Boundaries of Behavior

When will "Christians" and "Catholics" stand up to the corruption of the church of Rome?
So many continue to disobey, without refusing communion with their abusive home.
This political earthly kingdom, with palaces and princes, continues to pervert
The examples of Jesus, who lived in joyful, responsibly compassionate work.

This religion has pretended to be based on the traditions of the chosen ones,
All the while persecuting their ancestral brothers, sisters, daughters, and sons.
The Jews did not create graven images of The Sacred Breath of all earthly life;
Neither did they follow the path of a "god'" that demanded blood sacrifice.

Their anointed son, Jesus, sought to make the message of salvation accessible,
By living a life of great discipline that was also earthy, and quite joyful.
Then, entered the Roman priests, with their gods lusting for human blood,
And the people were distracted from the ancestry on which Jesus stood.

Priests and false prophets pretend to have special protective power;
Only they can save humans from the greedy gods' desires to devour
All those that displease them, as they enrich their chosen ones:
The firstborn of families that produce physically strong sons.

How humans love their circuses with great shows of bloody bravery,
Dismissing daily acts of courage and devotion the public doesn't see.
How can the people reclaim the sacred as seen by our ancestors,
When religions have created a path to eternity that is only empty words?

Isn't it time that humans stop acting as territorial animals,
And admit that cooperation is how we can be most fruitful?
If we accept Abraham as the father of three separate nations,
We must go back to before him to cure our current situation.

Why do we start the story of the chosen people with the greed
Adam and Eve passed down to their sons, through their seed?
We continue to ignore the evils of belief in blood sacrifice;
Though, throughout the stories told by our ancestors, were rife.

Each time an ancestor attempts to kill a human for his or her god,
The way becomes more difficult for all who, on our earth, trod.
We continue to, generation after generation, do the same,
Pretending that we kill each other in The Sacred Spirit's name.

The breath of eternal life is most fully manifested in humanity;
The choice to destroy or increase the sacred is, in each, free.
How many more millenia will we follow our animals instincts,
Rather than use the superior brains with which each full human thinks?

Any priest, pastor, or prophet promoting fear, or lack of intellect,
Is certainly a person that a full human should spiritually reject.
This does not require any action of physically moving away,
But requires boundaries against allowing in anything that they say.

We are given permission by Jesus to shelter the vulnerable children
Against any who attempt to lead these most vulnerable to sin.
Love of neighbor doesn't prescribe we desecrate our sacred homes
By allowing in the perversions of those who, to us, are not known.

Only those who are strong in their beliefs and boundaries
Should open their doors to all, ministers and thieves.
Each place of communion must be clear in what they expect
From those that, the core values of this home, they reject.

When we have strong beliefs and boundaries, we should happily let in
Any who seek our inclusion in their lives as family or as friends.
It is not against the example that, in his life on earth, Jesus set
To, those who attempt to change our core values, we eject.

The story of ejection from the Garden of Eden as punishment
Has harmed the chosen family human ever since.
What if we saw the story as a parent saying, "not in my home"
Would the different tribes of people of the earth feel less alone?

When one group seeks to control, the more we have disasters.
When will we see there's no one tribe as universal masters?

Turn back the pages to the Jewish story of their genesis;

Humans should have honored limits that did, then, exist.

Come forth all you humans who have boundaries of behavior.
I am strong enough to enjoy some of what your family savors.
I respect the fears of those who want to keep their children close,
While I, to your courage in being yourself, raise a toast.

Reclaiming Our Peaceful Paradise

What can one woman do in the great "god" discussion,
When, forever, the writings have been controlled by men?
We must meditate on our ancestral sense of the sacred,
Before we were ashamed of presenting ourselves naked.

We must shake off the fear that our bodies will be killed;
What is now important is that our voices not be stilled.
We cannot find peace in the concept of jealous kings;
War is the only policy that jealousy ever brings.

Why would a king mourn the death of his progeny?
His body, in the act of creation, is essentially set free.
We are the ones who risk our bodies, blood, and our souls
To make space for new potential life to become whole.

We must rise up against children as tools for gods and lords;
And must stand together as, our sacred seeds, we hoard.
This is the only way to break the back of earthly monarchy,
And reclaim the earth as the peaceful paradise it should be.

Christianity Is About Creed Rather than Deed

My biggest issue with many of those who are "religious" is how easy they forgive themselves. Instead of engaging in dialog about differences, they proclaim their truths as if there are no other interpretations or translations in the huge world of communication. Ask any two eye witnesses to the same event for their stories, and you will see how dramatically different perceptions based on existing ideas and worldviews can be.

Scholars have long assented to the belief that there are many nuances to the ways in which "sacred scriptures" can be interpreted, yet many continue to proselytize as if their own versions are absolute. There is no right or wrong in belief; there is simply difference in experience. When will we learn to listen with ears that attempt to find similarities instead of competing to find errors in the beliefs of each other?

The greatest miracle I ever experienced was the births of my children, but my spouse (the co-creator) did not feel the same about the two events. Some see birth an an increase in their own responsibilities; others see the same event as an extension of the sacred in their own experience of life on earth. Is either actually wrong for what he or she feels? Are any feelings right or wrong unless we act on them?

I am tired, beyond my ability to care about life, of efforts to control my beliefs. What impacts our earth is what we do. "Christianity" lightened the load of becoming fully functioning humans by making human morality about creed rather than deed. I reject the creed. I've been ridiculed and rejected for my deeds. I would now welcome death.

Supreme Being As a Verb, Not a Noun

I finally understand my hesitancy to use the term "god," whether with a little "g" or a big "G." It is because of what the word has always meant, even before parts of the population of earth began insisting on only one manifestation (and name) for eternal being.

A god is, by virtue of being a god, scary and demanding of sacrifices, the bloodier the better, to soothe him. This god is a noun. At some point, "God" took on many qualities and manifestations attributed to the various gods of earlier human eras, when humans could only accept what had a commonly recognized physical "face." This seemingly led to an experience of "God" as a monarchical/militaristic presence. The Judaic YHWH was modeled on the breath of life, a word that evokes the verb of being alive. How did humans walk backwards in enlightenment?

The simple animal brain is programmed for fight or flight, so fear is an important component in animal leadership. What doesn't look familiar, most animals fear and flee from or fight. The Jews seemed to be attempting to find a third path for the animals that had progressed to be considered as human, that of understanding and coping. While I can't fault those who embraced knowing that we must change societal norms one baby step at a time, I do believe that it is time that we get over fear and/or shame being the main behavioral motivator(s) for humanity.

Early followers of the joyful Jewish Jesus were getting the hang of a new way to create and coordinate community. They were being taught that humans were to offer their best selves to each other and the earth as parts of the wholeness of eternal creative power of the universe. Then, the great mensch (in Yiddish, the pinnacle of being human) Jesus was martyred. Many of those who had openly followed and promoted the ways of this brave son of Israel went into hiding in order to practice their new ways of being and sharing the best of what humanity has to offer without persecution.

The Jews, after all, had believed that a messiah (christ) would come to reclaim and reign over their earthly land.  Some were gradually coming to an understanding that rules of worship of a great and jealous god were not the same as unity of humans in the universal redemption of The Sacred Spirit evidenced in all that we experience on earth. Their own scriptures said that, in truth, humanity was created as physical manifestations of good ("God?"). For a while, these brave people were patiently following the path that Jesus had set, hoping that this would eventually lead their people to earthly power. Jesus even promoted working toward "earth as it is in heaven." He simply didn't mean an earthly power in the way it had previously been practiced.

Neither average Jews nor Gentiles seemed to understand that the power of peace in "Israel" or anywhere on earth was within each human who chose to embrace peace on earth as primary purpose. many of the old law was not needed, but there were still "rules of the road" to get there. The rules had been condensed, but the condensation could only be understood by those who understood their roots. Paul promoted an easier path to "paradise." He declared that Jewish training was unimportant in obtaining inclusion in the new way exemplified by Jesus, completely ignoring that Jesus was a devout Jew. In this manner, Paul brought many Gentiles to the new table, perhaps to help the new movement gain political power. This shortcut still exacts a price.

Much martyrdom was attributed to the new political protests claiming Jewish Jesus as their "god." How many of them misunderstood that the power of Jesus was in his exemplary humble life, not in his sensational suffering and death? As with most human efforts to hurry the processes of nature, there have been many false positives fueled by bold events assuming importance over what leads up to them. Without connection to roots, all vines die.

Political power was actually what Jesus had come to overcome as a way to live lives of prosperity and peace for all the earth, but it was simply too radical for most to embrace. Poor Peter, never very brave, fell for Roman centurion trained Paul's promise of mass conversions if the apostles simply spread the message of an easy way to produce peace to the Gentiles. The stumbling, slow way of true conversion, from friend-to-friend and family-to-family, was overshadowed by a political platform called the "Christian" religion.

While Paul may have had an actual conversion, he spent his time writing and delivering stump speeches for the marketers of a mass conversion. These speeches took the place of personal testimonies, and perversions of the faith that traced its roots back to the beginning of human history became stronger that the example of Jesus and his Jewish ancestors. The "Christian" church has, ever since, followed Paul's lead in how to bring peace to the earth. The Roman Catholic Church followed Paul to promote a religion of creed over deed. The religions, instead of going back to the Sacred Spiritual root, branched off the vine of the "Christian" religion.

Jews had been using the Ten Commandments, for centuries, as shorthand rules to make peace with each other. Jesus, in his life's example, showed them how to make peace within themselves in order to make peace with each other; thereby, creating no need for struggling with a god.  Paul's way created a rift between those who had been following rules for human interaction and those who had no training in the rules of engagement with those who had produced the family of Jesus.

What is called "Christianity" still suffers from the political pressures of the past. Only those who actually understand that we feed bodies in order to feed the spirits of humanity will ever be all together in responsibly compassionate community. When we are willing to open up our spirits to blend with others, we will take on some of their pain and infuse some of our joy. It is still true that we must wait until we are strong in our own faith before attempting to absorb some of the spirit of another. Our unwillingness to embrace others is simply a mark of our own uncertainty.

The Holy (Great, Sacred) Spirit is the basis for all awe in all ages of humanity. We have continued to be dragged back to earlier eras of human understanding by those who use fear as an impetus to action. There are worse things in the universe than being sacrificed before birth; this includes being born as a pawn in the power games of those who wage war.

There is no need of 'gods' in our lives; there is only need for blending of spirits. War short-circuits all efforts to achieve peace, as it creates a new generation of revenge killing. This process spirituality kills many generations of all but animal instinct. Peace is like a dance; we give and take in unequal measure until perfect balance becomes the way of the world. The patience to wait while we dance takes an understanding that the universe lasts past any one lifetime. We each simply have to do one part to keep peace moving forward.

We are still treating too many humans as one would treat an earlier animal, before the brain was developed for complex thought. This may be appropriate for those who are incapable, by virtue of genetics or physical damage to the brain, but it is wrong to use religion as ways to limit intellectual ability. I now refuse to follow any who offers fear as justification for fighting or fleeing. I will simply persevere with passion and patience, hoping for eventual eternal peace. Only in this way will all in the universe eventually manifest the fullness of Supreme Being.

You May Become a Mini-Me

I am usually willing to apprentice at the side of a master, but I long-ago outgrew the ability to act as acolyte. Only experience should be believed. I have long shied away from formal education in favor of following in the footsteps of those with experience. It is important to me in choosing a guru to know where the teacher started and where he or she wanted to go before accepting that this pastor was on a path that I wanted to pursue.

Anyone can learn to parrot pretty words, and we are often enthralled by the sound of the voices saying them. Influential oratory is also a learned skill. My soft-spoken husband has a favorite saying, "Act proves potency." It should not be taboo to ask anyone who seeks to guide your actions to share his or her own life story and references.

So many mentors give advice based on what they always wished they had done, rather than on what lessons they have learned by their own living. Psychologists/pastors/counselors/therapists, for instance, have a policy of not giving a patient any personal information before attempting to address the problems of the patient. The danger in becoming vulnerable to anyone with whom you are not in an equally intimate relationship is that you never know where the person intends to lead you.

I find this to be more than a little bit dangerous. Even if the therapist/psychologist/counselor/pastor has good intentions, you may not be at all suited for the areas that he or she endeavors to take you. Be careful who you follow; you may become a mini-me, an experiment in what the leader wishes he or she could be.

No Hope for the Hierarchy

A friend who has held onto my soul for over forty years gave me an article today, saying, "God heard your complaints." The article about Pope Benedict's defrocking of priests originated with the Associated Press, and was published in her local newspaper. I read it with great interest, only to find that the defrocking was based on a loosening of the legal statute of limitations on rape and abuse set by the Vatican. How can an organization presenting itself as "Christian" hide behind legalistic limitations on the murder of one's faith?

We were made children of the church before we were even born, by virtue of the Vatican's insistence that all good Roman Catholic women bear as many "soldiers of Christ" as their bodies would produce. There was no compassion for the needs of the children, nor of the parents, even when there were extreme circumstances which should have slowed down responsible human procreation.

I have no hope for the Roman Catholic Church to ever walk away from their arrogance in believing that they are the high priests that must stand between each person and his or her personal manifestations of The Sacred Spirit on this earth. They have lived too long in the aura of respectability in which monarchs enjoy adulation. They have infected too much of what is called "Christianity" with the militaristic idea of conquering souls with fear and force over the slow process of true conversion to faith, which passes one person to one person.

The world is one. Until we understand that all divisions are false, we will never have peace.

Medication, Minors, and Martyrdom

I have, more than once, been pronounced crazy, in need of psychoactive medication and therapy. Never has it been effective, in the long term, because I really don't want to tone down the light by which I see where I believe the earth of my grandchildren should be allowed to go.

My psychologist says that I am an enigma that will always be suspect in normal human interactions. He says that this is because I lead my life by very strict rules and boundaries while expecting very few boundaries of others in their behaviors. As a product of adolescence during the moral upheaval during the 1960s in the United States of America, I feel that my way is most appropriate to both growth and personal safety.

My biggest challenge is much like the judge who said that he couldn't define pornography, but he knew it when he saw it. I can't always say what I find abhorrent until it is right in front of my face. I am pretty okay with what consenting adults do to entertain each other, as long they keep their personal predilections private. I reserve the right, as a parent, to protect my minor children from any influence I don't feel prepared to handle for them. There should be no such thing as authority without responsibility.

So many in a "free" society seek to influence others to join in their behaviors or beliefs in order to justify their own actions. They too often do this with no commitment to address the consequences of the actions that they incite. As a parent and an employer, I had huge issues with this. many won popularity contests with those put under my protection by encouraging them to do as they wished. These same popular people (politicians) then expected me to take care of those they incited to act without any sense of responsibility to themselves or their communities.

Janis Joplin sang, "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." This is often true. Humans are communal animals and we all choose which community we want to be part of. Where we fit is based on what we want to give; very few communities need any more demanding babies in order to meet their needs. We all want to be recognized for our efforts. In order to be long-term respected and welcomed, we must offer something other that the entertainment of our ongoing dramas.

BTW, Jesus, the joyful Jew, didn't generally encourage ongoing drama. He even asked his father whether he had to undergo the drama of his own death in order to get his message across. "Oy Vey!" his dad said, "Yes, son, or they won't follow what you have exemplified with your life." I hope for the day that we won't require martyrdom in order to follow those who deserve honor.