Waters of Love.

As

Aquarius

pours

its water

over

Capricorn,

so

gay men

pour

their love

over

men.


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Put Away Your Swords.

                   

When we first encounter evil our instinct is to battle against it and defeat it.

But if we do this we are not following Jesus.

In the garden when Jesus was arrested he told his disciples to put away their swords.

And when Pontius Pilate asked him if he was King of the Jews he said, "'My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom was from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.  But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.'"  John 18:36 (NRSV)

So if we decide to battle against evil we are not worshipping Jesus we are worshipping the sword.

And Jesus rejected the sword on all occasions.

Jesus lays down the sword and prays for his enemies.

And we should do the same.


[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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Redress.

                            

Generation X dresses exclusively in black.

Black is the color of darkness, death, and evil.

And that is their curse.

But God wishes to redress them.

He wishes to set them upright again.

So throw away your black clothes.
And put your caps on forwards.

You have been deceived.
You have been tempted.
You have been corrupted.

Turn to God.
And be forgiven.

And be dressed in new clothes.


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(Navigating) Dangerous Waters.

                            

We are faced with the task of navigating between two extremes:

Total abstinence from sexual activity.
And complete indulgence in sex.

With regard to gay sex the Church often recommends complete abstinence.

While the popular culture urges us to indulge our sexual appetites to excess.

Not only that but we are told to behave promiscuously with no regard for our partner at all.

This is the culture of the gay scene.
And it is little wonder that many reject it.

But if you are gay there is nowhere else to go to meet people of like orientation.

The scene is dominated by venues which sell alcohol and play rock music.

There is nothing else.

If we attend church there is no provision for gay people at all.

If you meet a like oriented person it is a complete fluke.
And you're not likely to meet more than one.

In many cases Church culture is hostile to gay people and may even torture people with a same-sex orientation.

So we are caught between two extremes.
With no choice but to navigate our way through dangerous waters.


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Fundamentalism.

                            

When we have freed ourselves from the idols of this world there remains one stumbling block to overcome.

This is the temptation of religious fundamentalism.

Fundamentalism in any religion leads to judgemental, simplistic, violent, and hard-hearted behavior.

It is legalistic and Pharisaic.

This is because fundamentalism is driven by fear.
Beginning and ending with the fear of God.

And anything which is driven by fear is not inspired by love and therefore does not come from God.

Love is fundamental to God.

So give up your fear and immerse yourself in Love.

Love God and love your neighbor.

Most of all give love.


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Bring Down the Patriarchy.

                            

Since the 1960s women have used the slogan Bring down the Patriarchy. And the Church is a major representative of the Patriarchy.

Male priests and ministers are prime targets of women's rage, which may account for the glee with which they meet every new allegation of abuse.

I am not trying to apologize for or diminish the seriousness of the crimes committed by Church officials but I am trying to account for the virulence of the destructive reaction that has resulted.

One constructive solution would be to encourage the Catholic Church to consider allowing priests to marry and be more open to gay relationships and women priests.

Another constructive suggestion is for the Churches to look more closely at their teachings on sex.

Unfortunately the sex abuse scandals have increased the fear in most congregations which in fact makes the whole issue more volatile.  So we are further from a solution than ever.

The psychological archetype of God is The Father.

So women's rejection of the Patriarchy can result in a rejection of God.

Hence the prevalence of the Goddess and witchcraft which is a manifestation of women's power.

These things may seem alright on the surface but they can engender a subconscious apostasy which leads to evil.

Some women have thrown out the baby (God) with the bathwater (the Patriarchy).

What we have to realize is that the hierarchy of the Church corresponds to the Pharisees and Sadducees who were in fact the enemies of Jesus.

Jesus himself was unusually accepting of women for his time.

And the early Church was full of women of faith.      


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Debt.

                            

What the Church has done traditionally is take an unsuspecting soul and place him/her in debt.

This is done by invoking Universal Condemnation - the sin of Adam and Eve - and an individual soul's sin.

Therefore you are in debt.

And the way that you pay off this debt is to do good works which are determined by the Church.

Because the result of debt is hell all their good works are motivated by fear.

But wait there's more.

Have you ever noticed that the debt never diminishes.
In fact the more you do the greater the debt becomes.

This is because the debt is a mechanism by which they subjugate you to their will (social and political).

It is not salvation it is slavery.

This is the sin of the Church.

They take the free gift of God and use it to enslave people.


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