Crucifixion.

Why did Jesus lose his life?

Fear.

The Pharisees' fear of losing their position of spiritual leadership when Jesus criticized them.

And the Romans' fear of an insurrection when Jesus was called the King of the Jews.

How can we avoid this happening to Progressive Christianity today?

We must assure those in positions of spiritual and temporal authority that we are not out to depose them but to allay their fears and touch their hearts.

If we can convince them that they have nothing to fear from opening their hearts to God and the people then the world may become a more compassionate and loving place.


Photo Credit: Shricthism via Compfight cc

God's Business.

If you are

a businessman

pray to God

that His Love

may be expressed

through you.


Photo Credit: romana klee via Compfight cc

Death.

St. Paul wrote, "For the wages of sin is death."  Romans 6:23 (NRSV)

This is death to God and damnation.

Think Death Metal music which is overt Satanism in our culture.
But this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Covert Satanism is rife in our music, movies, T.V., literature, and sports.

Sex and drugs and rock and roll equals death to God.

This is what we are being fed day and night.

We are living backwards in a perpetual dance of death.

But this death is not a real thing.
It is a concept - a negation.

There is no devil in reality.

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.]

Photo Credit: JuLitoPc via Compfight cc

The Psychology of Satan.

What Generation X have done is resort to Satan in order to win.

Satan justifies any use of violence - verbal, emotional, psychic, or spiritual - to beat your opponent.

Generation X was so jealous of the power of the Baby-Boomer Generation that they were willing to corrupt themselves to beat them.

With the endorsement of Ronald Reagan and the neo-conservative political machine they succeeded in demonizing and intimidating a whole generation.

They then rationalized their behavior by obeying the powers of the world - the corporate plutocrats and C.E.O.s - so that they could claim goodness as the victors.

They then projected their evil onto their opponents.

They will even project violence and evil onto God.

To protect this dubious position they rely on the notion of moral relativism.

But to say that this is merely your opinion is not enough.

The light shows the absolute truth.

There is a truth which is not relative.

And that truth is that God is wholly good.
Satan and evil are not viable alternatives, even if you deny it and project it onto others.

And no amount of strength or force or violence can change that.

Eventually Generation X will have to face what they have done.
And that is to resort to evil and Satan in order to win privileges and power for themselves.

And that is the absolute truth.


Photo Credit: ptooey via Compfight cc

Your Business.

Your business should be run like a family.

Your workers should be like your children.

Your employees should be like your brothers and sisters.

Your purpose should be to provide.

And your heart will be at peace.


Photo Credit: Merrimack College via Compfight cc

Suffering.

To be gay today is to experience prejudice and persecution, hatred and discrimination.

Those who die of AIDS experience hatred and rejection as well as suffering and pain.

These things are caused by fear.
Fear of disease and death.
Fear of difference.

But it is all too easy to think that others do not suffer.

Everyone suffers.

Those who are captive to materialism suffer.
Those who are captive to hedonism suffer.

Because they are rich or popular does not mean they do not suffer.

But if you turn to God you will experience a joy and peace which can be found nowhere else.

So turn to God and be healed.


Photo Credit: Rusty Stewart via Compfight cc

God's Will.

"In the days to come the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised up above the hills.
"People shall stream to it, and many nations 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.'"  Micah 4:1,2 (NRSV)

Many people seek to know the ways of God.

His ways are the ways of peace:
"They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore."  Micah 4:3 (NRSV)

Many world leaders and powerful people have claimed to seek God's will.

But most will be surprised and saddened to learn that His ways are non-violent and merciful.  He is even-handed and gracious.

For God's will for us is that we should love one another.


[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.]

Photo Credit: naeem.ebrahimjee via Compfight cc

Star Wars.

It worries me when I see little children wearing Star Wars t-shirts which show Darth Vader and say, "Darth Vader in training".

It also worries me when I see Google with two light sabers - one blue, one red - saying, "Choose your side", as if evil was an equally legitimate option.

The awakening in the new movie seems to be an awakening of evil.

And there are no good guys.

It would seem that Star Wars is going the way of Harry Potter and pushing the idea that power comes from evil, or evil brings power.

This is neither helpful nor true.

There is a power that comes from God.

And that power is Love.


Photo Credit: megpi via Compfight cc

Gay Spirituality.

The first relationship between God and Adam was a same-sex relationship.

And because God was Father/Mother and Adam was male/female (i.e. this was before Eve was created from part of Adam) it closely resembles a modern same-sex relationship - a young gay man will often seek an older man who is a kind of father figure.

So gay men can relate to God as The Father.

This is the image that Jesus gave us of God - a loving Father.

Gay people also often create a family from their friends and lovers.
This relates to the spiritual idea that all people are our brothers and sisters.

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

Although same-sex relationships do not of themselves create children, modern technology and surrogacy can take the place of heterosexual sex and provide a gay couple with children.

So gay couples are closer than ever to equal status with heterosexual couples.

The last hurdle to overcome is the Biblical injunctions which seem to condemn homosexual acts.

These passages have been dealt with extensively by many modern scholars and most people seem now to be convinced that the Bible does not explicitly ban gay relationships as they exist in the modern world.

So there is no impediment to gay people being accepted as full members of the Church - receiving communion and marrying as others do.

The Bible was written in a time when homosexual orientation was not understood as it is today.  So homosexual acts were thought of as perversions of a heterosexual orientation and were therefore immoral.  This is the basis of Biblical moral objections to same-sex acts and it is based on a false premise.

So, if we accept that gay people are born with a same-sex orientation, then there can be no further objections to gay membership and marriage in the modern Church.

Finally, gay people go through a long process of identity development and suffering caused by the prejudice and hatred of society.

This forces gay people to develop in a way that heterosexual people may not.

So gay people have an extra dimension to their personalities which heterosexual people may not have.  Gay people are often more compassionate and sure of who they are than others.  And this makes them better qualified to practice a mature spirituality.

Unfortunately many gay people have been rejected by the Churches and have in turn rejected the concept of God and religion altogether.

So we are crying out for Gay Spirituality.

A spirituality which is accepting and celebrates our gay identities and relationships.

Perhaps the Age of Aquarius will provide us with this much needed covenant.    
   

Photo Credit: J.Byerly via Compfight cc

Hide and Seek.

A prominent progressive theologian once said that sometimes searching for God was like a game of hide and seek.

I believe that there is a good reason for this.

We are shown glimpses of the Divine but then God seems to withdraw.

This is because God does not want us to leave everything to Him.

He shows us His Love and then withdraws in order to allow us to respond - to love in return.

And not just to love Him but to love those around us in the world as we have been taught.

Jesus said to love God and love our neighbor.
He did not say to seek love (from God or others) but to give love.

In my experience when you do this God returns.

So God's hope for us is that we learn to love.

And love is its own reward.


Photo Credit: Jeff Belmonte via Compfight cc

Beyond Cynicism.

As we grow up in a corrupt and unjust world we develop a cynical attitude to everything around us.

But there is something beyond cynicism.

Jesus said to enter the kingdom Of God we must become again like a little child.

This is post-cynical innocence.

And it comes from contact with God.


Photo Credit: Jeromy_S via Compfight cc

Deep Peace.

What people experience in the silence and the stillness of nature is a deep peace.

And it is this deep peace which they intuitively associate with God.

This is spirituality.

To hear nothing but the call of the birds and the wind in the trees is to experience spirituality.

And to commune with God.


Photo Credit: myeralan via Compfight cc

Christmas.

When I was a teenager I hated Christmas.

Christmas was a heterosexual family conspiracy to make me suffer.

When I became a Christian I found the secular response to Christmas objectionable - it was mercenary and hypocritical.

Today I have come to a decision.

I have found a way to reconcile my beliefs about Christmas:

Christmas is the Season of Goodwill.

Secular society may not believe in Jesus Christ but they know what goodwill is.

The angels who appeared to the shepherds sang, "Peace on earth and goodwill to all."

This is the goodwill of God towards humanity which was reflected in the birth of the one who would embody the light.

We can all - secular and religious - show goodwill at Christmas.  


Photo Credit: JM Pearson Photography via Compfight cc

Sex.

Sex and drugs and rock and roll lead to death to God and damnation.

This is what we are being fed.

Scorpio equals sex and death.

This is what they believe.

So we are constantly tempted with sex and drugs through rock and roll.

But these ideas do not correspond to reality.

In reality sex is a vital function which is an expression of life itself.

And as such it is intimately related to God, the author of life.

So do not fall for their sex equals death songs and videos.

We should cultivate a healthy and sensible attitude towards sex.


Photo Credit: RobinYap.com via Compfight cc

The Light.

It may seem that all around us is darkness, violence, and evil.

But God is at work in our world.

His hand can be seen in the development of Progressive Christian ideas and their counterparts in other religions.

This is the Light.

And the Light that comes from God will not be overcome by darkness.

Immerse yourself in the Light.

Pray.

God will answer.


Photo Credit: Malinda Rathnayake via Compfight cc

Manicheism.

The doctrines of Manicheism claim that Satan is co-eternal with God.

An equal and opposite force.

"Lee said that the Devil reigned in all other heresies, but had rais'd his very throne in that of the Manichees."*


* From the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary.

Photo Credit: zharth via Compfight cc

Good Versus Evil.

The classic story of good versus evil is a misrepresentation of reality.

Storytellers deliberately represent evil as fascinating, mysterious, even glamorous.

The bad guys are given just enough time in the story to let us indulge our dark fantasies before the good guys win out in the end.

So don't feel safe just because good ultimately wins.

If the majority of the story is taken up with the activities of evil we are being deceived.


Photo Credit: Phil Dragash via Compfight cc

Everyone.

What we have to realize is that everyone suffers.

While it is true that some suffer more than others the fact remains that all are worthy of God's Love.

If we turn to Him we experience joy and peace.

"Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth!  For I am God, and there is no other."  Isaiah 45:22 (NRSV)

Turn and be healed.

Healed in body, mind, and spirit.

Anyone can experience God's Love.

And everyone will enter into heaven.


[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.]

Photo Credit: zen via Compfight cc

Open Your Eyes.

Before I experienced something of God I would walk around but not see what was around me.

I was in my mind and I would see what I was thinking about.

I was oblivious to my surroundings.

But God opened my eyes.

Now I see the beauty of nature, the changes of the seasons, the sunshine and the rain.....

And God is in all of this, even in the strangers that I meet in the street.

So God is with me.

And I see heaven on earth.


Photo Credit: CJS*64 A man with a camera via Compfight cc

Mysticism.

People are calling the new revelation of God Mysticism.

Unfortunately the word Mysticism has connotations of something which is not central to the faith - a side-track, a parallel.

It has always been practiced in isolation, not in public churches.

It seems amorphous and ethereal.

But the new revelation is not like this.

It is at once simple and specific, universal and accessible.

It is that the soul or divine spark resides in the heart of every living being and it is animated by Love.


Photo Credit: Lisy via Compfight cc

After Modernism.

Modernism was a time of certainty - science knew everything, everything was enclosed within a Newtonian mindset, and progress was inevitable.

Post-Modernism is the time after Modernism when quantum mechanics and astronomy proved that Newtonianism was not universal, there were things that science did not know, and progress went backwards.

We are now moving forwards from the closed mind of modern materialism to a mind which is more open to spiritual dimensions - mysticism is emerging in the world's religions and people are becoming active through the internet.

We live in exciting times.

But it is important to remember what happened to the 1960s generation - their idealism was perverted and betrayed by their rock legends until their youthful purity was selfish and sinful, corrupt and criminal.

Nothing much remains of 60s idealism.

And what they have handed down to the next generation will suffer the same fate unless we see what betrayed them.


Photo Credit: milena mihaylova via Compfight cc

Historical Context.

Our historical context is the beginning of the 21st Century.

Our world is covered in darkness.

And this is not just the darkness which is lack of knowledge or ignorance.
This darkness is evil.

Those who have sold their souls create darkness and evil by accentuating the negatives of each sign of the zodiac, effectively sabotaging and cursing successive generations.

These are the rock stars and celebrities, the sports men and women who are the false messiahs of our time.

Add to this the darkness of modern economic materialism and the new atheism and it is dark indeed.

These things distract the mind with hatred and lies.
They immerse us in darkness and hopelessness and leave us nowhere and with nothing.

Do not follow them.

Turn to God and be delivered.

Go into your room and close the door.

Pray to God and He will hear.


Photo Credit: mugley via Compfight cc

Barabbas or Jesus?

Who do we choose?

Barabbas the rebel and freedom fighter, the heroic man of action.....

or

Jesus the non-violent spiritual teacher, the humble man of peace.....

?


Photo Credit: Waiting For The Word via Compfight cc

The Seventh Horcrux.

In the final book of the Harry Potter series it is revealed that Harry Potter has a fragment of the evil Voldemort's soul within him.

And it is this that gives him his power.

This is a highly disturbing concept for a children's book.

It is as if all magic power comes from evil.

It is Voldemort that gives Harry Potter his power.

In the end Harry rids himself of this fragment by dying and coming back to life.

A drastic solution indeed.

So tell your children that not all power comes from evil.

There is a power that comes from God.

And that power is Love.


Photo Credit: Joits via Compfight cc

Joy.

To experience God is to experience spontaneous joy.

And how do we experience God?

By prayer, and study of the scriptures, and contemplation, but most of all through Love.

Love God and love your neighbor as Jesus taught us and your joy will be complete.


Photo Credit: mahmud.rassel via Compfight cc

Suffering.

To be alive is to experience suffering.

This is because of a lack of love in the world which is caused by fear.

But on top of this we have experienced hatred and evil from our rock legends.

These superstars have turned against God and saturated the popular culture with evil and sin.

To be turned away from Love and to indulge in sinful pleasures and corruption is to magnify your suffering tenfold.

This is why I warn young people about Satanism and black magic in the rock music they listen to.

My prayer is that they be spared the suffering that we have experienced through no fault of our own except that we liked music.

If you turn to God and open your heart God will deliver you from evil.


Photo Credit: Meredith Leigh Collins via Compfight cc

The Eagle.

The eagle is the symbol of empires.

It was the symbol of Rome.

It is the symbol of America.

You will find it in churches.

It symbolizes dominance.

And it is to be avoided at all costs.


Photo Credit: ladybugbkt via Compfight cc

The Four Living Creatures.

The four living creatures which surround God's throne in Ezekiel's vision and in Revelation are astrological symbols.

They represent the four fixed signs which were the signs of the equinoxes and solstices in ancient times.

They are the Bull (Taurus), the Lion (Leo), the Eagle (Scorpio), and the Human (Aquarius).

What this means is that God is all the signs of the Zodiac - i.e. God is everything.

And we can approach God through any of the signs.


Photo Credit: Lawrence OP via Compfight cc

The Gospel of John.

While I don't think that many of the statements and long speeches attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of John are historical, that does not mean that they are without value.

These passages are about Jesus rather than from Jesus.

They represent the thoughts and feelings of the followers of the disciple John late in the first century C.E..

Not many of these passages appear in the earlier Gospels.

But they represent a highly developed theology based on their experience of Jesus.

The passages that pertain to Jesus' commandment to love one another are particularly valuable for anyone who is serious about finding God.

For God is Love.

And anyone who approaches God must do so with love.  


Photo Credit: Nick in exsilio via Compfight cc

Bottom Up.

We are used to authority systems which operate from the top down.

But God operates from the bottom up.

God is with the lowly, the poor, the disadvantaged.
He dwells with the disabled, the persecuted, the starving.

He lifts up the humble.

He hears their prayers.

And you, who are the winners of this world, what do you know of God?

What do you know of His ways?

Mercy, forgiveness, justice, compassion, love.....

You would do better to take your lead from the humble poor.

"'So the last will be first, and the first will be last.'"  Matthew 20:16 (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.]

Photo Credit: 21limited via Compfight cc

Sex.

Some people in our world try to claim that all sex is in the power of the devil.

This, of course, is ridiculous.

By pure persistence and force of will they claim all sex and pleasure is sin.

But these are lies.
And lies repeated can seem true.

In reality sex, as the prime creative force, is intimately connected with God, the creator of all.

Sex is not sin
Sex is not dirty.
Sex is not indecent.

Sex is an intrinsic part of God's good creation.

The seeds of sex are everywhere in nature.

They grow and flower in turn.

So do not believe those who tell you sex is sinful.

Sex is Life.

And God is the author of Life.


Photo Credit: iloveart106 via Compfight cc

Compassion for the Enemy.

In order to be like God we must have compassion for our enemies.

God does not punish even His own enemies.

He forgives them and offers them redemption.

We must do the same.


Photo Credit: Iqbal Osman1 via Compfight cc

Help Will Come.

When we are attacked or oppressed we can all on God.

And help will come.


Photo Credit: NisargPhotography via Compfight cc

Gay Sexuality.

Many people think that you cannot be gay and in a positive relationship with God.

But my experience is that God does not discriminate.

God thinks no differently about my gay sexuality than He does about heterosexuality.

And that is that He considers it a normal part of life.

So don't listen to those who tell you that gays are not acceptable to God.

I am living proof to the contrary.


Photo Credit: enric archivell via Compfight cc

Beware.

What we must beware of is forcing our ideas onto other people.

Even if our ideas are right we must avoid merely being right or trying to win.

We must open our hearts and ask, "What does my heart say?"

Even if others reject what we say we can still love them and offer them understanding and forgiveness.

We must let people come to understanding in their own way.

We can pray for that.


Photo Credit: CherryPoint via Compfight cc

Conspiracy.

Despite the dubious reputation of conspiracy theories in our world I believe that there is an international conspiracy.

This is the conspiracy of Satanism which began with the rock bands of the 1960s and has spread throughout the music industry and to movies, T.V., literature, and sports.

What can be seen is just the tip of the iceberg.

Flames, skulls, snakes, spiders, death, darkness, magic, vampires, evil.....

These are the visible symbols of a huge negative influence much of which is subliminal and subconscious.

There is no devil in reality but the damage remains.

So unplug your earphones and turn off the T.V..

Pray to God in secret.

And He will deliver you.


Photo Credit: craigCloutier via Compfight cc

God's Hands.

We are God's hands in the world.

God works in and through us.

So, if we listen to the teachings of Jesus but do not do them, nothing will happen.

This is why the Kingdom of God has only partially manifested in our world.

People only partially act on the good news.

Jesus taught us how to live.

But most people only partially enact it if they do not ignore it altogether.

So it is no use complaining that God has not put the world right because we have not put the words of His chosen one into action ourselves.


Photo Credit: JFabra via Compfight cc

Love One Another.

And what stops us from loving one another?

Fear.

Fear of the other guy.  Fear of failure.  Fear of losing out.  Fear of poverty.

"'you of little faith'"  Matthew 6:30 (NRSV)

If God is our Father then all people are my brothers and sisters.

"of whom shall I be afraid?"  Psalm 27:1 (NRSV)

Love one another and create the Kingdom of God on earth.


[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.]

Photo Credit: aneesprince via Compfight cc

The Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is the community of followers of Jesus Christ who have been baptized and accepted the teachings of Jesus.

Jesus said, "'Who is my mother and my brothers?'  And looking at those who sat around him, he said, 'Here are my mother and my brothers!  Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.'"  Mark 3:33-35 (NRSV)

I believe that Jesus regarded the Kingdom of God to be those people brought into the New Covenant with God which was born of his mission on earth.

But the statement: "Whoever does the will of God"  Mark 3:35 (NRSV) is broader than that.  It includes followers of other religions who do God's will.

And what is God's will?

That we love one another.


[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.]

Photo Credit: alvarezperea via Compfight cc

Punishment.

Most of the references to punishment in the Old Testament refer to negative experiences of the tribe of Israel.

The prophets of ancient Israel rationalized their experience by saying that God was punishing them for not obeying the Law.

This referred mainly to religious practices involving foreign gods and idols.

This was cited as the reason that Israel's enemies rose up against them.

This is a version of Prosperity Theology which states that our experiences on earth reflect the favor or disapproval of God.

But the Book of Job clearly refutes Prosperity Theology.
Although it lays responsibility at the feet of a fictitious devil, the Book of Job has Job justified despite his suffering and misfortune.
It is Job's opponents who claim that he must have sinned to deserve his fate.
But God says what Job said was more true.

So where does that leave us?

It is clear that most of the statements about God in the Old Testament are followed by threats of punishment.

But is this a true picture?

They say that God is merciful and compassionate, steadfast in love, and ready to relent from punishment.

But they say that He will punish any disobedience.

What are we to believe?

The New Testament God of Jesus is a loving Father.

And, although there are still some threats of punishment, the overwhelming impression of God is of forgiveness, compassion, and love.

Perhaps the time has come to purge our image of God of all violence and punishment.

My experience of God is wholly benevolent, helpful, compassionate, forgiving, understanding, and loving.

I have never experienced any punishment from God.

Fear can make us imagine that God is punishing us.
But this is not true.

He is merely waiting for us to see.  
    

Photo Credit: Waiting For The Word via Compfight cc

Michelangelo.

Bodybuilders aspire to emulate the perfect beauty of Michelangelo.

And sometimes they forget that Michelangelo was gay.

Many bathe in the admiration of men but will not admit to any homoerotic component.

Michelangelo interpreted the beauty that he saw in men.
And this beauty has survived to this day.

So when you admire the manly beauty of Michelangelo remember that he was gay.


Photo Credit: williamcromar via Compfight cc

Intimidation.

How do so many Christians convince people to believe things which clearly contradict what Jesus taught?

The answer is simple - intimidation.

They threaten people with eternal damnation in hell if they contradict what they are teaching them.

Obey me or burn in hell for ever.

Whether they actually believe this (having perhaps been subjected to corporal punishment by strict parents) or whether this is an attempt to subjugate people to their political will is uncertain.

Perhaps it is both.

But the damage remains.

Fear begets fear.

"But perfect love casts out fear." 1 John 4:18b (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.]  

Photo Credit: potamos.photography via Compfight cc

Gay Rights.

When it comes to social justice Church organizations always omit gay rights.

Whether it be in church, from the pulpit, in justice ministry, orders of nuns or religious gay rights seem always to be out of bounds.

And it doesn't help to remind them when they are talking about human rights issues that gays and lesbians are persecuted in this world.

Perhaps it is because it is the Church which is doing the persecuting.

But even so called liberal Churches omit gay rights from their agendas.

You will hear many pleas for asylum seekers, the homeless, battered wives, drug addicts, gambling addicts, Aborigines, even Muslims but you will seldom hear gays and lesbians mentioned.

We have been relegates to the status of religious non-persons.

We don't even rate a mention.


Photo Credit: CreatiVegan.net via Compfight cc

Rationalizing Jesus.

What Christians have done in the past and still do today is rationalize Jesus.

Because what Jesus taught requires courage and risk people rationalize what he said to suit themselves.

For example a succession of Christian political leaders have rejected Jesus' injunction to turn the other cheek and retaliated against perceived threats with military action .

This is in direct contradiction of Matthew 5.

Jesus said to love your enemies.

But many Christians today choose hate and violence, discrimination and prejudice.

They have rationalized what Jesus said by choosing another passage from the Bible - the Psalms of David or the Book of Revelation with its violent imagery - and ignoring what Jesus actually taught while claiming that their beliefs are Biblical.

It's too hard.  It won't work in the real world.

 It has been said that Christianity is in danger of passing without being tried.

This is because realistic people rationalize what Jesus taught and cherry pick the Bible to suit themselves.


Photo Credit: Waiting For The Word via Compfight cc

Media.

The media is owned by our corporate masters.

They use it to manipulate public opinion and control what people think.

They humanize the rich and powerful and dehumanize the poor, the sick, foreigners, and refugees.

They stereotype and slander their enemies.
And conduct fear and smear campaigns against any perceived threat.
The rest is distraction with celebrity worship and sports.

And they know that what they do is wicked.
But they rationalize it and deny it.

So turn off your T.V..
And cancel your subscriptions.

In this way you will reclaim your own mind.

And return to your own life.


Photo Credit: DG Jones via Compfight cc

Democracy and Capitalism.

Capitalism is not Democracy.

When Ronald Reagan defeated Communism the victory was not claimed by Democracy.  It was claimed by Capitalism.

But Capitalism is not Democracy.

Even Pope John Paul II said that Capitalism was no better for people than Communism.

But Soviet Communism was defeated and the Western Capitalist Plutocrats assumed power.

And we are still in the grip of their brutal regime.


Photo Credit: Glyn Lowe Photoworks. via Compfight cc

Breaking the Cycle.

Fear and violence have been handed down from generation to generation.

We see this in the Church.
Violence and intimidation inflicted on one generation is replicated in the next.

It is a vicious cycle.

The Old Testament rule of an eye for an eye merely guaranteed that this cycle continued.

But Jesus said not to retaliate but to return good for evil.

This breaks the cycle of fear and violence.

It is a truly revolutionary philosophy.

So don't return your elders' violence and intimidation in kind but love and forgive them.

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


Photo Credit: MoudBarthez via Compfight cc

Paris.

When tragedies like the Paris attacks occur some people blame religion and even God for what happened.

I do not believe that this is true.

People who use violence as a method of expressing their religion are not reflecting the ways of God.

People have free will and some people choose to interpret the scriptures in a violent, hateful manner.

But this is not the will of God.

"The word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying.  Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgements, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.  But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears in order not to hear.  They made their hearts adamant in order not to hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his spirit through the former prophets."  Zechariah 7:8-12 (NRSV)

This is what is happening today.

God has sent his message of mercy and tolerance and peace into the world but people have refused to listen.  They have hardened their hearts and become adamant in their opinions.

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

And so it is.

People prefer darkness to the light and act with violence and hatred and war instead of tolerance, love, and peace.    


[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.]


Photo Credit: cpremoshis via Compfight cc

Equals.

Aquarius is all about equality.

So when we say that gay men worship muscle it is not intended to be taken literally.

Satanists operating in the sex industry will try to corrupt bodybuilders by telling them that they will be worshiped like gods.

But we should not bow down to men.

"I am the Lord your God.....
.....you shall have no other gods before me."  Exodus 20:2,3 (NRSV)

"And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father - the one in heaven.'"  Matthew 23:9 (NRSV)

So be sure when you admire bodybuilders that you are not committing blasphemy.

For we worship one God - the one in heaven.

And all men are equal in His sight.  


[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.]

Photo Credit: qthomasbower via Compfight cc

Aquarius Corrupted.

What will happen if Aquarius is corrupted?

Will Satanism in the popular culture turn it into a licentious cosmic hedonism?

Or will the rich and powerful put the bottom back in and make it a puppet of the conservative establishment with its rewards and punishments and its heaven and hell?

Either way we must be vigilant.

We must watch constantly for signs of corruption.

We must guard against modifications to the good news.

The good news that God does not punish us; there is no hell, no devil, no judgement.

And that God is love and forgiveness for all.  


Photo Credit: Michael_Lehet via Compfight cc