Fear.

Fear is at the root of all the lies, violence, war, corruption, hate, abuse, treachery, and evil in our world.

And so, rather than trying to win out against our enemies, we should be addressing the fears that divide us.

Ultimately this can only be done by trusting the Love of God.

God loves us like our mother only more so.

And our mother will not abandon us.

And if she does God will take us up.

"If my father and mother forsake me,

the Lord will take me up." 

Psalm 27:10 (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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Crisis.

One of the things that the election of Donald Trump has done is embolden conservative, anti-gay governments around the world to defund and criminalize same-sex relations to such an extent that activist groups and shelter organizations are facing an ongoing crisis.

Corporate and business sponsors are deserting in droves as Trump's ideological war takes hold.  

Many centers will have to close and other services will have to be scaled back.

And all this while facing an increase in violence and hate crimes.

Trump is using the Bible to justify hate.

And those Christians who support him must be held responsible for his crimes.

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Staighteners.

Those who harass gay people and try to straighten them are wasting their time.

Homosexuality can not be changed by subtle sabotage or force.

The best they can hope for is a hypocritical pretense that will not last.

Homosexuality is love.

And love is from God.

God loves his gay sons and daughters.

He does not discriminate.

So leave us alone.

And let our love flourish. 

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The Heart.

It is no use justifying yourself by the intensity of your feelings.

Passion is not Love.

And lawlessness is not freedom.

We are called to practise some principles and ideals.

Honesty and compassion are allies of the love in our hearts.

But if you have a black heart that is full of darkness and hate.

A heart that is merciless, sadistic, and vicious.

A heart that is blind and will not love.

This is spiritual death.

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Punishment.

The Old Testament teaching that God brings misfortune upon people as punishment for sin and disobedience is obsolete.

It is refuted in the Book of Job and in the New Testament.

But this mentality survives to this day as Prosperity Theology.

And it infects many Christian Churches.

The reaction of Fundamentalist and Evangelical Churches, particularly in the United States, to the AIDS crisis is a classic example.

They said that AIDS was punishment from God for the sin of homosexuality.

And that homosexuals would go to hell.

But these claims have long been disputed, even within the Christian Churches.

AIDS is cured.

There is no longer any pretext for their prejudice.

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Passion.

Generation X have Neptune in Scorpio.

They are all passion and no principles.

They justify corruption and violence by the intensity of their feelings.

And they normalize hate and evil.

But this is no high road.

It is the low road of pragmatism and base passions.

But it has been endorsed by the religious right and backed up by corporate-owned media.

It is the way of the world.

Not the way of God.

And it should be recognized as such.

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Thou Shall Not Kill.

In the Old Testament God tells the Prophets to kill sinners and idolaters.

And they killed the disobedient of their own free will.

But this is to disobey the Commandment not to kill.

Some of the Prophets put words into God's mouth.

These are assumptions or hallucinations inspired by unconscious fears.

But if they kill in God's name they have not reached full enlightenment.

Because God is non-violent.

God is beyond our human assumptions.

God is not a projection of worldly authorities.

He does not punish and judge.

God is transcendent - beyond sin and evil.

So do not take everything in the Bible at face value.

Any instruction to kill or use violence or force is mistaken.

And it should be overridden by the Commandments not to kill, or hold a grudge, or take revenge.

In the East God is non-violent - Ahimsa.

And we should be non-violent as well.

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