DOMINIONISTS ARE TAKING OVER OUR COUNTRY

http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/25/politics/mike-pence-religious-freedom-bill-gay-rights/

This is a very sad day in America. There are a number of these discrimination bills out there waiting on votes and signatures. Gov. Pence had the opportunity to stand on the side of freedom and veto the bill on his desk. Instead, he held a very private signing. We, collective we as American citizens, have fought long, difficult battles to bring about equal rights in this country.

In effect, the governor has violated the US Constitution, Amendment 1, which says, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." Certainly, the mind of the authors and of the court to this point has been to stay out of religion. However, since the Dominionists of the Republican Party have literally by coup overtaken the party, we are seeing more and more of these attempts to subvert the US Constitution. But creating laws that allow people in very public jobs and other positions to simply say they won't serve you because being gay, or being black, or being Asian, is offensive to their religion, sets up a scary precedent. The slippery slope on this one could very easily lead to terrible consequences for being a minority in this country. Already, a California state senator submitted an amendment to their state constitution that allows for the murdering of gay people. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…/lawyer-killing-gays-sodomit…} The direction in which this country is headed is very disconcerting. One pastor suggested lgbt people should be put in concentration camps and slowly left to die. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…/north-carolina-pastor-gay-r…)

My dear friends, regardless of what you believe about the lgbt population, we are people who deserve equal rights and compassion. Regardless of what you think of us, we must all live in harmony with one another. And if you are a Christian, truly you know in your heart that your Savior would require of you compassion and love. Remember I Cor. 13:13 which says, "13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love." These resolutions and amendments are NOT of God, not of the Spirit of the Christ, and certainly not loving in any way.

Regardless of your personal faith, certainly you cannot in your heart of hearts think that those simply by virtue of not being like you, deserve encampment, prejudice and death. I must believe in my heart that God, by whatever Name you address Him/Her, is a loving God. And if you believe in Jesus as Savior, there is no way to justify support of these policies.

This is a blog by a dear friend, Rev. Candace Chellew-Hodge.  She is the pastor at Jubilee Circle UCC in Columbia, SC

(http://www.jubileecircleucc.com/index.shtml)

I've known Candace a number of years. (I won't say how many.)  She has been a light for gays and lesbians seeking love and acceptance in a world not so very nice to them.  Over the years, she has offered hope to those dangling in the inbetween place of wanting to have a relationship with God and knowing they are not accepted by their families nor church families.

I've often said to people who want to put labels on me, "No, I am not a sinnner. I was not born in 'original sin'. I was born in amazing grace."  If one truly believes in the saving power of Jesus, then one has no issue with original sin.  One only needs to feel the love of Grace.

Take a moment to read her blog.  And if you feel blessed, read her others.  She never fails to cause me to think.  And I always walk away feeling blessed.  If you're ever in Columbia, SC, check out Jubilee Circle UCC.  I promise you will enjoy yourself.



Spiritual Apocalypse

What I Mean When I Say: “We are not sinners”

When I say we are not sinners I don’t mean that we never mess up or are blameless for the mistakes we make. When I say we are not sinners, I mean that the Christ consciousness that resides within each of us, that true self, knows nothing about sin. It’s a foreign concept to our divine self.

So, why do we “sin” then? We sin because we get caught up in the lie that the ego is our true self. We play not just the ego’s game in our personal lives, but we play the ego’s larger, corporate game that has created a world of greed and inequality. In this illusory world, those who get ahead are the ones who have given in to the fear-based life of the ego – the fear that they don’t have enough, aren’t talented, beautiful or loved enough. This is the fear that tells us that others will take what we have and we’ll have nothing. This is the world the ego lives in — a world of fear, scarcity, anger, shame and greed.

In this ego-driven world, we are, indeed, sinners, but that word has become so loaded down with useless moralistic meanings. Instead, it’s better to say that we’re mistaken, we’re hoodwinked, brain-washed, by the cult of the ego — that cult that says we need more stuff outside of us, and that the only authority that means anything is outside of us in the form of governments, churches, institutions, bosses, parents, spouses or even total strangers.

Our divine self, however, is innocent. Sin isn’t known in this realm, and every mistake we make in service to the ego is already forgiven, washed away by the infinite love offered to us by the Holy.

The only salvation we need is awakening — that realization that the ego world is not the real world. That realization that collectively, we can create another world that is driven by love and compassion instead of fear and greed.

The only true sin we ever commit is the belief that we are separate from God. Again, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we ARE God, I’m saying we are one with the force of life that runs in, through and around this universe.  Just like a drop of water is not the ocean, it is still a part of the larger whole.

That is what we are, a drop of God in an ocean of holiness.

Moral Absolutes or Moral Relativism?

1. "Moral Absolutism is the ethical belief that there are absolute standards against which moral questions can be judged, and that certain actions are right or wrong, regardless of the context of the act." 
2.  http://www.philosophybasics.com/branch_moral_absolutism.html
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4. I like the picture above.  It's a start as a good example of our society's discarding of the wonderful lessons those of us of a certain age learned as children.  Of course, they were based in the Judeo/Christian basics:  Do not murder. Do not steal.  Don't go after your neighbor's wife/husband. Do not lie. As we grew as a nation, we added to those laws to include other rights and wrongs: Women and minorities can vote.  Women can own property.  We cannot exploit children for labor.  We had moral absolutes!
5. Let me give you an example from my childhood.  When I was around 7 or so, my father and I went to the neighborhood pharmacy.  Now back then, a pharmacy was really a small store of this and that, including penny candy and such.  We finished our business, returned home, and I pulled out this little box of rock candy that I had pilfered from the store.  I'm sure I was taught not to steal.  But in my child-mind, I really didn't understand the full concept of that rule.  Well, my dad saw what I had and asked me where I got it.  I hung my head (first clue) and I averted my eyes (second clue) and sheepishly owned up to taking it from the pharmacy.  My dad was livid!  He gave me a stern lecture on stealing.  At that point, the idea of "stealing" became very clear.  He took me and the box of rock candy back to the pharmacy.  He marched me to the pharmacist (who owned the store) and made me return it and apologize.  I did what he told me to do, with the same head hanging as before.  The pharmacist thanked me  for my honesty.  My dad paid for the box.  I thought it was over.  Oh no, it wasn't over.  My father positioned me at the door.  As I opened the door for everyone who entered, I had to apologize for stealing.  Let me tell you, that lesson in moral absolutes taught me a very deep and valuable lesson. You might think that was a horrible thing to do to a kid.  But I sure as hell never stole anything again.
6. Unfortunately, we've stopped teaching those lessons of moral absolutes to our children; the ones where our teachers, parents and ministers gave us lessons and encouragement to act with respect, compassion, and truth.  Now we have a society based on moral relativism.  Moral relativism says, "if it feels good, do it."  Moral relativism says, "If somebody disrespects you, shoot him."  Now we have a society which, quite frankly, is on its way toward anarchy.

1. So what is Anarchy?
   Anarchy is the type of government where there is no government at all. Every person is left to fight for themselves. People must continue to live through farming on their own land, find water, and build a home on their own. No one tells you what to do and there is no voting
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Now, I can already hear the boo-birds on that one.  We will never have anarchy!  Friends, moral relativism will lead to anarchy.  Consider this: As we sit right now, what is happening with that fellow who is refusing to pay for the use of public land?  Cliven Bundy has his ranch surrounded by militiamen to keep the government out.  He refuses to pay what he owes.  He is an anarchist!  He does not recognize the government or their right to enforce a court order.  He will fight for himself, including the militia he has attracted (who believe as he does).  This is anarchy.

If we continue on this trajectory, where police shoot and kill with impunity, our prisons are filled to capacity,and people continue to take the law into their own hands, justify the end by the means,  we will be facing a very serious situation.  We already have one of the, if not the, highest violent crime problems in the world.  There are more guns than books. There are more people joining militia groups than joining prayer groups.

I would like to see our parents take the lead by teaching their children the rights and wrongs of living in a society.  I would like to see the school go back to the basics of read, writing, arithmetic, and not dumb down education and be forced, because of children's behavior, to become baby sitters instead of educators.  I would like to see the churches, synagogues and mosques return to the moral lessons of our religions and philosophies; the moral absolutes that give us a foundation to build a great society.  It would bring us closer to the society of mercy, compassion, and personal responsibility which is missing now.

Please, this day, make a decision to live by those great moral absolutes we knew.  When our internal dialogue says to think about what we are doing, we must stop and do so.  Is it kind?  Is it compassionate?  Is it encouraging?  Is it helpful?  These questions will lead us to be better people.

I had a campus minister many years ago who said something that, at the time, I thought was total heresy.  He said, "I've got enough of God. Now I need to learn to be human."  I did not get it.  Now that I am older, I get it.  We spout religious sayings.  We spout Jesus here and God there, but we don't align our behavior with what we say.  And those who act that way throwing their theologies on others, are no better than the Pharisees.  The Pharisees did what they wanted.  They made it up as they went along to take advantage of those who were basically powerless.  Oh they knew a lot about "God" but they acted with impunity.

I need to be human.  I need to care, be kind, encourage others, show compassion, and treat others with respect.  In doing these things, I touch the heart of God.  I live by moral absolutes.  Just take a moment to consider how much better our society would be if we actually taught our children personal responsibility and kindness?  Just think about it.

Blessings to you all, my gentle readers.

Cindi

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New Year Reflections 2015

Happy New Year, dear readers...

The pictures added on this post reflect my mindset for the coming year.  I believe it is a time to shake off the old and welcome the new.  So, today I shake off the negative thoughts and feelings that I would allow to tie me to the past.  And, today I accept God/dess' highest and greatest good for my life.

What does that mean in every day terms?

Well, for one it means overcoming the fibromyalgia, OPCA and pain that has dominated my year.  These things I place in the burning bowl, seeking and expecting relief.  Now how does that play out in "real life?"  Patti and I have put our minds, hearts, spirits, and bodies toward improving our overall health this year.  I'm not talking about the usual "losing weight" goal, but if that is a result I certainly won't complain. :)   I'm talking about cutting our red meat intake and choosing chicken and fish instead.  We now have a bread maker so we can make our own healthy whole grain breads.  And even with that, it is necessary for me to cut starches.  I love my breads and pastas. Of course, that also means more veggies.  I want to find a source for healthy veggies and meats which are organic.   Moderation must become the mantra.

So there's the food component.  Now the body component.  This is the difficult one for me.  With the issues involved with the fibro and OPCA, there are limitations to which attention must be paid.  I have hopes that, with time and patience, I will see improvement.  Starters will include gentle walking, with knee supports, on flat surfaces.  Slow, steady and short distances.  Next will be some weight training with very light weights.  The Coast Guard base here has an excellent work out room.  Third will be swimming.  That will wait til May when weather is warmer since the pool at the base is outside.  I need the water to be warm.  That's the plan for the body.

What about the mind?  I'm going to read more.  Yes, there are the mystery novels I love so much.  However, I want to increase my understanding of politics, faith, social needs, etc.  Instead of planting myself in front of the "idiot box" I want to finish my back room ideas and have a place to relax, read, and study.  That will include my Bible, my Other Bible (which includes Gnostic writings about which I am very interested), as well as blogs and webzines on different subjects.  I put the Bible mentions here first because I want to examine them as interesting writings first.  My time will also be spent researching Christo-Pagan writings.

And now the Spirit.  This is a big one for me.  If you know me, you know I have a deep and abiding spirit life that influences all that I am.  Labels?  Christian. Pagan. (Yes, they can co-exist.) I enjoy reading the Bible for its life lessons.  I enjoy reading the Other Bible for its life lessons and twist on how to see spiritual things.  I enjoy reading the writings of the Dalai Lama, Buddha, Lao Tzu, etc.  I find them challenging and stirring to my Spirit.  I want to dig deeper, feel more, know more...and more importantly, be more of the spiritual person for which I was made.

Those are the basics, folks.  I know it's a tall order.  I pray I can make headway in all those areas.  And the reason is simple: They are all intertwined.  I am all those things.  To be my greatest, highest self, I must succeed in each area.  And to live my life in balance, I must succeed in each area.

There is one area I have only briefly mentioned.  That is my relationship with my beloved, Patti.  I kinda think it's pretty perfect.  We love and support each other in all things.  That includes each of the above-mentioned areas.  I know that we walk this journey together.  And I am blessed beyond words to be able to share my life with her.

These are my desires for 2015.

Great blessings to you, my dear readers, for your New Year.  May you find peace, joy, prosperity and joy.