Offend God

You cannot offend God any more than you can offend wind. He said He is no respecter of persons.

GOD IS?????

Your concept of God is the most important thing in your life. In what God do you believe? A mean, terrifying, terrorizing, obey-me-or-else, slap you down and burn you in hell forever, racist, sexist God? Or do you believe in a God of love?

First of all, why He? Why not She, It, Them? Next, why would He create ALL mankind and then select one group out of the many as His Chosen? After all, if He is all knowing, surely He knew this would cause division and disharmony, pitting one group of His creation against ALL the rest of His creation.

No religion has a monopoly on God. 

REPENT

REPENT! Change your mind. Change your way of living. Change your way of doing things.

Isn't there a verse in the Bible where God says, "For I am the LORD, I change not..." Malachi 3:6? What does that mean? Does it mean that God never changes His mind? Does it mean that God never reverses a decision? In church I was taught that, "God said it and that settles it." In other words, it was a done deal.

But what about those verses where God did change His mind. What about the verses that state that God repented. Genesis 6:6 says, And it repented the LORD that he made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. Verse 7 says And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

And what about when King Hezekiah who was sick unto death and was told by the Prophet Isaiah that God said set your house in order for you shall die and not live? II Kings 20:1. The king then turned his face to the wall after hearing that his time was up and prayed and God healed him and gave him 15 more years to live. Wasn't that a change of mind on God's part? Verses 2-6. 

So does this mean that you can pray away impending doom and disasters? Does God change His mind or doesn't He? Selah

How Big is Your God?

John 21:25. "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen."

Do you know how many books/scriptures were left out of the Canon, the authorized KJV? Why were the Dead Sea Scrolls and other writings not included? What about the lost books of the Bible, the Gnostic Gospels, the Apocrypha, Kabbalah?

Are you so closed-minded that you believe that everything there is to know about your God-He who created this world and all worlds and universes, (science says the Universe is continuously expanding)-could be contained in just one book, the Bible? REALLY? Are you saying there is nothing more that can be said about your God? Is He asleep? Is He no longer doing anything? Is that what you think? If everything was set in motion during the six days of creation, it stands to reason that everything is still in motion. Science also says that a body in motion tends to stay in motion. God rested on the seventh day because He had already set things in motion and the universe is still evolving.

Personally, I am curious about the writings that the Church has condemned. First, I want to know why these books were condemned and labeled heresy. Next, I want to read everything I can find including other translations of the Bible, not just the NIV, NASB, AMP, etc.

For too long, we have put God in a box or rather one book. That's like trying to put the entire ocean in one jar or the universe in a box. I welcome the truth of a God too big, too vast, too fantastic to know even the minutest detail about. GOD IS....


2-10-12

Antichrist. One man or many.

There is no one man antichrist. I John 2:22 says "He is antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son." Before that verse 18 says "...even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know it is the last time." I John 4:4 says "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."

Overcome them who? The antichrists? Verse 3, "And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard it should come; and even now already is it in the world." (Italics mine)

Not one man but the spirit of antichrist which is present in the world today. Our world. Oh but John was talking about his world, way back then when he wrote these words.

DING. DING. DING. DING. Did the bells go off in your head yet?


2-10-12

So which is it?

If you still believe in a "devil", you believe in duality which means God DOES NOT have all power.

So which is it?


2/8/12

Feelings

I'm reading Conversations With God-Book 2 by Neale Donald Walsch which states on page 14,

The soul speaks to you in feelings. Listen to your feelings. Follow your feelings. Honor your feelings.

 That's not what I was taught in church.  Instead, I was taught that it was not about my feelings, it was about what the Word said. But don't you have feelings about what the Word says? Absolutely. You feel good when you read certain passages which seem to speak directly to your life and truth be told, you feel fear when you read other passages.

If you are like me, the Book of Revelation scared you speechless. After reading that book a couple of times, I refused to read it any more. After all, it talks about the great red dragon, a war in heaven, a seven headed beast, then a second beast, etc. Death and destruction. Be for real. You know this book frightened you. I was terrified until I was made to understand that this was John's revelation and until I began to question why a God who had ALL power needed to battle His own creation. Selah

If you have read the Book of Revelation or saw any of the scary Christian movies like the one called Burning Hell which depicts scenes of hell and images from Revelation, you felt the same way. OMG! If I curse or go the movies or listen to rock and roll music, I'm going to hell. What did you feel? Fear. For what purpose? To keep you in line with the doctrine of your church. The result? You thought more about the devil and staying out of hell  than you did about God. Besides, didn't God create hell? (That's another story.)

How do you feel when you're in love? Being in love is not just an emotional state. There are physical changes that take place in your body also. Science has proved it. Physical as well as emotional feelings. When you are making the right life decision, how do you feel? You may call it intuition or gut feeling but it is nonetheless a feeling. Have you ever felt the Presense of God? We feel joy when seeing pictures of loved ones, babies, cute little baby animals. We feel calm when looking at a beautiful sunset. We feel peaceful observing the silence of falling snow. We feel sad at the news of someone's passing. We feel anger or injustice when watching the news. The list goes on. So my question is, why are we taught in church to deny the feelings that the Creator instilled in us? Let's stop denying who we are.



Return to how you feel, not how you think. No longer deny your feelings. Embrace them. Listen, follow, honor your feelings. They are divine.

God and Wisdom

Are God and Wisdom one and the same? In Proverbs 1:20-33, Wisdom basically says, because you did not heed my counsel, I will not answer in your time of calamity. Yet in Hebrews 13:5, God says He will never leave or forsake you. Which is it?

Just asking.

I Stepped Outside of Myself

Ran into a friend I had not seen in years. She and another lady had just left a church service. We did the usual small talk about family. Then she asked if I was "in church" (a member of any church.) Christians tend to ask this question of everyone. I said what I always say. "I'm on the backside of the desert, me, Moses and God." Her expression changed immediately. Kind of like, uh oh. So I did something I don't do. I stepped outside of myself and explained that (l) God has not led me to any church yet, (2) but I still read my Bible and (3) fellowship with other believers. STOP! I don't have to explain myself to any man (or woman in this case.) No, I'm not in a church. Have not been for years. That which I call God released me from religion several years ago and I couldn't be happier. I AM closer to He, She, It that I call God than ever before.

I read the authorized Bible, (King James) and as many other books as I can find including The Other Bible, The Gnostic Bible, The Essential Koran, The Dead Sea Scrolls, writings by Deepak Chopra, Osho, Eckhart Tolle, Kaballah and the list goes on. Just re-read Conversations With God, Book 1 by Neale Donald Walsch. About to read Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill.

So I'm not going to church. And your point is what? Like I said, I stepped outside of myself, actually, forgot who I AM and felt like I needed to clarify myself so she wouldn't feel bad for me. STOP! What about how I feel? Never again. My answer is still, I'm hanging out on the backside of the desert like Moses did and I'm having a ball. Not in church, don't want to be in church, not looking for a church home. I AM the church! God is...therefore I AM. End of story. Everyone has to walk their own path and everyone needs to respect each other's path even if they disagree or think it's wrong.

So do you in this life. Don't apologize for being who you are and always listen to That which you call God.

Who is this God?

I’ve touched on this before but it bares another entry. What do you believe about God? How do you experience and know God? Are you wondering about what you’ve been taught to believe about God and what you are feeling, hidden in your heart? Maybe you have begun to question some things. Are you having trouble reconciling the God of the Bible with a God of unconditional love?

The god in the Bible seems to have respect of persons (Jews are favored over everyone else). The god of the Bible speaks of unconditional love on the one hand and damnation and punishment if you do not love and serve him. In fact, you will be damned to an eternity of fire and torment if you do not serve him. The god of the Bible then is about conditional love. Love him and serve him or else be forever tormented. Sounds like the message of most churches: believe and serve god our way or you will go to hell.

So how is the god of the Bible so vindictive and capable of such awful things-in his name and so loving that he sent his son to die for us so we would not be in torment forever?

The truth of the matter is, most who believe in a god, no matter what you name him/her/it believe that this god will punish you or those not of your faith with an awful eternity for not following his dictates. Most believe that it is our duty to get rid of literally or figuratively those who do not believe as we were taught. We see it every day. Look at those behind 911 and other hate groups right here in America. Why else would one group of Africans, Muslims, Asians, Americans, Catholics, Protestants, etc want to kill or separate from another group of Africans, Muslims, Asians, Americans, Catholics, Protestants, etc? Most religions have a punishment attached. Did you notice that? It’s hard to believe in and feel safe with a god who will throw you into a never-ending fire for eternity if you slip up!!! So if I commit adultery, get drunk, steal something, tell a lie maybe just one time but if I die before I can ask for forgiveness, I will burn in hell for eternity. BTW-when does eternity begin? I thought eternity was forever which means it can’t begin at death but that’s another story. Hard to live with love in your heart for that kind of god, isn’t it?

Is this really God? Does not the Bible say that nothing, no thing, shall separate me from the love of God? Romans 8:38-39. God wants everyone to come to repentance, 2 Peter 3:9, so why did he create a world where he knew so many would not come to repentance? Isn’t God all knowing? Therefore he knew Adam and Eve would mess it up for everyone. That’s what I was taught in church. I have wondered why God would put Adam and Eve in the garden with the tree that they should not touch AND THEN POINT THE TREE OUT TO THEM! What’s up with that??? Speaking of all knowing, didn’t he know 1/3 of the angels were plotting against him? So what happened? Did they sneak up on him unawares and he was surprised? Makes you wonder about what we’ve been taught, don’t it? But I digress. And parent, teacher, grand parent or anyone who has dealings with children know that if you tell a child not to do something, that is the very thing they are going to do. Happens with adults too. Perfect example is the wet paint sign. Inevitably, someone will touch the painted area whether the sign says don’t touch or not. It’s an open invitation. So not only did God already know Adam and Eve would mess up, he set them up to mess up. Uh oh. Blasphemy! How dare I say such a thing? Read it for yourself. My take on this is that Adam and Eve were frolicking in the garden, having fun, swinging out the trees, maybe even THAT tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God told Adam not to eat of that tree Genesis 2:17. Why not wait until he had created Eve and tell them both together? Better yet, leave the tree out of the garden all together. How about that? God also created all the animals and tells us in Genesis 3:1 that the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. Never mind that the serpent spoke to Eve. Probably everything spoke and could be heard and understood back then. We have to work at hearing nature speak today. WTH??? Looks like a set up to me. Can you now see how our beliefs are shaped by society, our parents, our church, our culture but not by us?

There discussion will be continued.

Let’s look further into this. The god of the Old Testament is vengeful and gets angry and doesn’t show at lot of love at times. First of all, only blood sacrifices appease him. Then there is what happened in Judges 21 where the Israelites attacked Jabesh-gilead and killed every man, woman and child EXCEPT 400 virgins which were given in marriage but there were still men of the tribe of Benjamin who did not get a wife. So the Israelites went to Shiloh, during the feast of the Lord, hid in the vineyards and took the daughters of Shiloh who came to the vineyards to dance. By the way, they also had an answer in case the fathers/brothers of the daughters of Shiloh came to complain. The last verse of this chapter says, “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” V. 25. There is nothing written about any consequences coming to the Israelites. Surely God knew and therefore condoned what happened.

WOW. Lot of killing and raping and everything else going on with God’s knowledge and dare I say it, blessings toward the children of Israel. Is this the God of love I’ve come to know? Or is this the god created by the people of old? In Judges 11, we see God accepting a human burnt offering because of the oath made by Jephthah. We know in Genesis 22, Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac when God stopped him. Why one and not the other? Why human sacrifice at all? I’m just saying.

A lot to think about. Don’t take my word for it. Read it for yourself. Read what Judges 11 says about slavery. And we wonder why hate groups like the KKK use the Bible as their reference for the awful things they do. Question everything. Let me say that again. Question everything.

God is not Mocked

"God is not mocked" is not a warning but a reassurance. God would be mocked if any of His creation lacked holiness. The creation is whole, and the mark of wholeness is holiness. ACIM

Did you ever...?

When you were a child, did you ever wonder about the things you heard in church, Sunday School, vacation Bible school? Did you ever dare question any grownup about anything that went against the grain of the organized church that you belonged to?

I remember asking why schools taught that we evolved from monkeys but the Bible said we were created in the image of God? Of course, no one was saying God was a monkey!!! Could not get an answer to my question. Still can't. Now my question is, if we evolved from monkeys, why have we stopped evolving? Everything that science says evolved from something else seems to have "stopped evolving". In all these millions of years that the earth has been around and creatures have been around, shouldn't we be at another place by now? In some cases, it seems that nature has gone backwards. Did elephants evolve from mammoths? If so, why are elephants so much smaller than mammoths?

Welcome your comments, thoughts.

Leaving Church

Reading a new book: "Leaving Church, A Memoir of Faith" by Barbara Brown Taylor, an Episcopal priest who loses faith with the church but not with God. Sounds like me.

When people ask me where I worship, I tell them that I am on the backside of the desert like Moses and like Moses, I hear from God, perhaps even better than when I was a church member.

If you have read this, tell me your thoughts. Also leave a comment about The Shack. Definitely want to hear your thoughts on that one.

Negative reactions to The Shack

I just read that some are "appalled" by the number of Christians who are raving about The Shack. Frankly, I like the book. Think it makes God more approachable. But that's just my feeling. Without giving anything away for those who have not read the book yet, I especially like how the GodHead is portrayed. Definitely was not expecting that.

As for the naysayers, you have every right to your opinion. I happen to believe that God, whoever He, She, It may be can take care of Themselves. And if we are to believe at least some of what we have been taught, They knew The Shack would be written before the foundation of everything. Besides, who says They did not ordain it. (Technically they did, you know.) Remember the uproar over The Secret? The DaVinci Code? Some folks may never pick up the KJV or New American Standard Bible but they may read The Shack. Can God not speak through a book that the religious establishment has problems with? Remember, God did open the mouth of an ass because the man riding it could not see the angel about to "jack him up."

Happy reading!!!

The Shack

Just started reading The Shack. Half way through the book already and just picked it up a couple of days ago. I recommend it and I don't read fiction. This is the 3rd fiction book I've read in about 20 plus years but it was worth the wait. Story is about suffering a great loss and being angry with God (been there, done that). The author does a fabulous job of protraying the Godhead and "they" are not who/what you expect. Read it. You will enjoy.

What God created

Question:

Why would God create everything and call everything He created good and then select one group of people out of all His creation to elevate as the "Chosen" people? At the time of creation, from what I read, all of mankind had not been created (born) yet. Just Adam and Eve. Were they Israelites? I would think all the people God created would be the chosen people. The Bible says man was made in the image of God. Not some men. Not certain men, but MAN which represents all men. If we are all created in the image of God, should we be killing each other?

The Tree

What happened in the Garden? The first man and woman were in the Garden, naked, enjoying life, frolicking with the animals. Adam had named the animals and from what I can see, God did not change the names Adam had selected. WOW. What power is in the tongue. After all, God said, "Let there be ..." and there was. Just think what kind of power you and I have in our mouths. Sorry. I digress.

So Adam and Eve were dancing all over the Garden, when God said, "you see that tree over there? Don't eat of that tree!" There is no indication that Adam and Eve had even thought about "that" tree of the knowledge of good and evil UNTIL God pointed it out. Makes you wonder, don't it? I used to wonder about this whole scene. Why did You, God, put that tree in the garden, point it out and then say, don't eat of that tree? What do You mean, don't eat of the tree after YOU pointed it out?!!?? Didn't You know Your creation, mankind, would mess up? I was taught that You did know, because the Lamb, Jesus, was slain before the foundation of the world. So now I'm confused. Because everything You created, You said was good. Including the serpent who was more subtle than all the creatures You created, and who deceived Eve. (How did the serpent become associated with evil and Satan anyway? More on that on another post.) So this transgression caused man and woman to be kicked out of the garden. And the snake was relegated to crawling on his belly. (Apparently he was upright before the Fall.) And because of one man, you and I and all mankind are now born as sinners. (Will discuss that on another post.)

Now think about this: Adam and Eve, the first humans, commited the first sin and were allowed to leave the Garden but there is no mention that they were going to burn in hell forever and ever. I don't remember either of them asking for forgiveness. Adam blamed Eve, the woman You, God, gave me. Eve blamed the serpent who beguiled her. Kind of messes with your theology a little bit, doesn't it?

Let me hear from you but keep it positive. Remember, I just want you to think.

Think about it.

Are you beginning to question what your read in the Bible and other great books with what you are being taught or have been taught? Do you have thoughts that are contrary to what you're being taught? If so, you are like me. Some things did not quite answer my questions. So I kept searching. I began reading everything I could get my hands on. Especially if the Church said I should not read it!

Are you getting fat on empty spiritual calories? Junk food may fill you up but is it healthy? Junk food makes you sluggish. You crave more and more of it even when you know it is not good for you. Like sugar. You eat something sweet, you get a temporary boost and then you come down hard. You feel worse than you did before you ate the candy bar.

Let's explore some of the things I have questioned. I don't have all the answers. But I am willing to ask some questions. Like what is hell? Where is hell? Where is heaven? Who is the devil? Are we all saved? Did God really select only one group of people out of ALL the people He created to be The Chosen People? Why would He do that? Why did God create man? What is sin? When does eternity start? I was taught that when I die, I will go into eternity (heaven or hell). But how can eternity start at a certain time? These are just a few of the topics I will be exploring. I will also talk about being totally, spitting mad with God.

Now, if you are easily offended, this is not the site for you. Some of you will probably condemn me to your version of hell. My question to you is, What God are you serving? Where is the love of Christ? So let me save you some time and trouble. No need to post angry remarks. I AM NOT GOING TO HELL. I'm sure you have different thoughts and I respect that. Do the same for me.

Anyway, this should be an interesting journey. I hope so. I look forward to bringing forth some thoughts that I hope will get you to think. That's all I want.

Many blessings.