Greek.

My experience of Greek men is that they are locked in a cultural prison.

Greek men derive from the most homoerotic culture in history.
The ancient Greek culture was perhaps the only culture in history where homosexuality was celebrated, even idealized.

But modern Greek culture is captive to the Greek Orthodox Church which is severely homophobic.

So Greek men may encourage gay admirers, even love them, but as soon as you make a sexual advance to them they will reject you out of hand.

The homoerotic subculture in the Greek Orthodox Church can be clearly seen in the Blessing of the Waters ceremony on Epiphany.
The young Greek men strip down and swim to retrieve a cross which has been thrown into the water by the Greek Orthodox clergy in a state of obvious delight.

But the Greek Orthodox Church is so homophobic that they will not even discuss homosexuality.

It is my prayer that they be blessed and able to express their true nature.

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Young People.

What is it that young people need?

Young people are surrounded by darkness - the darkness of materialism, the darkness of corporate inhumanity, the darkness of violence, the darkness of fear.....

And they are caught in a web of evil - the evil spread by rock stars and celebrities - poison, negativity, and living backwards.....

There seems no way out of this darkness and evil.
They must obey their masters and allow themselves to be led astray.

There is no sign of Light.
No glimmer of Hope.

How can we bring light into their world.
Hope into their lives.

We can only continue to put out our positive messages in the hope that someone will see them, read them, and be touched by them.

There is a God.

And he is Life, Light, and Love.

Cry out to Him.

He will hear.

And turn your life around.


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Worship.

Gay men worship muscle.

The ultimate muscleman is God.

And with my body I thee worship.

Things of God.

These are the things of God:

Water. Light. Life. Goodness.
Pure. Virtuous. Innocent.
Doves. Turtledoves. Lambs.
Angels. Halos.
Birth. Charity. Creativity.
Joy. Life-Saver. Sobriety.
Moderation.
Love.
Trinity. 7. 12.
Flowers. Birds. Bees.
Abundance. Billions. Infinity.
Prophets. The Messiah (Jesus).
Grace. Forgiveness. Deliverance. Salvation.
The Christ (Jesus). Faith. Adoration. Praise. Worship.
Churches. Communion.
Israel. Judaism. Christianity. Children of God.
Truth. Protection. Prayer.
Forgiveness.
Heaven.

These are the things which will counteract Satanism in our popular culture.


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Have You Noticed?

There are certain things appearing in our popular culture which you should take note of:

Fire. Darkness. Death. Sin.
Filthy. Wicked. Shame. Guilt.
Snakes. Spiders. Spider Webs.
Devils. Horns. Satan.
Kill. Steal. Destroy.
Depression. Suicide. Drugs.
Pornography. Nudity.
Hate. Violence.
The Beast. 666. 13.
Funerals. Graveyards. Graves. Skulls. Black.
Negations. Empty. Zero.
False Prophets. False Messiahs.
Lust.  The Apple of Temptation. The Fall. The Seven Deadly Sins.
Anti-Christ. Denial of God. Faith No More. Blasphemy.
Cults. Swords. Thrones.
Hitler. Nazis. Genocide.
Lies. Murder.
Judgement.
Hell.

This is Satanism in our popular culture.

You should avoid it at all costs.


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50/50.

Most people live their lives caught between the values of the dominant corporate plutocracy and the human need for contact, understanding, and love.

Most separate their business lives from their personal lives.
They meet the need to survive by embracing the corporate values of hard work,  competitiveness, ruthlessness, self-interest, and profit.
And they meet their human needs through their spouses and children.

Needless to say this does not work very well.

It divides the heart and compromises personal integrity.

It is a recipe for corruption and abuse.

Yet most people live this 50/50 life.

They know no other way.

Pray to God to deliver us.

Pray for us to open our hearts.


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Out of Darkness.

For those of you who are trapped in the corporate media culture with its news, education, and popular entertainment (which is nearly everyone) let me tell you that there is an alternative to the workhard/playhard ethic of the corporate/popular world.

For those of you who cannot see out of the web of evil that surrounds us there is a way out.

There is a God.
And He is Good.

It is not the god of the established religions - the punitive tough guy waiting to punish you - that is a reflection of the established authorities themselves.

It is the merciful, compassionate God of steadfast love, forgiveness, and faithfulness who will answer sincere prayers.

So cry out to God!

He will deliver you.


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Justice.

While attending a discussion group about the non-existence of hell one of the participants said that victims of violent crimes should expect ultimate justice.

I was shocked.

I had not realized how far I had come from the human expectation of natural justice.

My experience of God has taught me that He punishes no one.
His mercy and forgiveness extends to everyone.

The discussion then moved on to the rehabilitation of criminals.
I commented that this was totally out of fashion.
The media calls for harsher punishments whenever criminals are sentenced.
Rehabilitation seemed totally out of the question.

I realized that others did not have the benefit of experiencing God's forgiveness and therefore did not understand His infinite mercy.

The perpetrators of violent crimes are loved and forgiven by God.

As you and I are.


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The Big Picture.

When it seems that God is not answering our prayers I have come to realize that there are bigger issues involved than the merely personal.

We must look at the big picture.

The issues of prejudice and hidden evil affect the whole of humankind.
These issues must be addressed if relief is to be found.

So do not cease from praying for humanity.

God hears your prayers.


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Receivers.

Too many churchgoers, and indeed Church liturgies, are receivers.

They constantly ask God to do things for them, even to love them and lift their spirits.

We would do better to ask what we can do for God.

Give love to God and your neighbor.

And be children of God.


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Exoteric Religion.

It is the privilege of few to enter into the sanctuary of esoteric religion - the heart of hearts where the Lover is united with the Beloved.

And so the side-effects of Love have become hardened into the principles of exoteric religion.

These principles are usually reinforced by the concept of natural justice - i.e. rewards and punishments.

Fear and duty have replaced Love as the motivating factor.

This is the bane of religion:

That religion has become frozen in the exoteric understanding and failed to embrace Love as the essential ingredient.

Love - the perpetual bridesmaid - transcends all mental principles, all knowledge, all morality, and all works.

To practice Love is to engage all virtues, all goodness, all morality. and all action.

So do not get hung up on the principles and laws.

Practice Love and the rest will flow from that.


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Poisoned.

The people of our world are being poisoned.

Our minds are subjected to a saturation of darkness, evil, and hell.

If it is not the news headlines it is the popular culture.

If it is not the T.V. and movies it is rock music and videos.

There is no escape from the negativity unless we turn off, unplug, and shut down.

So turn off the T.V., unplug your earphones, and shut down your computer.

Seek some positive message.

Pray and beseech God.

He will deliver you.


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Religion or Spirituality.

Commandments, obedience, rewards and punishments, judgement, heaven and hell.....

These are things of Religion.

Love, compassion, forgiveness, goodness, trust, faithfulness.....

These are things of Spirituality.


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Selfishness to Sacrifice.

We live in an agony of self-interest.

Until we find love.

Love leads us out of ourselves.

Love leads us to the other.

And ultimately to sacrifice for the other.

So love leads us from selfishness to sacrifice.


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Controlled.

The main reason why any idealism that has survived to the present does not manifest is because we are controlled.

Our attitudes, our thoughts, and our attention are dictated by the media and the popular culture.

Buy, watch, own, compete - these are the messages we are given.

And all power derives to the rich plutocrats who own the media.

But it's no use relying on pop stars and rock legends to save us.
They sold us out long ago.

So the time has come to turn off the T.V., to throw away your C.D.s, to unplug your earphones.....

If you don't want to be controlled.


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Ideals.

In the 1960s the baby-boomer generation set out to save the world through peace and love and socialist politics.

Little did we know that the rock bands and superstars who hijacked this revolution would sabotage our efforts and sell us out.

Hedonism, promiscuity, drugs, and divorce flowed from the music we listened to.

After the 1980s, when the political climate turned against us, the idealism of our generation was almost dead.

Now we hear about materialism and pleasure, hardline politics and sin.

The only glimmer of hope is activist sites on the internet.

Environmental campaigns and political challenges are appearing every day.

Although the effectiveness of these campaigns is limited at least there is some hope.

Not all of our ideals are dead.    


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A New Cosmology.

At the beginning of our universe
God's Love caused a magnificent explosion
which gave birth to the proto-energy
whose inflation created space.

This proto-energy was transformed
into matter and energy
as the universe expanded and cooled
giving rise to light and radiation.

Gravity caused the creation of billions of stars
in the primordial gas
and these stars became
beautiful spiral galaxies.

Cosmic dust condensed into the planets
which circle these stars.

Our earth is one of these planets.

The earth brought forth green plants,
the first life (which comes from God).

The oceans gave birth to sea creatures
which God endowed with
consciousness
and a heart.

Some of these creatures
migrated to the land
to become animals and birds.

The green plants
suddenly bloomed
and our planet was covered
with millions of beautiful,
multi-colored flowers.

Then the apes
evolved into humans,
the first self-conscious beings,
whom God gave intelligence and imagination.

With God's help
we learned
the secrets of the earth
and invented agriculture.

Humans co-created:
art, and writing, and religion;
we invented the wheel
and eventually fathomed
some of the secrets of nature
through science.

God led humanity
and guided us
sending messengers,
men and women
who had drawn close to God,
to instruct and advise us.

And now
we must leave
the old, violent, punitive concepts
behind
and take the next step
towards
the unconditional Love of God.

 
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Panentheism.

God is everywhere,
everything,
and everyone.

There is no limit
to the presence of God.

God is all around us
all the time.

We are never alone.

Our beautiful world,
the hearts of humanity,
our animal friends,
all partake of the love of God.

We can talk with this presence
through perseverance in prayer.

And know that we are loved.


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Empty Boxes.

As we set out in the world we are encouraged to seek the prizes of the world:

Fame, wealth, prestige, possessions, pleasure, achievement.....

But when we get these things we find that they are empty boxes.
There is no satisfaction in them.

This is not the true purpose of life.

The cause and purpose of life is love.

It is in love that we find true satisfaction.

To be loved is good but to give love is better.

And love is its own reward.

Love is intimately associated with God.

And God is the the author and sustainer of life.

God is the Beloved.

And His purpose is Love.


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The Web of Evil.

When I say that there is Satanism in our rock culture but there is no supernatural being called Satan, you say, "Then what harm can it do?"

I don't believe in Satan, but they do.

Ask yourself what harm drugs and divorce do?
What harm can negativity and suicide do?
What harm can hatred of the Church do?

You can see the results for yourselves.

Untold suffering and the demise of the Church leave our world with no virtue and no hope.

You throw up your hands in horror and say, "What can we do?"
"Why?  Why?  Why?"

Satanism in our modern culture has poisoned everything.
We are deceived and diverted.  Our hearts are hardened.
We are perverted and corrupted without even realizing.

Look more closely at what you are watching and listening to.

If you can see beneath the mask of popularity you will find the answer.

Once you see this you will begin to emerge.

Turn to God and be delivered from the web of evil.


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21 Grams of Light.

It has been said that when a person dies the body loses 21 grams of weight.

Not only this but a light leaves the body.
What had previously been a living, animated being becomes a dull, lifeless thing - an inanimate object.

What is this mysterious 21 grams of light?

This is the person who inhabited the body.

The body itself is lifeless matter.
The person in the body is the life we see.
And that is light.

If we are to believe mediums and Christians this is the person's spirit which lives on after death.

There are documented cases of this spirit visiting loved ones before moving on to the next world.

This resembles the sightings of Jesus after the crucifixion.

But where does it go?

Mediums would suggest that it goes to be with the person's loved ones who have passed over and the learning process continues.

Christians would say that it goes to heaven, which may be the same place.

It is not given to us to know.

It is our task to trust God.

And believe that all will be well.


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The Lamb Without Spot.

The Christian claim that Jesus was without sin is a myth.

I do not believe that Jesus lived his whole life without committing a sin.

How would Jesus have known that God forgives sins if he had not had his own sins forgiven?

The line in the Lord's Prayer can be read : may we forgive others as we have been forgiven.

I believe that Jesus was an ordinary human being like you or me who, through study and prayer, drew close to God.

I believe that Jesus was the guiding spirit of the Age of Pisces.

We are now in a transition period between the Age of Pisces and the Age of Aquarius.

But the new revelations do not conflict with the teachings of the historical Jesus.

The message is essentially the same:

Unconditional love and forgiveness from God.


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Violence.

Violence is fear.

Dig below the mask of violence and you will find fear.

And the greatest of these fears is fear of God.

But God is harmless (ahimsa), non-violent.

We have nothing to fear from God.

If we pray for peace we must overcome fear.

And make peace with our brothers and sisters.


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Harm.

It is our prerogative to point out if our brothers or sisters are causing harm to anyone.

The Eastern principle of ahimsa (harmlessness) is prominent in their religions.

This can also be translated as non-violence.

Why would God tell us to be non-violent if He was violent Himself?

This circular logic circumvents any idea of Divine punishment or hell.

But many religions worldwide preach Divine punishment and some even take it on themselves to execute it.

It is our prerogative to point out the harm that they are doing to others.

And make peace with God.


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Universal Religion.

It has been said that at a deeper level all religions teach the same thing.

But what are these things?

What are the principles of universal religion?

First of all religions teach that we have a soul, an atman, a true self, which is a spark of the Divine.
This leads to the teaching that all are equal before God .
This is the basis of human rights.

The Golden Rule: Do to others as you would have them do to you is taught by all religions in one form or another.
This inspires compassion and consideration for others.

All religions teach that God is the author and the source of Life.
This leads to the belief that all life is interconnected and should be respected.

All teach that God is Light.
This is symbolic of  dreams, visions, revelations, knowledge, and understanding = enlightenment.

In the end all religions teach that love is the way and that God is Love.
This inspires us to open our hearts and give love to God and to others.


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River of Life.

I am Alpha and Omega - the Beginning and the End.

And as such I resemble a River.

If you follow a River downstream you reach the Sea.

If you follow a River upstream to its source you reach the mountains where the rain falls.

If you follow the clouds to their source they rise from the Sea.


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The Search For God.

I believe that the search for God includes the fields of theology, mythology, history, language, astrology, astronomy, mysticism, mathematics, theoretical physics, politics, poetry, culture, art, and literature.....

In fact any field of study can lead to God.

God is everything and more.

God is everyone.

So follow the field in which you see God.

And go downstream to the Sea.


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Moses' Heart.

Contrary to popular opinion I believe that Moses was chosen by God because of the quality of his heart.

On the holy mountain God says to Moses, "'I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt.  I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their suffering, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, flowing with milk and honey.'"  Exodus 3:7,8 (NRSV)

So God's compassion for His people is manifested through Moses' heart.

Rather than the traditional view that Moses shows great obedience to God, I believe that Moses shows great love for God and His people.

By all accounts the children of Israel were a stubborn and unruly mob.
What they needed were some guidelines to renew their relationship with God.

God provided those guidelines through Moses' covenant.

[It should be noted that the original covenant (Exodus 34) was not a set of rules at all but observance of major religious festivals. The Ten Commandments were not written for another 600 years.]


[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 Sign of the Devil.

It would seem that modern women and men are embracing Satanism without realizing what is happening.

Satanism saturates our popular culture.
It dominates rock music and Hollywood blockbusters.
It rules T.V. and radio.
It has infiltrated all of our sports.

What is this?

You know it its the sign of the devil.

But you ignore it.
Or deny that it is there.

It means partying and having a good time (hedonism).
It means bad is good (malevolence).
It means instant sex (excess).

You might think it's harmless.

But since when has Satanism been harmless?

It is diabolical, deceitful, destructive, and deadly.

It is evil - the dark side.

It is not harmless.

Count the cost of drugs and divorce alone since modern Satanism was pioneered by rock bands in the 1960s.

Why are they all poking their tongues out?

You know where that comes from.
But you continue to deny it.

It is another symbol of Satanism.

You know this is true.
But you continue to deny it.

They've got young people virtually practicing Satanism.

They hate religion.
They hate the Church.
They hate Jesus.
They hate God.

Is that what you want?

So be more discerning about what you watch and listen to.

You might just be following Satanists.


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Experience.

What we do.
And what we seem.
Is a product of our experience.

We are born into a body with certain potentialities which we inherit from our parents.

These potentialities interact with others in the world to create our personalities.

These personalities develop through decisions made in response to our education and our experience.

So, if a person has had mostly negative experiences in the world, their personalities may be negative, even destructive.

And because this personality is the result of negative experiences the person is ultimately forgivable.

If, when we look at a person, we see the pure divine spark at the center of this constructed personality we can forgive them as God has forgiven us.  


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Finding God.

In a television interview a prominent religious writer said that to find yourself is to find God.

I would agree and disagree.

The self, the soul, the divine spark is in fact part of God but we can identify with this self without being aware of God.

We come to know God through prayer and study and contemplation.

In yoga these are the three stages of meditation: concentration, contemplation. and trance-consciousness.

We can concentrate by quietening the mind and being totally in the present moment.

We become aware of God through contemplation of the Divine.

In this way we become connected to God in a way which we were not before.

The Divine has a certain nature - it is transcendent, sublime, wholly good.
It is Light, Life, and Love.

But this is not our self.

God is at once separate from us and connected to us.

After we have found the self it is our task to find God.

And when we do this we begin to reach the end.  


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Seen and Unseen.

It seems to me that people confuse what can be seen with reality.

But there are things which cannot be seen that are real.
For example: electricity, sound waves, oxygen, radiation etc..

God is real.

He may not be visible (except in dreams and visions).
But He is real none the less.

Prayer, worship, supplication, gratitude, praise.....
All these thing lead to God.

There is a Reality by which the seen becomes symbol and metaphor.

We live in darkness.

God is the Reality.


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Dreams and Visions.

It seems astonishing to me that religious leaders have interpreted the Bible literally in the past.

Everything I learn about God is symbolic: from the poetry of the Old Testament to the parables of Jesus.....

Even Revelation, so popular with the fundamentalists, can hardly be described as literal.

God is imaginative, artistic, subtle.....

"Then afterwards, I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions."  Joel 2:28 (NRSV)

So I can no longer sustain a literal interpretation of the Bible.

The Bible is myth, metaphor, poetry, and symbol.


[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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Life.

It has been said that God is Life.

But what is Life?

Life is the growth that plants and animals experience.
Life is the healing which restores us to health.

But what of death?

Death is no thing.
Death is no place.
Nor is it a state.
Nor is it a kingdom.

At worst death is a moment.
A door into another life.

The heart is the life of the body.
The body is alive.

Life is breath.
Life is health.
Life is faith.
Life is love (the water of life).

Turn to God - the source of life - and be healed and restored to health.


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