Question: Where to draw the line between dedication to holiness and religious fanaticism?

 What is holiness? What is religious fanaticism?

  Holiness is a measurement of a person’s divine nature. How godly a person are they?  Understanding what holiness is, requires an understanding of what divine identity is defined. If the divine being is a loving identity, holiness is a measurement of one’s loving nature. If the divine being is a wrathful God, who will destroy any opposition, then holiness is a measurement of one’s triumphs over any opposing ideas or definitions.

  Religious fanaticism is an intolerance of any religious beliefs that do not fully align with our own. This covers every religious belief from the far left to the far right, if the person is avidly intolerant of any religious belief, other than their own.

  In ancient times this was only a problem when two religious ideas crossed paths. The world’s societies or cultures were divided by religious beliefs. A person’s neighbors were of the same faith as they. As populations grew and humanity became more mobile and urban, people found themselves with neighbors of different religious views.

  These new neighborhoods of mixed views taxed the concept of holiness. If a person’s holiness was a measure of their love of their fellow beings, they would never attack anyone else’s beliefs. They would always forgive, while turning the other cheek. The classic example of this was killed by his neighbors. Any person who truly follows this way of holiness will always end up in some form of crucifixion, not triumph, on this Earth.

  If a person’s holiness is to prove here on Earth that their religion or understanding of the divine is the one and only true one, they will always attack the beliefs of others. They will live by the sword and die by the sword. Their earthly triumphs are never permanent, because someone always eventually attacks and defeats them.

  So is it futile?  Where can we draw the line, so each can survive as neighbors? I am not sure any longer. I thought we could exist side by side, but the attackers don’t like to heard disagreeing ideas, no matter how philosophical it might be. So, may be we are headed back to the dark ages, when neighborhoods were divided over religious differences.

  Perhaps we could let each group build a wall around their cities and allow no one but true believers into their particular neighborhood. Let them all sign a treaty that says they will keep their noses out of the business of the other cities and neighborhoods. I think its called isolationism. 

  Wait a minute, isn’t that what they are doing with the Gaza strip? North Korea? Saudi Arabia? and other places? It is even close to home, with the blossoming congregations in several religions. These growing groups are against anyone with different views. The people inside these movements usually don’t really know for sure what their religion is in truth, but they love the comfort of being surrounded with fellow believers. Just like living in a village around the castle with a king protecting you.

  I guess the line to draw between dedication to holiness and religious fanaticism is a circle and allow in only people like me - And to Hell with the rest. Or forget any line at all and respect my fellow human beings and their beliefs - And be fanatical about it.

Shame on the poor and the rich alike.

In 1850 in Boston Theodore Parker utter words that Abraham Lincoln made famous at Gettysburg in 1863. The words? "The American idea.... a democracy-that is, a government of all the people, by all the people, for all the people..."

Note: in this column when you read poor or rich it will only mean a very great many of them.

Of, by, and for all the people. It is the hard working average citizens that understand this form of democracy and over the last two hundred and fifty plus years most everyone understood what these words meant. America was a land of opportunity for all those who were willing to work for it. Unfortunately this common understanding has almost disappeared from the minds of a large portion of our population in both the new and native citizens. Oh, there are still a larger portion of citizens who understand these words, but as history has noted they are the Great Silent Majority.

So who is it that has skewed these words? I say it is the poor and the rich alike. Why? Let me briefly explain.

Through out the first two hundred years, in almost every poor family, you could hear the parents voices lecturing to their children, "You must get an education. Do you want to end up back in the ghetto like us? We work hard so you can get an education and get a good job to support your family! Make us proud of you! Remember money doesn’t grow on trees."

The poor were hardworking honest families in difficult situations and their primary goal was to give their children a decent chance to improve their situations.

Today, it seems the words are different. "You kids gotta be here Thursday, because the welfare lady is coming by to count heads. The more kids the more government money from welfare, food stamps and medicare. Also, she needs to see your ma and pa can’t take care of themselves, so we keep gettin’ our disability check and our Medicade. Also, we want ya’s all lookin’ for part time jobs after school and you older ones can even find day jobs, cause you ain’t makin’ us any money sittin’ in the school house. Remember the government gots lotsa money and we are entitled to our share!"

The poor today seem to be champions of government entitlements and preserving their way of life unto the next generation.

Through out the first two hundred years, in almost every rich family, you could hear the parents voices lecturing their children, "You must get an education, because one day you will be taking over the business and you will have great responsibilities to the company and to this great nation that has made this all possible. Our family has always given back our fair share, so this country can afford to stay strong and be the land of freedom and opportunity. Remember we citizens are the government, so we citizens pocketbooks are the government pocketbooks. Remember money doesn’t grow on trees."

The rich were the hardworking honest families who were very fortunate and wanted to produce children who would become statesmen in order to preserve our way of life. They were our heroes whether they were bankers, politicians, wall street tycoons, entertainers or athletes.

Today, it seems the words are different. "What are we going to do with you children? We send you to the best private schools, we endow colleges so they will give you a degree, we take millions out of our companies so you can have a place to stay in the city, the mountains, at the beach, in Europe and in the Islands. We have even set you up with trust funds in banks outside the USA to save you on taxes. We have kept you away from the rift raft of life, and yet you don’t appreciate what we have. You have to be smart enough to keep all we have. Remember the government has all the Great Silent Minority to tax for expenses. Your job is to keep all of what we have."

Today the rich are self serving individuals who have succumbed to the three great temptations of life - fame, power, and fortune. They no longer are our heroes whether they were bankers, politicians, wall street tycoons, entertainers or athletes.

Government of, by, and for all the people means just that for one hundred percent of the citizenry whether they are poor, rich, or part of the Great Silent Majority. It doesn’t say of, by, and for me! It says "The American idea.... a democracy-that is, a government of all the people, by all the people, for all the people..."

Don’t believe what you hear, it maybe fiction and not fact.

Fact or fiction? It is hard to know when we listen to politicians, preachers, lobbyist and others, who seek to influence how we think and act. Let's face it if we hear something long enough, we begin to believe it is fact. If it is in print or on TV or radio enough, everyone will argue its validity. This simple fact seems to be the strategy of every candidate for the Presidency. According to them every other candidate, but themselves, is wishy washy. They have said it so much, everyone seems to believe it and that will produce a record low turn out on November 2012.

  You laugh at my suggestion? Well let me tell you something we all believe because we have always heard it and you tell me if it is fact or fiction. "The birthday of the United States of America is July 4, 1776." If you answered fact, you have bought what the news media and politicians have convinced you is right even if the facts say differently.

  Technically we weren't the United States until September 9, 1776. On that day 235 years ago, the Continental Congress decided to change the name of the rebelling group from the United Colonies to the United States, one of many nations in the land called America. July 4 th is our Independence Day, but September 9th is our birthday. That is the facts. The rest is fiction.

  You see even the smallest point can be deceiving if repeated over and over without full revelations of the facts. In the months ahead as you listen and read challenge everything that is repeated over and over without supporting evidence. Are we in an economic boom or bust? Is Social Security in danger or not? Is there a limit to where the national debt can climb or not? Do we believe in tolerance of the views of one another or not?  Is the nation on course or have we run aground? Is ? Is? Is? Not, “ and it can be solved when we are united.”

  According to the fiction flying around, we best get out of here while the gettin' is good. However, according to the facts of history, we have been here many times and succeed quite well when things are left to the natural innate abilities of the United States citizens and not the self serving rhetoric of the greedy politicians, finance men and Executives with Golden Parachutes.

  Let's stop listening to fiction and demand true provable facts from those, who need our vote. Then and only then will we find the truth, so needed to successfully guide us into the next booming era for these United States of America.

Religious worship by humans isn’t quite what God ordered.

 Religious rules are created by humans and obvious to all. Godly rules are created by God and enjoyable to all. Jesus’ thoughts of religious rules are seen in two stories about the Sabbath. Sadly most Sabbath rituals have been developed by people and have no real value to God. Mark’s stories of the disciples in a cornfield and Jesus healing a withered hand on a Sabbath make my point.
  A Rabbi told this story: A young Rabbi was  about to preach the first time before his new congregation. As he stood and prepared to read Holy Scripture, he opened the text and faced the congregation. Before he uttered a  word, people shouted, "Face the altar first! Face the altar first!" He was mystified, but they were very adamant, so he obliged. They were pleased very much and he continued.
  Later the young Rabbi conferred with the older Rabbi about what the people wanted. He could not remember learning to face the alter during that part of the holy ritual. The older Rabbi laughed, "I have been here many years. Long ago when I stood up to read, my dentures were always loose. So before I read  I would face the altar with my back to the people and discretely push them firmly into place. Then and only then could I confidently turn and read to the people." These actions became a comfortable ritual for the people, just as other things we do in worship.
  Jesus taught the Sabbath is for three things: 1) our body and psyche need regular periods of rest to maintain the image of God in us.
2) Sabbath is "God's Day” for humanity. It is  God's invitation for us to stop be re-created. 3) Sabbath is not for self indulgence or self denial, but a time for renewal and service to others. It is a day to love your neighbor.
  If religion is the opium of the masses, then ritual is the addictive element. Oh, ritual isn't wrong, after all it is so comfortable. But it doesn't truly help us relate to God. It only helps us feel better. Prepared music, prayers, bulletins and formats make us comfortable. And it doesn’t matter if it is in  high worship services or alternative worship services, we all have personal expectations for worship. Jesus says none of this is what God intended.
   True Sabbath is to enjoy our God and love our neighbor. The sacred things of God are to be used for people. The Fourth Wise Man story illustrates this point. He was Artaban. He was to meet the other three wise men on the desert road. His gifts for the new born king were: a large sapphire, a beautiful ruby and the world's largest black pearl.
  On the way he met a traveler stricken with fever. He paused to help, realized the man would need much care and knew he couldn't stay to take him to town, so he gave a man the sapphire to take care of the sick traveler. This all delayed him and he missed the other three. Now he would miss the king.
  Two years later he saw Herod’s men taking  all males under two years of age to kill them. One mother begged a soldier to leave her child. Artaban bribed him with a magnificent ruby. He was thanked profusely. But again he missed the king.
  Thirty one years later on his way to see a man named Jesus, he came across a woman whose father was condemned to death for a huge debt. She begged for his help. He took out his one of a kind pearl and gave it to her to settle her father's debt. Suddenly the skies  darkened and the earth quaked. He missed his king again.
  When Artaban died he met God, and said he had hoped in life to have seen the King and give him his gifts, but he had always missed him. "No you didn't.” God said. “You gave him the sapphire in the desert, the ruby to the soldier and the special pearl for the life of a father. You did not miss the king. He enjoyed all your gifts."
  The only rituals God expects is for each of us to love God in worship and neighbors in loving service. Each is to do it as the spirit of God leads you and not as tradition dictates. Yeah, I think that is what Jesus would say about all this.

Trying to be like God is a sin? Oh, come on!

 Why is wanting to be God-like, a sin? Where is the first concept of sin? In three great religions it is in primordial (No eye witnesses!) history, as found in the first eleven chapters of Genesis.

  The matter of sin is defined in a spiritual realm. Sin is concerned with the spiritual relationship started with “So God created humanity (atham) in God’s own image, in the image of God they (atham) were created; male (ish) and female (isha) God created them.” Two equal parts to make the whole of humanity.

  Sin takes form with, “you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” God’s knowledge is the focus of spiritual activity. It is why we are called seekers. We spend our lives seeking basic truths of life. From the start God tweaked our curiosity about the ultimate truth, which can give us knowledge of good and evil. 

What happens when we seek this knowledge?    
God said, they are now like one of us, knowing good and evil. They cannot take  from the tree of life and eat and live forever. Are we not now taught that our purpose in life is to be like God and to live forever? Then why was it wrong in the beginning?

  Maybe there is a different perspective. If we are not to be like God, maybe we need to be in a right relationship with God. If so, then we seek not to have God’s light, but to be in God’s light. A humble reversal to being righteous in one’s self.

  Adam and Eve were in a right relationship with God and at peace. Then they sought to be like God. Perhaps the spiritual lesson of the Garden is our need for one’s humility of intellect. We are not God and never will be like God! Knowledge for true condemnation and judgement is in the hands of God and God alone. We are to strive to walk with God and be in a right relationship.

  Cain is our first lesson of why our relationship with God is important. The great sin of Cain? He was not in favor with God. Why? Who knows? Theories abound. Whatever theory, it ultimately ends up that sin is a major force in the world. Humans with no relationship with God are out of favor with God.

   In Noah, primordial history refines the lesson of sin, in the eyes of God. Noah was blameless among the people and walked with God. Our  reputation among people is different than our walk with God. Both are vital! But, Noah was spared because of his relationship with God, not what other people thought of him.
  God blessed Noah and family, but their souls   would have to account for the life of their fellow beings. Sin relates to our relationship with others as well as with God.

  Noah was drunk (while in a right relationship with God) and laid uncovered. Ham saw his dad naked and told his brothers outside. They took a coat on their shoulders and walked in backwards to cover him. Their faces were turned, as to not see the father naked. When Noah discovered what Ham had done, he cursed Ham! What did Ham do wrong? Perhaps he saw a problem and did nothing about it? Is his sin passing the buck? He failed to act on the needs of another.

   Finally ancient history ends up at the Tower of Babel. Noah’s decedents spread over the earth and  the world had one language. People begin to build a tower to heaven to make a name for themselves and not be scattered over the earth.

  God saw the tower they were building and said, “If as one people speaking the same language they’ve begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.”
  Primordial ends with this emphatic statement, that God did not intend the people to be like God!  I thought God wanted the world to be in one accord.

  And we are! Various cultures around the world were all created by God. Each is critical to the whole. This truth is a reason for honoring all the children of God, whether they are Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Islamic, Buddha, etc.. God makes it clear in these first chapters, that the only thing important is a person’s walk with God. Any other focus is sin. Such as, a focus on self righteousness or being God-like. That is sin and out of harmony with God. 

  The ancient lesson is God created humanity to walk with God and be in a right relationship with God. God considers that anyone, who attempts to know everything God knows and attempts to do all things like God, is not walking with God, but trying to be God. It humbles our intellect!

Oh honorable statesman, where are you? The real danger of 2012.

  "Once upon a time three politicians were stranded on an island in a far off sea. One day a bottle washed upon shore. When they opened the bottle a genie came forth and granted each of them a wish. The first politician wished to return to Memphis and be with all his family he so dearly missed. Poof the genie granted him his wish and returned him to Memphis and his family he so dearly missed. The second politician was from Miami and he to wished to be with his family, whom he also missed so dearly. Poof the genie granted his wish. The genie turned to the third politician and asked for his wish. The third was a New Yorker. He wished he could be with the other two departed politicians, whom he so dearly missed. Poof the genie granted his wish and the two politicians were back where they started."

  A predicament in our country is the witless and unreliable are confident about all things and apparently in charge of many things. Meanwhile the bright and chivalrous are full of doubt and apparently losing control of many things. Why is it, that pushy domineering and outspoken people assume others believe their cause is valid? They rely on and perpetuate the notion that might makes right.

  As we approach the 2012 election (I know it’s a little early, but hasn’t stopped the politicians) we are going to be barraged with witless and irresponsible accusations from some politicians, who are members from the basic three political groups, Democratic, Republican and Change Parties. Their irresponsible rhetoric will only bring the others back to square one, where they started. In the end no one wins, especially voters, who will choose not to vote instead of being a genie to some witless and irresponsible politicians.

  As the three politicians on the island are not all witless and irresponsible, so it is with the public. The sad fact is the wishes of the minority seem to hurt worse than the wishes of the majority. Yes it is only a minority that think we don't care how much they gouge the public; or how much lobbyist money they rake in; or how many asinine charges they make against each other.

  There are many bright and chivalrous politicians today. In the old days they were known as statesmen or leaders. In the months ahead it would benefit all of us to encourage statesman to break silence and speak out against the witless minority, who are hurting us deeply. This means we must  fight to protect them from the conservative and liberal bent media that exploit them with half truths and slanted headlines. 

  It is time for we the people to demand the greedy lobbyist and media step back and give us some elbow room. We need to demand at least five national primetime debates between the candidates for President and Vice President. If networks can pay $2.500,000 to an actor per episode for some of the trash they put on, they can let us have as a reward, an honest straight forward look at our candidates. Further, it is understood that these debates would exclude any commentary from any news media before, during and after the debate. It really is insulting to have another interpret a speech just heard.

  We all wish we could be back with our friends. The friends we had before TV, lobbyist before politicians forgot, who could grant their wishes. Back to a land where being a politician was not a career with a very lucrative retirement, but a period of public service. Back to a land where common sense was the norm and not the surprise.

  We appeal to our witless and irresponsible politicians, lobbyist and media, please don't ruin our wishes this year. Let us elect statesman and leaders, who will remove the ridicules incentives that others built for their political careers.

I hope I made you think, and I am sorry if I scared you away.

 Some time ago a friend, who use to live in this area and attend another church, stopped in my office for a visit. After catching up on family news, I asked this friend a question, because it is a great concern of mine. I asked, “In ten years with all the church hopping by many of the people in town, why haven’t they ever visited our church? After all we are very spiritual and community service orientated. They haven’t even given us a chance to strike out.”

  My friend let a smile creep across her face and said, “They don’t know you and they are afraid of you because you seem to live on the edge. They like safety and are afraid of things that make them think to hard.”

 

  I smiled back and said, “Well I can’t change that can I? After all we Presbyterians believe God is very involved with the world, and forcing us to re-examine life daily. Change is the agent of God and a teacher of God forces people to change by challenging them to think.”

  “They don’t want to think. They just want to feel good,” replied my friend.

  “So I get the ones who want to think and the feel gooders just keep searching?” was my conclusion.

   So today, let me make some of you think.

  In Genesis 3:22-23 it reads, “And the Lord God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.’  So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.”

  Wow! God made Adam and Eve leave the Garden because they had become like God knowing good and evil. And God and the other “us” in heaven didn’t want these now all knowing humans obtaining eternal life. Here I thought it was because they had sinned.

  Maybe the lesson is not about the acts of sin, but the consequences of sin. As I reflect on my travels in the world and in theology that makes sense. I have heard and even taught that we some times make to much of specific acts we call sin. It is much more important to examine why we sin and not what sin we expressed. All sin is a deliberate act by humans to do something outside the will of God. It is the times we play God and are self-centered in our actions. No person or spirit makes us do it. We choose to do it. Life is a series of choices and each choice has consequences. If the choice is in the will of God the consequences are good. If the choices are outside the will of God the consequences are evil. That is how life works from the very beginning of time to the very end.

  Now I hope I made you think, and I am sorry if I scared you away.
 

Today's Waterloo

June 18, 1815, Napoleon's dreams of a renewed empire were smashed at the Battle of Waterloo. And according to Wendell Phillips everyone will meet their Waterloo. Unlucky Napoleon took a dreadful number of people with him at his Waterloo.

  This brings me to a question asked by Sholom Aleichem's beggar character when the beggar's daily benefactor turned him away, saying "I lost a great deal of money this week" and the beggar replied, "Just because you had a bad week, why should I suffer?"

  When a poor boss, politician or business person meets his or her Waterloo, why should we the public suffer? It is about time all of these categories of leaders remember a sad  fact. Their acts of greed and dreams of power that brought them to their own Waterloo effected a dreadful number of people. 

  It is interest that Napoleon looks like a class act beside these modern day "captains of industry and government." The Little General accepted his defeat and went quietly into exile. He did not call a press conference or go to court to claim he was a victim of circumstances. Nor did he say, "I am just doing what all the Emperors are doing." No he went with dignity in the middle of all his shame. And history remembers him with awe.

  Present day leaders don't seem to know what dignity is in defeat. Perhaps we should have realized this when they started inflating their salaries and bonuses into numbers found only in rarified atmospheres. Or when they created pensions equivalent to what could support five or six families, who know only honest work. And will pay even if they are serving time for dishonest work.

  I am tired of prominent government and business leaders dragging our nation down with them every time they hit their own Waterloo. If you fail, are defeated or ejected from your position for wrong doing please just go away. In other words act like a real Emperor and go into exile gracefully. Your time in power is over with for now. Good bye, adios, so long its been good to know you. Now git!

Friday July 1st, 2011 column

  An ancient teaching of the Buddha is about a two headed parrot in the jungle. One day one head was joyfully eating some fruit and nuts. The other head was very jealous and ate some poison to get even. The body and both heads died. Neither had a complete perspective view of the reality about them.  The narrow view eventually destroyed the whole parrot.

  Singer/actor Tim Holder once sang about a switchman, who in a crisis had to manually hold a switch, so a full passenger train could safely cross over a bridge. While holding the switch tight in his hands he noticed his child crossing the very bridge the train would soon cross. If he let the switch loose and save his child, all the passengers would perish. Tears flowed as the train passed safely over the bridge.

  The passengers rode merrily on their way  unaware of the events that just happened on that bridge. They had no thoughts on this, because they had no clue as to what was really happening. Nor did the child have a clue about these events about him. Only the father had the overall reality of the situation. Every day actions and views reflect our own perspective of life and rarely a greater view.

  In the movie "Powder" a boy was born with extraordinary senses. He knew things beyond the normal perspective. Finally he was forced to leave this world. Why? Nice people with narrow views of life violently rejected him and his views.

  Humans always seek to discover the greater perspective of  life in order to learn the true meaning of life on this planet.  Philosophers, entertainers, scientist, theologians, teachers, and writers are always searching for ways to find the greater meaning of life. It is a natural inherent drive in humanity.

  Angels or Spirits, Star Trek and Star Wars,  New Age or Spiritualism, Theology and Quantum Physics, ET or Ghosts,  are just a few examples of today’s seekers of the next level, where one finds a greater perspective of life.

  At the same time little is heard along this line from the religious self righteous groups.  They seem to be concerned with defending the status quo. What status quo? I am not sure. It seems as if their energies are focused on fighting other branches of God’s people much like Buddha's parrot.

  They apparently ride along on the train of life unaware of the greater reality around us. They reject persons or ideas that may differ from their narrow viewpoints. From history we know this will eventually kill the greater body.

  But what body is it that is dying? It is the body of religious legalism, not the people of God. Around the world legalism or religious fanatics are making a whole lot of arrogant noise. They produce terrorism, wars, bigotry, movies/books to celebrate the death of their neighbors, and hard divisions in politics.

  If I had a narrow view, I would be expected to pray for their demise. Then they will know I am correct and they are the ones God will leave behind.

  Maybe so, but I have the view of the father on the bridge. I have seen the two headed creature destroy itself. I know I am different than the narrow minded person. I believe all things are truly measured from the greater perspective and not the narrow view.

  Why do I believe this? Scriptures from all faiths teach we humans have always had a specific and direct contact with the other dimension. Through these contacts we have gained a greater awareness of the reality of life.

  The contact? The LOGOS, which is not only a spoken word, but a divine principle of reason that gives order to the universe and links the human mind to the mind of God, the Creator of all things.

  In the past the boundaries between religions were fluid. Logos is seen in many religions. Logos, the mind of God, is Extraterrestrial. In Christ we see the other dimension that gives a greater understanding of life. In Christ we find knowledge of ourselves. We are not alone after all and that brings peace to us. There is more to life than this little planet we call home.

  Those of us who are in this world, but not of it, see the world from the perspective of God. We know there is a greater reality and our goal is to show it to others, so they may find the peace that passes all understanding. Just as we have found in the LOGOS which walked among us.

   It is this perspective that allows us to make decisions like the father made on the bridge. Demonstrating love for fellow human beings. After all isn’t that the basic law of every religion?

my Blog link is www.drdennisbennett.blogspot.com