The Nuclear Family.

The basic unit of our society is the nuclear family:
father, mother, and children.

Within this nuclear family we experience love and trust.

Outside of the nuclear family, even in our extended family, we experience fear and distrust.

We are encouraged to compete with other families for dominance and advantage.

But if God is our Father then all people are our brothers and sisters.

Once we realize this our fear leaves us and we are able to love and trust everyone.

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Loving Our Enemies.

When we first encounter Jesus' commandment to love our enemies we are at once mystified and enchanted.

Albeit that no reason is given.

A possible reason is that God does not adjudicate.
He does not declare winners and losers.

All are equally loved no matter of innocence or guilt.

This may offend our sense of natural justice.
But God does not judge by earthly standards.
All are forgiven.
All get a second chance.

And what makes us think we are better than others in any case?
If we are forgiven our errors.
So will others be forgiven.

So, rather than trying to win, we should extend the hand of friendship and love our enemies.

Then we will be like God.

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The Golden Calf.

We are constantly told to work harder, compete, cope, consume, accumulate, watch, and spend.....

We are told to be tough, ruthless, strong, selfish, and aggressive.....

We are never told to follow the ways of God:
to show loving-kindness, mercy, compassion, consideration, honesty, justice, forgiveness, truthfulness, and love.....

"Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord alone.  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.  Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.  Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.  Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house, and on your gates."  Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NRSV)

This is telling Israel, God's chosen people, to follow the ways of God at all times.

If this kind of love was shown between people on earth we would all be in heaven!

But we don't.

We follow the golden calf of materialism.

And the world is in darkness.


[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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Wrecked.

The rock stars of the 1960s and 1970s wrecked a whole generation of idealists.

By turning peace and love into sex, drugs, and rock and roll they ensured that the hippies failed in their attempts to change the world.

They wrecked their bodies.
They wrecked their minds.
They wrecked their hopes.

By the 1980s when the political and cultural climate changed against them their rock stars deserted them.

They have not recovered.

Now, as we move into the Age of Aquarius, the next generation is being set up in the same way.

Sex and drugs and rock and roll will wreck Aquarius in the same way unless we can warn young people of the dangers of rock music.

Look more closely at your videos and movies - see the evil and sabotage there.

And leave rock music behind.

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Islamic Law.

Islam is going through a phase that Christianity went through 500 years ago.

In an attempt to establish uniformity of belief Christian authorities resorted to horrible violence in the form of the Inquisition.

Islam now, in an effort to establish Islamic states, is imposing Sharia Law by force.

The same use of terror to achieve their ends is marking their religion with a horrible scar.

Instead of these low manifestations of religion we should be studying the very highest manifestations of Islam and Christianity.

The Hindu concept of non-violence (ahimsa) could be helpful in bringing about a more peaceful world.

If we look to the highest manifestations of our religions we will find a convergence which leads through non-violence to the beauty and Love of God.

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The Lotus and the Rose.

The eastern symbol for the divine is the lotus.
This was so in Asia and Egypt.

The western symbol for the divine is the rose.

When a sage reaches enlightenment he begins to see visions of lotus flowers.

A saint sees visions of roses.

It has been said that flowers exist in both worlds.

The beauty of the lotus and the rose gives a glimpse of the beauties of heaven.

And these are a products of Love.

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The Secret Heart of Aquarius.

The symbol for the sign of Aquarius is the Egyptian hieroglyph for water.

This is an enigma because Aquarius is an air sign, it governs our concepts.

The water is carried by a man with a jar.

The Egyptian hieroglyph for the heart is a jar.

The pinnacle of Egyptian religion was the "intelligence of the heart".

So what can the water be?

It can only be Love.
Universal Love.

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Hell Raisers.

Have you  noticed how everything is going up in flames - from sporting events to rock concerts to T.V. talent shows - everything seems to be on fire.

These are the flames of hell.

Combined with any excuse to get hell into the headlines this is raising hell on earth.

It is done by those who have sold their souls to the devil for fame and fortune.

It is often associated with sex - as if it is sex that makes you go to hell.

This, of course, is totally false.

It is a lie.

Sex is sacred union and as the source of life is intimately associated with God.

You do not go to hell for sex.

So be wary of any hell raisers.
They want your soul in hell.

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Human Beings.

We can give thanks to God for the gift of life.

We can give thanks to God for the gifts of consciousness, intelligence, and imagination.

We cam give thanks to God for our hearts.

Our minds may be full of light, even enlightened, but we cannot live without love.

God is Love.

We can give thanks for that.

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