Guidance: "The Path"

I have received numerous e-mails asking me about the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and, in particular, about my blog, The Path.  Questions run the gamut from my religious arguments, my religious affiliation, what guidance I offer, and my purpose for trying to convince anyone that I am right (I just heard a large gasp from those who read my posts most often). I’m a humble person, which means I’m only right if I know someone else is wrong. As it happens, a lot of people suck at being right. If it doesn’t make any sense, it’s probably not right.  If it is right, then someone is most definitely wrong and I am vindicated.  This happened a lot in the military.  I hope this clears stuff up.

First, let's address that I would ever try to convince anyone I am right.  Please, use your brain when reading my offerings and try to keep your feet firmly planted in this "created" reality.  Like most of us, I am rarely right when it comes to telling other people how they should believe.  No one has been close to being right on this since Christ was born, and we can see what people have done with the philosophy based on His teachings.  Twisted and bastardized to meet mankind's agendas for whatever control was deemed necessary for the particular era in history.  I can say the same about the prophet Muhammad, for that matter.  All great philosophies left in the "right" hands with no thought to planning for "philosophical" sustainability.  The religions still exist, but their love, understanding, and peaceful heart have been lost to infighting and misinterpretation.  I am right?  I really don't know; its just my opinion.

Second, I am fully aware that "religious" tolerance was not well thought out on my part.  I detest organized religion.  At the time of inception, I was scurrying to put together a protective shield for those members of "peaceful" Islam, and religious tolerance was foremost in my mind, at the time.  It would certainly be more correct to refer to my congregation of like-minded folks as the "Congregation for Spiritual Tolerance."  It is almost all-encompassing; one might accuse me of leaving out all those who have no spirituality.  I think those who deny their own spirituality, simply haven't discovered it yet.  They are in denial of our one common gift:  We are, all of us, spiritual beings.  I stopped thinking of myself as religious quite a few years ago.

Many questions and concerns, put forth by my readers, were a bit off target.  Having said this, I would never berate someone for asking a question or voicing concern.  I feel that questions and concerns are like bullets in a gun which many of us aim at a particular subject or person or target.  You have a full clip of ammunition and an itchy trigger finger, like most of us, except for a sniper.  The sniper's credo is, "One shot, one kill."  We are really all just snipers that haven't learned to use just one bullet; the one "golden bullet" which I like to refer to as the one "golden question":  Why?

People that know me, or read my posts most frequently, will probably understand my usual answer to all the questions put to me:  Why?  Why is it important to you that I have a reason or a purpose?  More specifically, why do you think a reason or a purpose would, in any way, be important to me?  So, here you have this golden bullet of "why" aimed toward a target you feel worthy of shooting it toward.  Why?  Why pull the trigger?  I think one needs to ask why someone else's answer to the question will satisfy them; quench some thirst they have for any answer other than their own.

Why ask a question if you don't want the answer, or you already know the answer, or the answer really doesn't matter as much as just trapping someone in a game they'd rather not play?  The group I feel are most concerned with never accepting any answer offered would be those folks I affectionately refer to as the League of the Perpetually Offended.  Their targets are usually ones of opportunity.  They rarely seem to have any cogent reason to shoot other than to shoot and wound anything in their line of fire.  They seem to have little if any tolerance for anything or anybody, especially those who aren't, also, offended by everything.

Are the questions we aim more important than the confusion or the emotion driving the question?  I feel no burning need to answer questions which I feel are not the right question and, as usual, are being aimed at the wrong target.  Many times I feel a little introspection might be of some value.  I would offer that perhaps some folks would glean more from firing these questions at themselves, and then follow-up by asking themselves, "Why?"

No amount of guidance can help someone that doesn't want to help themselves.  No argument will ever sway a mind that is anchored in the muck and mire of self-pity, laziness, or self-imposed ignorance, and no religious or spiritual belief, no amount of faith, can convert one that refuses a basic love of self.  You must learn to love yourself before you can learn to truly love, or truly grow.  I wrote a bit of prose, not long ago.  I think it comes close to answering most of these questions, including any blog issues:

The Path

This is my path.

It is not your path, it is mine.

Good or bad, it is my path.

I must travel it alone.

That is your path.

It is not mine or theirs, it is yours.

Good or bad, it is your path.

You must travel it alone.

At times our paths might intersect

Or, run parallel for a while.

We will visit, laugh, and cry.

Exchange experiences and offer advice.

At some point, we may part

Perhaps to join up again

As our destination is the same

And our journey is long.

I wish for you a smooth path,

And a long, interesting, journey

Full of emotion and life,

Family and friends.

We will not arrive together,

Though our destination is the same,

But, I will wait for you, my friend

As I know you will wait for me.

I can only give my opinion, for what it's worth.  If it helps, then this is a good thing.  If it hinders, this is not my intent.  Opinions are what you make of them.  We all have them.  Some are good and some are bad; they are just opinions.  You need to have an opinion of your own and not rely on the opinions of others.  God wants you to worship on your own and not use some surrogate priest to help you to grace.  For those who take issue with anything I write, I point you to the disclaimer I try to place at the bottom of my posts.  

We are all on an incredible journey through a reality we have made for ourselves.  This is not the reality which God made for us.  It is, however, our "created" reality which we built with the mind God made available to us.  Within our created reality we tend to build several individual realities which make up our whole.  Our individual realities are fluid, similar to each other in many ways and, as similar fluids do, they tend to blend.  When realities blend we run a real risk of losing track of not only our one true reality but of our other "created" realities, as well.  When this happens, we are left living with whatever corruption is left.  However, if we strip everything we have created away from our lives, what we are left with, again, is the one true reality.

We must always remember, there is only one true reality.  It is the one true reality of God's universe which we are blessed to be a part of.  When all seems lost in our lives, we must return to the source.  We must break free of the crap we have created.  We will only find true peace and happiness when we return our mind and desire to the creative force which gave us life.

Of course, this is just my opinion.  I give it freely and, usually, if its wanted or not.  But, then, that's just me being me, and I'm just full of it... so I've been told.

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.