Monday, 23 May 2022

Breath of Life!


Blessed by

The Spirit of Love.

Moved by

Compassion.

Holding to

The Truth.

I breathe

Into you

The Breath of Life!


Photo Credit: Joel Thomas.

Gay Spirituality.


Is God gay?

Before you dismiss this question out of hand it may be profitable to consider the facts.

God is our Mother/Father.

And as such He embodies both female and male characteristics.

In this way He is like a gay person.

Also the relationship of God to His chosen ones is a love relationship.

And most of His chosen are men.
  
So God loves men.

In this way He is like a gay man.

So the search that every gay man embarks on, which is the search for a loving father, is a search for Him.

God is the Beloved.

And as such He represents the perfect lover.

For a gay man this is a 36 year-old father-figure.

So the urge that every gay man feels to find his perfect lover is in fact a search for God.

And when we establish this loving relationship with God we love all men.

Because God is in everyone.

And everyone lives in Him.


Photo Credit: █ Slices of Light █▀ ▀ ▀ Flickr via Compfight cc

(Cupid and Psyche) (The image has been slightly modified.)

Sunday, 22 May 2022

Norway.


Norway is one of the happiest countries in the world.

The average working week is 33 hours.

Overtime is illegal for full-time employees.

Education is free.

Health-care is universal.

Pensions are high.

This is a classical example of Socialist Welfare.

And they are the happiest people on Earth.


Photo Credit: guillermogg Flickr via Compfight cc

Wednesday, 18 May 2022

An Ocean of Love.


Our love for you

Flows freely

From within.

You are Blessed

In an Ocean of Love.


Photo Credit:  Pinterest.

Fear.


Why does God not punish the wicked?

Because what we call wicked is inspired by fear.

The so called wicked have experienced violence and abuse in life which has caused them to corrupt themselves and do evil out of fear.

But God knows them.

And God forgives them.

God does not use violence or force.

Therefore there is no hell, only transformation.


Photo Credit: just.Luc Flickr via Compfight cc

Monday, 16 May 2022

Him.

 


We long to 

be united

with

Him.

To love 

and be loved 

by

Him.

And in the end

the ultimate

Heaven

is to love

the One above

God

Himself. 

Photo Credit: Jay Cutler.

Sunday, 15 May 2022

Dirty Deeds.


The cultural influences that have derived from rock music since the 1960s are poisoning our world.

Sex and drugs and rock and roll has ruined three generations of youth.

And the negative influences in entertainment and sports have spread to all aspects of society.

Drug addiction and divorce alone account for untold suffering of parents and children alike.

And make no mistake this evil influence was deliberately created by rock musicians who sold their souls in the traditional fashion and made pacts with the devil to do his dirty work in the world.

The black moods and morbid lyrics in their songs poison our minds and curse our souls.

Even upbeat songs contain negative and malicious lyrics.

Rock music is a curse.

Drug culture, addiction to pleasure, self-destructiveness, depression, anti-social behavior, criminality, mental illness, suicide.....

All these things derive from rock music.

So unplug your earphones.

And throw away your C.D.s.

It is time to sweep aside the pall of death which overshadows us all.


Photo Credit: Roberto.Trombetta Flickr via Compfight cc

Saturday, 14 May 2022

Body of Life!


Life is all around me.

Life is within me.

I breathe in.

I breathe out.

Yah-Weh

God of Life!

Your Love 

Will save me.

It pulses through

This body of Life!

Photo Credit: Aaron Baker.

Friday, 13 May 2022

The Heart of God.


Deep within us.

In our heart of hearts.

There is a longing.

A longing for union with another.

This is the part of us that loves.

It is in fact our soul.

And it is this soul that finds completion in God.

The Beloved.

This is the Ultimate Reality.

Man was made for love.

And we find that love in the Heart of God.


Photo Credit: Michelangelo Sistine Chapel.

Thursday, 12 May 2022

Made for Love.


Man was made for love.

For the ecstasy of loving another.

Another human being.

Or our Father - God Himself.

It is no coincidence that Jesus said the first commandment was to love God.

And the second commandment was to love our neighbor.

For love is the inmost nature of God.

And life is about finding love.

Finding love in our hearts.

And giving that love to others.

To God.

And to our neighbor.

Then we are truly Home.


Photo Credit: Brokeback Mountain.

Wednesday, 11 May 2022

Hat Boxes.


Formal training in Theology leads mostly to particular styles of thinking.

These include theories concerning spiritual development like:

Behavior.
Good Works.
Asceticism.
Mortification of the Body.
Knowledge.
Reason.
Morality.
Faith Alone.
Christology.

And although spiritual development may involve most of these things the heart of spiritual development is Love.


Photo Credit: tashasarena Flickr via Compfight cc

Tuesday, 10 May 2022

Yesterday.


The lyrics of Paul McCartney's song Yesterday epitomize the subtle negativity which poisons Satanic rock songs.

"Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away.
Now it looks as though they're hear to stay.
Oh, I believe in yesterday.

Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be.
There's a shadow hanging over me.
Oh, yesterday came suddenly.

Why she had to go?
I don't know, she wouldn't say.
I said something wrong.
Now I long for yesterday.

Yesterday love was such an easy game to play.
Now I need a place to hide away.
Oh, I believe in yesterday."

This melancholy poem of lost love and regret reflects the negative themes which recur in rock music.


Photo Credit: "guerrilla" strategy Flickr via Compfight cc

Monday, 9 May 2022

The Beatles.


Is it hard to believe that people sell their souls to the devil when told that The Beatles did it and the Rolling Stones did it and all the famous legends of rock music have done it?

And is it hard to believe that their music and videos are stacked with Satanic suggestion? 

A closer inspection will reveal the malice and evil hidden in their music.

"The Celebration of the Lizard", "Sympathy for the Devil", "Helter Skelter", "Toad", "Ashes to Ashes", "Hotel California", "Ben", "Bad", "The Devil Inside", "Dancing with the Devil"..... 

Did you ever wonder what these blots on music are? 

They are Satanic curses strategically planted to cause hellish hallucinations.

They tempt you and lead you astray.

They ruin you and try to kill you.

They damn your soul to hell.

This is the dark secret of rock music.

We would be better off without it.

But far from being merely poetry it sabotages and curses its listeners.

It is like a subtle spider web which draws you into evil.

And make no mistake this was its purpose from the beginning.

It is evident in other Beatles songs also.

And in rock music in general. 


Photo Credit: My Standard Break From Life Flickr via Compfight cc

Sunday, 8 May 2022

Progressive Christianity.


1.  The Bible is a collection of writings by different authors over hundreds of years.

2.  The Bible should be interpreted as poetry and metaphor.

3.  The story of Adam and Eve is a myth.
      It is not true literally or metaphorically.

4.  The Old Testament Prophets interpreted their experience of God according to the worldview of the time.

5.  There is no literal devil.
     The devil is an explanation for why bad things happen to good people.

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

7.  There is no Virgin Birth.
     The Virgin Birth was invented to compete with contemporary mythologies.  It is based on a mistranslation.

8.  Most of the miracle stories in the New Testament are metaphorical.

9.  Jesus' commandment is to love one another.
     Jesus said that the first commandment was to love God and the second commandment was to love our neighbor.

10.  Jesus was killed because he threatened the powers of the world - the Priests and the Romans - God did not require his death for our sins. 

11.  There will be no Second Coming of Jesus.
       Jesus refused to judge us in life so why would he judge us in the future.


Photo Credit: ideacreamanuelaPps Flickr via Compfight cc

Saturday, 7 May 2022

Thinking Outside the Square.


The Churches need to start thinking outside the square.

The Orthodox interpretation of Christianity has been rejected.

We need a New Paradigm.

But theological colleges around the world enforce strict Orthodoxy on all their members.

They are shut firmly in the square.

This is one of the reasons for the demise of the Church.

Some brave souls dare to challenge this Orthodoxy.

They are to be commended.

But we can never go back.

Christianity must change forever.


Photo Credit: Anne Worner Flickr via Compfight cc

Friday, 6 May 2022

Scapegoat.


Homosexuality is being used as a scapegoat by right-wing religious communities and extreme elements of our society.

Preying on the fear and dread triggered by the AIDS crisis many religious people have deliberately heaped the blame for our world's woes on us.

But their campaigns are lies.

Prejudice and hate fuel a knee-jerk reaction which is irrational and objectionable.

Their protests are an insult to God.

And their claims to religious freedoms are a contradiction of civil rights.

They harass and persecute gays and lesbians.

They try to force us to submit to conversion therapy.

And they tell everyone we are going to hell.

But this is a lie.

God does not discriminate.

He accepts gays and lesbians as they are.

God loves us.

And we can claim our place in Heaven.


Photo Credit: torbakhopper Flickr via Compfight cc

Wednesday, 4 May 2022

Ask.


"'Ask, and it will be given to you.'"  Matthew 7:7 (NRSV)

This passage is sometimes used by Fundamentalist Christians to imply that God will give you anything you want.

Like money, a new car, or a house.

This is manifestly untrue.

Fundamentalist Christians also say that you should not ask questions - doubt is wicked.

But I would suggest that the above passage from Matthew could be interpreted to mean: ask questions and answers will be given to you.

This is consistent with my experience.

So don't be afraid to ask questions in prayer.

You may just receive answers.


[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.]

Photo Credit: Angela-xujing Flickr via Compfight cc