"Heretics Anonymous"

Hello! My name is "Snowyowl" and I’m a Heretic!

I have chosen to not follow the path that others want me to follow. I chose long ago to find out for myself, to seek and search for the truth. I actually found that the search was more important to me than the truth, whatever that is.

Actually, the process is what makes me a heretic. Seeking truth is what most organized religions want you to avoid. “Come with me and I’ll lead you through the Bible.” Some sprinkle, some immerse, some drink from one cup, some from many. Some don’t use musical instruments in the service. Some worship on Saturday, most worship on Sunday. But all want you to do it just one way, their way. They don’t want you to be exposed to other things and other ways. “Stay away from those “Bad Influences.” They will lead you astray. They will tempt you away from the flock.

Well, I’m not a sheep! I wanted to get the flock out of there.

So, as I’ve said, “I chose to follow another path.”

In fact, making that choice was what made me a heretic. That process of choice is what makes anyone a heretic. You see, the word heresy comes from the Greek root “Hairesis” which means “able to choose.”

You see, that is from what most of the Organized Religions want to keep you away. They want to make sure you don’t have a choice. They want to make sure you are not exposed to a choice.

Catholics want you to stay away from the Protestants. Those who follow Islam want to keep you away from the Jews. The Amish wants to keep you away from Machinery. And the Adventists want to keep you away from Sunday. All you have to do to be a heretic is to choose something different.

Now this is like Preaching to the Choir because most of you are here because you have chosen something different from that which you were raised. But you can continue to live your life in a heretical way. People constantly try to lead us. All you have to do is choose to not follow. Or, choose to ask questions. It may be that you will choose to go the way you are lead, but at least it is your choice. And since you have asked questions, you are choosing with more than a little information.

We all are faced with decisions every day. I encourage you to live your life the same way that you live you spiritual life. With all the information you can acquire and then by make well-informed choices.

I have found that a “Salesman” with an inferior product doesn’t want you to ask too many questions. They don’t want you to have a choice between their product and a better one.

But, a “Salesman” with a superior product is confident that with all the right information you will choose his product over an inferior one.

With Religion it is a bit different. There is no telling what is on the other side of the Rubicon. So it is a matter of comfort. Some are more comfortable being lead. Some are more comfortable seeking and searching on their own.

The biggest test of a person’s religion is, “Are you comfortable.” If you are, then that is where you belong. If not then you need to exercise you ability to choose. Trying to live your life according to your minister and their values diminishes your worth. It makes you a clone of the minister.

With a little searching, you can find spirituality that fits your life, and if you outgrow that one, you can move on into another choice.

Remember, “You are not free unless you have a choice.”

So, become well informed by asking the right questions. Then with all the information you have, do the best you can and make good choices.

Is There a Santa Clause?

(This is a reprise from early November that seems more appropriate to be posted now)

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my friend Eddie dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," he jeered. "Even dummies know that!"

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so.

It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus?" She snorted...."Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and let's go."

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second world-famous cinnamon bun.

"Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors,Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car. "Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother,but never had I shopped for anything all by myself.

The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-Dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends , my neighbors, the kids at school, and he people who went
to my church.

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class.

Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always wrote note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough; he didn't have a good coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat!

I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that.

"Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby."

The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper and ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it. Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially, one of Santa's helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk.

Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going" I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma.

Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes.

That night , I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team. I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95. Seems there were more than Grandma and me helping Santa that night.

May you always have LOVE to share, HEALTH to spare and FRIENDS that care....

And may you always believe in the magic of Santa Claus . . . or Father Winter.

(I don't remember where I got this piece, but it seems worth posting at this time of year)

"The Christians and the Pagans"

By Dar Williams

Amber called her Uncle, said “We’re up here for the holiday,
Jane and I were having Solstice, and we need a place to stay.”
And her Christ-loving Uncle watched his wife hang Mary on a tree,
He watched his son hang candy canes all made with red dye number three
He told his niece, “It’s Christmas eve, I know our life is not your style.”
She said, “Christmas is like Solstice, and we miss you and it’s been awhile.”

So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able
And just before the meal was served, hands were held and prayers were said
Sending hope for peace on earth to all their Gods and goddesses.

The food was great, the tree plugged in, the meal had gone without a hitch
Till Timmy turned to Amber and said, “Is it true that you’re a witch?”
His mom jumped up and said, “The pies are burning,” and she hit the kitchen
And it was Jane who spoke and said, “It’s true, your cousin’s not a Christian”
“But we love trees we love the snow, the friends we have, the world we share
And you find magic from your God, and we find magic everywhere”

So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able
And where does magic come from, I think magic’s in the learning
Cause now when Christians sit with Pagans only pumpkin pies are burning.

When Amber tried to do the dishes, her Aunt said, “Really, no, don’t bother”
Amber’s Uncle saw how Amber looked like Tim and a lot like her Father
He thought about his brother, how they hadn’t spoken in a year
He thought he’d call him up and say, “It’s Xmas and your daughter’s here”
He thought of fathers, sons and brothers, saw his own son tug his sleeve
Saying, “Can I be a Pagan?” Dad said, “We’ll discuss it when they leave”

So the Christians and the Pagans sat together at the table
Finding faith and common ground the best that they were able
Lighting trees in darkness, learning new ways from the old,
And making sense of history and drawing warmth out of the cold.

A Solstice Tribute

Oh, stirring star of solstice time.
Your radiant hours are few.
You turn and strike the New Years chime,
We owe our lives to you.

These darkest days of Winter,
We miss your warming rays;
But every year this hemisphere
Returns to brighter days

Since olden days the human race
Has feared your warmth would die?
The evergreen is ever seen
As hope we will survive.

Oh, ancient drums stop beating,
And superstitions fall.
It’s time for reason’s greetings.
For PEACE, goodwill to all.

December 21st. 2012!

Life is funny. We all run in circles. Fashion comes and goes . . . in circles. If you keep a neck tie long enough, it will come back into fashion. The same happens with skirt lengths and hair styles.

The Moon makes its cycle every 27 days or so. A "New Moon" doesn't mean it has gone away, it just means it is starting a new cycle. In the depths of Winter we don't consider the Sun having gone away, it just means Spring isn't too far behind and the cycle starts again. Soon we will be in short sleeves and swimming in the creek.

The Mayans didn't believe the World was coming to an end on December 21, 2012, they believed that was when there would be a new cycle starting.

There are those that mention that there will be an alignment between the Earth, the Sun and the center of the Galaxy on December 21, 2012. That is true . . . but it happens every December, on or about the 21st. There is going to be nothing unusual about the December of 2012, at least not as far as the Universe is concerned. Jupiter will be high in the Southern sky that night and be up all night. The Moon will be about 60% full and Orion will be in the Southern sky. The Milky Way will traverse the sky from East to West through the night. All this will happen . . . as usual.

We will know then if Obama can make it another term, or by then we will know if all Americans can enjoy Universal Health Care. We also will know if the GOP will become a third party or will they still be significant in American Politics.

I believe in recycling whatever we can. Life is a circle. If you live long enough you will be surprised at what comes around again.

The Local Nativity Scene . . .

In a small southern town, somewhat like the one I live in, there was a nativity scene, almost like the one where I live. It was a large one covering some 50 feet or so. But, one small feature bothered me. The three wise men were wearing firemen’s helmets.

Totally unable to come up with a reason or explanation, I went across the street to the local E-Z Mart, and once again, somewhat like where I live. I asked the lady behind the counter about the helmets. She exploded into a rage, yelling at me, “You dern furiners never do read the Bible!”

I assured her that I had, but simply couldn’t recall anything about firemen in the bible. She jerked her Bible from behind the counter and ruffled through some pages, and finally jabbed her finger at a particular passage.

Sticking it in my face she said, “See, it says rot cheer, ‘The tree wise men come from afar.’”

Among The Stones

Here . . . I walk among the stones commemorating those who have gone before. I see their names and dates carved carefully by those who loved them, and those they loved. Their deeds are forgotten for the most part, except what has been passed down. We have lived because of those that these stones represent. Flesh and blood, a beating heart, reduced to clay, and a stone with a name and a date. What about their tragedies? What about their triumphs? What about their accomplishments and their loves? Great lives are reduced to a few lines on a stone. Will we never know the situations and challenges that they overcame? We are here because Sam loved Elsie, Obidia loved Flossie, and Norman loved Alma.

Here . . . I walk among the stones of those who have loved before. The heritage they passed down to us, with a myriad of mysteries is here, within us. It’s all laid out and ready for us to read and explore. We are the accumulated history of these stones. We are what they lived for, we are what they loved for, we are what they fought and died for, and we will be their best works until we pass the prize to those that follow and we join the stones.

(I wrote this for my Mother's funeral)

Is There a Santa Claus?

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my friend Eddie dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," he jeered. "Even dummies know that!"

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so.

It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus?" She snorted...."Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and let's go."

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second world-famous cinnamon bun.

"Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors,Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car. "Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother,but never had I shopped for anything all by myself.

The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-Dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends , my neighbors, the kids at school, and he people who went
to my church.

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class.

Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always wrote note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough; he didn't have a good coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat!

I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that.

"Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down.

"Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby."

The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper and ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it. Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially, one of Santa's helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk.

Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going" I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma.

Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes.

That night , I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team. I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95. Seems there were more than Grandma and me helping Santa that night.

May you always have LOVE to share, HEALTH to spare and FRIENDS that care....

And may you always believe in the magic of Santa Claus . . . or Father Winter.

(I don't remember where I got this piece, but it seems worth posting at this time of year)

On Prayer in School . . .

It is true, to escape official religious oppression in England, many brave souls came to this continent. Their goal was to set up a society in which all could practice each of their religions without interference from the government, and also to not interfere with the religions of others. In our society the majority rules, as long as the majority does not step on the rights of the minority.

What I am sure most people want is the return “Christian” prayer to our schools.

What we forget is that we are not all Christian, and even if we were, how would we feel if our child came home and told us he was forced in school to say fifteen “OUR FATHER’S” and twenty “HAIL MARY’S,” both good Christian prayers.

On the other hand if prayer is all that is wanted, how about ten minutes of “ALLAH IS GREAT, AND MUHAMMAD IS HIS PROPHET,” or the kids could set in the floor, legs folded, hands together and “OOOMMMMM” for ten minutes.

Maybe if the teacher is a feminist she just might want to lead the children in “OH! GREAT GODDESS OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, BRING ME INTO THE COMPANY OF THOSE WHO SEEK THE TRUTH, BUT DELIVER ME FROM THOSE WHO THINK THEY HAVE FOUND IT.”

My point here is that there are certain things that are personal, which is why we have locks on our bedrooms and bathrooms. Prayer is personal, each of us who prays does so in our own individual way and to our own God.

I promise to never force your child to say an “OUR FATHER” or a “HAIL MARY” or “ALLAH IS GREAT” or even an “OOOMMMMM.” All I want is for you to not force my children to recite your prayers. Personal prayer belongs in Church or with those who also believe, at home. Christian doctrine dictates that one should do their prayers “MODESTLY” away from others, in a closet.

We all want our children in school to be taught the fundamentals. Religion and morals, I’ll take care of at home and in my church. You certainly don’t want me teaching your children my religion and morals, and I feel the same. The assumption is that we are all Christian, but if you mean Baptist, that leaves out the Lutherans, Catholics, People from the Church of Christ, and Church of God, Church of the Nazerine, not to mention the Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Agnostics, and Atheists.

In other words, most of the World. The Christian Fundamentalists are a minority.

Moral Leaders?

The outpouring of unseemly and unchristian lies and distortions from the nation's self-proclaimed "Moral Leaders" that appeared in the days before the Nov. elections was truly amazing. I'm no stranger to hardball politics, and as the President of the Board of Trustees of my Church, with my own political opinions, I'd be the last to argue against any one's right to be in the fray. But, I cannot bear to let go unnoticed that many of the candidates who were most closely associated with the Religious Right, those who proclaimed themselves the candidates of the "Values Voters," abandoned the values of honesty and decency in the closing days of their campaigns.

A Few Examples among many:
Ohio Gubernatorial Candidate Kenneth Blackwell, favored by the so-called "Patriot Pastors"- accused his opponent, a decent, humane man who served in Congress and as a United Methodist minister, of supporting sex between adults and children.

Senator Rick Santorum, declared by archconservative leader Paul Weyrich to be the most important senator in America at the recent "Values Voter Summit," accused his opponent, a popular state treasurer, of aiding and abetting terrorism and genocide.

Virginia Senator George Allen, who will forever be known for his ugly mocking of a young person of color to a chuckling, all-white audience, attacked his opponent, a respected author whose military-themed novels have been praised by George Will and John McCain, by calling a few out-of-context quotes, "OBSCENE."

It's not just the politicians, The American Family Association was so desperate to energize conservative Christian voters that it told its members that if Democrats won, they should expect attempts to make "polygamy legal in all 50 states."

In 2000, GOP strategists went to work in South Carolina demeaning John McCain. They orchestrated a malicious campaign of phone calls and fliers whispering about illegitimate mixed-race children, mental instability, and other falsehoods.

George W. Bush, the president who is so eager to wear his "Jesus-Changed" heart on his sleeve, responded to a righteously angry McCain with the dismissive comment, "It's only politics."

Mr.. Bush and Karl Rove aren't the first or the last politicians to adopt an end-justify-the-means approach to winning elections, but there's a glaring disconnect between their proclaimed commitment to truth and biblical values and their willingness to shuck it all aside if it means getting enough votes to hang onto power.

Unfortunately I have already received, so early in the 2010 election process, several delightful email lies about Barack Obama. And, I know there will be more.

Please check out the facts on www.snopes.com and just type in Barack Obama in the search field.

I know this will be the first of many from the "Family Values" side of the aisle. I just never realized that lying was a family value.

Americans are beginning to demand a new direction in politics, a direction that holds up hope instead of fear, the common good instead of divisions, and aims at solving real problems that affect real American families rather than ideology. And that is a politics that is much closer to the good news of the Gospel than anything the so-called "Moral Values" crowd has offered.

To The Full Moon;

Oh, Bright Orb,
Goddess of ebon time,
Dominatrix of the mighty tides;

The Laws of Nature have, once again, brought you full cycle to completion, and start.

The Forces of Nature have guided your return through another dark adventure with the Universe.

Those who cherish your return, salute with celebration and reverence.

Those who quest for knowledge of your power, receive your light with joy and wonder.

We, like you, belong to the Powers and Forces of Nature and like you, know our existence is limited.

We, like you, follow those Forces and yield to those Powers and know they are our leaders.

May your journey be flawless and may we meet once again to join together in celebration and reverence for all that has gone and all that is to come.

May my journey be as calculated and determined as our Mistress above.

INTRODUCTION TO THE SECULAR HUMANIST'S BIBLE:

This is the introduction to my post of 08/29/09 entitled "A Secular Humanist's Attempt to Understand the Bible."

It has comedy, it has drama, it’s full of the things that the Christian Coalition would picket you for promoting, “SEX AND VIOLENCE.” It has songs and poetry, and stories where the heroes are villainous. I enjoy reading the Bible, but . . .

I find that reading the Bible is like when I first started typing. Every letter had to be translated into a finger, then thought about, then punched. It made the typing slow and tedious, and not much fun. Now that I’ve typed for more than 35 years and have it down fairly well, the typing goes fast and not much translation needs to take place. When I read the Bible, I have to translate it into terms that mean something to me.

What I have done for myself is to translate the first three Chapters of Genesis into something that has meaning to me. I am not asking you to agree with my translations, after all, this is for me and I’m just sharing it with you. My challenge is for you to do the same thing, work out your own translations.

I am fully aware that these occurrences did not happen separately. Flowers, fruits, and vegetables need insects to assist in pollination, and a full food chain needs to be in place for the interdependent web of life to flourish. When it is stated that, “over a long period . . . “ one has to assume that all of these evolutions occurred simultaneously, in other words there was only one “long period of time.” And the writers were taking each category through that same period. I say writers because Genesis 1 is so different when compared to Genesis 2, and various other parts of Genesis are more lyrical and literary, then others are blunt and matter of fact. Some of this has to do with the many translations the bible has gone through.

Now go to my post titled "A Secular Humanist's Attemp to Understand the Bible" posted August 29, 2009.

"Gentle Arms Of Eden" by Tracy Grammer and Dave Carter

On a sleepy endless ocean when the world lay in a dream
There was rhythm in the splash and roll, but not a voice to sing
So the moon shone on the breakers and the morning warmed the waves
Till a single cell did jump and hum for joy as though to say;

This is my home, this is my only home
This is the only sacred ground that I have ever known
And should I stray in the dark night alone
Rock me goddess, in the gentle arms of eden.

Then the day shone bright and rounder til the one turned into two
And the two into ten thousand things, and old things into new
And on some virgin beach head one lonesome critter crawled
And he looked about and shouted out in his most astonished drawl.

This is my home ... (Refrain)

Then all the sky was buzzin' and the ground was carpet green
And the wary children of the wood went dancin' in between
And the people sang rejoicing when the field was glad with grain
This song of celebration from their cities on the plain.

This is my home ... (Refrain)

Now there's smoke across the harbor, and there's factories on the shore
And the world is ill with greed and will and enterprise of war
But I will lay my burden in the cradle of your grace
And the shining beaches of your love and the sea of your embrace.

This is my home ... (Refrain)

I Don't Care!

I give a great deal of concern to many things. I am concerned about HABITAT. Your habitat, my habitat, all humanities habitat . . . the habitat of animals such as the Red Cockaided Woodpecker, and the lowly Snail Darter. As our habitat increases . . . theirs shrink!!!

I have concerns about how people are treated around the World. Not only by their governments but by their community. The caste system of India, the Rommany Gypsies of Europe and even the Jews to this day are looked upon as pests to be exterminated, by many Nations.

My ability to speak out and dissent, in many countries, is limited at best. I can see THAT today happening in Pakistan where they have taken the dissentors and put them in prison. And more, we are seeing that dissent is being looked upon with a downward gaze right here in our own land. Dissent has been part of our culture since the beginning. Our country was established on DISSENT. Dissent IS patriotic. There are those that don’t want to hear your dissent. They have chosen to be DEAF.

Our constitution has been subrogated by definitions from those who do not hold our Country's best, in high regard. American Citizens, have suffered rendition from those same people. And we have had people in HIGH places that have turned away from their citizens and the constitution in order to better themselves. They have chosen to be BLIND and perform criminal activities.

More and more our World has become extremely intimate and more dependent on one another. There are those among us that want that to never happen, but it HAS, and it will continue. Some people believe that we, the United States, are autonomous and we don’t need anyone else to survive. Those same people are blind to the fact that we are no longer a productive country. And stand deaf to those that try to point it out. We have become a service oriented country, fixing what others manufacture.

More and more the middle class is shrinking. Very few of us are finding our way to the upper class. Most of us would like to stay right where we are. Smack in the middle. We don’t want to be wealthy, nor poor. But the more we pour GAS into our automobiles and nutrition into our bodies, the more we realize where the money flows. In fact MONEY is one of the few things in life that only flows uphill.

That is why WE have to care about some things. That is why we should have a covenant with each other. That is why we should say, . . . . .

“We, covenant to affirm and promote;

-The inherent worth and dignity of every person;

-Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;

-Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth;

-A free and responsible SEARCH for truth and meaning;

-The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our relationships and in society at large;

-The goal of World Community with peace, liberty and justice for all;

-Respect for the interdependent web of all existence, of which we are just a part.”

ABOUT THESE THINGS . . .I CARE!

-----BUT----

There are a lot of things I just shouldn't care about . . .

IF YOU ARE BLACK . . . I don’t care!

IF YOU ARE BROWN . . . I don’t care!

IF YOU ARE ORANGE AND PURPLE WITH CHARTREUS POLKADOTS . . .I don’t care!

I SHOULD’T EVEN CARE IF YOU ARE PINK!

IF YOU ARE SHORT . . . I don’t care!

IF YOU ARE TALL . . . I don’t care!

IF YOU’RE ARE NOT WEALTHY . . . I don’t care!

IF YOU HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF MONEY . . . I don’t care!

IF YOU’RE BALD . . .I don’t care!

IF YOU’RE HAIRY . . .I don’t care!

IF YOU HAVE A CHRISTIAN BACKGROUND. . .I don’t care!

IF YOU HAVE A JEWISH BACKGROUND. . . I don’t care!

IF YOU HAVE A BUDDHIST BACKGROUND . . . I don’t care!

IF YOU ARE AN ATHEIST . . . I don’t care!

IF YOU ARE AN AGNOSTIC . . . I don’t care!

IF YOU ARE SEXUALLY ATTRACTED TO MEN . . . I don’t care!

IF YOU ARE SEXUALLY ATTRACTED TO WOMEN . . . I don’t care!

IF YOU ARE SEXUALLY ATTRACTED TO BOTH . . . I don’t care!

IF YOU ARE CONSERVATIVE . . . I don’t care!

IF YOU ARE LIBERAL . . . I don’t care!

IF YOU ARE LEFT OR RIGHT HANDED . . . I don’t care!

IF YOU ARE A SOCIALIST . . . I don’t care!



There are so many things that I care about and many more that I just don’t care about, that I must never forget that unlike most, I must make my circle bigger and more inclusive. I must be open minded and free thinking.

I know I find myself pulling away when I encounter someone that might be DIFFERENT. I must learn to be more inclusive and I invite each of you to do the same.

Open up your eyes and open up your ears. Don’t choose to be blind or deaf. We have to open our hearts and our Spirituality to those who might have been turned away by others. We have to remember those things we do care about. And we have to remember to overlook those things to which we can say, “I DON’T CARE!”

Heretic

Hello! My name is Snowyowl and I’m a Heretic!

I have chosen to not follow the path that others want me to follow. I chose long ago to find out for myself, to seek and search for the truth. I actually found that the search was more important to me than the truth, whatever that is.

Actually, the process is what makes me a heretic. Seeking truth is what most organized religions want you to avoid. “Come with me and I’ll lead you through the Bible.” Some sprinkle, some immerse, some drink from one cup, some from many. Some don’t use musical instruments in the service. Some worship on Saturday, most worship on Sunday. But all want you to do it just one way. They don’t want you to be exposed to other things and other ways. “Stay away from those “Bad Influences.” They will lead you astray. They will tempt you away from the flock.

Well, I’m not a sheep! I wanted to get the flock out of there.

So, as I’ve said, “I chose to follow another path.”

In fact, making that choice was what made me a heretic. That process of choice is what makes anyone a heretic. You see, the word heresy comes from the Greek root “Hairesis” which means “able to choose.”

You see, that is from what most of the Organized Religions want to keep you away. They want to make sure you don’t have a choice. They want to make sure you are not exposed to a choice.

Catholics want you to stay away from the Protestants. The Islams want to keep you away from the Jews. The Amish wants to keep you away from Machinery. And the Adventists want to keep you away from Sunday. All you have to do to be a heretic is to choose something different.

People constantly try to lead us. All you have to do is choose to not follow, or choose to ask questions. It may be that you will choose to go the way you are lead, but at least it is your choice. And since you have asked questions, you are choosing with more than a little information.

We all are faced with decisions every day. I encourage you to live your life the same way that you live you spiritual life. With all the information you can acquire and then by make well-informed choices.

I have found that a “Salesman” with an inferior product doesn’t want you to ask too many questions. They don’t want you to have a choice between their product and a better one.

But, a “Salesman” with a superior product is confident that with all the right information you will choose his product over an inferior one.

With Religion it is a bit different. There is no telling what is on the other side of the Rubicon. So it is a matter of comfort. Some are more comfortable being lead. Some are more comfortable seeking and searching on their own.

The biggest test of a person’s religion is, “Are you comfortable.” If you are, then that is where you belong. If not then you need to exercise your ability to choose. Trying to live your life according to your minister and their values diminishes your worth. It makes you a clone of the minister.

With a little searching, you can find spirituality that fits your life, and if you outgrow that one, you can move on into another choice.

Remember, “You are not free unless you have a choice.”

So, become well informed by asking the right questions. Then with all the information you have, do the best you can and make good choices.

Some of you are going to ask about following the "Truth." Please refer to my September 11th post "The Trouble with Truth."

TERRORISM AND ORGANIZED RELIGION

One reason the terror of 9/11/01 happened is that the people who hijacked the airplanes and crashed them into the World Trade center and the Pentagon, were NOT political terrorists. They were RELIGIOUS FANATICS who cannot tolerate any followers of any other religion. These were apparently Muslim extremists who believe that if you are not Islamic, and not a follower of their prophet Mohammed, then you are Satan. Since America is predominantly Christian, and because of OIL INTERESTS, America has killed hundreds of thousands of Islamic people, like recently in Iraq, and less recently in Iran, well then THEY think that America is Satan’s home. Yes, they think this is Hell and Americans are Satan worshipers, Anti Muslim and further, are probably all better off dead. Actually this separatist religious insanity predates the Muslim religion and its roots of hatred and intolerance can be found deeply imbedded in Christian beliefs.

Actually the Christian religion is the most fanatic of them all because followers must believe that Jesus Christ was the ONE AND ONLY PROPHET of God. That all other religious prophets of the world (Mohammed, Moses, Buddha, whomever) are FALSE prophets, and that Jesus was furthermore the Son of God, and if you don’t believe this you will die, go to Hell and burn there in pain, torture and misery for eternity. And further, anyone who doesn’t believe this is not just a heathen, but may be a servant of the devil, or Satan himself, or maybe even the Anti-Christ. And throughout most of history, and even today, Christians have tortured and murdered millions of innocent people who do not accept their beliefs, even other Christians as we have seen in Northern Ireland, just like these Muslims recently killed many Americans. There is a simple reason for this. If you can’t be saved, then you are doomed to rot and burn in Hell for all eternity anyway so you might as well be killed because if left alive your disbelief could poison the rest of the flock.

Today both Muslim and Christian religions don’t leave much room for tolerance or getting along, DON’T THEY? Oh sure, Moses, Christ and Mohammed all preached to “LOVE ONE ANOTHER” and that “THOU SHALL NOT KILL,” but this was a long time ago and since then we have let so called “HOLY MEN” distort and corrupt just about every word these beautiful prophets spoke. Now most religions fear of SATAN overrides any thoughts of “LOVE” and “GETTING ALONG.”

When will people understand that ALL organized religions of the world are SEPARATISTS MOVEMENTS? No major organized religion of the world invites others who believe differently to worship and pray alongside them in their churches, without hope of eventually brainwashing, converting, or SAVING them.

I am so sick of ORGANIZED religion I could puke. This is simply because they are ALL insecure, intolerant, unloving, spiritually retarded idiots. Most are also exclusive and private country clubs that think they are the only ones who understand exactly what God wants. They act like they have a direct satellite link-up with God and talk daily and that they are right and everyone else is wrong, in fact not just wrong but doomed to everlasting hell or maybe even a servant of Satan himself. Again, not much tolerance or love there!

I have a hard time believing that anyone is still naive enough to think that religious people won’t harm anyone. Spiritual people don’t, but what does spiritual have to do with organized religion anyway? Almost every major organized religion on this planet has a long history of torture and murder. Of all religions, Christians are by far the worst murderers on this planet. Some might argue that Christians don’t kill innocent people out of religious fanaticism like the Muslims but I beg to differ. From the crusades to the Middle East and Europe 1,000 years ago to the present day the Christians have been the biggest fanatical religious murderers on the planet, and surely the most horrific.

In London they have a museum of torture that has the worst tortures I have ever seen anywhere in the world. They show people who were slowly crushed to death by adding one additional stone every day onto the chest until you finally couldn’t take one more breath and slowly suffocated. It took days to die. They also show how they cut your abdomen and pulled out your colon and intestines, while you were still alive, and then forced you to watch as they burnt your bowels in a fire, again while they were still attached. Other tortures involved slowly crushing the penis and testes on men and the hammering of iron spikes up into a woman’s female organs. All, done in the name of Christ by the Christians trying to convert. Yes, Christians have tortured maimed and killed more people on this planet in the name of God than any other religion.

In fact in Southern California there was a beautiful group of Indians called the Chumash. They lived on the beaches and nearby hills, fishing, gathering food and never bothered nor harmed anybody. The Christians came in and set up missions to convert these heathen Redskins to Christianity. And when these loving, beautiful natives wouldn’t become slaves to the missions and convert, well they were all murdered –every last one, all 10,000 of them.

Yes organized religions, every one of them, have murdered thousands if not millions and millions of innocent people. Even recent history is full of religious intolerance and murder. How about Northern Ireland where Christians murder each other (Protestants and Catholics) in the streets almost every day, and Yugoslavia where the Muslims and Christians have been cleansing entire families? Even entire villages of men, women and children were killed. Parents were tortured and forced to kill their own children and vice versa. Religious cleansers murdered hundreds of thousands of people and buried them in mass graves and this has been going on in this same area for almost 1,000 years. How about Iraq where Christians against Muslims, we slaughtered 250,000 Muslims to protect Kuwait or to protect our oil interests. Kuwait is a little sliver of sand that used to be Iraq only a few years ago. We condemn China (Buddhists, Taoists and Confucians) for killing each other and their lack of human rights but fight a war to protect Kuwait where a woman has fewer rights than a dog, has to keep her head covered at all times, can’t leave the house without a man, is forced to have her clitoris surgically removed, can be whipped and beaten in public if her face cover slips and where a man can beat a woman to death without breaking the law.

How about the Atheist or unreligions like Adolph Hitler’s Nazis and Russia’s Marx, Stalin and Lenin who Killed millions of Jews and Muslims in their antireligious cleansings, and then killed millions of each other? Then the Jews invaded Palestine (Jews against Muslims) just after World War II and stole back their land. This one may never be settled because Christ was a relative newcomer here. They have been fighting tribe against tribe as far back as Moses, the Egyptian Dynasties and probably far back before recorded history, killing more people than we will ever know. God bless Jimmy Carter for trying to bring peace to the Middle East where there hasn’t been any for 4,000, 5,000, maybe 6,000 years. Let’s just say since the beginning of time. In many towns in Israel, including the holy city of Jerusalem, there are 1,000 year old Muslim temples built on top of 2,000 year old buried Christian holy sites, built over 3,000 year old ancient Jewish holy sites, built over 4,000 year old Egyptian temples. All built on top of one another. How should we divide this up?

How about the Hindus and Muslims in India and Pakistan who have been murdering each other for centuries and who both have atomic bombs now? The past 200 years have seen millions die in Africa as the Dutch, English and French (Christian against Zulu and various Tribal Religions) have raped and plundered the Dark Continent, Hardly putting a dent in the millions more killed in the numerous recent and ongoing civil wars in Africa over the past thirty years where they are doing a fine job killing off hundreds of thousands of themselves (Tribal against Tribal).

I haven’t even scratched the surface of killing for God, but I could sum this all up by saying that the general theme that runs through almost all of the world’s religions, not just extremist Muslim, is that if you can’t be converted, then you are probably better off dead.

If history dictates anything it is that fanatical, religious zealot extremists of all faiths, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc., along with a horde of extremist Atheists who hate the religious, are responsible for killing millions and millions and millions of men, women and children on this planet. Not killed for politics, but for PROPHETS and PROFITS. All killed in the name of GOD! Can I get an AMEN?

First let me be very clear. I definitely do not condone this or any terrorist attack. These sick religious freaks that will kill innocent men, women and children should be recycled as soon as possible. Let me be extremely clear, if anyone ever comes into my house and threatens me or my family I will kill them first if necessary, with absolutely no hesitation, and then sort things out later. We should hunt these murdering scum down and kill them, period. On this planet there are good guys and bad guys. It is that simple. The good guys are people who just want to enjoy their lives, living long, happy and loving lives prospering physically, emotionally and spiritually. Then there are the bad guys who want to stop us and hurt us and our families. Sometimes these bad guys are very religious and believe it is up to them to do God’s work. Sometimes these bad guys are anti one religion or another, or like Hitler, just mean, bad, insane and rotten to the core. They are not like you and me. They are bad insane people and should be incarcerated or killed.

But as far as organized outright war is concerned, I am against it. This is mainly because the way we wage war today, the innocent people, especially the women and children, are caught up in it and often killed. And when this happens, we are no better than our enemy. I do believe in strategically removing terrorists and hostile leaders, killing them if necessary to stop them from killing us, our children and other innocent people. The problem in all of this is to not become terrorists ourselves. I see very little difference in walking into a marketplace and exploding a bomb around our waists, and firing howitzers twenty miles from a ship at sea into that same marketplace. In both cases people are killed without regard to age, race, sex or even military status.

I am against war, all wars. My first war history lesson came when I was a very young child and had the opportunity to sit on the lap of a Union soldier from the Civil War. He asked me if I knew what the Civil War was and I told him that I was. I told him, “The Civil War was to free the slaves.” He laughed out loud, I will never forget, and he said, “Hell boy, we didn’t give a shit about the slaves. The Civil War was just about the economics, see up here in the north, we couldn’t make anything as cheap as those rebs because they had slaves which meant free labor, and we didn’t. We had to kick their ass or go broke, it was that simple.” That was not what I learned in the school books.

It’s not America, love it or leave it, it’s America, I love it enough to change it. After all, I don’t believe that being an American means to blindly follow what every president, vice president or member of congress say to do, let alone follow them into battle. To me, this freedom and free thinking is what makes America great and is patriotic. History dictates that after the fact, many wars have been found to have agendas that were deeply hidden from the American people.

Many young Americans were gassed, beaten, arrested and imprisoned on numerous occasions in the ‘60's and ‘70's for their beliefs against the war in Viet Nam. Millions of people here at home, that far outnumbered the amount of soldiers in Vietnam, protested against the war. Numerous Federal Buildings were bombed in America by American citizens. Because of this civil disobedience, the war in Vietnam became so extremely unpopular that the war was ended prematurely bringing the rest of our brothers and fathers and sisters and sons home. Protests also ended up having the vice president and eventually the president of the United States both removed from office for the first time in history.

I was against Desert Storm in Iraq. But once we were in it and committed, why did we leave the leader of the opposing Army alive and well? The fact that we were attacked by his kind again, is this really so surprising? Even Gandhi, the great pacifist said of fighting wars, that one should be completely nonviolent, even to the point of letting them kill your family and yourself if necessary, this is the power of nonviolence. I disagree with his thoughts on this, but he also said that if you cannot tolerate this and are going to be violent, then be totally violent until you achieve victory. He said that a man that can do neither is a waste and a burden on his family and the community.

What is my point? I am not for outright war. I am for arresting, incarcerating and even killing the fanatic leaders who have killed the innocent. I am also for offering food and aid to the people who have been suffering under the thumb of these fanatic rulers.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY?
TOLERANCE is to recognize and respect other people’s religions, beliefs, customs and practices, no matter how different or alien they may seem, and no matter how conflicting they may be to our own personal beliefs.

Isn’t this what America is really all about–allowing people to peacefully practice their own personal beliefs, as long as they don’t bother or hurt anyone else? The very first amendment to the Constitution of the United States is all about freedom of speech and freedom of religion. It states that “Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble” . . .meaning that the government of the United States won’t back any particular religion nor condemn any particular religion and that anyone has the right to believe in any god or prophet they choose, speak about it, print it and gather and worship, peacefully.

The problem today in America isn’t the government prohibiting freedom of religion, but the American Christian Churches filling the hearts and minds of their congregations with intolerance and fear, condemning ALL other religions and beliefs as blasphemy, and even Satanic worship.

Yes, I do believe in freedom, including freedom of religion. I strongly believe that any person has the right to believe anything they want as long as they don’t hurt anyone else. So I am OK with the millions of Christians who believe that if you don’t believe and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is your savior, and the Son of God that you will BURN IN HELL FOR ETERNITY. I am OK with the Muslim extremists that think Christians are Satan and the Jews that think that the Muslims are devil dogs. In fact I am OK with what any paranoid, misguided, emotionally insecure, sociopathic, schizophrenic religious zealot wants to think, as long as they keep their vomit to themselves and don’t spew it on me or anyone else.

I even believe that all these religious separatist groups have the right to assemble, and preach ad nauseam about how they are the chosen ones or the latter day saints and everyone else is a misguided fool that will miss paradise and end up burning in hell. I believe they have the right to print books about their beliefs. But I think they should be watched, and watched closely. Why? Because sooner or later all of them start to think that the rest of us need to be SAVED.

If there is any hope for the future, and I believe there is, then we have to teach our children that there are many paths to God, not just one, even if we don’t understand them. We need to stop worrying about people who look different and don’t believe as we do. We don’t have to worry about their souls either and try to convert or save them. All we need to do is mind our own business, love ourselves, our families, love God if we want to, practice our own beliefs and if you believe in God, well then God will sort it all out in the end anyway. Obviously this tolerance thing will take some work. We can start by healing our insecurity and fear of the unknown and by being more loving. Time is running out, so why not start today?


RAISE TO A NEW SPIRITUAL LEVEL
When in doubt, stop paying attention to the other guy and work on yourself. If I have heard it once I have heard it a thousand times, “Why is it that I take better care of myself than he does, but he is always healthy and has tons of energy and I am always sick?” They need to stop paying attention to the other guy and pay more attention to what they themselves are doing. The most powerful way to convince anyone to do anything is to be a shining example yourself, and they will come running. After all, the real power to influence others is by setting a great example yourself.

If everyone of us would take the time they spend worrying about the other guy, and condemning their beliefs, and trying to prove that their way is the right way and the only way, and just get closer to their loved ones, their family, their prophets and their God, the rest of the world would want what we have.

If history proves anything it is that our endless trying to convert and SAVE the heathens always ends with our having to kill them or them killing us. It never has ended in peace, laughter and bliss with people hugging each other. In fact, if you look around the world today at this gigantic fighting mess, this is the outcome of intolerance and sticking our noses into everybody else’s business. Instead we need to be looking into the mirror to examine our own spiritual path, and then raise it to a higher level. We can all use more work in this direction.

If we are to survive as a people, as a world and as a planet, we all need to lighten up a bit, and some of us a whole lot. If there is a God, and I have my own, I know that the last thing God would want for all of us is to be fighting and killing each other in the name of God and arguing about what God wants. When my God speaks to me I hear LOVE more, LAUGH more, enjoy life to the fullest because this is my gift to you. Oh yeah, and be nice to each other. I don’t think this is too much to ask in return for the greatest gift that we know so far, life her on earth.

When in doubt, try LOVE. Most people find it easy to hate, even easier to be angry and fight, but the hardest thing for most people to do is LOVE and make Peace.

So as you hear remarks every day like, “Let’s bomb those rag heads back to the stone age” and “The only good sand nigger is a dead one,” you must realize there may be an option to vaporizing Afghanistan and Iraq. That option is to show all the people of the Middle East and Muslim nations our restraint and that we do not murder the innocent like the terrorists did. To show them not only our strength but also our commitment to world peace, and also our TOLERANCE, our SPIRITUAL STRENGTH and our LOVE.

The Trouble With Truth

After hearing a gun shot, a young lady ran into a neighbor’s home. As she stood in the doorway of the strange home, she saw a man in the doorway across the room. He was about five foot seven inches tall and was putting a large gun away into his belt with his left hand. After putting the gun away he took a comb out of his left rear pocket and combed his hair with his left hand. After raking through his medium to short hair with the comb, he put the comb back into his left rear pocket with his left hand. The young lady could not see the man’s face but from the color of his arm he must have been middle eastern; he was very dark, but not of African decent. The young lady turned and ran to her home across the street and called the police. While waiting for the police, she peered out her window at the neighbor’s home. In about three minutes a woman left by the front door of her neighbor’s home. This woman was very tall with a long sleeve blouse on and she had slacks and shoulder length, black hair, and a dark complexion like the man the young lady had seen earlier. The dark woman ran down the street and around the corner and disappeared.

When the police came the young lady ran across the street to tell them what had happened. After giving the police a full description of the two people she had seen at her neighbor’s home, she went back to her home completely confident that she had gotten all her facts straight. Then she sat back to await the full details on the evening news. She was well satisfied by the news because all the details that she had given the police were on and they had even used her name.

As time went on, the young lady was called in from time to time to identify possible suspects. There were several of the suspects that sort of fit the description, but none that were right. After several months the police stopped calling her to come in. The police had run out of suspects.

The problem was that the young lady from across the street had seen the same criminal she had seen that day, in several line-ups. She had not recognized the perpetrator in the lineup because the truth of the crime was only the perceived truth. The truth was she had seen it was not the actual truth. The criminal was a right-handed Anglo-Saxon, more than six feet tall, and there was no woman involved in the crime, at all.

How could she be so mistaken about the crime? It was easy; when she entered the unfamiliar house, she did not know that she was looking into a mirror in a doorway across the room. That which she saw as left, was really right; so the left-handed man was really right-handed. Also, the mirror was tilted slightly upward so that the man appeared to be shorter than he really was. His middle eastern complexion came from working for several months in the sun. The tall woman leaving the house was really the very same man, who had put on a bra and blouse and covered his head with the victim’s wig. Because the young lady would not relent in her very accurate description, the criminal went unpunished. She was very sure that she had noted everything and that she was correct, and she WAS correct. She was highly accurate in the truth as she perceived it.

That is the problem with perceived truth. We know it is correct because we believe it to be correct, and we believe it to be correct because we have been convinced by something or someone. Now comes the problem: not all perceived truths are something other than the truth; some perceived truths are really true. But, all perceived truths should be questioned and researched and put to the test of REASON. This is not an unsupported idea: there are many professions based on this idea: the police detective, all scientists, or for instance, your minister. Some are in the quest for the hard facts, others are there to raise questions and let you supply your own answers, or the answers are supplied for you. Plato said, “Let us affirm what seems to be the truth, that whether one is or is not, one and the others in relation to themselves and one another, all of them, in every way, are and are not, and appear to be and appear not to be.”

For each of us the hard part is in questioning our own perceived truths, some of which we hold dear, or perceived truths we learned from our parents. It is very tough work questioning our parents’ teachings or our own beliefs in the search for actual truth. It is even harder work when the answer we seek might come out to our own detriment. Thomas Hobbes said, “such truth as opposeth no man’s profit nor pleasure is to all men welcome.” But, each of us must determine that which we are seeking: our own self esteem, vanity, ego, pleasure, profit, or truth no matter where it leads and no matter its outcome.

Now, one must consider if one really wants to know the truth. Consider the possibilities, then don’t ask the question if you can’t handle the truth. George Berkeley said, “Truth is the cry of all, but the game of few.” So, one must consider what stake another has in the answer to be given, one way or the other. This could shade the truth as given by another. By this I mean some truths are in delicate balance, or can be understood ambiguously. For instance, consider a letter of recommendation that says, “I would consider any company lucky that getd John Doe to work for them.” What does the writer mean by this sentence? Is it an accident or is the ambiguity on purpose? What is the truth?

One must also be careful in going the other way, in throwing out the true with the false. Democritus said, “All that exists are atoms and empty space. All else is just opinion.” This is a nice thought but it throws out a lot of actual truths in the process. Does one want to get this basic in their seeking of the truth? Most people don’t.

With hard evidence the truth is much easier to come upon; with thought and philosophies, truth might be illusive or even nonexistent. Hence, we have many divergent thoughts, philosophies, and religions. One must seek truth in their own thought, philosophy, and religion and render it down to the point that they can live comfortably with it, and to the point that works for them. But, one must always keep in mind that truth is alive and moving, and will change from time to time. That which was true yesterday, may or may not be true today, or tomorrow. New evidence and reasoning expand with our mental capacity, and that is expanded within each of us, through mental exercise. One must never stop questioning and exploring their own thoughts and ideas. This acts like a filter, and one might be surprised at what gets caught in the filter; it’s usually a lot of garbage that you want to throw out anyway. But make sure that the truth is not caught, and thrown away, if your sieve is too fine.

In thought, philosophy, and religion, one must ask oneself if there is such a thing as truth or is it just a point of view? It is said, “Everything is relative,” and that can certainly be applied to perceived truth. But Charles Sanders Peirce said, “Every man is fully satisfied that there is such a thing as truth or he would not ask any questions.” On the other hand, sometimes the questions are as important, if not more important, as the answers. In an apparent change of heart, the very same Peirce said, “It is the man of science, eager to have his every opinion regenerated, his every idea rationalized, by drinking at the fountain of fact and devoting all the energies of his life to the cult of truth, not as he understands it, but as he does not yet understand it, that ought properly to be called a philosopher.” So there is something to be said for the process. A great many prize the process of arriving at the truth, more highly than the truth. They realize that the truth could change, but the process will always stay the same, or at least stay very stable. One must not confuse the process of seeking, with dogma. Sometimes dogma is disguised as the process of seeking the truth. One will search and search, then have someone else tell him in what to believe.

The next truth to look at is functional truth. Functional truth is a suborder of perceived truth. If an innocent person is found guilty and that finding is never overturned, society goes on unaffected by this finding. Things go on seemingly unchanged by this new truth. The functional truth is that he is guilty.

It was once believed that the world was flat, that the Sun revolved around the Earth, that the Earth was the center of the Universe, and accepting these functional truths, little was changed. Today many believe that there is no life other than on Earth. I am sure that someday this will be looked upon as our functional truth, but also perceived process, functional truth and actual truth. People are like electricity; they will follow the line of least resistance. After a long, tiresome search, one will take another’s thoughts and ideas for one’s own. Having followed the process up to the point of discovery, one will then abandon it for lack of persistence, and the availability of easy answers. One must remember, there are no easy answers, and if you love the process, there are no easy questions. Questions are easy only if one knows the answers and tailors the questions to fit. One must abandon the easy answer, and easy questions, and let the process do its job. Always remember, don’t ask the question if you are not prepared to handle the answers. AND THAT IS THE TROUBLE WITH THE TRUTH!

Thoughts on Death . . .

Here, I walk among the stones commemorating those who have gone before. I see their names and dates carved carefully by those who loved them, and those they loved. Their deeds are forgotten for the most part, except what has been passed down. We are here because of those that these stones represent. Flesh and blood, a beating heart, reduced to clay, and a stone with a name and a date. What about their tragedies? What about their triumphs? What about their accomplishments and their loves? Great lives are reduced to a few lines on a stone. Will we never know the situations and challenges that they overcame? We are here because Sam loved Elsie, Obidia loved Flossie, and Norman loved Alma.

Here, I walk among the stones of those who have loved before. The heritage they passed down to us, with a myriad of mysteries is here, within us. It’s all laid out and ready for us to read and explore. We are the accumulated history of these stones. We are what they lived for, we are what they loved for, we are what they fought and died for, and we will be their best works until we pass the prize to those that follow and we join the stones.

On Prayer In Public Schools

It is true, to escape official religious oppression in England, many brave souls came to this continent. Their goal was to set up a society in which all could practice each of their religions without interference from the government, and also to not interfere with the religions of others. In our society the majority rules, as long as the majority does not step on the rights of the minority.

What I am sure most people want is the return “Christian” prayer to our schools. What we forget is that we are not all Christian, and even if we were, how would we feel if our child came home and told us he was forced in school to say fifteen “OUR FATHER’S” and twenty “HAIL MARY’S,” both good Christian prayers. On the other hand if prayer is all that is wanted, how about ten minutes of “ALLAH IS GREAT, AND MUHAMMAD IS HIS PROPHET,” or the kids could set in the floor, legs folded, hands together and “OOOMMMMM” for ten minutes. Maybe if the teacher is a feminist she just might want to lead the children in “OH! GREAT GODDESS OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, BRING ME INTO THE COMPANY OF THOSE WHO SEEK THE TRUTH, BUT DELIVER ME FROM THOSE WHO THINK THEY HAVE FOUND IT.”

My point here is that there are certain things that are personal, which is why we have locks on our bedrooms and bathrooms. Prayer is personal, each of us who prays does so in our own individual way and to our own God. I promise to never force your child to say an “OUR FATHER” or a “HAIL MARY” or “ALLAH IS GREAT” or even an “OOOMMMMM.” All I want is for you to not force my children to recite your prayers. Personal prayer belongs in Church or with those who also believe, at home. Christian doctrine dictates that one should do their prayers “MODESTLY” away from others, in a closet.

We all want our children in school to be taught the fundamentals. Religion and morals, I’ll take care of at home and in my church. You certainly don’t want me teaching your children my religion and morals, and I feel the same. The assumption is that we are all Christian, but if you mean Baptist, that leaves out the Lutherans, Catholics, People from the Church of Christ, and Church of God, Church of the Nazerine, not to mention the Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Agnostics, and Atheists. In other words, most of the World. The Fundamentalists are a minority.

A SECULAR HUMANIST’S ATTEMPT TO UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE:

What I've done is take Genesis and put it into words that make sense to me. It is amazing what a difference there is when you just change "God" into "The Laws and Forces of Nature." Another thing that is amazing is how little is really changed. Break out your Bible and see what I've done.

GENESIS, CHAPTER 1
Over a long period, the laws and forces of Nature created the heavens and the Earth. The Earth was at first a changing mass of chaos with all the natural laws fermenting within and above the primordial swamps. Over a long period, the laws and forces of Nature let there be light, and the light did wondrous things within the swamps and to the gases above the swamps. Because of the rotation of the Earth mass, the light and dark periods were divided into what is now known as day and night respectively.

The laws and forces of Nature let there be an atmosphere between the liquids, the vapors and the clouds.
Over a long period, the laws and forces of Nature let the liquids run together into basins, and dry land which is now called earth began to appear, and the liquid filled basins are now called the seas.

Over a long period, the laws and forces of Nature let grasses, herbs and various fruits evolve which were seed bearing, and those seed brought forth more grasses, herbs and fruits.

Over a long period, the laws and forces of Nature forced the atmosphere to clear enough that the stars and Moon shown at night, and the Sun was bright during the day. The stars, Moon, Sun, and the tilt of the Earth axis coincidentally could be used for directions, seasons, days, and years.

Over a long period, the laws and forces of Nature let living things evolve in the seas; amphibians, reptiles, fish, and mammals. Every land creature that moves came from the seas. Above the dry land evolved the flying creatures which became birds.

Over a long period, the laws and forces of Nature let evolve on Earth living creatures of all kinds. These creatures continued to improve, each giving to the next generation everything that was needed to survive in the changing world and leaving off things that might be detrimental.

Over a long period, the laws and forces of Nature let humans evolve with the mental capacity to be able to dominate everything in the seas, in the air, and on the land.

The laws and forces of Nature had so evolved all living things, plant and animal, that humans now had everything that they needed to survive if they managed and respected the other living things as part of the human’s own survival.

Genesis, chapter 2
At this point the Earth became somewhat stabilized and all the creatures on Earth continued their evolution, taking with them what they could to survive. To insure the continuation of humankind, each had to work hard to feed everyone for whom they were responsible. The people soon realized that periodically their fragile bodies needed to rest in order to continue the work that was needed to survive.

These are the generations of the sky and of the Earth when they were created, in the periods that Nature made the Earth and sky, and let the plants evolve even before humans evolved, and when rains came, everything flourished. Nature promoted the evolution of humans, and humans drifted to places where there was water and various tree-growth so they could eat from the fruits of the trees. One of these cases was in Eden, where all sorts of fruit trees grew. In this great garden in Eden, Nature evolved two of many humans.

Because the humans had no work to do but eat of the abundance of the fruits and vegetables, they found plenty of time to contemplate life and the goods and evils that might be wrought. But, the humans found that if they tended the trees and vegetables, that they produced more, and for a longer period of time. So, if the humans worked at it, the garden would produce enough that they would never go hungry. By working hard they ate well, but never had time to contemplate life, and its goods and evils. The humans realized that if they ever stopped tending the garden, their food supply might stop producing, and they would go hungry or have to leave. The humans started to develop language and gave the animals and plants names.

Genesis, chapter 3
Now, free thought was more subtle than any of the vices which humans had acquired. One of the humans thought, “Why should we be working all the time? We should take time off from our toils, we can eat from all these trees but we have no time to relax and enjoy ourselves, and study about life and its’ goods and evils.”

The human looked around at all the fruits and vegetables in the garden. The human’s thoughts said that they would not die of starvation if they relaxed and didn’t tend the garden for just a few days. It is in the nature of humans to believe that good can be realized and evil overcome if one just thinks about it long enough. So, on human sat back and relaxed and studied about life and all of its great and evil things, and convinced an other to do the same. They both considered how they might do well for others, or take advantage of others to their own benefit.

Upon basic consideration they realized that what they had planned was evil, and they were ashamed of their thoughts. They hid their faces in their hands and realized that they had an evil nature, and the established society has since then considered independence or free thinking a basic evil.

LORE: (From now on, snakes and women will be enemies, as will all of serpent’s children and her children. The serpent will strike at her heel and she will strike at its head. The woman shall bear children painfully, yet women shall seek their husbands affections, and he shall be her master)

Because the humans had spent so much time in thought, nature had let grow thorns, thistles, and weeds. The fruits and vegetables stopped their production and the people were forced to eat weeds, thorns and thistles.

People worked hard and had to sweat to raise grain, to make bread to eat. People are made of the elements and shall return to the elements.

Adam, the man, called the woman Eve (Life), because all humans are produced by woman. Nature provided clothing for humans from dead animal skins. Humans became one with nature, and left the oasis and grew crops elsewhere. Now, humans and nature were equal, and the people possessed the knowledge to survive on the Earth till the end.