The Ways of God 2.

A second reason why the ways of God are not followed on earth has to do with the corporations.

Because the corporations own everything, not only do we encounter them directly as our employers, but we encounter them indirectly through the media.

And because everything in the corporations is geared towards making more and more money, the values of Mammon are universal.

How can this be addressed?

The only institution which has more power than the corporations is the government.

If we elect governments which are prepared to regulate the corporations we would be taking the first step towards changing the values we encounter in the world on a daily basis.

Were the state to regulate work place relations, tax evasion, unfair dismissal, media ownership, corporate salaries, shareholder rights etc. we may be able to reverse the widening gap between the rich and the poor.

Anti-discrimination, gay marriage, asylum seekers, immigration, disability insurance, and other social issues can be legislated to create a fairer, more compassionate world.

But it is up to us to overcome our fears and open our hearts to those around us.
Then we may begin to see the ways of God in our world.    

The Ways of God 1.

"In days to come the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it.
"Many people shall come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways, and that we may walk in his paths.'"  Isaiah 2:2,3a (NRSV)

The main reason why this has not happened in the past is because the Churches were not teaching the ways of God.

The Christian Churches preached a version of Christology which did not reflect the pacifist, forgiving, loving nature of God.

How could the nations learn the ways of God if His own Churches did not teach them?

As I have said elsewhere, this is because the conservative establishment usurped the absolute power of the Christ and modified Jesus' message of love and forgiveness to suit their own power and position.

We are only now beginning to see the true nature of Jesus' message as Progressive Christians deconstruct the scriptures to reveal the true ways of God: unconditional love, forgiveness, benevolence, and equality.


(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.)

Sign Posts.

It is our responsibility to show men and women the way to God.
So that at least they are heading in the right direction.

In this we will be directly contradicting what they are being told by the media and the entertainment industries.

Rather than money, fast cars, nasty sex, filthy, wicked, materialism, power and status we will be emphasizing the things of God: people, love, compassion, forgiveness, non-violence, moderation, charity, equality, and the common good.

These are the characteristics which point to God.

Through prayer, contemplation, and study we can experience God for ourselves.

But first we must practice the commandments of Jesus:
"'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'"  Matthew 22:37 (NRSV)
"'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"  Matthew 22:39b (NRSV)
"'Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.'"  Luke 6:27,28 (NRSV)

If we do this we will be following in the footsteps of Jesus which lead directly to 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.)

You Can Count On Me.

If only people knew that they can call on God in distress and He will deliver them.

We are so used to thinking of God as absent or inactive, or even unreal.

"For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper.
"He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.
"From oppression and violence he redeems their life; and precious is their blood in his sight."  Psalm 72:12-14 (NRSV)

"'Is my hand shortened, that I cannot redeem?
"'Or have I no power to deliver?'"  Isaiah 50:2b (NRSV)

"'Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,' says the Lord."  Jeremiah 1:8 (NRSV)

When we are young we feel as if we should not bother God with our prayers.
But as we grow in faith we realize that God listens to our prayers and answers them.

Moses, David, and Jesus all speak of God's steadfast love and compassion.

When there is no one to help.

Cry out to God!

And He will say, "You can count on me."


(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.)

It's a Man's World.

The philosophy of men:

Being strong.
Being tough.
Not crying or whingeing.
Coping.
Competing.
Not showing emotion.
Not showing weakness.
Winning.

This was  the philosophy with which we were confronted as children.

Because this was the dominant philosophy in society it was assumed that this was the philosophy of God.

It is not.

This is the reactive philosophy of the world.

When we realize that this dominant philosophy of the world has nothing to do with God we begin to see.

The mistake comes from confusing worldly authority with divine authority.
A mistake which was made by the institutions of the Church.

The divine right of kings was followed by the born to rule attitude of the conservative establishment, of which the Church was a part.

Once we separate the teachings of Jesus, i.e. love and compassion, from the political conservatism of the establishment we begin to grow.

The social justice agenda of the prophets: the widow, the fatherless, the stranger.....is the opposite of this tough philosophy of the men of the establishment.  It is more Marx than Moses.

So the despised touchy-feely nanny state of socialism turns out to be closer to the true philosophy of God.

Jesus prays, "Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."  Matthew 6:10b (NRSV)

Because what we are taught to obey on earth is not God but men.


(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.)

The Establishment.

When I was growing up it seemed to me that the conservative establishment had appropriated the higher ground in Christianity and used the threatening passages of the Bible to reinforce their position and power.

There was no talk of social justice or freedom from oppression or prejudice, even of corruption or exploitation.
The interests of the rich were not threatened by the Church.

Instead we were handed a fear and smear campaign about sex and selfishness.
The Protestant work ethic reinforced the injustices of the business community.
And everyone was expected to feel ashamed of their natural sexual instincts.

This was done deliberately to subjugate everyone to the rich right-wing establishment.

It was a blatant abuse of the Christian religion.

As we move into the new millennium people are beginning to see that this is not what Jesus intended.
Neither is it God's way.

The prophets exhort us to care for the poor and the disabled, the destitute and the stranger.....
Jesus tells us to love everyone, even our enemies.

So the religion of unconditional love and social justice is emerging from the death of Christendom.
Perhaps the old, corrupt religion has to die before the real religion can be born.

Of course the powers of the world will try once again to usurp this new religion.
We must be on our guard to ward this off.

Just as the teachings of Jesus were usurped by the bishops at Nicea and linked to the Roman state, this new religion could be co-opted by the powers for their own purposes.

We must be sure that this does not happen.

Job and John the Baptist.

"'Because I delivered the poor who cried, and the orphan who had no helper.....and I caused the heart of the widow to sing with joy.....
"'I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame.  I was father to the needy and I championed the cause of the stranger.
"'I broke the fangs of the unrighteous, and made them drop their prey from their teeth.'"  Job 29:12-17 (NRSV)

"'The stranger has not lodged in the street; I have opened my doors to the traveler.'"  Job 31:32 (NRSV)

This is Job's declaration of his righteousness before God.
It consists of charity and social justice.

"And the crowds asked him, 'What then should we do?' In reply he said to them, 'Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none, and whoever has food must do likewise.'
"Even tax-collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, 'Teacher, what should we do?'   He said to them, 'Collect no more than the amount prescribed to you.'  Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?'  He said to them, 'Do not exhort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.'"  Luke 3:10-14 (NRSV)

This was the advice of John the Baptist.
It consists of honesty, charity, and non-violence.

How does this relate to us today?

I would suggest that today we should open our hearts to the poor and the destitute, the disabled and asylum seekers (strangers).  Instead of blaming them for their own misfortune.

I would also suggest that we deal honestly in business.
Not avoiding tax or exploiting labor.
But treating people like our brothers or our children.

Employers should provide as a father provides for his children.
They should open their hearts to their workers and the community around them.
Instead of oppressing and exploiting people out of fear.

We should challenge the conventions which say that we don't have to care about the people we employ, and that we are not responsible to anyone.

"'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'"  Matthew 25:40 (NRSV)

And this includes vulnerable people in third world countries.

I would say to those third world people, "Do not resort to arms or violence in response to oppression and exploitation but cry out to God!"
He will hear you.
And deliver you from their hands.


(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.)

T.V.

I hardly watch T.V. anymore.

I came to the conclusion that what was not (overtly or covertly) Satanic "entertainment" was political propaganda.

So I turned it off.
The news, the sport, the music.....
All of it.

And I'm the better for it.

No longer am I barraged with evil and negativity.

I get my news from the internet, where I have some control over what I watch and read.

I listen to classical music.
Mostly sacred choral music.

I read the Bible with discrimination.

I write.

And I pray.

A People Person.

I would not, in the past, have described myself a people person.

I may have called myself an intellectual, or an artist, or even a contemplative.

But the closer you draw to God the closer you come to the people around you.

The love and the life which accompany the light of God lead directly to everyone around you.

God is profoundly personal.
He knows your inmost heart.
He knows the longings and the desires of your heart.

So now I would describe myself as a people person.

God has brought me closer to the people around me.
He has taken away my fear.

For now all are now my brothers and sisters.

The Great Seal.

The Great Seal of the United States of America uses fairly normal heraldic symbols on the obverse side.  The thirteen states are represented by dots in a circle with the inscription "Out of many, one".

But the reverse side contains Egyptian magical symbols of the pyramid and the all-seeing eye.  The thirteen steps of the pyramid represent the thirteen states. The all-seeing eye represents providence and is flanked by the inscription "Favors our undertakings".  At the bottom of the pyramid is the inscription "New Order of the Ages".

This is powerful magic with the number 13 and the symbols of Egypt.
Perhaps it was no coincidence that America used black slaves as they had in Egypt in ancient times.

The Great Seal was placed on the dollar bill in 1935 when Henry A. Wallace suggested it as a masonic symbol to President Roosevelt (who was a mason) as a symbol of the New Deal.
Roosevelt insisted that the normal heraldic practice of placing the obverse side on the left and the reverse side on the right be reversed so that the words "of the United States of America" were under the obverse side.

From that day on the American dollar has been all powerful.

(N.B. The pyramid on the dollar bill differs from that on the Great Seal in that it appears to be floating on water.  Aquarius?)

Hell.

Where does hell come from?

Before Jesus there was the afterlife which existed in the underworld - Hades and Sheol - a place of shades and spirits, some in torment some in bliss.  But this was not hell - the place of unquenchable fire and eternal torment.

I am reliably told that hell derives from the Book of Revelation - the last book of the Bible.

"And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever."  Revelation 20:10 (NRSV)

The first mention of this lake of fire is slightly earlier in the Book of Revelation.

"And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed in its presence the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped its image.  These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur."  Revelation 19:20 (NRSV)

The Book of Revelation is an exaggeration of all the end times writings of the prophets.
The second of the above quotations (which is the first reference to the lake of fire) derives from the Book of Daniel.

"And as I watched, the beast was put to death, and its body destroyed and given over to be burned with fire."  Daniel 7:11b (NRSV)

It is clear in Daniel that the beast represents a "kingdom" Daniel 7:23 (NRSV) which is defeated in battle.  The slaying of the beast was the last act of war.  And its body was destroyed by fire.

This refers to the ancient practice of burning the bodies of the dead after battle, nothing more.

The writer of Revelation has misinterpreted this passage as meaning some sort of supernatural fire in the same way as he has exaggerated the other end times passages.

So hell does not exist.

We need not fear something which is clearly a misunderstanding.

And this misunderstanding has been responsible for much suffering - from threats of hell-fire to burning people at the stake.
The Bible was their justification.

But the Bible is in error.

There is no hell, only God's Love.


(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.)

Harmony.

Our task is to bring the various factions of God's house into harmony.

"'In my Father's house there are many dwelling-places.'"  John 14:2a (NRSV)

One must not win out over another.

One must not dominate the others.

This does not only refer to the various denominations of Christianity but to all the world's religions.

How can God's house stand if it is divided against itself?

The various religions are like the colors of the spectrum - they all derive from the white light of God - they do not clash but blend harmoniously one into another.

While one religion claims sole access to God His house will not be in harmony. They will exclude all others.

While one religion claims the supreme position of Mother God's house will not be in harmony.  They will dominate all others.

Each religion must be equal for harmony to be achieved.
This will require tolerance and goodwill and flexibility.
Not the animosity and rigidity that comes from fear.

It will require us to get to the heart of our religion.
Not to remain hung up on the details.
Just as the interpretation of scripture requires us to find the inner meaning of each passage and not get hung up on the words.

Will we remain paddling in the shallows or will we return to the deep?
For it is only at the deeper level, when we have let go of the details, that the world's religions will find harmony.


(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.)

Naive Conversion.

I once spoke to a Pentecostal woman about her faith.
She said that she had experienced a naive conversion.

I understood what she meant.

A naive conversion is when you do what you know your superiors want you to do.
Thus you become the golden-haired boy, the apple of her eye, the favorite, the proselyte.

Whilst you are merely doing what you intuitively understand your superiors want you to do you have no real understanding of your faith.  You are merely a puppet or a robot, repeating things by rote.

Inmost cases you will be obeying your superiors' fear :
Their fear of God.  Their fear of Satan.  Their fear of socialism.  Their fear of poverty.  Their fear of being wrong.  Their fear of ostracism.  Their fear of women.  Their fear of homosexuals.  Their fear of liberalism.  Their fear of crime.  Their fear of human nature.  Their fear of sex.  Their fear of evil.  Their fear of hell.

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, for fear has to do with punishment, and whosoever fears has not reached perfection in love."  1 John 4:18 (NRSV)

So seek to understand and overcome your fears, even surpassing the fearful faith of your superiors.

Jesus said, ""For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.'"  Matthew 5;20 (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.)

Good News.

The good news that Jesus proclaimed - the forgiveness of sins, the healing of the sick, the new covenant with God - was a direct challenge to the established religious authorities of the time who taught morality and severe punishments.

After Jesus' death the new authorities returned to the doctrines of original sin, universal condemnation, and judgment.
This was hardly good news.

It would seem that the conservative establishment - the bishops and the founding fathers of Christianity - were more interested in subjugating the masses than liberating them.

So the new teachings of Progressive Christianity - unconditional love, a healthy attitude towards sex and the body, inclusiveness, tolerance, and freedom of thought - could suffer the same fate as the teachings of Jesus if we are not vigilant.

The good news of Progressive Christianity must be preserved from any new authorities who may seek to hijack the new paradigm.

It should be made perfectly clear that we do not wish to return to the negativities of the past.  Nor do we wish to adopt any new negativities that they might dream up.

Once we are liberated we must stay that way!

Dappled Light.

What we see as adults in the world is dappled light.

Scriptures, psalms, hymns, philosophy, literature, art, science.....
All are a mixture of light and darkness.

We are born into darkness, we know nothing.  And yet babies glow with an inner light.  Jesus said, "'Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.'"  Mark 10:15 (NRSV)

We learn from childhood to old age.

We see only fragments of light, often surrounded by darkness.

Sages glimpse the truth and expand on that.  St. Paul said, "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then we will see face to face.  Now I know only in part, then I will know fully, even as I am fully known."  1 Corinthians 13:12 (NRSV)

Our job is to collect the fragments of light.

It has been said of spiritual experience that,  "The color of the water is that of its container" (Al-Junayd 14th century Sufi).

It is our job to separate the fragments of light from the shards of pottery that contain them.

Until we are in darkness no more.


(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.)

Drugs and Divorce.

When we consider the cultural effects of Satanism in the music industry the most obvious effect is the spread of drugs.

This can be traced directly to the rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s.

70% of criminals in prison are there for drug related crimes.

The personal effects can be devastating even leading to mental illness or death.

The other major effect of rock Satanism is to do with personal relationships.

Firstly we were encouraged to score - meaning to accumulate as many sexual conquests as possible.

Secondly we were encouraged to be promiscuous leading to a lack of faithfulness in relationships.

Thirdly we were encouraged to have extra marital affairs leading directly to divorce.

Lastly we were incited to engage in sexual politics leading to power struggles between the sexes and divorce.

All these things can be traced directly to the rock music of the 1960s and 1970s.

How much human suffering has been caused by drugs and divorce?

Add to this the inducement to engage in hedonism, which sabotages the spiritual quest, and there is suffering indeed.

The hippies and baby-boomers were the first to be betrayed by their rock stars.

Subsequent generations have been betrayed in their turn.

Generation X were incited to hate, bad behavior, casual sex, group sex, violence, materialism, and sin.

Generation Y were told to follow the hippies and generation X in hedonism and bad behavior.

Generation Z are following with sex addiction and magic.

The Rainbow Children are being told to engage in promiscuous sex and drug use.

So the rock stars of each generational group are responsible for these negative effects.

Untold suffering follows in their wake.

Concepts.

Aquarius is an air sign (mind).

It represents our concepts.

The new paradigm will sweep away all outdated modes of thinking.
Concepts like punishment, judgment, original sin, universal condemnation, the devil, hell, and death.

Other concepts will be re-imagined like atonement, salvation, redemption, and sin.  These concepts will be purged of their negative characteristics and re-visioned as volunteering, change of heart, reconciliation, and mistakes.

This is the territory of Aquarius.

But it is when we encounter the concept of unconditional love that we begin to see.

Once all the negative characteristics of religion are gone what remains is unconditional love.

When we practice unconditional love - love for God and our neighbor - we begin to grow spiritually.

"'"Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water."'"  John 7:38b (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.)

An Economy of Love.

From Love flows caring.
From caring flows comfort.
From comfort flows ease.
From ease flows happiness.
From happiness flows willingness.
From willingness flows productivity.
From productivity flows profit.

From Love flows generosity.
From generosity flows charity.
From charity flows gratitude.
From gratitude flows goodwill.
From goodwill flows business.
From business flows profit.

From Love flows honesty.
From honesty flows trust.
From trust flows goodwill.
From goodwill flows business.
From business flows trade.
From trade flows profit.

From Love flows providing.
From providing flows food and shelter.
From food and shelter flows gratitude.
From gratitude flows willingness.
From willingness flows productivity.
From productivity flows profit.

Economics.

During the 1990s it was thought that free-market economics was the answer to all human problems.

It was thought that by giving the market free reign it would create jobs and when people had more money they would be happy.

They didn't say what would happen to people who lost their jobs in downsizing.  It was assumed that they would get another job from the pool of new jobs created.

This did happen to some extent.

But there was a price to pay.

Everyone had to work harder, faster, and longer.

This left people with no time for their families and left tiny children in child care.

As the drive for more and more profit went on the human cost became greater and greater.
Until it was too much to bear.

During this period the crime rate escalated.
The more unjust a society is the worse the crime rate.

Property prices soared.
But who wants to pay $1 million for a modest house?

This is the whip :
    "Work harder
      or lose your job."

The unemployed were punished with work for the dole and other blame schemes.

Fear increased :
"Fear will make them work harder."
"If they work harder we will make more money."

C.E.O.s were offered million dollar salaries plus bonuses to betray their fellow workers.

Unions were demonized.
Collective bargaining was sabotaged.
Work became contracted and casual.
Wages were forced down.

So the result was not what we were promised.

Corporations made huge profits.
Workers paid the price - wages and conditions were lost.

News media became propaganda.

And trust was lost.

Jesus said, "'No slave can serve two masters; far a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and wealth.'"  Luke 16:13 (NRSV)

So in the end we have been deceived.

Economics is not the answer to human problems.
It serve wealth not God.

It does not serve human needs.
Only greed.

Business as usual.
Heartless and cruel.

Until we find Love.


(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.)

Fear.

Pray for us to overcome our fears.

Try not to provoke the powers.
If you trigger one of their fears you run the risk of being tortured or killed.

There must be a way to adhere to the truth and allay the powers' fears.

If God is our Father then everyone is my brother or sister.

It is better not to be adversarial.
But to have compassion for the powerful, pity for their violence, sorrow for their corruption.
For it is fear that drives them.
Fear of poverty, fear of need, fear of loss.

But less is more.
You might be happier with less.
Less possessions, less work.
More love.

Love can manifest at work.
Through consideration, relaxation, and appreciation.

"Work harder" is not the answer.
"'For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?'"  Matthew 16:26a (NRSV)

Money is not the answer to human suffering.
Only Love.


(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.)

The Prophet.

When the prophet is dead we are left in darkness.

When the darkness spreads over all the earth we suffer.

Cry out to God!

"How long!"

When the prophet comes :

Will we reject him?

Will we crucify him?

Will he be shot?

Will he be assassinated?

Economic rationalism and free market economics cover the whole earth.
It is riddled with greed, corruption, and brutality.

We cry out for the light!

The light is Love.

Will we accept it?

Will we allow it?
Or is it too much of a threat to our supremacy?
To suggest that we should provide like a father out of love?

Fear drives us.

Pray for us to overcome our fears.

Laws and Principles.

People try to find out the Laws and Principles of life in order to gain an advantage.

This is merely selfishness.

It is not spirituality at all.

To do the right thing regardless of the consequences is closer to the truth.


Jesus was crucified for testifying to the truth.

The prophets were persecuted and killed.

J.F.K. was shot for trying to implement ideals.

Martin Luther King was shot for daring to demand civil rights for black people.

Robert Kennedy was shot for his ideals and vision.

Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated for freeing India.

Anwar Sadat was assassinated for daring to bring peace.


This can happen if you climb to the mountain top.

There is no reward for good deeds and punishment for bad deeds.

People act out of free will.

There are no Laws or Principles.

Only the presence or absence of Love.

Post-Modern Religion.

People don't come to Church because they don't want to be indoctrinated with negative ideation, especially about sex.

People are beyond being told what to think about God.
They want to get rid of the middle man and experience the Divine for themselves.

This is what was so attractive about yoga.  It offered a way of experiencing the Divine directly.

Unfortunately this individual path was sabotaged by Satanists in the rock music industry.  As a result each individual was picked off and nothing seemed to work.

This is why being part of a community of like minded people is so important.

At the moment most Churches are still preaching the old paradigm - Fall/Redemption Christology and a Judgmental God.
Nothing will change if we just dress up the old theology.

We need a new positive theology:
-  Original Blessing.
-  A healthy attitude towards sex.
-  No punishment, judgment, or hell.
-  Acceptance of homosexuals.
-  Equality of women.
-  A path to personal experience of God
     - through prayer and contemplation,
           study and action.

Through these practices it is my hope that modern people might experience the love and forgiveness of God for themselves.

Pluto in Scorpio.

During its passage through Scorpio from 1985 to 1995 Pluto was at its closest to the sun (inside the orbit of Neptune) and travelling at its fastest.

So while Pluto was in its own sign we experienced a short but intense period of evil.

This included: hate, black, darkness, violence, lies, intimidation, force, cruelty, torture, demons, the devil, and hell - all overlaid with the lure of sex (male strippers).

This was the great disaster which befell humanity.

Since then, however, there has been some reactionary good: angels, white, colors, rainbows, fairies, pink, the new paradigm, Progressive Christianity, spirituality, gay rights, charity and love.

This began with the Uranus/Neptune conjunction in Capricorn in 1993 and continued through to the Jupiter/Neptune conjunction in Aquarius in 2009 and the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction in Pisces in 2010.
It has continued since then with Uranus in Aries square to Pluto in Capricorn.

In 2006 Pluto was demoted to the status of dwarf planet.

The evil of Scorpio is beginning to pass away but the goodness that has followed it endures.

(Written on the day of the Scorpio solar eclipse - 14 November 2012).

Authority.

One of the first things that Fundamentalist Christians talk to you about is authority.
The authority of Jesus and the Bible.

This is very enlightening.

Jesus himself never spoke about authority.

Others spoke of his authority -
"for he taught them as one having authority"  Matthew 7:29a (NRSV)
"'A new teaching - with authority.'"  Mark 1:27b (NRSV)
"They were astounded at his teaching, because he spoke with authority."  Luke 4:32 (NRSV)

It is "the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders" Mark 11:27b (NRSV) who ask Jesus by what authority he is teaching and healing.
In response to which Jesus refuses to tell them - "'Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.'"  Mark 11:33b (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.)

Take Up the Cross.

When we first read the Bible we don't believe that anybody would put words into the mouth of Jesus.

The more we study the Gospels, however, the more evident it becomes that this is exactly what the writers of the Gospels have done.

One example is early in the Gospel of Matthew.
Jesus says, "'and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.'"  Matthew 10:38 (NRSV)

Think about this passage for a moment.

How could Jesus have referred to taking up the cross in this way when he had not been crucified yet?

The expression taking up the cross refers to Jesus' self-sacrifice on the cross and the expression could not have been in use before Jesus' crucifixion.

Jesus would not have spoken in this way so early in his ministry.

It is impossible.

So the Gospel writers, who were writing decades after Jesus' death on the cross have put these words into Jesus' mouth to make a philosophical point - that you must suffer and sacrifice yourself for others.

But Jesus never said these words.


(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.)

The American Dream.

"The pursuit of happiness" is enshrined in the American constitution.

But it does not say what brings this happiness.

The American dream is thought to mean making a success of yourself - "making it".

This is the idea that success will make you happy because you get all the things you want.

It won't.

Most of our entertainment revolves around this notion of "making it".
Our young people are indoctrinated with it and there is no one to contradict it.

The only thing that will truly bring happiness in life is love.

Love is the cause and the purpose of life.
All the rest is window dressing.

Uncharted Waters.

When I was young I thought about the year 2000 and wondered what life would be like then.

Most people thought that our leisure time would increase and that there would be machines to do all the work.

This is not what happened.

As it turned out, although there were many new inventions, we were working longer hours than ever.

But at least we had some vision of what was to come.

The period after the millennium was not envisioned at all.

2000 was enough.

So now that the first decade of the new century is over we are sailing into uncharted waters.

Are We Having Fun Yet?

This was a question asked at the height of the hedonistic 1970s.

The party had been going for about three hours and the clock was approaching midnight when the young man next to me asked, "Are we having fun yet?"

Could it be that sex, drugs, and rock and roll wasn't actually fun?

Some people say that the pursuit of pleasure creates a death wish.
But I would suggest that the death wish was in the rock music that we were constantly listening to.

It was not for another decade that I discovered what rock music actually was - black,  Satanic magic!

But the question remains - Is it pleasure that makes us happy?

I would suggest that it is not.

What brings happiness is love - our relationships with others and with God.

Pleasure is a pale facsimile of love.

But everything we see and hear in the media tells us otherwise.
That house, that car, that job, more money, more possessions, status, power, respect.....
These things, we are told, will make us happy.

They won't.

"I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh"  Ezekiel 11:19b (NRSV)

This means that God will give us a heart that loves people not things.


(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.)

Winners and Losers.

It is our natural inclination to follow the winners: the celebrities, the rich and powerful, the stars.....
And neglect the losers: the nobodies, the battlers, the outcasts.....

To God all are equal.

So if we are to be like God a change of attitude is necessary.

"'for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.'"  1 Samuel 16:7b (NRSV)

Jesus used the expression children of God when he wanted people to be more like God.

To be like God we must look upon all people with a compassionate heart.
Rather than lauding the winners and seeking their favor, we should be helping the losers and comforting their pain.
Rather than embracing the hard philosophy of the winners, we should be softening our hearts towards the losers.

Perhaps we will get a surprise when God does not choose to be close to the winners but stands by the losers.

Cry out to God!
He will hear.


(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.)