Gay Men.

Gay men go to Heaven.

Homosexuality is not a bar to Heaven in itself.

Homosexuality is love.

And Love is the inmost nature of God.

So gay men are blessed by God.

And they can partake of Eternal Life.

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Good and Evil.

When the world was created it was good.

"God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good."  Genesis 1:31 (NRSV)

Evil came into the world when humankind invented Dualism which led to the creation of evil.

This is why the original sin was eating the fruit of "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."*  Genesis 2:17 (NRSV)

Evil is an idea - the converse of the good that is God.

So evil is rebellion against God.

And there have been people who chose this path from the beginning.

And they exist today.

So our task is not to overcome some mythical devil and the power of death** but to realize that death is not real.

And that the only evil that exists is the evil which exists in the minds of men and women.

So death and the dark arts have no substance in reality.

God's creation is wholly good.

"and indeed, it was very good"  Genesis 1:31 (NRSV)

(*NB There is no punishment for this.  Evil leads to suffering and death is its own reward.)

(**Dualism states that God is good, light, truth, life, and love and the devil is evil, darkness, lies, death, and hate.)

[Scripture quotation (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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Life!

Sitting alone in the garden

I am surrounded by Life!

Vibrant green trees,

Beautiful flowers,

Birds of the air

calling to their mates,

Insects,

Butterflies.

A dog barking,

A silent cat.

Everywhere there is Life.

And the Presence of God!

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Evil.

What are we to make of people who do what we would call evil in our world?

Things like: violence. murder, torture, crime, lies, intimidation, stealing, exploitation, and oppression.....

These things are "demons" which are urges twisted by fear and wounds.

These people are to be pitied because they are afflicted.

They are miserable and they suffer.

But God can remove these "demons".

This is what Jesus and the disciples did in ancient times.

It was their understanding that they were physical demons - evil spirits - within people.

We do not believe this.

  

But there are "demons" within people's psyches that can be removed.

They are urges that have been twisted by fear and wounds.

And we all have them.

So perhaps we are not so different from those we call evil.

It then becomes a matter of degree.

And God will not show mercy to some and not to others.

But what happens when we die?

 

My understanding of God is that He will show mercy and heal us.

Hell is out of character.

For God is Love.

And His Love will prevail.

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The Laborers.

On Sunday we had the Parable of the Laborers in which the master pays the workers the same wage no matter how long they worked. (Matthew 20)

This suggests that all will receive the same blessing in Heaven.

So what are we to make of statements like: "your reward is great in heaven" (Matthew 5:12) and "a prophet's reward" (Matthew 10:41) and the treatment of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25.

My experience of God is that He shows mercy to everyone no matter what they have done.

And so He treats everyone equally.

I do not believe that God judges us according to our deeds.

And if we are forgiven others will be forgiven also.

But what of evil deeds and injury?

My understanding of these things is that they are caused by fear.

And things that are caused by fear are forgivable.

God does not conform to our human concept of Natural Justice*

God is merciful towards all His children.

And so the Parable of the Laborers is more true about God than other conceptions of rewards and punishments.

But what of injury and debt?

"For you say, 'I am rich. I have prospered, I need nothing.'  You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked."  Revelation 3:17 (NRSV)

These are those who are imprisoned by their fears and their deeds are to be pitied not judged.

And so the injury and debt that they have incurred will be forgiven and they will be free.

As we are free.

(*Rewards for good deeds and punishment for bad deeds.)

[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 Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.

I would say: "You've got me in between the Devil and the Pharisees."

We are stuck between devil-worshippers at large in the community and Churches controlled by modern-day Pharisees.

We are tempted, corrupted, and poisoned by devil-worshippers in music, sports, and entertainment.

And we are threatened, misled, and controlled by those who usurp the power of God.

The Churches are dominated by those who enforce the traditional theology of sin and judgement.

And those who have appropriated the name of Jesus.

This is why Jesus was so critical of the Pharisees and why they killed him.

But there is an alternative.

Progressive Christianity does not enforce judgement or sin.

Rather we worship a God of mercy and love.

A God who forgives us and offers us grace.

This is not to say that God condones corrupt or bad behavior.

He does not.

But the fears that cause us to compromise our principles fall away.

And we become good people.

Transformed by the goodness of God.

And centered in a good and open heart.

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Rap Music.

Rap music is obscene, nasty, homophobic, monotonous, boring, and bad.....

It is no improvement on rock music.

And Satanism is rife within it.

Its fashions are ugly.

And its politics is fascist.

So don't assume that the next generation of musicians are exempt.

They are not.

Rap music is Satanic.

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