Equals.

When we hear the word Christians in the media it always refers to extreme right-wing Christians.

But there is a Religious Left.

The Religious Left is largely a demographic that lives outside of the institutionalized Churches.

It includes, however, Progressive Christians many of whom are involved in Churches.

The Religious Right believes that it has a monopoly on the Divine.

But this is not true.

The Religious Left is equal with them before God.

And it is the Religious Left that will lead us into the Age of Aquarius.

So when you hear the word Christians be aware that it does not just refer to right-wing extremists.

The Religious Left is equally justified.


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Fear.

So what is it that corrupts the tenants of God's House?

By making Jesus the Christ they created an absolute which gave them absolute power.

And absolute power corrupts absolutely.

But I believe that the major problem is fear.

Fear of God, fear of sin, fear of sex, fear of women, fear of homosexuals, fear of punishment, fear of judgement, fear of humanity, fear of hell.....

These are the things which cause all the trouble.

But, you ask, why does not God tell them?

The answer is that He does.

Periodically God sends a messenger who has developed a better understanding to prophesy to them.

But they won't listen.

They attack the messenger and kill him.

"'Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it!'"  Matthew 23:37 (NRSV)

This is what Jesus meant when he said: "'For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, "Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord."'"  Matthew 23;39 (NRSV)

So, if we are to instigate an improvement, we must address their fears.

One of which is fear of criticism.

We must proceed gently with constructive criticism which does not trigger fear of challenges to their authority.

This is itself based on fear - fear of being wrong or of displeasing God which would result in hell.

Which is fear itself.

But there is no hell.

God does not punish our mistakes.

God forgives our errors.

And God shows infinite mercy.

God is All-Good.

He is our loving Father.

And we are His children.


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

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God's House.

The church is God's House.

Ideally it is a refuge from the harsh realities of our world.

A place where people find sanctuary in the protective Love of God.

It is also a House of Prayer.

It is a place where people can come to petition God for help.

Unfortunately the tenants of God's House are prone to corruption and vice.

"Ah, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves!  Should not shepherds feed the sheep?  You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep.  You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured, you have not brought back the strayed, you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them."  Ezekiel 34:2-4 (NRSV)

In Matthew 23 Jesus denounces the Pharisees for pride, hypocrisy, and extortion.

And in Luke 20 Jesus tells The Parable of the Wicked Tenants. 

All these refer to God's priesthood - His representatives on Earth.

And it is these representatives who killed Jesus.

So when you enter God's House be aware that you are not merely encountering God but His priesthood also.


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]

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Face Facts.

The Church cannot afford to continue to hold a nostalgic view of the past.

To romanticize Christendom and pretend that because most people went to church the world was perfect and spotless is tantamount to delusion.

It was not.

The Churches were full of hypocrites and pedophiles.

It was "a jungle out there".

And there were two world wars.

Christian missionaries abused thousands and destroyed indigenous cultures all over the world.

When will they face facts?

To continue to congratulate ourselves on how good we are in the face of a public image which is morally bankrupt is the road to disaster.

The Christian Churches are dying.

When will we wake up and face facts?


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Drag.

In my experience drag queens are very compassionate people.

They are soft and sympathetic.

It would seem that their sensitivity and their experience of prejudice and discrimination has made them more compassionate than the average person.

I can only think that this is a good thing.


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Distortions.

Evangelical Christians believe that all Hippies and gays are evil.

They know that the superstars of the 1960s and 1970s were secret Satanists out to corrupt a whole generation.

But their Satanism wore a mask.

Peace, love, and social justice appeared on the covers of the albums.

But sex and drugs and rock and roll was the outcome.

This, and worse, was hidden behind the mask.

But, under the instruction of Ronald Reagan (a right-wing politician), American Evangelical Christians were told that the left-leaning Hippies were all agents of Satan.

Unfortunately they took this at face value and condemned peace, love, and social justice an all left-wing, liberal people.

This is distortion.

The Hippies were not evil but the victims of the evil put out by their rock legends.

But Evangelical Christians reserved a special place in hell for gays and lesbians.

They said that all Satanists were gay and all gay people were possessed by demons.

This became a scapegoat for all kinds of evil.

Concurrently they whitewashed Generation X who wore all black and had one foot in the devil's house.

These distortions have been fed by the media for psychological and political purposes.

But the distortion does not end there.

The Baby-Boomer Generation still believe that their rock legends are idealistic good guys like themselves.

This is also a distortion of the truth.

Rock music is the domain of Satanists especially those who follow the teachings of Aleister Crowley.

Aleister Crowley was an early 20th Century black magician and Satanist whose catch-cry was "Do what you will".

This was modified by rock stars into "Do your own thing".

So, while the Hippies were basically good and idealistic, the evil influence of rock music made them selfish and hedonistic as well.

The answer then is to teach the Evangelicals that the Hippies were basically the victims of Satanism not the perpetrators - they were the rock stars.

And not all gays are demonic - there are good gays and bad gays.

And Socialism is not Totalitarianism.

And Liberalism is not Satanism.

But the Baby-Boomers must also admit that their rock legends were secret Satanists and eliminate the evil influence that stems from their music.


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High Ideals 4.

I say that we should maintain our high ideals.

But not if those ideals violate the rights of others.

For the highest ideal of all is:

Love.


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