To Have or to Be?, E. Fromm wrote that for a Christian who does not live according to the values of “Being”—namely giving, sharing, self-sacrifice, and love—but rather according to the values of “Having”—such as success, money, and power—religion is merely an ideology. That is, it is a set of ideas they subscribe to without in the least affecting the structure of their own character. Fromm goes so far as to argue that, throughout history, only small communal groups have managed to fully live out Christian values; this is a view I cannot share, as numerous Saints have demonstrated the contrary.
Love for One's Neighbor
The commandment to love one's neighbor already existed in the Old Testament—specifically in the Book of Leviticus—and Jesus explains it through the “Parable of the Good Samaritan.” An interpretation of this parable reveals that the “neighbor” to be loved is any person in need, regardless of nationality, gender, social status, proximity, or any other factor.
Mutual Love
However, in the Gospel of John, Jesus goes further, inviting His disciples—those who accept His message—to love one another just as He has loved us, setting the example through the washing of the feet. In my view, washing someone's feet represents attending to the humblest and most hidden aspects of a person; thus, the love Jesus speaks of—as recounted by Saint John—is a love expressed not merely in words, but through deeds and in truth.
Christian Communities, Nomadelfia, and Kibbutzim
The Acts of the Apostles recounts that the early Christians shared everything, ensuring that no one lacked anything. This model has been adopted by the modern-day Nomadelfia community in Grosseto, where all income is pooled into a common fund that individuals can draw from according to their needs. The Jewish people developed a similar concept with the kibbutz.
ChurchCRM Software
Regardless of whether a formal community is established, one can put Jesus's call to mutual love into practice within a church, community center, club, or similar setting. This can be done by entering personal data into a database—specifically, information gathered via a form detailing the assistance people can offer (companionship, caring for the sick, after-school support, various repairs, etc.) and the needs they have (financial difficulties, loneliness, illness, etc.). This process can be managed using ChurchCRM, an open-source software built with PHP and MySQL. Naturally, someone needs to query the database to match offers of help with specific needs. This software is described in the Open Source Church Wikibook. A survey form in ODF format that individuals can fill out is available here .
If anyone is considering using ChurchCRM within their parish, community center, or club, please let me know by emailing lovepeacejoy404@gmail.com so we can collaborate. Thank you.