What we have to remember is that the Old Testaments prophets did not write the Books of the Bible themselves.
That was done by interpreters many years later.
So, as we see with the disciples, there was a lesser understanding - an orthodoxy, a primitive worldview, a worldly interpretation - which we may not have seen in Jesus or the prophets themselves.
Those who had direct contact with God were not those who wrote the Books of the Bible.
The Books of the Bible have been interpreted, translated, and re-interpreted.
There is a large margin for error.
So where it says that Samuel cut a man to pieces in front of the altar, this may not be exactly what happened.
Either Samuel has misunderstood God or the writer of Samuel has misinterpreted the story.
In my experience God does not act violently towards anyone.
The stories of violence in the Bible are misinterpretations of God's word.
Most often it is an overlaying of assumptions of reward or punishment projected from worldly authority figures like kings or pharaohs.
God is beyond violence.
God does not resolve conflict with violence.
God waits for us to respond with love and compassion, even for our enemies.
Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Monday, 20 May 2013
Stained Glass Windows.
Depending upon which Church you are attending your experience of God will be colored by the theology, beliefs, and practices of that particular Church in the same way as light is colored by stained glass windows.
The white light of God will be colored by the character of that Church.
God works through people.
God's love is manifest in the world through us - through our minds, our hearts, and our hands.
We share in the work.
So it is vital that our ideas are positive and helpful (harmless), our hearts are open, and our hands are active.
The white light of God will be colored by the character of that Church.
God works through people.
God's love is manifest in the world through us - through our minds, our hearts, and our hands.
We share in the work.
So it is vital that our ideas are positive and helpful (harmless), our hearts are open, and our hands are active.
Sunday, 19 May 2013
The Plutocracy.
It is the way of the world to think ourselves superior and live a life of privilege.
God is the great leveler, the great champion of the poor and underprivileged.
Unfortunately what happens is that the powers that be - the rich - usurp the power of God and change the religion of equality to suit themselves, placing themselves at the top.
To God all people are equal.
God's natural socialism has been perverted by the conservative establishment.
This was neatly rationalized by the rich to endorse their power and privilege.
So the Church endorsed monarchs, with their entourage of aristocrats, born to rule and usurp God's power.
But to God all people are equal.
Money and power always usurp the authority of God for themselves.
But God will not endorse them.
So the blind lead the blind.
And the light is crucified.
The rule of the aristocracy is established by violence and maintained by fear.
At present the conservatives are using violent language to attack left wing politicians.
This is to establish their power over the masses.
They use their media outlets to propagate fear and violence against their political opponents.
A constant barrage of negativity.
When the light rises you see evil as well as good.
The hidden evil - Satanism in the popular culture and propaganda in the media.
Conservative businessmen and politicians, blue ribbon conservatives and captains of industry.
The Plutocracy.
But Uranus is square.
Social activists are openly challenging the corrupt powers.
God is the great leveler, the great champion of the poor and underprivileged.
Unfortunately what happens is that the powers that be - the rich - usurp the power of God and change the religion of equality to suit themselves, placing themselves at the top.
To God all people are equal.
God's natural socialism has been perverted by the conservative establishment.
This was neatly rationalized by the rich to endorse their power and privilege.
So the Church endorsed monarchs, with their entourage of aristocrats, born to rule and usurp God's power.
But to God all people are equal.
Money and power always usurp the authority of God for themselves.
But God will not endorse them.
So the blind lead the blind.
And the light is crucified.
The rule of the aristocracy is established by violence and maintained by fear.
At present the conservatives are using violent language to attack left wing politicians.
This is to establish their power over the masses.
They use their media outlets to propagate fear and violence against their political opponents.
A constant barrage of negativity.
When the light rises you see evil as well as good.
The hidden evil - Satanism in the popular culture and propaganda in the media.
Conservative businessmen and politicians, blue ribbon conservatives and captains of industry.
The Plutocracy.
But Uranus is square.
Social activists are openly challenging the corrupt powers.
Saturday, 18 May 2013
Out of the World.
When we start out we are of the world.
Our values and attitudes are shaped by our experiences in the world.
We are cynical, pragmatic, aggressive, materialistic, selfish.....
We assume that God will win by superior force and might, as people in the world win.
Many people project the ways of the world onto God calling Him mighty and powerful, King of Kings, conqueror, victorious, glorious.....
But we are in for a surprise.
God is in the still, small voice - the sound of sheer silence.
"'Not by might , nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.'" Zechariah 4:6b (NRSV)
"'for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.'" 1 Samuel 16:7b (NRSV)
God is gentle.
God does not force us.
God is patient.
The ways of God are non-violent, forgiving, full of understanding and grace.
God does not punish and reward as the leaders of this world do.
God loves everyone and gives all another chance.
There is no condemnation, no damnation.
Only Love.
God calls us out of the world.
[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.]
Our values and attitudes are shaped by our experiences in the world.
We are cynical, pragmatic, aggressive, materialistic, selfish.....
We assume that God will win by superior force and might, as people in the world win.
Many people project the ways of the world onto God calling Him mighty and powerful, King of Kings, conqueror, victorious, glorious.....
But we are in for a surprise.
God is in the still, small voice - the sound of sheer silence.
"'Not by might , nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.'" Zechariah 4:6b (NRSV)
"'for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.'" 1 Samuel 16:7b (NRSV)
God is gentle.
God does not force us.
God is patient.
The ways of God are non-violent, forgiving, full of understanding and grace.
God does not punish and reward as the leaders of this world do.
God loves everyone and gives all another chance.
There is no condemnation, no damnation.
Only Love.
God calls us out of the world.
[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.]
Friday, 17 May 2013
The Redemption of Adolf Hitler.
How many people have I heard say, "I don't believe in hell but if anyone is in there its Adolf Hitler."
How can we reconcile our ideas of natural justice with a God who will forgive Adolf Hitler?
The way to so this is to look for the reasons that Adolf Hitler did what he did.
These lie in his childhood; his experiences, especially after World War 1; and his temperament.
"'Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.'" John 8:7b (NRSV)
This saying of Jesus does not just relate to minor offences or sexual indiscretions, it relates to everyone.
Punishment and hell are out of character for a loving God.
So do not torment yourselves about past sins, they are forgiven, look to the future and "'do not sin again.'" John 8:11b (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.]
How can we reconcile our ideas of natural justice with a God who will forgive Adolf Hitler?
The way to so this is to look for the reasons that Adolf Hitler did what he did.
These lie in his childhood; his experiences, especially after World War 1; and his temperament.
"'Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.'" John 8:7b (NRSV)
This saying of Jesus does not just relate to minor offences or sexual indiscretions, it relates to everyone.
Punishment and hell are out of character for a loving God.
So do not torment yourselves about past sins, they are forgiven, look to the future and "'do not sin again.'" John 8:11b (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.]
Thursday, 16 May 2013
The Redemption of Dorian Gray.
Jesus said, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." Luke 6:27,28 (NRSV)
He did not say to destroy evil.
In fact he said not to resist evil.
The dualistic mindset which sets up a battle between good and evil is not the way of Jesus or God.
There is no supernatural source of evil, only people.
The parables of reconciliation: the lost sheep, the lost penny, the lost (prodigal) son show that God seeks redemption even to the last one.
A modern example of this is the story of Dorian Gray who corrupts himself completely through the temptation of eternal youth.
At the end his dead body resumes its corrupted state and the painting reverts to its original image.
We are not told what becomes of the soul of Dorian Gray.
I believe that the soul of Dorian Gray is forgiven and reconciled to God.
Why?
Because in my experience God punishes no one.
He seeks redemption to the very last one as we are taught in the parables of reconciliation.
God understands everyone, even those we would call evil.
So evil is not to be battled against and destroyed.
Evil is to be reconciled to God through Love, the unseen hook.
[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.]
He did not say to destroy evil.
In fact he said not to resist evil.
The dualistic mindset which sets up a battle between good and evil is not the way of Jesus or God.
There is no supernatural source of evil, only people.
The parables of reconciliation: the lost sheep, the lost penny, the lost (prodigal) son show that God seeks redemption even to the last one.
A modern example of this is the story of Dorian Gray who corrupts himself completely through the temptation of eternal youth.
At the end his dead body resumes its corrupted state and the painting reverts to its original image.
We are not told what becomes of the soul of Dorian Gray.
I believe that the soul of Dorian Gray is forgiven and reconciled to God.
Why?
Because in my experience God punishes no one.
He seeks redemption to the very last one as we are taught in the parables of reconciliation.
God understands everyone, even those we would call evil.
So evil is not to be battled against and destroyed.
Evil is to be reconciled to God through Love, the unseen hook.
[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.]
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
The Blame.
Just as a whole generation of hippies was set up by Satanists in the entertainment industries through drugs and sensualism, so a whole generation is being set up through magic.
I have already seen a billboard of Merlin in flames.
What they do is tell you to do something - drugs or magic - then damn you for it when things turn against you.
This is what happened in the 1980s when Generation X and Christian Fundamentalists damned hippies and gays.
This was a political tool of the religious right.
But the left does not damn people.
They refuse to resort to damnation as a weapon.
On the whole they do not believe in damnation unless it is for a mass murderer like Adolf Hitler.
This is why Satanists exaggerate and invent crimes.
More recently the religious right (led by Pope Benedict XVI) tried to scapegoat gays and lesbians in order to create political power.
But it failed.
The pro-gay lobby, supported by some rock stars, counter-balanced it.
So Satan's house is divided over homosexuality.
And the house that is divided must fall.
I have already seen a billboard of Merlin in flames.
What they do is tell you to do something - drugs or magic - then damn you for it when things turn against you.
This is what happened in the 1980s when Generation X and Christian Fundamentalists damned hippies and gays.
This was a political tool of the religious right.
But the left does not damn people.
They refuse to resort to damnation as a weapon.
On the whole they do not believe in damnation unless it is for a mass murderer like Adolf Hitler.
This is why Satanists exaggerate and invent crimes.
More recently the religious right (led by Pope Benedict XVI) tried to scapegoat gays and lesbians in order to create political power.
But it failed.
The pro-gay lobby, supported by some rock stars, counter-balanced it.
So Satan's house is divided over homosexuality.
And the house that is divided must fall.
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