08-23-2007, 06:11 PM
God may be asking; "How long will humanity continue to bring shame and dishonor to my name? When will humanity wake up and stop following after lies and vain teachings? When will humanity stop being inhumane to their fellow man?"
We are living in a time of great conflicts and power struggles between many nations and many religious faith systems. Almost everyone seems to view these conflicts in religious terms claiming that what they are doing is God's will and mandated by their religious teachings. If the truth might be admitted all the conflicts are the result of intolerance and the lust for power.
For the most part, our Bibles, Torahs, and Korans are sitting on book shelves, in drawers, or on table tops and remain unread and unstudied by most members of religious sects, and misinterpreted or misapplied by those in positions of authority who are charged to be guides and shepherds of their fellow man.
All too often in our temples, churches, and synagogues, we hear of the promotion of hate, intolerance, and compulsion of others instead of love, tolerance, and the understanding of the beliefs of others. Little do we hear of the sacredness of all life, the interconnectedness of all, or of the brotherhood of all mankind. Little do we hear of God's love for all of humanity and of our roles as caretakers of the earth or our obligation to do what is in the best interest of all.
Our secular leaders are no better. They have no problem in telling half-truths, being double tongued, and violating the trust of the people. Corruption and mismanagement of the public assets is the rule of the day and not the exception. No longer do we seem to select the wisest and the best to be our leaders but seem to select those who are best at telling us what we want to hear but will in fact do just the opposite. I guess this is one step better than having leaders who come to power by the use of force and maintain their power by the suppression or enslavement of the people. Force, not love, wisdom and reason rules the day.
Three major faith groups, all claim the same small area on the earths surface as their most holy land. It should be a land of peace and harmony, a land of green pastures and a place where humanities love of God and the rest of humanity is demonstrated on a daily basis. But what has happened in this area of the world? It has been turned into a wasteland, most of which is not truly fit for human habitation. In this area mankind has profoundly demonstrated that it is no better than a beast and that it does not know God or follow the instructions laid down by God for the benefit of all humanity. The meanings of the original teachings of all the religions have been perverted or lost because of human folly and ignorance. Such a waste! -----Such a waste!
When will we realize that the entire world belongs to God and is a Holy Land? All people from every part of the world and from every religion are his people, His Children. In the original, all religious instructions were His instructions to a particular people at a particular time. When will we exam all the instructions, from every part of the world, and put emphasis on their similarities and not their differences? Great would be the benefit to all mankind by doing this!
All of mankind is called to travel on the same road and in the same direction. We are all on the road of learning and are slowly, so very slowly, returning home. Let's learn to work together in harmony not conflict and strife. Let's stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. We all have one Master Teacher, though many do not realize or admit it. We all have one faith, though we express it in a multitude of ways. Being human, we have all received the same baptism, that of being born of water from the womb of our mother. We each now need the same baptism, the baptism of Spirit, so that we may carry on with our Father's instruction, to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven. Yes, we are to proclaim the One God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and IS PRESENT in ALL. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.
Let us, as Unitarians, be at the forefront in declaring the sacredness of all life. Let us lead the way in demonstrating our belief in the brotherhood of all humanity, and our belief in the One God and Father of All.
With Love,
Rev Dorris
We are living in a time of great conflicts and power struggles between many nations and many religious faith systems. Almost everyone seems to view these conflicts in religious terms claiming that what they are doing is God's will and mandated by their religious teachings. If the truth might be admitted all the conflicts are the result of intolerance and the lust for power.
For the most part, our Bibles, Torahs, and Korans are sitting on book shelves, in drawers, or on table tops and remain unread and unstudied by most members of religious sects, and misinterpreted or misapplied by those in positions of authority who are charged to be guides and shepherds of their fellow man.
All too often in our temples, churches, and synagogues, we hear of the promotion of hate, intolerance, and compulsion of others instead of love, tolerance, and the understanding of the beliefs of others. Little do we hear of the sacredness of all life, the interconnectedness of all, or of the brotherhood of all mankind. Little do we hear of God's love for all of humanity and of our roles as caretakers of the earth or our obligation to do what is in the best interest of all.
Our secular leaders are no better. They have no problem in telling half-truths, being double tongued, and violating the trust of the people. Corruption and mismanagement of the public assets is the rule of the day and not the exception. No longer do we seem to select the wisest and the best to be our leaders but seem to select those who are best at telling us what we want to hear but will in fact do just the opposite. I guess this is one step better than having leaders who come to power by the use of force and maintain their power by the suppression or enslavement of the people. Force, not love, wisdom and reason rules the day.
Three major faith groups, all claim the same small area on the earths surface as their most holy land. It should be a land of peace and harmony, a land of green pastures and a place where humanities love of God and the rest of humanity is demonstrated on a daily basis. But what has happened in this area of the world? It has been turned into a wasteland, most of which is not truly fit for human habitation. In this area mankind has profoundly demonstrated that it is no better than a beast and that it does not know God or follow the instructions laid down by God for the benefit of all humanity. The meanings of the original teachings of all the religions have been perverted or lost because of human folly and ignorance. Such a waste! -----Such a waste!
When will we realize that the entire world belongs to God and is a Holy Land? All people from every part of the world and from every religion are his people, His Children. In the original, all religious instructions were His instructions to a particular people at a particular time. When will we exam all the instructions, from every part of the world, and put emphasis on their similarities and not their differences? Great would be the benefit to all mankind by doing this!
All of mankind is called to travel on the same road and in the same direction. We are all on the road of learning and are slowly, so very slowly, returning home. Let's learn to work together in harmony not conflict and strife. Let's stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. We all have one Master Teacher, though many do not realize or admit it. We all have one faith, though we express it in a multitude of ways. Being human, we have all received the same baptism, that of being born of water from the womb of our mother. We each now need the same baptism, the baptism of Spirit, so that we may carry on with our Father's instruction, to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven. Yes, we are to proclaim the One God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and IS PRESENT in ALL. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.
Let us, as Unitarians, be at the forefront in declaring the sacredness of all life. Let us lead the way in demonstrating our belief in the brotherhood of all humanity, and our belief in the One God and Father of All.
With Love,
Rev Dorris