Spanky.

Satanism has a negative approach to sex.

It says: "I have been bad and I deserve to be punished."

It is spanky.
It is madame lash.
It is sado-masochistic.

It is not better than religious prudery.

In fact it is the flipside of religious prudery.

The worst manifestation of this is the idea that all sex is of the devil and therefore anyone who has sex goes to hell.

This, of course, is ridiculous.
But these ideas are becoming more and more prevalent in our society, mostly through rock music.

Satanism saturates our popular culture.

So don't be fooled into thinking their ideas are more sensible than religion.  In fact they take the worst of religion and glorify it.

They romanticize damnation.

And they lie; they deceive everyone.


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Its Proper Place.

What is the proper place for sex?

Sex is a natural part of life.

Sex is the source of life itself.

It is very strong in adolescence when it is mixed with feelings of love and desire for union with another.

It could be said that the feeling of finding a personal partner with whom to consummate our love is the strongest feeling we have.

So notions of disapproval and negative attitudes to sex are highly inappropriate.

Religion is largely responsible for these negative attitudes.

If St. Paul had his way the human race would die out altogether.

The time has come to find a proper place for sex that is not ruled by fear or disgust.

Sex is good.

Sex is Life.

Sex is Love.

So do not be afraid of sex.

It is a blessing.

It is a gift from God.

And it is everyone's right to enjoy it.


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Sexual Liberation.

It is O.K. to liberate sex from guilt and fear.

It may not be O.K. to liberate sex from love.

To engage in sex as a kind of hunt is not good for the hunter or the hunted.

Sex without love hurts people.

And it is this which is undesirable.


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Halos and Hearts.

We are used to seeing depictions of saints and angels, the holy family, and even Jesus himself with halos around their heads.

This leads us to believe that sainthood is about what we think.

But what we think is a secondary factor.

Sainthood is about the heart.

It is about Love.

Even the depictions of Jesus' and Mary's hearts have thorns and daggers around them which suggest suffering and pain.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus should not be surrounded by thorns and pierced by daggers.  These represent the passion and suffering of Jesus not the unconditional love which Jesus showed to everyone.

So, in the future, representations of spiritual people should show an open heart giving Love.


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The Teaching.

God is Love.

There is no fear in Love.

God does not punish us.

Let go of your fear.

Open your heart.

Love God.

Love your neighbor.


This is the Teaching.


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Rationalizing Fear.

What people do is act according to their fear and then rationalize their religion to suit.

This is why much of the Church is inadequate but no one ever admits it.

People have a fear of those who are different or those who have greater needs.

But, rather than confronting their fears, they hide behind a facade of respectability.  They may even say they are helping when they are not.

And what makes them do this but fear.
Fear of being overwhelmed, fear of failing to cope.  Fear of being seen to transgress God's commandments, fear of being ostracized by their peers.

So they lie.
They lie to you and they lie to themselves.

Then no one will ever know.


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The Zeitgeist.

The zeitgeist is a German word which means the prevailing winds of popular oipinion.

At present the zeitgeist in the westerm world is controlled by corporate plutocrats and media moguls who have turned us hard and tough.

Whenever  a serious crime is committed they scream "Burn in Hell!" and "Rot in jail forever!"

It would seem that no criminal should ever be released from jail.

This is in direct contradiction of God's reconciling will.

God tells us to pray for those in prison and to visit them.

God tells us to forgive.

God tells us to reform and be reconciled to the community.

This is God's mercy acting in our world.

We would do well to follow it.


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Live Long.

Only the good live long.

It is a phenomenon of our modern world that rock stars and celebrities die young.

Either drug overdoses or degenerative diseases brought about by excess or even suicide see them die at an early age.

The good, on the other hand, live long.

It is not uncommon for those who have lived in a more positive way to reach their 90s, even to live to 100.

So do not follow the example of stars who burn themselves out while still young.

Be good and live long.


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The Future.

The churches of the future will be:

Light.  Circular.  Open.

God will be present.

We will be equal.

Worship will be centering.

Centered in our hearts.

Open to God and to others.


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The Past.

The churches of the past were:

Cold.  Rigid.  Forbidding.

Is this how they saw their religion?

Cold.  Rigid.  Forbidding.

Modern churches are usually different.

No cold stone.  No high ceilings.  No steeples.

What could this mean?

Could our conception of God be different?

Is God closer?  Warmer?  Less patriarchal?

And what of the future?

What will the churches of the future be like?


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God.

God is real.

God is wholly good.

God is totally benevolent.

God is trustworthy.

God is reliable.

God is considerate.

God is Love.


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Safe.

People may say that I am warm and friendly.

But this is no credit to me.

Before I encountered the Living God I was withdrawn and sullen; I was as cold and insular as everyone else.

I have come to realize that this was fear.

We are afraid of being hurt.
So we bury our heart and build protective walls around us.

But God takes away our fear.

God's Love is steadfast.
He is reliable and trustworthy.
Our love is requited.

So we have no reason to fear.

We are free to express our love for others.

Because we are safe.


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Adultery.

The problem with adultery is not that it is immoral but that it hurts people.

It hurts people's hearts and it hurts their marriages.

The problem with the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s was that it led to adultery.  And adultery led to divorce.

And divorce hurts everyone, especially children.

So, rather than thinking in terms of moral rules, we should think about how our behavior affects other people.


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A Place in the Kingdom.

Is there a place for sexually active gay men in the Kingdom of God?

Many people consciously agree that there should be but there are unconscious obstacles.

The inflammatory words of St. Paul still lurk in the unconscious of many Christians setting up a barrier to full membership and marriage for gay people.

Others hark back to redundant Old Testament prohibitions.

Neither of these objections is valid in the 21st century.

We have to get past these outmoded concepts which are merely prejudice disguised as morality.

We have to move on from these primitive notions.

Homosexuality is no different from heterosexuality.

We must accept that and move forwards.


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Declaration.

So that there can be no confusion about my position I have decided to declare my attitude to sex and pornography.

As a 62 year-old homosexual man with no partner I have no qualms about expressing my sexuality alone.

I consider this preferable to attempting to suppress my sexuality for the sake of some misplaced sense of spirituality.

I see no contradiction between sexuality and spirituality.

I do not subscribe to the body/spirit dichotomy put forward by St. Paul.

And so I do not have a problem with pornography - Internet or otherwise.

The Muscle Worship sites on the Internet offer valuable support for people like me who would otherwise have no outlet for their sexuality.

This is who I am.

I hope that this is perfectly clear.

Odd Ideation.

If you come across odd ideation - such as the unbiblical notion that if you have sex on earth you can't go to heaven - the chances are that it is wrong.

Most of these ideas are put out by rock musicians and artists who are involved in modern Satanism - i.e. selling your soul for fame and fortune and the perfection of your art.

You will find that these strange ideas mostly relate to sin, fall, damnation, and hell.  Thus they betray their Satanic origins.

So before accepting popular notions about sin and shame for example you would do well to check it out with someone who might know.

Otherwise you are prey to evil forces.


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Cursed.

The Hippie/Baby-Boomer generation do not realize that they have been cursed.

The ideals of peace and love, freedom, and the redistribution of wealth have almost disappeared.

What happened?

First of all their rock bands betrayed them.

The rock legends of the 1960s pioneered Satanism in rock music.

Peace and love became sex and drugs and rock and roll.

Subtle influences in the music steered them towards pleasure and excess.

Backtracking and subliminal images manipulated the unconscious.

But it was not until the 1980s when the political climate changed that they were finally reconstructed.

The violent hostility of Generation X and the Reagan and Thatcher administrations combined to eradicate the last vestiges of idealism.

And the curse was complete.

Subsequent generations have fared no better:

Generation X became hate and pure evil.

Generation Y were cursed with sin.

Generation Z became wicked wizards.

Each generation's rock bands maneuvered the popular culture to turn their youth towards evil.

The Millennials are the first group unaffected by the astrological sign Scorpio - which governs Satanism and black magic.  Perhaps we will see a move away from darkness and evil.

I hope and pray for that.


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Shepherds.

"My people have been lost sheep, their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountain; from mountain to hill they have gone, they have forgotten the fold."  Jeremiah 50:6 (NRSV)

Christianity has grown old and corrupt.
The sheep have left the fold.
They have been led astray and abandoned.

"Thus says the Lord God:  Ah you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves!  Should not the shepherds feed the sheep?  You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep.  You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured, you have not brought back the strayed, you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them."  Ezekiel 34:2b-4 (NRSV)

This sounds strangely familiar.
And not just because it resembles the words of Jesus.

When the covenant grows old and the shepherds become complaisant and corrupt God sends a messenger to prophesy against them.

Christianity has grown old and corrupt.
The shepherds feed themselves and rule harshly.

The time has come to renew God's covenant with humanity.

Hear the good news:

You have nothing to fear from God.

God does not punish us.
God punishes no one.

God does not force us.
Nor does He threaten or intimidate us.

There is no hell.
Hell is totally out of character for a loving God.

There is no devil.
There are no dark powers, only the goodness of God.

Sex is the consummation of love.
And love is the nature of God.

God loves us.
Even to the very last one.

This is the truth.
Not the carrot and stick religion of rewards and punishments which corrupt shepherds impose on the people.

They serve themselves.
And impose harsh penalties.

In this way they rule humanity.

It is  a millstone around our necks.

Cast it into the sea.

May it be gone forever.


[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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Bad Fruit.

What are the fruits of rock and roll?

Drug addiction, promiscuity, adultery, divorce, hedonism, rebellion, suicide, atheism, apostasy, Satanism.....

Jesus said, "'No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit.'"  Luke 6: 43,44a (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.]

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Goodwill.

Peace on earth, and goodwill to all.

With this blessing God broke into human history with the birth of Jesus, the light of the world.

And this is His will - that there be peace on earth and goodwill between all.

This is consistent with His word through the prophets and indeed through Jesus himself.

Let the discerning mind see:

No longer should we live in fear.

No longer should we make war.

No longer should we destroy the environment.

Peace on earth, and goodwill to all.


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Killing the Messenger.

When God reaches out to humanity with the good news of unconditional love and forgiveness what happens is that the powers of this world kill the messenger and steal the message.

What happens then is that they turn the message back into the carrot and stick religion of rewards and punishments because this is what suit the rich and powerful of our world.

The rich and powerful seek to control the masses in order to maintain their position of power and privilege.  And the traditional religion of rewards and punishments suits their purposes perfectly.

Napoleon said that if the Catholic Church had not existed he would have to have invented it.

This is proof that this style of religion suits the powerful.

But this burdensome exoteric religion is not the truth.

God loves humanity unconditionally and He is always ready to forgive.


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Homosexuality.

Homosexuality is love.

"God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them."  1 John 4:16 (NRSV)

Just so. Homosexuals partake of the Love of God as others do.


[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 Rainbow Covenant.

"God said, 'This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.'"  Genesis 9:12.13 (NRSV)

God vows never again to destroy all flesh.

And the sign of this covenant is the rainbow.

The rainbow is a sign of peace between God and all living creatures.

The rainbow is also the symbol of the gay community and political coalitions that protect the environment.

So the rainbow is indeed a sign of peace between God and the 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.]

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Sodom.

Proponents of Satanic rock music claim homosexuality for Satan because of Sodom.

But.....

"This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy."  Ezekiel 16:49 (NRSV)

No mention of homosexuality.

Could they be mistaken?

Or are they just preying on vulnerable young people who have been told that God hates them?


{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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Signs of Life.

Is Christianity dead?

When I was a child I attended church services in our local Anglican church and it seemed to me that the Church was dead.

Repeating the same words by rote week in week out did not seem to me to have life.  And none of those present seemed to practice Christianity outside of Sunday services.

So is Christianity dead?

The Church was part of the conservative establishment.
It taught obedience to worldly authorities.
It was bound by creeds and dogmas.

So is Christianity dead?

Not quite.

There are signs of life.

The intellectual honesty and courage being shown by the Progressive Christian movement has life.

A willingness to embrace change and take risks is a sign of life.

But the Church is dragging its feet.
Many are resisting change.
And as yet there are no Progressive Churches.

So Christianity is locked in a life and death struggle.

Will the powers allow Progressive Christianity to grow?

Will the Church stop its institutional naval gazing and give to the community?

Will we stop thinking of ourselves and think of those in need?

Time will tell.

But there are signs of life.


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Musclemen.

What is described on the internet as muscle worship is none other than love.

The great desire that men feel for beautiful musclemen is love.

We are filled with impossible desires.

Rather than appealing to his ego or his dark side, however, perhaps we should appeal to his big heart.

Tears melt the heart.

So rather than a response of fear - fear of peer pressure, fear of emasculation, fear of ridicule - we should try to win his sympathy and trust.

Then by demonstrating that our great desire is love perhaps we could win his heart.


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What They Need.

Instead of thinking all the time about what we need; we should be thinking about what they need.

So, as a Church, we should not be thinking: We need more young people in our church; we should be thinking: What do young people need?

Young people need positive messages which are not based on materialism or commercialism.  They need ideals and spiritual principles.  But most of all they need love.

In a world that is driven by power and profit people need understanding and consideration.

So, instead of trying to impose our beliefs on others, we should be trying to understand others and meet their needs.

Modern people experience alienation, loneliness, isolation, depression, hopelessness, despair, some even have a death-wish.....

But the Church will only be able to help if we can be agents of love, if we can show them the Love of God.

"We love because he first loved us."  1 John 4:19 (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.]

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The Steering Wheel.

How do the dark forces that lurk in our popular music turn people to evil?

The answer is simple - by feeding the negatives.

And how do they know the negatives?

Astrology.

Look at the negative interpretations for the generational planets Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto for each successive group.

You might get a surprise.

These are reflected in song titles and lyrics, even in video images.

Along with backtracking, inverted images, darkness, and evil.

They take over the steering wheel and drive you into hell.


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Powers and Authorities.

The problem, as I see it, is that the powers and authorities which rule our world do not reflect the nature or the will of God.

These powers and authorities, which include most of the Churches, are hardline right-wing conservatives.  They invoke harsh penalties to keep humanity in line.

Not only does this reflect a negative view of humanity but a negative view of God as well.

They have little faith in the benevolence of God.
And they certainly don't reflect the Love of God.

Humanity is wicked, they believe, and needs to be threatened to keep them from hell.

Many have suggested that this approach has nothing to do with God and everything to do with maintaining power.

This may well be the case.

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

But God is loving.

He treats us like His children.

He forgives us.

He always gives us another chance.

What could be further from our experience of power and authority in this world?

So when religious people talk to you about authority be sure that you know what kind of authority they are talking about.

For the ultimate authority is Love.


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Negatives.

Satanism in our popular culture stresses the negatives of each generation and each individual.

Not only this but they constantly tempt religious people to manifest the negatives of religion: judgement, hate, violence, war, moralizing, legalism, hypocrisy.....

They corrupt political leaders and captains of industry.

They play the blame game.

And harden hearts.

This is why the world is colder; darker; more brutal, unjust, unforgiving, and unequal.

Evil hides in the darkness.

Open your eyes!


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Sin?

If God does not judge or punish sin then how does he stop us from sinning?

This is the classic argument in favor of the system of rewards for good behavior and punishments for bad behavior.

It betrays a dim view of humanity.

But what is the cause of sin?

Contrary to standard wisdom I believe that sin is caused by feeling unloved and abused.

"They don't give a stuff about me so why should I obey their rules?"

God addresses this lack by loving us all the more.

But it is when we begin to love others that we really blossom.

God's way is the way of the heart.

Love God and love your neighbor.

Then we will not need to sin.


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Gay Sex.

Somehow we must navigate the treacherous waters between licentious demonic satyrism and fanatical religious chastity.

Like Odysseus who sailed his ship between two sea monsters - Scylla and Charybdis.

All gay venues encourage promiscuity.

Most religions require abstinence.

One false step could see us in hell.

But God does not discriminate against gay men.

God loves us as He loves others.

Gay sex is no different to heterosexual sex.

What we are dealing with is stereotyping and prejudice.

The stereotype is the gay sexual libertine.

The prejudice is that gay sex is sinful.

For some reason male-male sex is thought to be more physical than male-female sex.

Men are thought to be more sexual and less emotional.

This is plainly false.

In a post-AIDS environment men are looking for a relationship not the casual, anonymous sex of the pre-Stonewall era.

But to reach heaven we must deal with the adamant objections of the established religions.

We are judged by a double standard.

We are expected to observe restrictions that they do not observe themselves.

This is blatant discrimination.

It is unfair and untenable.

Gay marriage is the first step towards equality.

We will be free.

Gay sex will no longer be a vice worthy of hell.

We will be able to consummate our love and enter into heaven.


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