Flow.

Aquarius is the Water Carrier.

His jar is our heart.

And water flows.

If we learn how to give then the love from our hearts will flow to the places of need.

We must overcome the fear that hardens our hearts and give love.

Then the waters of Aquarius will flow freely.

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All the Wrong Things.

We have been told all the wrong things.

The Church told us God is our judge, He punishes sin, He tortured and killed Jesus, He hates sex, He is homophobic and misogynistic, and He will punish some with eternal torment in hell.

But none of these things is true.

The world does not know God.

And unfortunately this includes His priests and ministers.

The punitive God described above has more to do with the dominance of the ruling elite than than it has to do with God.   

God punishes no one.

He loves us like a Father.

He is merciful, forgiving, and compassionate.

He knows and understands.

And His Love is everlasting.

So go into your room and close the door.

Pray to God with all your heart.

He will answer you.

 Photo Credit: AlsaceCatho Flickr via Compfight cc

(The image has been slightly modified.)

Evil.

Since 1984 we have been in the grip of evil.

Our corporate masters turned to Generation X to intimidate and bash anyone who opposed their brutal rule.

And Generation X turned to Satan to power their campaign.

We are the victims of this evil conspiracy.

But there is a God.

And He is patient.

He waits until the appointed time.

And that is when the older generation  have passed away.

And a new generation of activists has arisen.

Evil will lose.

And the Age of Aquarius will begin.

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Jeremiah.

God speaks to the sons of King Josiah:

"Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness?

Then it was well with him.

He judged the cause of the poor and needy, then it was well with him.

Is this not to know me?  says the Lord.

But your eyes and heart are only for your dishonest gain,

for the shedding of innocent blood, and for practising oppression and violence."  Jeremiah 22:15-17 (NRSV)

This is to displease God and not to know Him.

There are many Christians in this world who do not know God.

They seek dishonest gain, shed innocent blood, and practise oppression and violence.

They do not support the cause of the poor and needy.

God instructs Jeremiah to invite the Rechabites to the Temple and offer them wine.

But they reply that their ancestors commanded them not to drink wine, build houses, or sow seeds and they had obeyed them to this day. (Jeremiah 35)

God holds up the Rechabites as an example of obedience which the people of Judah could not match.

The Rechabites obeyed the commandment of their ancestors but the Israelites had not obeyed God Himself.

And what has God commanded us to do?

"'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'"  Matthew 22:37 (NRSV)

"'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"  Matthew 22:39 (NRSV)

Then He will say: "Here I am."  Isaiah 58:9 (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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Alternatives.

In our world we are presented with many alternative ways to respond to the realities of life.

We can capitulate and compromise our principles.

We can become pragmatic and cynical.

We can battle against the evil we see around us.

We can become selfish and defend ourselves.

We can retaliate and seek revenge.

We can seek power and dominance.

We can become mercenary and accumulate money and possessions.

 

We can follow celebrities and sports stars.

None of these ways works.

It is when we follow the way of the heart that things begin to work.

Jesus taught us to love God and love our neighbor.

He even taught us to love our enemies.

If we turn the other cheek and forgive those who abuse us we will find a way that is in tune with the universe.

If we return good for evil we will emulate the Creator of the universe.

And if we open our hearts and give love to others we will be Home at last.

For God is Love.

And love is the way Home.

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Darkness.

The overwhelming problem in our modern world is the control and manipulation of our multi-media networks.

These networks are owned and controlled by rich media barons and corporations.

And as such they are outlets for their propaganda.

Everything is slanted by spin.

And anything they don't want you to know just doesn't appear.

So many of the urgent problems in our world are simply not reported.

Even the Internet is flooded with articles diverting people's good intentions.

And this doesn't just apply to news media. 

Our entertainment is saturated with evil.

Rock music is Satanism.

And our movies and T.V. push violence and war.

And there is no alternative.

We are brainwashed.

Living in a nightmare.

But no one knows why.

Rock stars have sold their souls.

And Corporate Plutocrats are corrupt.

We live in a dark time of evil and relative truth.

Look for the Light.

And follow your heart.

Then you might see a glimmer of hope.

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China.

The hard-line policies that China employs are fed by fear.

Fear of exploitation by Western Capitalists.

Fear of religion which has in the past favored the aristocracy.

Fear of dissent.

Fear of invasion.

But the West must relinquish its domination policy which itself is driven by fear.

Fear of losing our privileges.

Fear of challenge.

Fear of invasion.

So that we might have peace in our world.

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Stable.

What seems to us inanimate matter is full of energy.

And the solid and firm is a form of stability.

It is energy bound into solid form.

Without the solid forms of matter that surround us we would not be able to function.

We need stability to live.

And this stability is a form of God's Love.

God has made for us a beautiful garden in which to live.

Thanks be to God.

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Sex.

While sex is O.K. - not banned or bad.

Sex is not the answer.

Sex alone creates emptiness and misery.

The answer is love.

And all sex is looking for love.

But we must cultivate a healthy attitude to the exigencies of sex.

Sex is natural.

A natural part of God's good creation.

And as such we should not feel ashamed or afraid.

And this also applies to homosexual sex.

Sex creates intimacy and tenderness.

It is not merely for procreation.

The urge for union with another is perhaps our strongest urge.

But it is vanity without human love.

Photo Credit: Bodybuilders.

Church Decline.

We will never be able to reverse the decline of the Church until we realize what is causing it.

There are several factors which affect Church decline:

First of all we are preaching to an educated public.  What we preach must pass the test of logic and not insult our intelligence or our sensibilities.

Secondly the child sexual abuse scandals must be addressed.  It is no use just increasing our fear of sex.  We must face the fact that sex is part of God's good creation and is not the enemy of the spirit.

Thirdly we must address the issue of homosexuality and God.  The vast majority find the hateful attitude of many Churches towards homosexuals offensive.  We must swallow our pride and admit that God does not discriminate.

But a major influence affecting church attendances is Satanism in our popular culture.  Satanism in rock music, entertainment, and sports poisons and distracts us.  It blames religion and addicts us to pleasure.

So, if we are to address the issue of the decline of the Churches, we must first look at these factors.

Photo Credit: Prayitno / Thank you for (12 millions +) view Flickr via Compfight cc (The image has been slightly modified.)

Big Heart.

Size matters:

Big muscles.

Big plans.

Big heart.

Photo Credit: Dreamstime.

Love.

It seemed that love

Was the domain of women.

From Mary to Magdalene

Venus ruled.

But men have hearts

That pump love as well.

They think that Mars

Is their Domain.

But love 

Is the ultimate 

Panacea.

The inmost core

Of our heart is

Our Soul.

The source and agent 

Of Infinite

Love.

Photo Credit: Pinterest.

Bliss!

The joy of Love

Awaits us in Heaven.

The heart of God

Waits patiently.

Wistful whispers

And momentary glimpses

Lure us to wisdom

And tranquility.

But the secret of Love

Awakes in the morning.

The realm of Light

- The Reality-

Shows us that Bliss

Abides in the giving.

The giving of Love

To Infinity.

Hand Stock photos by Vecteezy

Vision.

Because I say that our popular culture is saturated with Satanism and we need to return to God.

Does not mean that I advocate a return to the Christianity of the 1950s.

The Traditional Orthodox Christianity taught in that era was more akin to the religion of the Pharisees than the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.

What I am proposing in Progressive Christianity is a return to the teachings of Jesus himself.

The religion of the 1950s was about belief in Creeds which contain nothing that Jesus taught.

These Creeds are about the figure of Christ as God, his Virgin Mother, his Death and Resurrection, and his return in Judgement.

Jesus taught none of these things.

And although the Resurrection is significant it is not the physical resuscitation indicated by an empty tomb.

The empty tomb is more symbolic than historical.

And the myth of Mary's virginity is based on a mistranslation of the original text.

Jesus refused to judge people in life so why would he return to judge the whole human race?

What Jesus did teach, however, was the forgiveness and unconditional love of God.

He was an agent of God's mercy.

And his death was a tragedy for the human race.

His disciples and followers never really regained the fullness of Jesus' revelation.

Only now are we beginning to glimpse the vision that Jesus attained.

So do not look to the past for the vision.

Look to the future and guard it against the corruptions of history.

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Satanism.

Satanism will tell you that there is no God so you may as well lie, cheat, and steal to win.

But this is selling your soul.

And the result they desire is hell.

So do not listen to rock musicians and reality T.V..

Their intention is to corrupt you.

And they want your soul in hell.

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Save Them Father!

Dressed all in black.

Covered in tattoos.

Worshipping sex

In a body of death.

Renounce the devil

And all his works.

Be reconciled to God

Through His steadfast

Love.

Save your soul

Which is pure,

Untouched.

Open your heart

Which is wholly 

Good!

Photo Credit: Pinterest.

Beauty!

Desire!

And overwhelming 

Love!

Engulf us all

When Beauty 

Comes!

The spark 

of our Creators 

Art.

Ignites the Fire

Within

Our Hearts!

Photo Credit: Pinterest.

Making A Difference.

We're MAD.

We're Making A Difference.

We seek to make people's lives better.

We seek to bring Light into the darkness.

We seek to bring Love into the emptiness.

We seek to bring goodness and hope.

May God. who is MAD Himself, show us His Light and guide us with His Grace.

Then we may truly Make A Difference.

Photo Credit: Loredana Lavino Flickr via Compfight cc

(The image has been slightly modified.)

Love.

God has only one characteristic and that is Love.*

Any suggestion - Biblical, Traditional, Fundamentalist, or Evangelical - that God is angry, violent, vengeful, punitive, or hateful are wrong.

God is Love.

And as His children we must give love in His name.

Then the world will be transformed.

And we will be happy and peaceful at last.

(*Attributed to Julian of Norwich.)

Photo Credit: wdsimages.

Day!

We give thanks,

O Lord, 

For your glorious

Light!

That feeds 

The realm 

Of abundant

Life!

And heralds

The arrival

Of infinite

Love!

We hope. We give.

We love. We pray.

And we bless

The advent

Of your joyous

Day!

Sunshine Stock photos by Vecteezy

Autumn.

Autumn!

And the northern trees begin to turn.

Our senses are ignited by vibrant colors:

Brilliant red, amber, yellow gold.

As a precursory chill nips the air.

Autumn Stock photos by Vecteezy

Principles.

When I mentioned to a Salvation Army Officer whom I met on the tram that I was gay and that the official policy of the Salvation army was that gay people deserved to die.

He said that they had to stick to their principles.

Meaning that the moral principle involved was more important than any mere human being.

This is the exact opposite of God's attitude.

"The Lord looks on the heart."  1 Samuel 16:7 (NRSV)

And Jesus criticized the Pharisees for Legalism.

Which is putting the principle before the person.

[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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Arcadian Days.

Reflecting on a past

Peopled with Stars:

Oscar Wilde, T.E. Lawrence, E.M. Forster, Quentin Crisp.

Christopher Isherwood, Jean Cocteau, Guy Burgess, Tennessee Williams.

Rock Hudson, Lindsay Kemp. David Bowie, Elton John.....

Punting on the river.

Creating beautiful art,

Living with your lover.

These are Arcadian Days.

Photo Credit: The Daily Telegraph.