All the commentaries I offer on this blog and in my award-winning work, The Christian Right… or Wrong?, are not designed to attack or offend, but Enlighten.
I wanted to express my viewpoint regarding President Bush’s recent State of the Union Address. Being an expert on the Spirit of the Law regarding Biblical Scriptures, I thought I would comment upon some of President Bush’s remarks and how they relate to Christ’s Message of the Spirit. Why? Because America is roughly 82% Christian and its military is over 90% Christian. We are nation built upon Christian principles, as we are often reminded by our leaders. So then let us have an understanding of what “Christian principles” really mean and how this wisdom might add to some of the President's statements.
President Bush:
To confront the great issues before us, we must act in a spirit of good will and respect for one another, and I will do my part.
Are we a nation whose government “acts in a spirit of good will” or “acts in a spirit of American democracy, corporation building, and financial opportunity?” As far as Christian scriptures are concerned, there is only One Spirit, the Spirit of Good Will, or God's Will.
God is an invisible Spirit who is the Source, or Selfless Giver of Love and all Good, having no darkness whatsoever. Living in the Spirit of God, or "in the spirit of good will" is the individual responsibility of personifying Selfless Love and the fruits thereof (kindness, compassion, peace, forgiveness, tolerance, patience, and all Goodness).
To “act in a spirit of good will” is to follow your Good (God) Conscience, or the Mind of God within you. God’s desire is that we tread His Way of Selfless Love instead of our ways of human selfishness, and that we do so of our own free will, joyfully. If America “must” act in a Spirit of Good Will, then we must be a collective beacon of the Selfless, Good Spirit and not selfishness, which is virtually an impossible task, as it would require all citizens to abide by the Good Spirit. There is no such Selfless nation on Earth. Nations and governments and groups do not have an individual soul, and are committed to a certain set of rules by which they do their business, so as to ensure business success, as that is the desired end-result of any business. No matter how any nation does its "business," its individual citizens have the power to conduct their lives by Selfless Love (God's Will) or selfishness (self-will). If any nation or group of souls desires alignment with God's Will, then the alignment must begin within the hearts and minds of each of its members.
President Bush:
Lacking the military strength to challenge us directly, the terrorists have chosen the weapon of fear.
Yes, the weapon of the terrorists is ultimately fear. Fear crafted from gross misinterpretations of the Koran. Fear born of religious separatism and superstition. The terrorists and their supporters are spiritually ignorant, rejecting that the One Way to eternal love, tolerance, and peace is by building love, tolerance, and peace in the here and now. They reject The Way of God's Selfless Spirit, as it would shatter their walls of religious separatism and fear. They are not about to let go of their separatism, as this is what makes them "holier" than all others and what fuels their cultist power. Let's face it... it is always the same with cultist mentalities. Their belief systems always fundamentally revolve around “us versus them." History continues to prove that one of the most effective ways for an elite few to wield power and control over the souls and pocketbooks of the masses is through religious separatism, fear, and superstition.
How is the religious separatism of fundamentalist Islam any different from the separatism of America's fundamentalist evangelicals? Just as fundamentalist Muslims teach that you must be a Muhammad-believer to get to Paradise and that all others are hellbound, so too do fundamentalist Christians (Billy Graham, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, etc.) teach that you must be a Christ-believer to get to Heaven and that all non-Christians are hellbound. It is precisely this religious separatism that seeks to blame the world’s problems upon “heretic” or “hellbound” unbelievers, which often leads to persecution and war against these perceived “enemies of God.”
The very reason why Bin Laden’s group seeks war is because they have used their scriptures to “sanctify” their holiness above all who are not in their exclusive group and to “sanctify” violence as a solution to their “troubles” with the world's "heretics," specifically the Americans and the Jews. We have seen how Christianity has used their scriptures to "sanctify" violence throughout its history. Consider the multitudes who were persecuted, tortured and slaughtered throughout the Crusades. And let's not forget the Inquisition, which lasted over six centuries! It was Christians who used their scriptures to justify the slavery of Africans in America, an issue that helped lead to the bloodiest of all wars, the American Civil War. The history of Christians persecuting "heretics" is seemingly endless and continues to this day, even in America. It was not too long ago that Jerry Falwell was pointing his finger at America's gays, lesbians and abortionists for helping to bring about the horrors of September 11th, using "holy" scripture to justify his false and unholy viewpoint.
America's foreign policy is naturally affected by Christian leaders and their religious mentalities. For example, the reason why American Christians and their politics are so pro-Israel is because the nation of Israel is a key player in the Bible and especially the Book of Revelation. That's the bottom-line truth of the matter. After all, Jerusalem is the site where Jesus will return, and Armageddon is located about 60 miles north of Jerusalem. Though American evangelicals and orthodox Jews do not advertise their desire to rid Israel of all Muslims, as that might appear unreasonably intolerant, they know that the Muslims must eventually be kicked out of Jerusalem in order for Biblical prophecy to be fulfilled. It is prophesied that the third incarnation of Solomon’s Temple must be built upon the site where Islam’s Dome of the Rock currently sits. The Muslims will never hand over that piece of property, as it is their second holiest site on Earth and also the very spot where they believe Muhammad will return. As long as there are Muslims in Jerusalem, the Dome of the Rock cannot be destroyed and the Third Temple erected. Unrest and fighting will only increase in Israel until the Muslims have been removed, all because of selfish interpretations of "holy" scriptures.
The media and our government refuse to define the unending turmoil in the Middle East as a "religious war," though the fighting is directly fueled by religious separatism. These religious groups hate and fight and kill, yet all the while call themselves "holy," believing themselves holier than those outside their exclusionary group. How is it that God's "holy" children cannot find happiness and peace in all the blessings they possess, but must cause disputes and wars? It is because of false religion, specifically the false religion of "holier-than-thou" separatism.
President Bush:
Saudi Arabia has taken the first steps to reform. Now it can offer its people a better future by pressing forward with those efforts. Democracies in the Middle East will not look like our own, because they will reflect the traditions of their own citizens. Yet liberty is the future of every nation in the Middle East, because liberty is the right and hope of all humanity. The same is true of Iran, a nation now held hostage by a small, clerical elite that is isolating and repressing its people. The regime in that country sponsor terrorists in the Palestinian territories and in Lebanon, and that must come to an end.
We are informed that the nation of Iran is being “held hostage” by a small, clerical elite that is isolating and repressing its people. But let us not forget that their elite "power" is born of and revolves around their religious separatism. You could easily make the argument that the world’s Catholics are being “held hostage” by a small, clerical elite (the Papacy) that is isolating and repressing them (through enslavement to religious separatism, superstition, and fear as being “The Way” to God’s Kingdom). You could also say this about Billy Graham’s fundamentalist, separatist, repressive teachings.
Though President Bush is specifically referring to the dissolution of terrorist groups, these groups are religious terrorists whose terrorism is "sanctified" by their religious separatism. They claim “holiness” above all others and believe they have the Allah-given right to do the heinous things they are doing. The short-term solution is to dissolve their particular, violent group, but the long-term solution is to dissolve religious separatism entirely! For where there is an undercurrent of religious separatism (or any separatism for that matter), there are souls poised to fight for their self-righteousness. The line between religious separatism and the persecution of “outsiders” is thin. It is the religious separatism that must be stopped if persecutions and wars over religion are ever to end.
Any “church” that teaches any “Way” to God other than the individual responsibility of personifying Selfless Love is a false church led by false leaders, per the Spirit of the Law of both the Bible and the Koran. If it is God you want eternally, than you must sow to His Selfless Spirit and not to selfishness (anti-Spirit). The truest definition of “jihad” is about the battle within your soul, a battle that is won only when you have learned to overcome your evil (selfishness) with good (Selfless Love; The Way and Spirit of God). As given in Romans 12:21: "Overcome evil with good."
If every Christian, Jew and Muslim rejected the false "holier-than-thou" mentality of religious separatism and simply lived to overcome their own evils with God’s Selfless Spirit, peace would reign among them, naturally.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Friday, January 06, 2006
PAT ROBERTSON ON ARIEL SHARON
Today's news reports that Pat Robertson recently preached the following regarding Israel's Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon:
Now, Ariel Sharon who is, again, a very likeable person, a delightful person to be with, and I prayed with him personally, but here he's at the point of death. He was dividing God's land. And I would say, "Woe unto any Prime Minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the E.U., the United Nations or the United States of America." God says, "This land belongs to me, you better leave it alone."
Robertson is incorrect. First of all, it is not just the State of Israel that is God's "land," but all the Earth (Leviticus 25:23; Exodus 19:5).
Secondly, the issue of dividing God's "land" is not about literally carving up Israel, but about serving idolatry (selfishness) over His Selfless Spirit. When the faithful and true Israelites first entered the land of Canaan, He instructed them to divide the land among their tribes (Numbers 34:29; Joshua 13:6, 14:5, 18:10). This division of land was not to involve the selling of the land (Leviticus 25:23), meaning that no one should ever be heard to say, "The land within this fence is mine." No. It is God's land, as is the entirety of Earth. Ownership tempts idolatry (selfishness), breeding separation, which is a denial of Oneness in God's Selfless Spirit.
Let's examine this a little more deeply. Remember, God divides souls into two categories: Jews and Gentiles. Romans 2:25-29 reveals that a "Jew" is not defined by one's ancestry or religious membership, but by one's devotion to God's Spirit. A "Gentile" is not defined by one's ancestry or lack of religious membership, but by one's lack of devotion to God's Spirit.
The "land" of the Jews, when interpreted literally, by the Letter of the Law, clearly refers to the land of Canaan... a worldly interpretation. But we must remember that Jesus instructs us to overcome the world with the Spirit and, so too must we overcome the worldly interpretation of scriptures with the spiritual interpretation. In other words, we are to interpret by the Spirit of the Law, not the Letter of the Law. The Spirit of the Law reigns supreme, as it fulfills and supersedes the Letter of the Law.
When interpreted by the Spirit of the Law, the "land" of the Jews is the Estate of God's Spirit. We are to live in God's "land," meaning that we are to personify His Way of Selfless Love and Goodness, no matter where we physically reside upon planet Earth.
As far as God not wanting the followers of His Way (the truest definition of "Jews") to sell His land... this is, once again, not to be interpreted by the Letter of the Law, but by the Spirit of the Law. God knew that we humans would divide up His Earth and claim ownership over our own "pieces" of land. It is not the literal buying and selling of land that is offensive to God, but rather our hearts and motivations in these matters. How do we receive the blessing of land ownership? Do we "corrupt" the land, possessing it selfishly (our hearts movtivated by greed, power, control, status, etc.) or do we "Glorify" the land, possessing it with the Spirit of God (our hearts motivated by charity, love, humility, thankfulness, etc.)?
We are creatures of the mind. Life is not about ownership of worldly things, but "ownership" of those things born of God's Selfless, Good Spirit. If it is your heart's desire to cleave unto God, then you must sow His Spirit, or personify Selfless Love, treading The Way Jesus tread. God is not mocked, for as you sow, so shall you reap.
Spiritually speaking, those who "divide" the land of God are those who live in spiritual duality. Per Jesus, these are the "lukewarm" Laodecians (lay-oh-dis-see-ans) in the Book of Revelation, referring to souls who are neither "hot" (true and faithful to God's Spirit) nor "cold" (unregenerately devoted to the anti-Spirit), but rather an offensive mixture of devotion to both Spirit and anti-Spirit.
“Laodicea” means “common rights of the people.” Those who are "Laodiceans" are spiritually indifferent, having balanced their lives between the Spirit of God and THEIR demands for THEIR rights to live in a society wherein THEY can benefit from THEIR worldly pursuits of money, power, and politics. They readily cast judgments and spout selected scriptural quotes to justify their agendas of separatism, even damning those who do not follow their social and spiritual values. Though they may shout their belief in God, they are not aligned with His Selfless, Good Spirit.
See? Pat Robertson's got it bass-ackwards. It is Pat Roberston himself who divides God's "land" by denying the Selfless Spirit that knows no such judgments upon Ariel Sharon's work to bring peace to Israel. Robertson does not walk in Sharon's shoes and therefore does not know Sharon's heart and motivations, yet holds himself the mouthpiece of God's judgment against Sharon.
Be not deceived, for as we judge, so shall we be judged. As Robertson has judged Sharon for what he perceives as Sharon's "sins," so shall Robertson be likewise judged for his own.
Now, Ariel Sharon who is, again, a very likeable person, a delightful person to be with, and I prayed with him personally, but here he's at the point of death. He was dividing God's land. And I would say, "Woe unto any Prime Minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the E.U., the United Nations or the United States of America." God says, "This land belongs to me, you better leave it alone."
Robertson is incorrect. First of all, it is not just the State of Israel that is God's "land," but all the Earth (Leviticus 25:23; Exodus 19:5).
Secondly, the issue of dividing God's "land" is not about literally carving up Israel, but about serving idolatry (selfishness) over His Selfless Spirit. When the faithful and true Israelites first entered the land of Canaan, He instructed them to divide the land among their tribes (Numbers 34:29; Joshua 13:6, 14:5, 18:10). This division of land was not to involve the selling of the land (Leviticus 25:23), meaning that no one should ever be heard to say, "The land within this fence is mine." No. It is God's land, as is the entirety of Earth. Ownership tempts idolatry (selfishness), breeding separation, which is a denial of Oneness in God's Selfless Spirit.
Let's examine this a little more deeply. Remember, God divides souls into two categories: Jews and Gentiles. Romans 2:25-29 reveals that a "Jew" is not defined by one's ancestry or religious membership, but by one's devotion to God's Spirit. A "Gentile" is not defined by one's ancestry or lack of religious membership, but by one's lack of devotion to God's Spirit.
The "land" of the Jews, when interpreted literally, by the Letter of the Law, clearly refers to the land of Canaan... a worldly interpretation. But we must remember that Jesus instructs us to overcome the world with the Spirit and, so too must we overcome the worldly interpretation of scriptures with the spiritual interpretation. In other words, we are to interpret by the Spirit of the Law, not the Letter of the Law. The Spirit of the Law reigns supreme, as it fulfills and supersedes the Letter of the Law.
When interpreted by the Spirit of the Law, the "land" of the Jews is the Estate of God's Spirit. We are to live in God's "land," meaning that we are to personify His Way of Selfless Love and Goodness, no matter where we physically reside upon planet Earth.
As far as God not wanting the followers of His Way (the truest definition of "Jews") to sell His land... this is, once again, not to be interpreted by the Letter of the Law, but by the Spirit of the Law. God knew that we humans would divide up His Earth and claim ownership over our own "pieces" of land. It is not the literal buying and selling of land that is offensive to God, but rather our hearts and motivations in these matters. How do we receive the blessing of land ownership? Do we "corrupt" the land, possessing it selfishly (our hearts movtivated by greed, power, control, status, etc.) or do we "Glorify" the land, possessing it with the Spirit of God (our hearts motivated by charity, love, humility, thankfulness, etc.)?
We are creatures of the mind. Life is not about ownership of worldly things, but "ownership" of those things born of God's Selfless, Good Spirit. If it is your heart's desire to cleave unto God, then you must sow His Spirit, or personify Selfless Love, treading The Way Jesus tread. God is not mocked, for as you sow, so shall you reap.
Spiritually speaking, those who "divide" the land of God are those who live in spiritual duality. Per Jesus, these are the "lukewarm" Laodecians (lay-oh-dis-see-ans) in the Book of Revelation, referring to souls who are neither "hot" (true and faithful to God's Spirit) nor "cold" (unregenerately devoted to the anti-Spirit), but rather an offensive mixture of devotion to both Spirit and anti-Spirit.
“Laodicea” means “common rights of the people.” Those who are "Laodiceans" are spiritually indifferent, having balanced their lives between the Spirit of God and THEIR demands for THEIR rights to live in a society wherein THEY can benefit from THEIR worldly pursuits of money, power, and politics. They readily cast judgments and spout selected scriptural quotes to justify their agendas of separatism, even damning those who do not follow their social and spiritual values. Though they may shout their belief in God, they are not aligned with His Selfless, Good Spirit.
See? Pat Robertson's got it bass-ackwards. It is Pat Roberston himself who divides God's "land" by denying the Selfless Spirit that knows no such judgments upon Ariel Sharon's work to bring peace to Israel. Robertson does not walk in Sharon's shoes and therefore does not know Sharon's heart and motivations, yet holds himself the mouthpiece of God's judgment against Sharon.
Be not deceived, for as we judge, so shall we be judged. As Robertson has judged Sharon for what he perceives as Sharon's "sins," so shall Robertson be likewise judged for his own.
Monday, November 21, 2005
INTELLIGENT DESIGN, UNINTELLIGENT MINDS
INTELLIGENT DESIGN, UNINTELLIGENT CHRISTIANITY
Where is the intelligence in the minds of the leaders of institutionalized, or "corporate" Christianity who insist upon fusing "Intelligent Design" with Science?
Never having been raised in any religion, my lifelong studies of the Bible are not colored by Catholic, Protestant or any religious dogma. The Bible's Message reveals God as the Creator of the Universe, and that He is the Invisible Mind and Spirit of Selfless Love. God, who is the Creative Power and Source of the Universe, has Mind and Spirit and, thus, Intelligence.
The "design" of all physicality and life, born of God's Mind and Spirit, is "Intelligent Design" indeed. But because there is no scientific, empirical proof of God, the religious or spiritual subject of Intelligent Design has no placement in a Science class.
Christians who refuse the evident fact that there is no empirical proof of God have forgotten the equally evident fact that believing in God is about faith. If there was empirical proof of God, then none of us would argue over God or have the need for "faith."
Many of America's high-profile preachers are complaining that it is unfair that Intelligent Design is not offered in Science classes to counterpoint evolution. Christianity's push to get Intelligent Design into the Science cirriculum is nothing but a 'smoke and mirrors' tactic to introduce the religious construct of Creationism as "scientific theory."
Christians who readily "buy in" to Creationism are blindly following unenlightened leaders with unenlightened explanations of scripture.
Christianity's most widely accepted interpretation of the 6 days of Creation is that each day symbolizes 1,000 years, making the Universe 6,000 years old. Why? Because of their literal interpretation of Second Peter 3:8, which reveals that "one day is with the Lord as a thousand years."
Many Christian "Creationists" have chosen to use one Biblical verse to deduce that the 6 days of Creation equal 6,000 years. But isn't this absurd? After all, Psalms 90:4 reveals that "a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." If we understand that 1,000 years is to God as "yesterday when it is past," then 1,000 years by God's perception is instantaneous. Using Psalms 90:4, we deduce that the 6 days of Creation was relatively instantaneous. After all, it's right there in the Bible!
Those who seek to understand scripture by the Letter of the Law will always fail. The Spirit of the Law is where the answer lives.
The 6 "days" of Creation must be understood by the Spirit of the Law, in this case, the Spirit of the word "day." By the Letter of the Law, you can reason that a "day" is a 24-hour period, a 1,000-year period (Second Peter 3:8), or instantaneous (Psalms 90:4). But the Spirit of the Law is about understanding the "meat" of the message.
By the Spirit of the Law, the word "day" simply refers to a relative cycle of time. Let us all agree that the 6 days of Creation represent 6 relative periods of time. Science now shows that our Universe is over 13 billion years old. This does not contradict the 6 days of Creation if you understand that the "6 days" are 6 eras of time.
It is obvious that scriptures offer deeper understandings than just what literal interpretations offer. Even Jesus Himself tells us that His Message requires eyes that "see" and ears that "hear." He is instructing us to look beyond the "surface of the message" (literal understandings; the Letter of the Law) into the "depth of the message" (spiritual understandings; the Spirit of the Law).
Heck... anyone, even a child, can understand words, phrases, and sentences literally. It is only natural to understand the literal meaning before the spiritual meaning. That is how the mind works. How can a mind understand the spiritual nature of a word if it has no idea what the word means?
Today's fundamentalists, particularly, are "stuck" in the Letter of the Law. They often speak of the Bible as "the inerrant word of God," and yet favor one Biblical verse over another regarding the 6 days of Creation. How can one verse supersede another if scriptures are "innerant?"
We humans are "creatures of the mind." Our minds are the ultimate "builders" of who we are and what we will make of ourselves in life. Be not deceived by "mystery," and do not allow others to teach your mind to deny Spirit for "mystery." The Spirit knows no mystery for those who "see" the revelations of the Spirit.
Where is the intelligence in the minds of the leaders of institutionalized, or "corporate" Christianity who insist upon fusing "Intelligent Design" with Science?
Never having been raised in any religion, my lifelong studies of the Bible are not colored by Catholic, Protestant or any religious dogma. The Bible's Message reveals God as the Creator of the Universe, and that He is the Invisible Mind and Spirit of Selfless Love. God, who is the Creative Power and Source of the Universe, has Mind and Spirit and, thus, Intelligence.
The "design" of all physicality and life, born of God's Mind and Spirit, is "Intelligent Design" indeed. But because there is no scientific, empirical proof of God, the religious or spiritual subject of Intelligent Design has no placement in a Science class.
Christians who refuse the evident fact that there is no empirical proof of God have forgotten the equally evident fact that believing in God is about faith. If there was empirical proof of God, then none of us would argue over God or have the need for "faith."
Many of America's high-profile preachers are complaining that it is unfair that Intelligent Design is not offered in Science classes to counterpoint evolution. Christianity's push to get Intelligent Design into the Science cirriculum is nothing but a 'smoke and mirrors' tactic to introduce the religious construct of Creationism as "scientific theory."
Christians who readily "buy in" to Creationism are blindly following unenlightened leaders with unenlightened explanations of scripture.
Christianity's most widely accepted interpretation of the 6 days of Creation is that each day symbolizes 1,000 years, making the Universe 6,000 years old. Why? Because of their literal interpretation of Second Peter 3:8, which reveals that "one day is with the Lord as a thousand years."
Many Christian "Creationists" have chosen to use one Biblical verse to deduce that the 6 days of Creation equal 6,000 years. But isn't this absurd? After all, Psalms 90:4 reveals that "a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." If we understand that 1,000 years is to God as "yesterday when it is past," then 1,000 years by God's perception is instantaneous. Using Psalms 90:4, we deduce that the 6 days of Creation was relatively instantaneous. After all, it's right there in the Bible!
Those who seek to understand scripture by the Letter of the Law will always fail. The Spirit of the Law is where the answer lives.
The 6 "days" of Creation must be understood by the Spirit of the Law, in this case, the Spirit of the word "day." By the Letter of the Law, you can reason that a "day" is a 24-hour period, a 1,000-year period (Second Peter 3:8), or instantaneous (Psalms 90:4). But the Spirit of the Law is about understanding the "meat" of the message.
By the Spirit of the Law, the word "day" simply refers to a relative cycle of time. Let us all agree that the 6 days of Creation represent 6 relative periods of time. Science now shows that our Universe is over 13 billion years old. This does not contradict the 6 days of Creation if you understand that the "6 days" are 6 eras of time.
It is obvious that scriptures offer deeper understandings than just what literal interpretations offer. Even Jesus Himself tells us that His Message requires eyes that "see" and ears that "hear." He is instructing us to look beyond the "surface of the message" (literal understandings; the Letter of the Law) into the "depth of the message" (spiritual understandings; the Spirit of the Law).
Heck... anyone, even a child, can understand words, phrases, and sentences literally. It is only natural to understand the literal meaning before the spiritual meaning. That is how the mind works. How can a mind understand the spiritual nature of a word if it has no idea what the word means?
Today's fundamentalists, particularly, are "stuck" in the Letter of the Law. They often speak of the Bible as "the inerrant word of God," and yet favor one Biblical verse over another regarding the 6 days of Creation. How can one verse supersede another if scriptures are "innerant?"
We humans are "creatures of the mind." Our minds are the ultimate "builders" of who we are and what we will make of ourselves in life. Be not deceived by "mystery," and do not allow others to teach your mind to deny Spirit for "mystery." The Spirit knows no mystery for those who "see" the revelations of the Spirit.
Friday, November 11, 2005
THE TRUE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST
For simplicity's sake, the following commentary is not interrupted by scriptural references. All the revelations given are proven true, with exhaustive scriptural references, in my newest and award-winning book, The Christian Right... or Wrong?
For more about this work, please go to www.TheChristianRightOrWrong.com.
THE TRUE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST
The Mormon Church (Latter Day Saints) claims to be the True Church of Jesus Christ. Well, so does the Catholic Church, which calls itself the "Mother Church" and claims that its Pope is the infallible representative of Jesus Christ on Earth. The Jews believe they're the "Chosen Ones" and the Muslims claim that Muhammad is the way to Paradise.
All of these religions hold themselves as "intermediaries" between your eternal soul and God Himself. In so doing, they are all false religions. Each is built upon separatism, which is fundamentally unfair. Each thinks itself "holier" than the other, denying the Bible's central revelation that the One Spirit of God is the One Way to His Kingdom. Global "corporate" religions refuse to teach that a soul's ascension into Heaven or Paradise is ultimately an individual process built upon personal reponsibility that has absolutely nothing to do with separatist religions and their idolatrous dogma.
These exclusionary religions are, by definition, "cults" that exist to enslave souls to their "holier-than-thou" group-mentalities. The True Religion of God is not about being a Mormon or Catholic or Jew, but about being a person who "walks" The Way of God's Spirit, exemplifying Selfless Love.
Would you rather live in a community filled with all types of people from all walks of life who are committed to living lives of Selfless Love or would you rather live in a community filled with Christ-believing, churchgoing Christians? There IS a difference!
The True Church of Jesus Christ is not some exclusionary religious group or a global system of religion. The "Temple of God," or "True Church of Jesus Christ" is your soul filled with God's Spirit. It doesn't matter what religion you say you are, because your "religion" is who you are. You are the Temple of the Living God when you are a living conduit of God's Selfless Spirit. It's that simple. No mystery involved. Just common sense... the common sense of the Spirit of the Law.
For more about this work, please go to www.TheChristianRightOrWrong.com.
THE TRUE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST
The Mormon Church (Latter Day Saints) claims to be the True Church of Jesus Christ. Well, so does the Catholic Church, which calls itself the "Mother Church" and claims that its Pope is the infallible representative of Jesus Christ on Earth. The Jews believe they're the "Chosen Ones" and the Muslims claim that Muhammad is the way to Paradise.
All of these religions hold themselves as "intermediaries" between your eternal soul and God Himself. In so doing, they are all false religions. Each is built upon separatism, which is fundamentally unfair. Each thinks itself "holier" than the other, denying the Bible's central revelation that the One Spirit of God is the One Way to His Kingdom. Global "corporate" religions refuse to teach that a soul's ascension into Heaven or Paradise is ultimately an individual process built upon personal reponsibility that has absolutely nothing to do with separatist religions and their idolatrous dogma.
These exclusionary religions are, by definition, "cults" that exist to enslave souls to their "holier-than-thou" group-mentalities. The True Religion of God is not about being a Mormon or Catholic or Jew, but about being a person who "walks" The Way of God's Spirit, exemplifying Selfless Love.
Would you rather live in a community filled with all types of people from all walks of life who are committed to living lives of Selfless Love or would you rather live in a community filled with Christ-believing, churchgoing Christians? There IS a difference!
The True Church of Jesus Christ is not some exclusionary religious group or a global system of religion. The "Temple of God," or "True Church of Jesus Christ" is your soul filled with God's Spirit. It doesn't matter what religion you say you are, because your "religion" is who you are. You are the Temple of the Living God when you are a living conduit of God's Selfless Spirit. It's that simple. No mystery involved. Just common sense... the common sense of the Spirit of the Law.
THE BIBLE: NOT A "MYSTERY," JUST COMMON SENSE
My recent award-winning book, The Christian Right... or Wrong?, presents a thorough and evenhanded exposition of the false teachings of instutionalized, or "corporate" Christianity. All the revelations of the Bible's Message of the Spirit are exhaustively proven through Scripture. For the sake of simplicity, the following commentary offers the "meat" of the Bible's Message without the scriptural references.
For more about the book, please go to www.TheChristianRightOrWrong.com.
THE BIBLE: NOT A "MYSTERY," JUST COMMON SENSE
The only "leap of faith" you need to make concerning the Bible is that God exists. It is not as easy as it sounds. "Believing" in God is not some mental construct that is made more "real" through candles or prayers or preachers or churches. God is the Invisible Spirit of Selfless Love that lives within the hearts, minds and souls of those who live to personify His Spirit.
True "belief" in God is living as a conduit of Selfless Love, especially in times of troubles. You can say you "believe" in God till your tongue falls out, but your "belief" shall mean nothing if have not lived to exemplify God's Spirit. Talk is cheap!
Jesus reveals that "all the law and the prophets" boils down to the First Commandment, which instructs us to love God with all our hearts, minds and souls. In order to love God (the Spirit of Selfless Love), we must live by Selfless Love instead of our own selfishness (jealousy, vengeance, intolerance, self-exaltation, blaming, etc.). We are repeatedly instructed to "overcome evil with good," or overcome our selfishness (self) with Selfless Love (God).
One of the few things that the world's Bible-believing Jews, Christians and Muslims all agree upon is "belief" in the Ten Commandments. If they all just followed the First Commandment, peace would reign among them, naturally. Those who follow the First will not break the rest.
Christians who claim that only "faith in Jesus Christ" leads to Heaven have missed the point. "Faith in Christ" is about personifying Selfless Love before all else. "Faith in Christ" is not about being a Christ-believing Christian who has membership somewhere in the worldly system of corporate Christianity.
"Faith in Christ" is a circumcision of the heart that is justified only by treading The Way of God's Spirit. Faith in Christ will never be justified through such worldly things as religious membership, formulaic prayers or idolatrous rituals. Faith in Christ is justified by our devotion to His Father's Spirit, no matter our religiosity (or lack of).
Christians who idolatrously worship Jesus Christ revere one particular Biblcal revelation, where we are told that Jesus Christ is the Savior for all who believe in Him. Christianity upholds this one revelation as the Bible's central truth, but they are deliberately short-sighted. It must be deliberate! After all, Jesus clearly reveals that some will confess belief in Him, but He will not know them, because they have denied God's Spirit. He also tells us that those who speak against Him shall not suffer the consequences of their sins and blasphemies if they remain true to God's Spirit.
Indeed, Salvation comes to those who "believe" in Jesus Christ. When interpreted by the Letter of the Law, "faith in Jesus" simply means being a Christ-believering Christian. Christian leaders are often heard referring to the world's Christians as "God's Children" and the "Kingdom of God" on Earth, and that only God's Children are "saved," or Heavenbound. By this monumentally selfish, incorrect reasoning, the world's non-Christians are all hellbound and collectively represent the "Kingdom of Satan" on Earth. When will this insanity stop?
When you understand Jesus Christ by the Spirit of the Law, you understand that He was the Mind and Spirit of God alive in the flesh, and is the Mind and Spirit of God alive in your flesh when you "believe" in Him, which is not about becoming a Christian and confessing, "I believe in Jesus as my personal Savior," but about personifying Selfless Love.
If the entirety of the Bible boils down to having "faith" in Christ, as many Christian leaders teach, then why does Jesus Himself tell us that it boils down to loving God (the Spirit of Selfless Love) with all your heart, soul and mind?
If being a Christ-believing Christian is the end-all to your Salvation, then why does Jesus Himself tell us that He'd rather we be heretics who exemplify God's Spirit (like the Good Samaritan) rather than "holy" religionists who deny God's Spirit (like many of history's popes and preachers)?
The Message is clear: God and Christ do not care about your worldly, dogmatic religiosity, but that you "walk" The Way of the Selfless, Good Spirit, living as a conduit of the very Power and Substance of God and Christ.
You can "choose" Christ all you want, but it is Christ who does the choosing in the end, and shall choose only those who have chosen His Father's Way of Selfless Love. God doesn't care if you call yourself a "Christ-believer" or define yourself as Catholic or Jew or Mormon or Muslim or whatever, because He knows you by your devotion to His Spirit.
It is extremely easy for people to speak of their love for God, but not live by God's Spirit. As far as Billy Graham is concerned, if you have "faith in Christ" you are already "saved," no matter your past, present or future sins. This commonly accepted, "central truth" of all Christianity is its biggest lie. It is a fundamental denial of scripture to teach that "faith in Christ" supersedes the personal responsibility of LIVING in the Spirit of God. This fundamental lie at the very heart of corporate Christianity makes for fundamentally-unfair religion.
Can we ever know just how many "Christians" have used God for political gain, financial gain and control over others? How many are sitting in prisons right now for terrible crimes? It stands to reason that somewhere around 82% of America's prison population is Christian, as America is reportedly around 82% Christian. Even criminals of most-heinous crimes have no need for such things as guilt, repentance or a Good Consicence, because big-business Christianity promises that they are all "saved" due to their "faith in Jesus."
If you truly "believe" in God, the Bible's revelations are just plain common sense. Life is about overcoming your selfishness with God's Selfless, Good Spirit. "As you sow, so shall you reap," which means that what we "build" in life shall be our "reward" in death. If you "build" Spirit, the Light of the Spirit shall be builded (magnified; glorified) within you, moving your soul towards Oneness with God, or Eternal Light. If you "build" selfishness (anti-Spirit; darkness), the darkness of the anti-Spirit shall "consume" your soul's Light, further separating your soul from God, towards Eternal Darkness.
God has already Judged. He has Judged by His Grace, which is His Righteous Justice ("as you sow, so shall you reap"). Without the Grace of God's Righteous Justice, there would be no way back to His Kingdom. A repentant, selfless life would account for nothing. God has already Judged, by His Righteous Justice. The rest is up to you.
The Bible's Message of the Spirit, or Spirit of the Law, is an instruction that can be summed up in three words: Be Unselfishly Good.
For more about the book, please go to www.TheChristianRightOrWrong.com.
THE BIBLE: NOT A "MYSTERY," JUST COMMON SENSE
The only "leap of faith" you need to make concerning the Bible is that God exists. It is not as easy as it sounds. "Believing" in God is not some mental construct that is made more "real" through candles or prayers or preachers or churches. God is the Invisible Spirit of Selfless Love that lives within the hearts, minds and souls of those who live to personify His Spirit.
True "belief" in God is living as a conduit of Selfless Love, especially in times of troubles. You can say you "believe" in God till your tongue falls out, but your "belief" shall mean nothing if have not lived to exemplify God's Spirit. Talk is cheap!
Jesus reveals that "all the law and the prophets" boils down to the First Commandment, which instructs us to love God with all our hearts, minds and souls. In order to love God (the Spirit of Selfless Love), we must live by Selfless Love instead of our own selfishness (jealousy, vengeance, intolerance, self-exaltation, blaming, etc.). We are repeatedly instructed to "overcome evil with good," or overcome our selfishness (self) with Selfless Love (God).
One of the few things that the world's Bible-believing Jews, Christians and Muslims all agree upon is "belief" in the Ten Commandments. If they all just followed the First Commandment, peace would reign among them, naturally. Those who follow the First will not break the rest.
Christians who claim that only "faith in Jesus Christ" leads to Heaven have missed the point. "Faith in Christ" is about personifying Selfless Love before all else. "Faith in Christ" is not about being a Christ-believing Christian who has membership somewhere in the worldly system of corporate Christianity.
"Faith in Christ" is a circumcision of the heart that is justified only by treading The Way of God's Spirit. Faith in Christ will never be justified through such worldly things as religious membership, formulaic prayers or idolatrous rituals. Faith in Christ is justified by our devotion to His Father's Spirit, no matter our religiosity (or lack of).
Christians who idolatrously worship Jesus Christ revere one particular Biblcal revelation, where we are told that Jesus Christ is the Savior for all who believe in Him. Christianity upholds this one revelation as the Bible's central truth, but they are deliberately short-sighted. It must be deliberate! After all, Jesus clearly reveals that some will confess belief in Him, but He will not know them, because they have denied God's Spirit. He also tells us that those who speak against Him shall not suffer the consequences of their sins and blasphemies if they remain true to God's Spirit.
Indeed, Salvation comes to those who "believe" in Jesus Christ. When interpreted by the Letter of the Law, "faith in Jesus" simply means being a Christ-believering Christian. Christian leaders are often heard referring to the world's Christians as "God's Children" and the "Kingdom of God" on Earth, and that only God's Children are "saved," or Heavenbound. By this monumentally selfish, incorrect reasoning, the world's non-Christians are all hellbound and collectively represent the "Kingdom of Satan" on Earth. When will this insanity stop?
When you understand Jesus Christ by the Spirit of the Law, you understand that He was the Mind and Spirit of God alive in the flesh, and is the Mind and Spirit of God alive in your flesh when you "believe" in Him, which is not about becoming a Christian and confessing, "I believe in Jesus as my personal Savior," but about personifying Selfless Love.
If the entirety of the Bible boils down to having "faith" in Christ, as many Christian leaders teach, then why does Jesus Himself tell us that it boils down to loving God (the Spirit of Selfless Love) with all your heart, soul and mind?
If being a Christ-believing Christian is the end-all to your Salvation, then why does Jesus Himself tell us that He'd rather we be heretics who exemplify God's Spirit (like the Good Samaritan) rather than "holy" religionists who deny God's Spirit (like many of history's popes and preachers)?
The Message is clear: God and Christ do not care about your worldly, dogmatic religiosity, but that you "walk" The Way of the Selfless, Good Spirit, living as a conduit of the very Power and Substance of God and Christ.
You can "choose" Christ all you want, but it is Christ who does the choosing in the end, and shall choose only those who have chosen His Father's Way of Selfless Love. God doesn't care if you call yourself a "Christ-believer" or define yourself as Catholic or Jew or Mormon or Muslim or whatever, because He knows you by your devotion to His Spirit.
It is extremely easy for people to speak of their love for God, but not live by God's Spirit. As far as Billy Graham is concerned, if you have "faith in Christ" you are already "saved," no matter your past, present or future sins. This commonly accepted, "central truth" of all Christianity is its biggest lie. It is a fundamental denial of scripture to teach that "faith in Christ" supersedes the personal responsibility of LIVING in the Spirit of God. This fundamental lie at the very heart of corporate Christianity makes for fundamentally-unfair religion.
Can we ever know just how many "Christians" have used God for political gain, financial gain and control over others? How many are sitting in prisons right now for terrible crimes? It stands to reason that somewhere around 82% of America's prison population is Christian, as America is reportedly around 82% Christian. Even criminals of most-heinous crimes have no need for such things as guilt, repentance or a Good Consicence, because big-business Christianity promises that they are all "saved" due to their "faith in Jesus."
If you truly "believe" in God, the Bible's revelations are just plain common sense. Life is about overcoming your selfishness with God's Selfless, Good Spirit. "As you sow, so shall you reap," which means that what we "build" in life shall be our "reward" in death. If you "build" Spirit, the Light of the Spirit shall be builded (magnified; glorified) within you, moving your soul towards Oneness with God, or Eternal Light. If you "build" selfishness (anti-Spirit; darkness), the darkness of the anti-Spirit shall "consume" your soul's Light, further separating your soul from God, towards Eternal Darkness.
God has already Judged. He has Judged by His Grace, which is His Righteous Justice ("as you sow, so shall you reap"). Without the Grace of God's Righteous Justice, there would be no way back to His Kingdom. A repentant, selfless life would account for nothing. God has already Judged, by His Righteous Justice. The rest is up to you.
The Bible's Message of the Spirit, or Spirit of the Law, is an instruction that can be summed up in three words: Be Unselfishly Good.
HONORED WITH THE 2005 ETHOS AWARD
Thank you to The StoneWall Society for honoring The Christian Right... or Wrong? with their 2005 Ethos Award on October 29th.
For those who have not read The Christian Right... or Wrong?, it is carefully thorough and evenhanded in its exposition of the false teachings of organized, or "corporate" Christianity.
For more about this work, please go to www.TheChristianRightOrWrong.com.
For those who have not read The Christian Right... or Wrong?, it is carefully thorough and evenhanded in its exposition of the false teachings of organized, or "corporate" Christianity.
For more about this work, please go to www.TheChristianRightOrWrong.com.
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