The Gay Community.

There is no need to remind the Gay Community of the prejudice and hostility that still affects gay and lesbian people.

Political activism and perseverance will see us win out in the end.

But there is another negative influence which affects the Gay Community of which not many are aware.

And that is the dark influence hidden in rock music.

Gay venues invariably play rock music and videos for their patrons.

But there is sabotage and cursing in their products.

They whip up sexual promiscuity and wreck relationships with their superficial propaganda.

The excessive sexual activity of the 1970s was deliberately induced by duboius rock stars and celebrities.

And this will happen again unless we become more aware of the motives and techniques of those who entertain us.

Superficial sexual relationships were encouraged in the past when homosexuality was illegal and most gay men were married or in the closet.

This is no longer the case.

Young gay men are looking for a long-term relationship or even marriage.

So we must be aware of what we are watching and listening to at gay venues.

Moderation is advised in our modern environment.

But you won't here that from rock musicians.

So be aware.

And live!

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Pleasure.

When we are young we experience pleasure and we assume that this will make us happy.

But indulgence in pleasure leads to burn-out and emptiness.

It is not the solution it promised to be.*

This makes us very bad-tempered.

Until we find love.

Love is the universal panacea.

To be loved is good but to love is even better.

So give your love and live!

(*Pleasure is not banned but should be practised in moderation.)

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The Truth.

The Reality is that God is Love.

He does not punish us.

He does not judge us.

He forgives us with His infinite Mercy.

And He nurtures us like a Mother.

This is the Truth.

"'and the truth will make you free.'"  John 8:32 (NRSV)

This is the Good News to all who have all their lives been imprisoned by fear.

[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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Love.

"God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them."  1 John 4:16 (NRSV)

"The inmost nature of God is love."  (Bhagavad-Gita)

So if you love God and love your neighbor you are constantly in love and in communion with God.

Love flows through your whole being.

And you are Home!

[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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Service.

If you are doing things because you think you're supposed to the chances are that you are acting out of fear.

The result of this is usually a sense of resentment that you are being asked to do something you don't really want to do.

And this reluctance can make you unhappy and bad-tempered.

This is the opposite of what is intended.

But if your motivation is love and a genuine desire to help then you will experience joy!

This is the great happiness that comes from loving God and loving your neighbor.

And there is no experience greater than this.

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3 Generations.

Satanism in rock music affects each generation according to the generational planets in their horoscopes.

And so the Baby-Boomers were encouraged to indulge in bodily pleasures - "sex and drugs and rock and roll."; "The Flesh Failures."*

Generation X were encouraged to hate and use violence and evil to win - "Sometimes you kick"; "The Devil Inside."

The Millennials are being assailed by rock stars and tempted to turn to wickedness and evil magic.

So be aware.

We have been betrayed.

Rock music is Satanism. 

(*The alternative title for "Let the Sun Shine In" the last song of Hair.)

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Beast.

The origin of the Beast is in the prophetic dreams of Daniel in the Bible.

It also appears in the Book of Revelation

It represents powers that use violence and brutality to conquer and maintain dominance.

In Daniel there are four Beasts which represent the Empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome.

The Beast in Revelation is the Empire of Rome and the man whose number is 666 is Nero Caesar.

But the Beast represents anyone who relies on violence and force to establish power.

We are seeing increasing references to Beasts in sports and entertainment.

This is no accident.

Satanism in our popular culture deliberately portrays Beasts as desirable, powerful, and successful.

Most people do not realize the sinister origins of these words and images.

So if you are supporting Beasts you are endorsing the use of violence and brutality to achieve your ends.

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Sex.

When we are young we can have problems related to sex that stem from viewing the beloved as a sex object.

This is not recognizing that the object of our desire is in fact a human being.

But with desire comes love.

And with love comes respect.

So if we always respect the loved one's wishes, and right, and vows.....then we will have no further problems with sex.

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Life!

When I was young I thought that God was far away in Heaven.

My scientific education presented me with a world devoid of God.

But now I know that God is everywhere.

He is the sap in the trees, the pollen in the flowers, the oxygen in the air, the life of the waters, the warmth of the Sun, the fertility of the earth, the healing of the body, and much more,,,,,

He resides in all the animals that surround us.

And He is in all the peoples of the Earth.

But the inmost nature of God is love.

And the Divine Spark, out soul, is in our hearts.

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Counterpoint.

And so to counter the influence of Satanism in our popular culture we can orient ourselves to the good by practising:

Mercy, forgiveness, compassion, charity, honesty, altruism, generosity, benevolence, tolerance, truthfulness, care, and unconditional love.....

We can endorse: Light, Life, and Love!

And open our hearts to others.

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Astray.

The truth is that Satanism hidden in our popular culture is leading everyone astray.

They tell you to indulge in bodily pleasures, to endorse obsession and addiction, to hate, to chase after fame and fortune, to think of the devil as lucky and successful, to worship money, and to rely on materialism..... 

These things will not lead to the happiness they promise.

They lead to emptiness, burn-out, alienation, delusion, and suicide.

They are malicious lies and falsehoods.

And they display the flames of hell.

Those who push these things are betraying you.

They want your soul in hell.

And they think that the sins they sell will get you there.

They think that the devil will reward them with fame, fortune, and a rock star reception.

But there is no devil in reality.

So their hope is a delusion.

But the damage they do remains.

And we suffer for it.

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Jonah.

In church we have been studying the Book of Jonah.

Jonah was sent to prophesy to the wicked city of Nineveh via a boat trip in the opposite direction and three days in the belly of a whale.

I wondered what the wickedness of Nineveh was.

And I found later in the text: "All shall turn from their evil ways and the violence that is in their hands."  Jonah 3:8 (NRSV)

And: "people who do not know their right hand from their left."  Jonah 4:11 (NRSV)

So the sins of Nineveh were violence and ignorance.

And these are problems in our world today.

[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Educaion 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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Love.

There is a part of you that cannot be touched by what you have thought or what you have done.

This is your inner child, your soul, that is the Divine Spark within you.

And because this soul is in essence Divine it is entirely good because God is entirely good.

This is your true self, and it is good.

It is descended from God, and it is immortal.

It is the part of you that loves, and that love is infinite.

For love is the inmost nature of God.

And love is the universal panacea.

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Money.

Jesus said: "'No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and money (sic).'"  Matthew 6:24 (NRSV)

Many Christians rationalize their love of money by practising what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called "Cheap Grace".

That is accepting the blessings of God and Jesus but not making any changes to their behavior.

They merely behave as everyone around them behaves - and that is to accumulate money and possessions.

This is their security; not the security of trust in the Love of God.

[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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Fear.

The bane of Christianity is fear.

All the force and violence and finger-pointing that Christians do is caused by fear.

Fear of God and fear of Satan.

But we have nothing to fear from God.

God loves us.

He does not punish us and He does not judge us.

And in the end perhaps Satan does not exist.

There is enough fear and evil in humanity to explain our experiences; there does not need to be some supernatural being directing it.

And so we can let go of our fear.

And we can express our love.

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Hidden Evil.

We think that we are enlightened and aware.

But evil is present and active in our daily lives.

It is hidden.

It lurks in rock music and videos, in movies, novels, TV, and sports.....

It appears in advertising.

It turns us to darkness, hatred, and evil.

It sells selfishness and hedonism.

It induces addiction, obsession, and indulgence.

These things do not bring happiness.

They serve money and evil.

They invoke the flames of hell.

So open your eyes and your mind.

But most of all open your heart.

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Counterplay.

What then must we do?

To counteract the corrupting and deceiving voices in our popular culture we must cultivate virtues and principles in line with the goodness of God.

These include non-materialistic values like: generosity, charity, compassion, forgiveness, mercy, non-violence, and unconditional love.

We must turn away from death and darkness and seek Light, Life, and Love. 

Rock music is the devil's music.

So listening to sacred classical music will help.

Addictions to sports, gambling, and sex can be countered by volunteering and moderation.

Studying scripture and prayer connect us with the Divine that is the source of Light, Life, and Love.

Sincerity and integrity will lead you to the Living God.

And He will show you His Salvation!

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Satanism.

Satanism is not the insignificant fringe phenomenon that most people think it is.

Satanism saturates our popular culture.

It is based on the concept of death.

This is the death to God of St. Paul.

And its allies: darkness, night, shadows, hate, and evil.

These things dominate modern entertainment: rock music, movies, novels, sports, comedy, reality TV etc..

But because most of this takes place in the subconscious most people are unaware of it.

But it is there!

And it poisons our minds.

So don't just take things at face value.

There may be malice and evil hidden beneath.

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Light.

Light is at the center of the galaxy.

Stars and planets revolve around the Light.

There is no center to the Universe.

The universal center is everywhere.

So we only have the model of the galaxy.

And, as with the Solar System, Light is at the center.

This symbolizes the Reality that God is at the center of everything.

And God is everywhere.

The Light shines and is not diminished.

When stars die new stars are born.

This is the eternal cycle of Life. 

And if gravity is Love then everything is bound by Love.

For God is Love.

And Love leads us to the Light.

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Black.

Remember when everything went black?

Clothing, electrical equipment, sunglasses, cars, humor, movies, novels, science, hearts.....everything!

And the uniform for corporate workers became all black.

And it still is.

This is no accident.

Black is darkness.

And darkness hides things.

What it hides is the corruption and exploitation of corporations.

And the materialism and cupidity of Generation X. 

But that is not all that is hidden.

Right-wing plutocrats and politicians use scapegoating methods devised by the Nazis to boost their support and blame their opposition.

Left-wing liberals and gays and lesbians* are charged with the blame for Satanism in rock music and all the evils of society.

This was popularized by Ronald Reagan who called the Hippie Generation "Unconscious agents of the devil." and demonized his political opponents.

This created what Hitler called "Moral Ease" for the Right.

But this is not all.

Big business and their sporting allies have used black magic and Satanic methods in the hope of boosting their sales and popularity and reversing the blame.

Satanic magic is backwards and upside-down and this is what has happened.

Satan is the Prince of Darkness.

And what the darkness hides is evil indeed.

(*Gays and Lesbians are obvious targets because of the fear and hostility created by AIDS.)

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Peace.

Today is the International Day of Peace and our church is decorated with hundreds of paper cranes.

This is to commemorate the story of Sadako and the Thousand Cranes.

Sadako was two years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

She developed leukemia and folded a thousand paper cranes in the hope of being healed.

Unfortunately she died some years later.

But the thousand cranes were placed in the Peace Memorial in Hiroshima.

And they are still there today.

Now more than ever our world needs peace.

Conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine disturb us daily.

Myanmar and Kashmir have seen armed revolts.

Even the United States is on the brink of violence.

So pray for peace.

And do what you can to bring peace in our world.

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Moderation.

"Moderation in all things."

Hesiod 700 BCE.

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Progressive Christianity.

I am a Progressive Christian.

I am also openly gay.

And I am a full member of the Uniting Church in Australia.

I do not subscribe to the traditional theology of the Fall of Humanity through Adam and Eve and our Redemption through Jesus' death on the cross.

I believe that the story of Adam and Eve is a myth.

It is not true literally, and it is not true metaphorically. 

It is just one of many explanations for life on Earth as we experience it.

I do not believe that Jesus' suffering and death were required by God to expiate our sins.

I believe that the powers of this world were threatened by Jesus' miracles and his popularity and that they put him to death as an example to anyone who dared to challenge their authority.

These powers were the ruling power of Rome and the established authorities of Judaism in Israel.

So what do I believe?

I believe that the inmost nature of God is Love.

God loves all His children like a Father/Mother.

Think of your mother's love for you and magnify it.

God is wholly good.

God is merciful and forgiving.

God is compassionate.

God is Light, Life, and Love.

There is no fear in God.

God does not judge or punish us.

God loves us.

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The Curse.

The curse of our world is Satanism hidden in our popular culture.

Unknown to most people Satanism dominates rock music and entertainment, literature and sports.

The devil is the Prince of Darkness (The Black One).

So beware of anything black, dark, night, shadows, hate, death, evil..... 

The Beast represents violence and brutality.

And the Whore of Babylon rides the Beast.

The devil may not exist in reality but the damage done by those who do believe in him is crippling.

It is sabotage.  It is poison.

We are cursed!

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What Do You Stand For?

The Hippies stand for: Peace, Love, Compassion, and the Redistribution of Wealth.

Generation X stand for: War, Hate, Cruelty, Greed, and Cupidity.

What do you stand for?

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Same-Sex Love.

Spirituality has a history of Same-Sex Love.

Ancient Yogis and Teachers emphasized the love relationship with their male disciples.

The Same Sex Love relationship between King David - the writer of the Psalms - and Jonathan is celebrated in the Bible.

The disciple that Jesus loved was a man - the Disciple John - who laid his head over Jesus' heart at the Last Supper.

And Jesus said to Peter: "Do you love me?" three times.  John 21:15-17 (NRSV)

Islamic Sufism boasts the famous love relationship between Rumi and Shams-i-Tabrizi (two men).

And my own Yogi - Shri Vijayadev Yogendra - is the son of Founder who was loved by the Yogi Paramhamsaji.

When the two men met Mani (later called Founder) was an 18 year old muscleman with a Mr. Universe physique.

So, rather than being frowned upon, Same-Sex Love is the very foundation stone of Spirituality.

(NB It is Traditional.)

[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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Homosexuality.

Homosexuality has been made a scapegoat by evil forces in our society.

And right-wing political parties have taken advantage of this to boost support.

In response to the AIDS crisis Generation X retreated into the safety of heterosexuality.

But at the same time their fear entrenched virulent homophobia.

And it is this homophobia which we are now confronted with.

The booing of AFL footballer Isaac Quaynor for reporting a homophobic slur is a blatant example of this.

It is unacceptable and it should not be tolerated.

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The Tombs of the Prophets.

Jesus said: "'Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, and you say, "If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets."  Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets.'"  Matthew 23: 29-31 (NRSV)

[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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The Passion of Jesus.

The Passion and death of Jesus is not some ransom for our sins demanded by an angry God.

But it is the vengeance and violence of the established worldly powers.

And a return to the dominance and brutality of the rich and powerful.

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Money.

At the root of the betrayal of the masses by conservative Christians is money!

The rich and powerful have formed an alliance with traditional Christianity that usurps the power of God and enslaves the masses.

This has been done since the time of the Pharaohs.

And it continues today.

The ruling powers of this world use violence and threat to subjugate the good to their wills and establish absolute power.

And absolute power corrupts absolutely.

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Weapons.

The rich and powerful of this world use the unconventional weapons* in Christianity to suppress and destroy any opposition to their rule on Earth. 

And so damnation, shaming, and blaming have become weapons in the hands of ruthless right-wing political and economic leaders.

(*Ronald Reagan was quoted as saying: "Christianity contains unconventional weapons.")

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Salvation.

"Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, 'Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.'  Then Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man came to seek out and save the lost.'"  Luke 19:8-10 (NRSV)

God does not judge us or punish us.

There is no damnation, no hell.

But you are not saved unless you change your behavior.

[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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Degeneration.

Since 1984 there has been a gradual degeneration of the conscience of our world.

The idea that money justifies everything has undermined the principles on which our society was built.

Idealism is attacked.

And honesty is marginalized.

Exploitation is universal.

And corruption is the norm.

But nothing lasts forever.

The time has come to redress the decline and reestablish some sense of proportion.

For God is good.

But the works of the world are evil*.

(*John 7:7) 

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Beneath Contempt.

Those who say bad is good, who laud materialism, who worship money, and who love the devil.....

Are beneath contempt.

Because they have inverted the natural definition of goodness to justify their evil deeds.

And those who support them share in that evil.

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Black.

"And this is the judgement, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil."  John 3:19 (NRSV)

[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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Bad.

Materialism, Cupidity, Violence, Intimidation, Attitude, Obsession, Hate, Addiction, Evil.....

These things are Bad.

And we should say so!

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C.E.O.

C.E.O. bonuses:

10 million dollars to betray everyone.

And they did.

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The Will of God.

It is ironic to say the least that those who choose to enforce what they perceive to be the Will of God are not reflecting that Will at all.

Those who impose their image of a harsh God who judges and punishes sin do not know God.

Pope Francis called them imposters.

For the Will of God is not the rule of draconian moral laws but the reign of goodness and love.

And the fear of God is not the fear of punishment and damnation but respect for those things that please God.

And that is basic honesty, charity, and love.

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Sympathy.

Why do Fundamentalist Christians have no sympathy for the poor or the suffering?

The answer to that is that they believe that their poverty and suffering is their own fault because God is punishing them for their sins.

Conversely they believe that affluence and prosperity are signs of God's favor.

So they don't need to help the poor or the disadvantaged.

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Science and Faith.

When we are young we are educated in a purely scientific way.

But God is absent from this worldview.

Not that science is wrong, it just excludes the Sacred from its approach.

And so we think that God is absent.

But God is everywhere in Nature.

He is the sap in the trees. the oxygen in the water, the heat of the Sun.....

And His Divine Spark is in animals and humans.

But the work of doctors and nurses is His Healing work.

And the work of activists is the working of His Justice.

And so a balance can be found between Science and Faith.

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