The More Things Change...

And still, after all this time, the Sun has never said to the Earth, "You owe me." Look what happens with love like that. It lights up the sky.

-- Hafez (1329-1385), Persian poet

One would hope that, when it comes to interfaith ministries, the adage "the more things change, the more they stay the same" would seem out of place. The unfortunate reality seems to be that, even in not-so-mainstream religions, this has not been the case. For instance, many broke away from the mainstream organized Christian churches to pursue their own biblical interpretations just to find that they were just as overbearing or more so than the traditional church they left. Historically, we've been told this country was founded by people fleeing religious persecution, yet the faithful in this same country seem to persecute at every turn. 

Poet and social critic Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) wrote, “Protestantism has the method of Jesus with His secret too much left out of mind; Catholicism has His secret with His method too much left out of mind; neither has His unerring balance, His intuition, His sweet reasonableness. But both have hold of a great truth, and get from it a great power.” We seem to spend more time celebrating the "great power" than the "great truth."

“Any person who, with all the sincerity of heart, is in search for God, on land or in the sea, is worthy of respect.”

-- Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shah, spiritual leader

I think this happens as we try to ensure any change being made is for the best and the new found freedom of belief is protected. To accomplish this there must, of course, be rules to guarantee this protection. What we generally end up with is a cure that is worse than the malady we sought to escape.

I left mainstream Christianity for a multitude of reasons, hypocrisy not being the least. As a self-proclaimed hypocrite in my own right, I struck out on my chosen path to see if there wasn't a better way; to find a more forgiving and loving God than one wielding the wrath of fire and brimstone promised to us in a sacred text that was written by men with personal agendas, brought together by a council of men with personal agendas, historically led by men with personal agendas. A sacred text rife with inconsistencies and contradictions, and purported to be the one indisputable "Word of God."

I was expected to place my entire faith on this collection of poorly translated documents written, for the most part, years after the events, by people that might not have even been there; in other words, hearsay and conjecture or parables intended as an explanation.  It would seem these poor translations of documents with questionable origin were interpreted by priests and monks, with questionable education, being driven by the politics and beliefs of their particular period in world history.  Yet, the faithful keep holding up this Scripture as a holy shield to ward off any other hypocrisy not their own and ensure the offenders are damned to hell for all eternity.  Really? 

“What Does It Matter What We Believe, as long as we treat others the way we want to be treated?”

-- Jeffrey A. White, author 

I respect your right to follow your own path and faith, but I cannot have faith in your interpretation of a "loving God" you say touts the tenets of forgiveness, acceptance, peace, and understanding, and yet would damn me to hell simply for believing better of Him.  My evidence for confusion would be the hypocrisy in using these very tenets to excuse multiple Crusades, Inquisitions, witch trials, and the forced ignorance of the "Dark Ages."

I think the possibility that the Christian Church has been manipulating us for the last 2100 years should be of some great concern.  I mean, if our sacred texts are not the "Word of God" here on Earth, what are we left with, the "Word of God" inspired by men with agendas?  If we burn all the sacred texts in the world, what would we rely on to guide us?  If we don't have rules written down, rings to kiss on the fingers of leaders we hope won't diddle our children, and ministers that frequent whore houses, abscond with the tithed earnings, or demand multiple jets and home to entertain wealthy donors, what would we base our fear on?  How about we put all of this aside and try finding a kinder, gentler, faith?

I'm tired of seeing huge cathedrals, not required by scripture, being built on the backs of the faithful while the poor, most faithful themselves, are homeless and hungry.  I'm tired of watching ministers and priests traveling in late model cars or private jets while partitioners scrape together a weekly "tithe" not required in scripture.  I'm tired of the Vatican art collection, gold jewelry, $5000 suits, and mansions being more important to mainstream religion than the poor.

There has to be better.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

-- Marianne Williamson, author, lecturer, spiritual teacher

I became ordained, not as a joke, but as another step down a chosen path. Part of that path was to find a discussion group of like thinkers that also wanted to broaden their views on interfaith ministry. What I found has been, so far, very disappointing. The overbearing rules of mainstream religion are solidly in place in online discussion groups, for the most part, to protect those few that might be offended by reality; the reality being that the world is an ugly place. Some of these "ministers" want to embrace the best of humanity and turn a blind eye to the worst, kind of like the mainstream religion they left, and should probably return to. Some are perpetually offended by anything perceived as "not them."

One should have high hopes that serious "interfaith" ministers would want to have mature, open discussion on a variety of timely topics to ensure they are well armed when out in the world.  It is very unfortunate that every discussion group I have found, so far, has fallen very short of embracing maturity.  Where Gestapo tactics are a rule of thumb, freethinking is left crucified on the closeminded cross of intolerant ignorance.

Every religion contains, in varying degrees, elements of the soft and the hard. For the sake of world peace, dialogue within religions and among them must strengthen the softer aspects.

-- Johan Galtung, sociologist, mathemetician

In this world of Islamic heretics, terrorist beheadings, mass kidnappings, rape, school shootings, abortion, gender dysphoria, abortion, identity politics, homosexuality, workplace and domestic violence, erectile dysfunction and male pattern baldness, one would hope for a discussion group of mature adults that would embrace the idea of open, honest, peaceful, creative debate and discussion where we can agree to disagree without a fear of feeling offended or of offending others.  Shouldn't a minister be above the pettiness of feeling offense? 

The more things change, the more they stay the same?  Change is the only constant in the universe, right?  Of course, but changes still have to abide by the laws of the universe and, when humans are writing the laws, fear of change will make any change look very similar to what was being changed.  This is human nature.  We tend to be very afraid of change.

"The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays."

-- Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855), Danish philosopher

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.

Women - Just a Thought

Every flower develops a blemish.

To rise above it, and be seen as beautiful,

This is flower realized;

Flower fulfilled.

Every woman develops a blemish.

To rise above it and be seen as beautiful,

This is a woman realized; 

This is a woman fulfilled.

Whatever minimizes you,

Rise above it.

This in itself is an act of realization; 

This rising above, and being fulfilled,

This is a woman.

Things which we feel minimize us are just, well... things. We need to learn to let things like this go. It's traveling your path with a stone in your shoe. You will continue to move forward, but at what cost? And, if you're limping along with that stone in your shoe, you'll be favoring that legs and end up traveling in circles.  Better to remove the stones that bothering you or learn to rise above them.

Blemishes, scars, and such, do not define who you are.  Your titles, certificates, and college degrees only define what you are.  Your ethics and how you treat other people, how you befriend them, love them, mentor, and cheer them on, these are the ways you define who you are.

It always amazes me that people who think they're "all that" are the people first to rush to judgment of others.  These bastions of morality and ethics who scream the loudest and are first to fail their own tests.  I'm a hypocrite and I have never denied the fact.  But, at least I don't blow smoke up everyone else's ass.  I try to tell it like it is, and I will judge those who judge others which is why I am my own worst critic as I freely judge myself.  I offend people constantly, and they're usually those members of the perpetually offended.  I should try harder not to offend them, but I have found this to be an exercise in futility.  I should let it go, but it is one pebble which keeps me awake and steady on my path.

I love women.  I love all women.  I have met those, however, who do themselves a disservice by judging themselves too harshly for what they are.

Just a thought, but I think women, in particular, outwardly worry way too much about "what" they are, and how others see them.  I think what's important is how you see yourself.  If you think you're fat, but you're resigned to it, what's wrong with dressing nice and putting your best foot forward?  Instead of covering up the scars and blemishes which you can't do anything about, try letting everyone see your "proof of life" and show them how to live out of the shadows.  Show everyone the pride you have in "who" you are.

People who will judge say more about themselves than about you.

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.

Sunday Sermon for September 28, 2014: A Woman's Eyes

I see a woman in her eyes; her humor and anger, joy and sadness, love and hatred.  

The eyes reveal her soul; her depth and complexity. She is truly a creation of beauty to behold; the delicate porcelain doll to be placed on the pedestal and admired.  

I see in her the mother of life, to be kept out of harm's way and protected from the misery around her.  

In her eyes I can see what we were, are now, and will become; our past, present, and future.  

In our struggle for life, we retreat to memories of her eyes and remember why we fight to survive and come home. 

I see a woman in her eyes and remember what it is to love and to feel alive.

With all of the abuse in the news over the past few weeks, I thought it might do us well, as men, to remember how we came to be and why we continue to exist.  After all, if it weren't for a woman none of us would be here.  If you raise a hand to a woman, you raise a hand to your mother; the mother of us all.  You risk shattering the fragility of nature and your own soul. 

If you raise a hand to a woman, consider this before you act.  You are a man.  As such you have the strength to physically cause her pain and mental anguish.  You also have the strength to stay your hand and find a better, more tolerant way.  Sometimes we find applied philosophy in strange places.  Consider this quote:   

"Let us redefine progress to mean that just because we can do a thing, it does not necessarily mean we must do that thing."

-- Star Trek IV

It seems, at times, man spends too much of life destroying and not enough time doing that which is truly necessary for his life - creating and loving.

This Sunday, maybe we can make an attempt to look into the eyes of a woman and tell her, "I love you for being a woman."  Try being the sensitive man they might not see enough of, instead of the ass that slaps the crap out of his woman in an elevator or beats his child with a stick.  This is what some have come to expect.  

Try being something else.  Try being a "real" man.

Oh, and buy some flowers, for goodness' sake.

"The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair.  The beauty of a woman is seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where she resides.  The true beauty is a woman is reflected in her soul.  It's the caring and loving she gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman only grows with passing years."

-- Audrey Hepburn

Note from the founder, author, and editor:  

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, understand that this is just an opinion 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 in this context is a way to incite others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own if they haven’t already done so.  It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning them.  It is in the arena we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.  

Frank Villari, Pastor

Tolerance for Islam?

I received the following email on Wednesday last and thought it timely considering what is going on in Syria and Iraq.  I was struggling for a sermon topic for Sunday, and it always comes to me upon request to the almighty.  I was a desert of thoughts for a new post.  I actually took an afternoon to go antique shopping in Bay St. Louis, hoping it would clear my mind and trigger ideas.  No need.  When I returned, this was waiting, as requested.  As I always strive for tolerance, this fit my bill.  I have highlighted in red those areas I will address:

Thought you might like to read this letter, written by a housewife, to the editor of a British national newspaper:

'Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores in July 2002, and in New York Sept 11, 2001 and have continually threatened to do so since?

Were people from all over the world, not brutally murdered that day in Washington, and in downtown Manhattan, and in a field in Pennsylvania? 

Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?

And I'm supposed to care that a few Taliban were claiming to be tortured by a justice system of the nation they come from and are fighting against in a brutal insurgency. 

I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about the Holy Bible, the mere belief of which is a crime punishable by beheading in Afghanistan. 

I'll care when these thugs tell the world they are sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling slashed throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called 'insurgents' in Afghanistan come out and fight like men instead of disrespecting their own religion by hiding in mosques and behind women and children. 

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of Nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide bombs.

I'll care when the British media stops pretending that their freedom of speech on stories is more important than the lives of the soldiers on the ground or their families waiting at home to hear about them when something happens. 

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a British soldier roughing up an Insurgent terrorist to obtain information, know this:

I don't care. 

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take this to the bank:

I don't care.

When I hear that a prisoner - who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and 'fed special food' that is paid for by my taxes - is complaining that his holy book is being 'mishandled,' you can absolutely believe in your heart of hearts:

I don't care. 

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled 'Koran' and other times 'Quran..' Well, believe me!! you guessed it ................. 

I don't care!! 

I don't think we can read more into her last declaration than that which slaps us squarely in the face.  "I don't care!"   Really?  But your letter would be evidence to the contrary.  It seems to me you do care.  Unfortunately, like all people of great emotion, you keep missing the target with you seeming "kill them all and let God sort them out" attitude.  Is this really what we want?  Do we really need to kill all of Islam that doesn't follow the radical ideology of a few heretics?  One might argue this is not what she is saying, yet she has no feeling that "his holy book is being 'mishandled," as we can absolutely believe in our heart of hearts when she voices her lack of concern.

"I don't care!"

We felt the same way when the Nazis were killing the Jews.  Do me a favor, if you don't already know, and look up the advancements in science that were given to the world by the Jews.  Now, think about how much farther along we might be if Hitler had been stopped in time to save the millions lost in the Holocaust.  As a side note, if we had brought home Jewish scientists instead of the Nazi scientists at the close of the war, we might have beaten the Soviets into space instead of playing catch-up.  This is what happens when you choose the administrative staff over the professors.

"I don't care!"

Oh, but I think you, as a housewife and I would assume a mother, do care that a "peaceful" Abrahamic religion is being used as an excuse to butcher children.  And, as much as I feel your emotional abhorrence toward the prisoner, I think you would take umbrage at someone that would deface, mishandle, or burn your sacred scripture, yes?  It is all about winning the hearts and minds.  If we ever hope to affect change for peace, we must be better than those we hope to win over to peace.  There is no other way.

I do care.  

If you don't care about joining the ranks of these butchering-heretics and the atrocities they are currently visiting on other Muslims, by assisting them in condemning the true faithful of Islam, then consider this:

Islam gave us the “Father of Chemistry,” Jabir Ibn Haiyan, who introduced experimentation into alchemy and emphasized reproducible results, something all experimental sciences now demand.

Europe discovered trigonometry through Latin translations of the Muslim astronomers al Battani and Nasir al-Din al-Tusi.  Muslim astronomers were the first to challenge Ptolemy and Aristotle on astronomical theories.

Islam gave us al-Idrisi, the greatest geographer of the Middle Ages, and al- Biruni who “is considered to be one of the greatest scientists of all times.”  Ibn Sahl gave us the first accurate theory of light refraction, and Abu Ali Hasa Ibn al-Haitham is the father of modern optics.

And there were other advancements in physiology, medicine, and pharmacology that have made our modern lives much different than what it might have been.  

Some would blame Islam for the torching of the Library at Alexandria, and the loss of much wondrous knowledge at the time.  With the Muslim reverence for knowledge and learning at the time, I find it hard to believe any substance that burned would have remained, much less enough of it to burn for a week.  I would be more apt to believe they looted the library of all knowledge it contained.

I guess my point being, if you wear glasses, grow crops by the seasons, take medications, utilize hospitals, see doctors, or utilize engineering and math, do you care?  And isn't that a selfish reason for simply choosing the right target.

The target here are heretical factions of an otherwise peaceful religion that is being torn apart from the inside by radical Imams that would see the word of their own prophet twisted to meet their own sick and twisted agenda of world domination.  I think Muhammad would have wanted the entire world to enjoy the peace of Islam, of their own volition.

Oh and by the way, Koran or Quran?  Is it KO-ran or Qur'an?  KO-rea or Korea?  It was changed because typical of western culture, the correct pronunciation of Koran was being bastardized.  Kay Siblani, executive editor of the Arab American News says, "It's like saying 'A-rab' or Sa-dam.  It's sort of an intentional denigration."  Kind of like calling me an "EYE-talian" or calling a Negro a "NEE-gro."  Our inability, lack of desire, and care less attitude toward pronouncing something correctly is only surmounted  by our lack of tolerance for those that do and our egotistical need for bigotry against something we know little about and see no reason to understand anything more than the worst of.  Yeah, let's go with the sordid history of Christianity for setting the bar.

The part of this email that strikes the right cord with me was the plea that is below the letter sent by the housewife to the editor.  In the plea I would have called the woman down, as I have here, for missing the target on several points due to obvious emotion.  Even in this plea, I  feel we will have to come to an understanding that any violence done against innocence in the name of Allah, the prophet Muhammad, or the Qur'an is done by heretics and not by true Muslims of faith.  We need to accept that their own religious hierarchy is peopled by these same heretics that would see the world burn rather than live in a world of diverse culture.  

Is this what the centuries of Muslim philosophy, science, art, literature, and touted peace of Islam boils down to?  If it is, then perhaps we do need to separate intellect from religion.  If we are to use history as a guide, intellect eventually uses God, or lack of one, as an excuse for crimes against humanity, genocide, torture, rape, child abuse, and fulfillment of other sick personal agendas, or so it seems.

As a Christian I would love to agree with the "Six defining forces that have ever offered to die" for anyone.  It makes it sound like an "Anglo only club."  As a Christian and a military man, I can't agree unless we refine definitions.  The "Turkish Brigade" fought valiantly in the Korean War. "Albanian Muslims saved over 2,000 Jews during World War II and Albania was the only Nazi-occupied European country that had more Jews in it before the war."  They did this out of "religious obligation."  Also during WW II, Punjabi and Baluch Muslims, from what is now Pakistan, fought with the multi-denominational British India contingent.  

(For more on the Albanian Muslim story, please visit http://www.loonwatch.com/2010/10/muslims-saved-jews-out-of-religious-obligation-during-world-war-ii/)  

So, when we consider the statement offered below, it may not be all that valid.  And members of varying, and differing religions, as well as atheists, have made up a percentage of all those forces shown below, and continue to do so with honor and distinction.

Also note that they make a point of saying "radical Muslims."  Remember that much of what we are witnessing is being perpetrated by heretics, not Muslims.  Even the Islamic leadership, sadly, walks the sharp edge of a scimitar when speaking for Allah or the Prophet, whom they seem to forget was given the word of God by the Archangel Gabriel.

If you agree with this viewpoint, pass this on to all your E-mail friends. Sooner or later, it'll get to the people responsible for this ridiculous behaviour! 

If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete button. Should you choose the latter, then please don't complain when more atrocities committed by radical Muslims happen here in our great country! And may I add:

'Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. Our soldiers don't have that problem.' 

I have another quote that I would like to add, AND........ I hope you forward all this. 

Only six defining forces have ever offered to die for you:

1. Jesus Christ 

2. The British Soldier

3. The Canadian Soldier 

4. The US Soldier           

5. The New Zealand Soldier

6. The Australian Soldier

One died for your soul, the other five  for your freedom.

Note:  As always this is just an opinion.  It may be right, or it may be wrong.  You may have one of your own.  The point of this post, as with all my posts, is to get you to think, read, discover, and form your own opinion!  Discuss this with those around you, find out what they think.  Open your mind to a world of possibilities, but open your mind!  Learn to be tolerant, communicate, and discuss and debate in peace and with an agreement to disagree. 

A Personal Hell on Earth

To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from him forever by our own free choice.  This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called "hell."

-- Catechism of the Catholic Church, verse 1033

Oh, the exquisite pleasure awaiting us in the nine circles of Dante's Inferno.  Really?  It would seem even the Catholic Church defines hell as a "state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God."  This "self-exclusion" means you have made the conscious decision by your own free choice to remain separated from God forever; to live outside of heaven.

It is said that when we die everything becomes crystal clear; there are peace and understanding unknown to us in the physical world.  If this is true, and evidence presented by those who have passed over and returned would bear this out, one would have to immediately admit the life they led did not earn their place in heaven.  Having this afterlife undeniable understanding of everything, then, would dictate they cannot deny the one choice they have; the rational and unavoidable decision to go back and correct their errors, their sins - to try, once again, to get it right.

"Somebody once told me the definition of hell:  Your last day on Earth, the person you became will meet the person you could have become."

-- Anonymous

If this is so, then we do, in fact, make our own hell here on Earth.  If we choose to continually die, time after time, "without repenting and accepting God's merciful love," we will remain "separated from him forever by our own free choice."  In other words, we will continue to live out our own personal hell, right here on earth, until such time as we learn those lessons we are here to learn. 

Is life here really all that bad?  Maybe you can endure hell for a while, yes.  I mean, we all sin, right?  But, what if the perpetual offense and denial you feel toward the ultimate power in the universe are due to you buying into your own bullshit, life after life after life?  Maybe some of us simply forget life is all about learning to be righteous so we can move forward into something better.

“There is no miserable place waiting for you, no hell realm, sitting and waiting like Alaska—waiting to turn you into ice cream. But whatever you call it—hell or the suffering realms—it is something that you enter by creating a world of neurotic fantasy and believing it to be real. It sounds simple, but that's exactly what happens.”

-- Lama Yeshe (1935-1984), Mahayana Tibetan lama

I seriously believe we make our own personal heaven or hell for our "afterlife" right here on Earth.  We may not realize we are, right now, already in an afterlife, one of many we have lived and will live, as we learn by doing penance for past moral indiscretions.  Our personal "self-imposed" hell will continue to feed on us until we see the light.  Only then will we be able to forge ahead instead of being stuck of our own volition.

If you don't learn a lesson, the teaching gets tougher.  In school, you get a tutor, extra homework, or you fail and drop out.  Failing righteousness in this life does not mean the next attempt will be any easier or even the same.  The pimp will become the prostitute, the pusher will become the junkie, the torturer will become tortured.  The only way to learn not to touch a hot, cast iron skillet is to touch it.  The only way to learn not to rape a woman is to be raped and beaten until you learn the horrors she goes through at the hands of evil.  Life can, in all reality, be a bitch.  It is what we make of it.  It can be heaven or hell, over and over, and over again, ad nauseam.  

It is, fortunately, your choice.

"My son, eat honey because it is good, and the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste; So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; if you have found it, there is prospect, and your hope will not be cut off. For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity."

-- Proverbs 24:13-14, 16

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.

Sunday Sermon - September 21, 2014: Rosh Hashanah is Wednesday

שנה טובה ומתוקה

"Shana Tova Umetukah!"

Shana tova umetuka!  A good and sweet year!"  This is a common greeting on the Hebrew celebration of Rosh Hashanah.  And if you think the Arabs and the Jews have nothing in common, remember that Judaism, Islam, and Christianity all claim to have received their marching orders from the same God, although some in Islam would dispute this, all three are Abrahamic religions.  The dispute only holds water if they don't believe their own scripture which states Muhammad was given the word of God via the Arch-angel Gabriel.  Hey, same angel, same God, and it matters little what you call God.  But, as usual, I have gotten off my track of thought.

As I understand the celebration, and not being Jewish I am sure to muck this up, Rosh Hashanah, "head of the year," is the Jewish New Year.  It begins at sundown on September 24, 2014.  Rosh Hashanah is directly related to Ras as-Sanah, chosen by Muslims for the Islamic New Year.  For the Jews it represents God's creation of everything out of nothing, as in the book of Genesis.  More specifically, many say Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of man.

The holiday is biblically referred to as Yom Teruah, "day of raising a noise" or The Feast of Trumpets.  Customarily the celebration includes blowing of a rams's horn, called a shofar, and eating of symbolic, sweet, foods to evoke a "sweet year."  This celebration is followed in ten days by Yom Kippur, "the day of judgment."

There is so much more to say on the holiday of Rosh Hashanah.  This Sunday I ask all of my readers to look up the holiday online and learn something more about the original of the three Abrahamic religions.  You should learn something every day, and this is an opportunity to learn something that might make you more tolerant of other beliefs.

To all of my Jewish friends, I wish you all, "Shana tova umetuka!"  Please enjoy another good and sweet year, and may God's blessings and sweet understanding be on all of you.  If I misstated anything above, please accept my sincere apology.  Hey, if you don't do you can't fail, and it is in failure that we learn the greatest lessons.  

I invite you to comment, correct, or add to this post as needed to clarify or expound.

ISIS: The "Islamic State" of Cowardice

We face an enemy that uses terror as surrogate manhood.  These are cowards that have been versed in Islamic heresy, but not versed in the historic bravery of Islam.  These are insane animals that find their manhood in the mutilation, beheading, and rape of women and children.  ISIS has gained territory through horrific acts in the face of a moral enemy.  Islam has finally disowned them and recognized that they do not represent the Qur'an or Islam.

One has to ask the question, "What defines a coward?"  Covering your face as you carry out the commands of "Allah" in front of the unbelievers?  If you truly have faith why would you fear to show your face?  Cowardice or lack of faith?

Why do you rape and kill women and children?  Obviously not to prove your manhood, as the mere suggestion of these atrocities evidence a severe lack of any manly traits.  It does not take a man to murder the helpless, weak, and innocent.  It does, however define the absolute best of the sociopathic trash societies have to offer.  There are rules to civilized warfare, if any war can be defined as civilized, and placing any weapons around schools, hospitals, and family neighborhoods to put the innocent at risk is anything but civilized.  The entire "civilized" world has signed off on these rules of warfare, only cowards do not comply. 

Point of order for the people of Islam:  Hamas, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban also do not represent Islam.  These are only three of many terrorist organizations that utilize the Qur'an as an excuse for violence against innocence.  They focus their insanity behind the "Sword verses" in the Qur'an instead of the "No-Compulsion verse."  Why would members of a peaceful religion that believes "there shall be no compulsion in religion" decide to throw their weight behind a misinterpretation of the verse, "...Fight those who do not believe in Allah or in the last day and who do not consider unlawful what Allah and his messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth."  Well, maybe the "religion of truth" has the same issues as the Christian Bible and the Hebrew Torah - conflicting verses and philosophies.

One has to ask why there are these conflicts in Holy Scriptures.  Re-writes and misinterpretations, stories handed down losing fact in favor of legend, and two factions with differing agendas?  These hidden agendas also create much controversy as to the origin of Bible stories.  Let us take a moment to review a paragraph from Wikipedia's History of the Quran and see if we can't use uncommon sense to see what the problem is with terrorist misinterpretations.  I have paragraphed the excerpt for ease of discussion:

The compilation of the written Qur'an (as opposed to the recited Qur'an) spanned several decades and forms an important part of early Islamic history.  Muslim accounts say it began in the year 610 when Gabriel appeared to Muhammad in the cave of Hira near Mecca, reciting to him the first verses of the Sura Iqra, thus beginning the revelation of the Qur'an.  Throughout his life, Muhammad continued to have revelations until before his death in 632. 

Muslim and non-Muslim scholars alike disagree on whether Muhammad compiled the Qur'an during his lifetime or if this task began with the first caliph Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (632-634).  Once the Qur'an was compiled, due to the unanimity of the sources, Muslims agree that the Qur'an we see today was canonized by Uthman ibn Affan (653-656). 

Upon the canonization of the Qur'an, Uthman ordered the burning of all personal copies of the Qur'an... The copy of Qur'an kept with wife of Muhammad named Hafsa was accepted for public.  Until then, several copies of Qur'an were available in different regions of Arabia with some grammatical errors, so Uthman's order allowed only one version of Qur'an to exist to prevent any misinterpretation of Qur'anic text or word of God (Allah).

Well, we can see Utrhman failed miserably to prevent misinterpretation of the Qur'anic text, but what of the other issues this information presents?  

There is disagreement, even in Islam, on who compiled the Qur'an.  Does this sound familiar?  The same disagreement is still at the heart of biblical controversy.  The "Qur'an we see today" is not the Qur'an written by Muhammad?  It is not the accurate "word of God (Allah)" as we are led to believe?  This would evidence a reliance on faith; a belief in one particular interpretation of the truth, not the truth itself.

And then there is the most damning evidence, for me, of a personal agenda at work to ensure control of the masses for eternity; the same kind of personal agendas that ultimately created the Vatican as an instrument to control the Christian masses.  "Uthman ordered the burning of all personal copies of the Qur'an."  How convenient for Uthman that no other copies would ever come to light showing changes that might be made to the Holiest of Islamic documents.  Changes that would control the faith of the populace, and changes that would ultimately reveal something that God would never have allowed if these truly represented the words of God (Allah).  Again, this is the same conflict we see in the Christian Bible.  God has included conflicting statements and philosophy?  I think all intelligent people need to understand that only man would knowingly corrupt a sacred text.

Islam is left with the same confusion as Christianity at this point.  Where does your faith in Holy Scripture lie, with the confusing interpretation of written text, or with faith in Allah's prophet that would never have allowed the confusion to occur.  If one wants to understand the conflict in the Qur'an, perhaps we should study the life and times of Muhammad.

Does the Qur'an say to saw off the heads of the enemy and take videos of it happening?  Does the Qur'an demand the murder of innocent children and women?  Does the Qur'an excuse the stealing and marriage of women against their will for the express purpose of excusing rape?  Does the Qur'an condone the mass murder of other Muslims because of differences in philosophy due to Qur'anic interpretation?  Has Christianity also found itself guilty of these same failings?  Yes.  The difference is that Christianity is trying, desperately, to focus their faith on God's intent for peace and love.  Christian's are in deep discussion over the inaccuracies and conflicts in our own scripture.  We are not continuing down this sick and twisted path of senseless murder and other crimes against humanity.  With all of the world conflict going on today this statement seems shallow at best and hard to prove at worst.  Governments and religions can come together and find common ground toward peace; we have always been capable of this.  ISIS is an insane group of sociopathic monsters.  They have no desire to cease the selfish satiation of their lust for money, sex, and power over innocence.  Basically everything not part of anybody's Holy Scripture.

ISIS does not represent Islam.  ISIS does not represent anything healthy for humanity.  ISIS is a cancer.  The only saving grace of ISIS, if one can find such a thing with these barbarians, is their ability to gather all of the heretics in one area so a worldwide coalition can eradicate the lion's portion of their heresy all at the same time.

ISIS should be a wakeup call to all of Islam that the splintering of their religion is not a healthy thing for world opinion and acceptance of their peaceful tenets.  Muslims must stand at the forefront of the coalition to excise this cancer in their midst that threatens all of Islam.

Peace, If Just for a Moment

"Come, senators, congressmen

Please heed the call

Don't stand in the doorway

Don't block up the hall

For he that gets hurt

Will be he who has stalled

There's a battle outside

And it is ragin'.

It'll soon shake your windows

And rattle your walls

For the times they are a-changin'."

-- "The Times They Are a-Changin'", Bob Dylan (1964)

Are you, like me, old enough to remember better times?  I remember when political parties worked with each other, exercised a little "give and take" so everyone got something out of a deal, and we all tried to make social programs sustainable so we didn't have to rob Peter to pay Paul.  It was a time when socialism and communism were threats against our Constitution and our way of life, and no one, Democrats included, would have imagined inviting them into our political system.  Now we have a new bastion of "Democratic Socialism" sitting across the aisle in our system of government.

The term democratic socialism is sometimes used synonymously with socialism, but the adjective democratic is sometimes used to distinguish democratic socialists from Marxist–Leninist-inspired socialism which to some is viewed as being non-democratic in practice.

-- Wikipedia, Democratic socialism

The adjective "democratic" no longer distinguishes democratic socialists from Marxist-Leninist socialism. It truly is what it is and if someone says they don't see it that way, they either aren't looking very hard or they are in denial that our very way of life, our freedom, is in danger. We used to rely on the press, journalism, to separate truth from fiction, but now it seems the "fourth estate" simply fuels the fires of racism, divisiveness, and the overthrow of our government.  Truth and freedom have become dirty words, a death knell, best not used if you want a university degree or a job in journalism or the U.S. Justice Department. 

It would seem, for many of us, our desires are no longer predicated on learning to think for ourselves but, rather, on learning what some anarchist professor wants us to learn, their sad view of the world and reality. This is what we desire?  And, now, the "fifth estate," the socio-cultural group "of outlier viewpoints in contemporary society... most associated with bloggers, journalists publishing in non-mainstream media outlets, and the social media or "social license," has become the latest arm of socialist propaganda and the perpetually offended.

As anti-Semitism and racism insinuate themselves into the highest levels of our government, I wish I could turn back the clock, even for just a moment, to the early 1960s, and not just because I was a heartbreaker.    For me, it was a peaceful time in life and a morally different world.  I could tell my mom where I was going and disappear all day, as long as I was back before dinner.  Kidnappings were rare, and I'm not sure we even knew what serial killers were, and terrorism was the purview of ecology extremists and anarchist groups like the Black Panthers or the Weather Underground.

“Being a kid was much more fun than being an adult. Life was sweeter then.”

-- Trevor Carss, author, illustrator

When I was very young, kids could go play in the woods and not have to worry about child molesters.  Frightening horror movies were tales of Frankenstein or Dracula shown at the Saturday matinee which was always packed.  I could wait alone for a bus to the theater, and the driver actually knew when to let me off coming home.  Of course, I was a middle-class white boy.  I really knew very little of hunger, being poor, racism, gender inequality, gender dysphoria, political bias, etc., etc., etc., and so on.  I suppose the perpetually offended would call me privileged, though my parents worked hard for everything and chose to only purchase what they could pay for.  Mom's family were poor dirt farmers in Mississippi who worked right alongside black dirt farmers.  Racism was not as important to the farmers as ensuring every one of your neighbors was fed.

Somewhere along the line, life in America changed.

The Zodiac Killer, Jeffrey Dahmer, and John Wayne Gacy, Jr.; serial killers and ax murderers were coming out of the woodwork.  Our country was turning into an immoral cesspool of child molesters, rapists, and immorality.  New words worked their way into our vocabulary like "human trafficking," "slice and dice," and "child pornography."  Even middle-class white boys weren't safe anymore.

What was happening to my world?

Horror movies went from gothic tales of horror, the classics of Stoker, Poe, and Shelley, to the senseless violence of multi-movie franchises like Saw, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Hills Have Eyes and so many others.  Television has now been infiltrated by similar trash, and the ultimate horror story, choices for our political candidates, has come down to which pile of shit smells better.

“There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.”

-- Howard Zinn (1922-2010), historian, professor. socialist thinker

On top of these threats to civilization, we now find ourselves, once again, faced with rewriting our definition of "monster."  As though the atrocities visited upon the world by the Nazis and the Japanese weren't enough, we faced the threat of communism and socialism wanting to destroy our country. We then faced Islamic heretics, like ISIS, cutting babies in half or burning captives in cages, on film for the mass media, as a heretical honor to Allah, while threatening to take their demented version of reality worldwide as they destroyed any visage of innocence in their path.  Even Pope Francis, while condemning war between countries as senseless violence concerning issues better worked out over morning coffee, sees this religious heresy as another cancer which must be excised from the Earth through an international effort.

Personally, I'd like to rid the world of the League of the Perpetually Offended who I feel are at the root of everything wrong with it.  The perpetually offended keep racism, divisiveness, terrorism, political obstructionism, and the death of innocence, all moving along at a steady pace for the news media to feed on while spinning their "journalistic" version of the truth in order to fulfill some ugly agenda of ultimate destruction which only the League can truly appreciate.  I occasionally get the uneasy feeling there will never again be "peace in our time" or any time soon if the media and the offended can prevent it for their own peculiarly immoral benefit.

Every night when I finally get to sleep, I do so hoping for the relative peace I remember in my youth when military or political service was what patriots volunteered to give for their country.  It never would have occurred to us to claim we didn't know a war was going to be what it was or we never would have volunteered to join.  Really?  How does one not know what death and destruction are, or that the philosophy of destruction works both ways?  It seems our education system fails us more than it helps.

“Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”

-- Mark Twain (1835-1910), author, humorist, lecturer 

I pine for the days when saluting our flag was patriotic and not a punchline for the offended who have no clue what was sacrificed by others to secure their freedom to be so offended by every little thing.  Maybe it's just me, but I'd like to see the perpetually offended be offended at what they never seem willing to bring to the table - ownership of their own failings. 

I may go for a walk on the beach tomorrow and look for this elusive peace.  I'll consider wading out a few hundred feet until the water is up to my waist, or just lay down on the white sand and watch the water and the birds and feel the sun on my face.  I think I'll talk to God.  I'll give thanks for what I do have, peace for just a moment, and not be too concerned with what I want: Relative peace throughout the world, forever.  Yes, I'll settle for peace, for just a moment, before my retired ass hits the ground running, again, tomorrow morning.

"A person integrates many experiences into creating their being. Personal encounters with other people, as well as moments of personal solitude contemplating ideas and personal existence, congeal to form the depiction of a self."

-- Kilroy J. Oldster, attorney, arbitrator, author

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.