Thesis.

                   

How have we finished up like this?

The world is darker, colder, more unequal than it has ever been.

My thesis is that since the 1960s rock bands have been practising covert Satanism in their music and videos and the negative influences which have flowed from this are the hidden causes of many of our problems.

Drug addiction, promiscuity, adultery, divorce, hatred of the Church, witchcraft, magic, corruption, and evil.....

All these things derive from the rock music from the 1960s onwards.

But it is hard to see.

If you know what is at the root of it, however, you will know what to look for.

The negative interpretations of each generational groups astrological planets and signs gives a clue.

This is deliberate sabotage.

It's no wonder things are worse.

So look beneath the surface and take note of any negative references, especially those with religious overtones.

They may not be as harmless as you think.


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Goodness.

                            

Rather than aspiring to righteousness we should be aspiring to goodness.

Righteousness can bring with it a sense of moral superiority and condemnation of others.

It is these things which Jesus criticized in the Pharisees and Sadducees.

To aspire to goodness, however, is to banish all harmful thoughts and actions.  It is to be totally benevolent.  It is to wish the best for others.  It is to give.  It is to love.

Goodness softens the heart and opens our heart to others.

So that we may love God and love our neighbors.


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Cake.

                            

At the corporate executive luncheon all who were present partook of a particularly decadent chocolate cake.

Not only was the cake itself rich chocolate but the icing was adorned with swirls and scrolls of pure chocolate like some surreal sculpture.

The guests were delighted.

When one of them commented that she felt a little bit guilty eating cake while the workers were at their labors the CEO replied, "They're just lazy bastards.  If they worked as hard as me they would eat cake as we do."


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Rationalizations.

                            

What is it that holds the Status Quo together?

Rationalizations:

We worked hard for our wealth.

Our holidays generate income for people in poor countries.

People are poor because they are lazy or vicious.

All people on welfare are cheats or criminals.

All Muslims are terrorists.

All asylum seekers are queue-jumpers.

We are not racist.

We are not rich.

The politics of envy.

Trickle-down effect.

Class warfare.

Ideologies.

Political correctness.

Do-gooders.

Communists.

Bleeding hearts.

All these rationalizations are false.

They seem true superficially but they will not stand scrutiny.

But no one ever questions them.

They are handed out by politicians.

And people repeat them to you word for word.

They are reinforced by the media.

This is why nothing ever changes.

No one ever questions these rationalizations.


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Status Quo.

                            

We no longer live in a democracy we live in a corporate plutocracy.

We no longer have any power - all power devolves to the corporate plutocrats who rule us.

We are stuck with the Status Quo.

And we have no power to change it.

In fact it continues to get worse.

Corporations expect to increase their profits by 15% per year no matter what.

What of our governments?

Our governments are corrupt.
They kowtow to the corporations because they share in their profits and their privileges.  They retire into directorships and seats on the board.  They no longer serve the people.

And they are now signing off our taxes to corporations who want to sue governments for lost profits.

This is corruption.

Our media is owned by these corporate rulers so we never see anything they don't want us to see.

The poor, the destitute, the lonely, the oppressed, the foreigner, the hungry.....

You wont see them on your T.V..

Unless it is to demonize them.

Only cooking shows and evil.

Delicious and corrupt.

And sports to distract you.

So we are stuck with the Status Quo.


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XXX.

                            

He arrived on the scene driving a black Lamborghini with 666 on the number plate.

He was dressed all in black with dark Ray Ban shades to hide his eyes.

He aspired to money.

The root of all evil.

His god was the devil.

And his intentions were evil.


She strutted the streets in her little black dress.

She aspired to being his prowess.

His mistress, his partner, his driver, his mother.

She was hunting for scalps.

Power was her god.

And her intentions were evil.


Now they are old and their black shirts have faded.

They no longer have power.

And no one remembers.

Their children rebel.

And their masters look elsewhere.

At last they must face that their actions were evil.


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Virtue.

                            

We cannot just go back to the 1950s.

But the revolutions of the 1960s and 1970s had their negative effects on society.

Sex and drugs and rock and roll caused untold suffering from addiction and divorce.  Let alone the negative influences in the music.

Death. Depression. Suicide. Evil.....

This period has also seen the demise of the Church.

Hypocrisy, sex-phobia, negative doctrines, moral wowserism, fear, and abuse caused billions of people to abandon institutional Christianity.

But the Church has some good qualities still.

Charity, consideration for others, concern for the poor, compassion for the suffering, faith, fellowship, prayer.....

These are good things which society lacks.

So we can still combine the good things from the Church with the positive aspects of our secular culture.


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Good People.

                            

There are many good people in the world.

Unfortunately Satanism in rock music. celebrity culture, sports, and corporate ownership guarantee that evil is in control.

Good people have no power.

Good people are poisoned and distracted.

We cannot hope to make a better world while this situation continues.

Watch your eyes and your ears - what you watch and what you listen to.

What is it telling you to do?

"Don't change anything, just have a good time."

Meanwhile the rich get richer and business become more corrupt, the rich pay less tax and governments cut welfare.

Two-thirds of the world goes to bed hungry.

And war rages on.

Don't just do what you're told.

Challenge the T.V., the music, the news.

While we are controlled there is no hope.

We must act now!

Otherwise the evil people who control our world will make things worse and worse until there is violent revolution.


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I Vow.

To be sung to: I Vow to Thee My Country.

I vow to thee my Father,
My Savior, my Friend;
To love you with my whole heart,
To love you 'til the end.

A love that asks no questions,
A love that has no fear;
A love embracing all men,
The strangers and the dear.

And now we say to everyone
Your Father lives on high;
Awaiting our awakening,
Our fervent prayers, our cry!

We may not have an army,
We may not have a store;
But our nation will feed all men,
The richest and the poor.

So open up your broken hearts
And pray to God above;
And He will hear your hopeful prayers
And bless you with His Love.


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Self-Criticism.

                            

In Buddhism there is a tradition that the novices can criticize their leadership on one day of every year.

This is to ensure that those in authority do not become complacent.

In Judaism God periodically sends a messenger, a prophet, who criticizes the shepherds of Israel - the political and religious leaders.

Jesus was a prophet in this tradition.

Jesus said, "'For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."'"  Matthew 23:39 (NRSV)

By this he meant until they accepted the criticism which comes from God.

For "he expected justice, but saw bloodshed, righteousness, but heard a cry."  Isaiah 5:7 (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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Big Softies.

                                     

Death-dealing devils

call you:

Monsters, Beasts, and Animals.

They make you:

Punishers, Enforcers, and Predators.

But I say you are:

Gentle Giants, Big Softies, Angels.

You have Big Hearts.

Do not be afraid of Tears.

Open your Hearts!

Give Love.

And Live!


Photo Credit: Pinterest.

The Dragon's Breath.

Fire and death.

The dragon's breath.


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Bow Down.

Bow down to the sex goddess.

Satan's demonic diva.


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My People.

I stand upon the Holy Mountain.

Candles lit in fervent prayer.

Looking out across the plain.

To where my people suffer pain.


"Come up!"  He said.  And so I did.

And heard of His undying heart.

To live and love in life abundant.

Trusting His unceasing Love.


To give as we receive is best.

To love and hear the least of these.

To help. To care. To carry. To stay.

Will see us to a bright new day!


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Eternal Life.

                            

St. Paul called his body "this body of death".  Romans 7:24 (NRSV)

This is because the body dies but the spirit lives on.

And so he assumed that all physical pleasures were sinful and brought about death to God.  This is abstract thinking extrapolated from the material.

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

But death is no place, no state, so kingdom.

Eternity, however, Eternal Life, is now.

My body is alive now.

I am never separated from God.

And I experience His Life in my body which is 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.]

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Gay!

Up the rocky slope

to the summit.

Down into

the darkest pit.

To work and struggle

thirty years.

At last to see

the light of day.

And now we seek

God's Holy Blessing.

No longer to be

shunned and shamed.

But free

to live and love together.

Walking

His Undying Way.


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Religion for Dummies.

                            

Satanism may seem like an answer for those who feel they can't live up to God's expectations.

"I'm no angel."

But is negativity an answer?

Guilt, shame, poison, sabotage, lies, hate, and hell are not really helpful.

Torture, torment, and pain are considered fun.

If they tell you to lie the chances are they are lying to you in the first place.

There is no Satan in reality.

So Satanism is really only religion for dummies.


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Light.

May the Light

of God

shine upon you.

And banish

the darkness

that surrounds you.


Photo Credit: Pinterest.

The Dark Night.

                            

We are living in the dark night.

The world is evil and corrupt.

We have no power.

And God is dead.

But unbeknown to us this is the result of a deliberate campaign to rid the world of goodness and spread evil everywhere.

Satanists in the rock music and entertainment industries set out to destroy the Church and promote Satanism in its place.

Their work is dark, sinister, and blasphemous.

And they have largely succeeded.

Although people don't know that what they are doing is Satanism.

It is backwards and upside-down.

So throw away your C.D.s, turn off the T.V., and unplug your earphones.

We have been deceived.


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Church Leaders.

"The shepherds also have no understanding.
they have all turned to their own way,
to their own gain, one and all."  Isaiah 56:11 (NRSV)

We may wonder why those in positions of authority in the Church teach things which seem so contradictory of Jesus and our intuitive understanding of God.

But in ancient Israel the prophets were often critical of the shepherds - i.e. the religious leaders of Israel.

They were called blind and deaf and Jesus called them hypocrites.

So we should not be surprised when the Church appears to be wrong.
It has been wrong before.

So why doesn't God tell them?

The answer is that He does.

He sends prophets and messengers to tell them.

But as Jesus said, "'Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to it!  How often have I desired to gather my children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!'"  Luke 13:34 (NRSV)

This is the meaning of Jesus' saying: "'And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."'"  Luke 13:35 (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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Clouds of Heaven.

What are

The Clouds of Heaven

But

Clouds of Love.


Photo Credit: Jay Cagle.
(The image has been slightly modified)

Sunday Christians.

                            

Why do people sit in church every Sunday and nod piously during the sermon, even espouse hospitality during prayers, but you never see them during the week?

Church people only associate with others during official Church functions.  They never invite you into their homes let alone provide a meal.

We are constantly reminded that Jesus attended and spoke about meals, using this as a metaphor for God's hospitality.

Hospitality is one of the principles of Messy Church but not one of them has ever invited me into their homes for a meal.

So they sit there and the sermon goes in one ear and out the other, or over their heads completely.

No wonder the Church is dying.


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Jar.

The Egyptian hieroglyph of a jar - ab - means the heart.


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Open Your Eyes.

May you

Open your eyes.

And see

Through the darkness.

The love

That surrounds you.

And wash with

Your tears.

And banish

Your fears.


Photo Credit: Isaac Gharvidel.

The Great Mystery.

And what is

The Great Mystery

But

Love.


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Waves.

Give love

to him

in infinite

waves.

That come from

the heart

in mysterious

ways.

To Millennials.

A light in the darkness.

Peace and Love.

The voice of experience.

The Holy Dove.

We support your endeavors.

Your voices.  Your tears.

And pray that your actions

can counter your fears.

We will not desert you.

We will not be moved.

A light in the darkness.

The promise of Love.


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Heart of Gold.

Christmas Night.

With the Fairies.

A Heart of Gold.


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Love.

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Temple.

                            

An Indian Yogi once told me:

"A little boy went to the temple to pray but the priests would not let him in because he was untouchable.

The boy sat down on the temple steps in tears and prayed to God.

And God answered him saying, 'Don't worry they won't let me in there either.'"


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