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Deposit Excrement, or Get Off the Pot; a.k.a. Fish, or Cut Bait In order to write, you must write. This not a puzzle. It is not a conundrum. It definitely is not an oxymoron. Simply, at some point, you must begin, like a kindergartner, to put beads on a string. Creation of a story by way of written language is accomplished with written words. You have been creating. That is the hardest kind of work. You need to recover from that hard work. While I use the word “write”, every author has the choice of how they will do their creative work. The “Well, Duh!” for WannaBe Writers In another article on this website, I set out the most important rules of writing. I just don’t call them rules. Two are the use of “down” time and scraps of time. A point: the day after I wrote that article for this web site, I again found myself waiting in a parking lot for an hour and a half. With my trusty pen and 5 X 8 yellow notepad, all was not lost. In that time I created nine single spaced pages of preliminary notes. Notes that could become a sound beginning for a new novel. A Giant, Steaming Heap of Unaltered Male Bovine Excrement with a Cherry on Top!, or A Thousand Words You have heard it a thousand times. It is a lie! A picture is worth a thousand words. It is a lie! No way could that idea even be remotely true. There is no way that some digital image that took the consideration, thought process, and decision powers of a moronic gnat is worth a thousand of my carefully crafted and chosen words. A single image conveys the same message as my thousand pearls of wisdom? One takes learning, skill, and considerable practice. The other takes only cash. Incurable Writer’s Disease During my “first” career, I always carried around the germ of the idea that I could write. After all, I was asking children to write for me. They were writing classroom assignments. They were writing things for me like letters, personal journals, essays, and short stories. I took a series of classes on how to help children write better. My germ grew a bit. It did not explode into an infection. Then a very interesting thing happened. . . personal computers, word-processing, and printers. Where Paths Diverge We all have them. They are always unexpected. They cannot easily be planned for. They do not sneak up on you and leap into your life to bite your butt. They just appear quietly. They do not seem all that important at that time. It is like adopting a kitten. So little, soft and cuddly, and it purrs! And your life is forever different. Different from what it might have been. What are they? The moments when you make literally life changing decisions. When You Thirst for Ideas, Go Back to the Well You Know I made an interesting find this morning while cleaning up one of these “messes” that grow ever larger, even when in plain sight on my desk. A story which I seem to have lost somewhere in the black hole of boxed storage, because I can’t find it on my hard drive. Therein lies a lesson for everyone. Never, never, NEVER completely destroy anything you write. Save everything to CD disks as simple text files. Back it up with hardcopy paper files. Back it up to another hard drive. Aloha and Hello to Friends and Writers We are now initiating a new specialty content rich article directory web site service which has as its target audience three groups: writers, editors, and publishers. The press release is scheduled to go out today, Friday, January 10th, 2006 Please look at this web site at your leisure. Editors and publishers come to it in search of content. Sometimes they need just a little content. Sometimes they need a lot of content. Sometimes they are just hunting for a special writer. Who Is Today’s Terrorist, Freedom Fighter, Revolutionary, or Statesman? There is today a generally world wide accepted idea that people in a country have the government they want and deserve. That when they deserve and desire a change strongly enough, they will do whatever it takes to get what they want in the way of a new style of government. It is also understood that the incumbent government will resist any changes with the full force of police, the courts, and military power. Most revolutions are achieved by means of means of physical force. The Last Time I Sat on Old Bars Old Bars was gettin’ old. He wasn’t very big, but he was smart, and rawhide tough. When we got him, he was Little Bars, and had stripes on his legs. He’d been a pack horse at one time, scrounging for his feed and keepin’ his rightful place in the string. We’d turned him into a saddle horse for the kids. He didn’t complain. Kind of moseyed along, enjoyed the better eats, and all the kid’s attention. Families Are No Longer Important to America, the Tax Code Says So Children were once seen as a Blessing of the Gods. Parents with many children were seen as favored citizens. How the world has turned. Society has turned its face away from children and has instead begun to tax them. Governments tax something they wish to supress. In our modern world, children are not seen as very important. The tax deduction for children and their real costs, medical, dental, and education is a joke. We have lost our aim, our goals, and our future. Nudity, Porn, Fat Ugly Americans, and a Modest Proposal for Nose Plugs Why is it that lengthy exposure to nudity decreases prurient interest and obvious signs of lust? Concealment increases prurient interest. Why are American women are more interested in artificial breast augmentation and new styles of lingerie? How did we become “The Fat Americans”? Simple, we lost the incentive to be “skinny Americans”. If we really wanted to reduce sexual activity, and reduce the national girth, we would have laws that required nudity and the wearing nose plugs. God’s Christmas Tree Lights, Skinny-Dipping in Paradise and Sweets God created all the stars. Imagine being there to see all the stars of the universe twinkle into existence like an enormous string of Christmas tree lights. Why do we have eyes? To see light. Maybe the ancient Egyptians were not so dumb in their worship of the sun? Why is it that human beings have a natural affinity for sunshine, sunlight, and the warmth of sunlight? How is all food created? By sunlight. So, how does God feed us? He makes us sweets. Bikini Churches, Part 1 Suffering Christians Depart Mega-Churches If the title describes your feelings after you get home from Sunday services, you are not alone. More and more Americans are returning home after canned religious experiences feeling vaguely dissatisfied. Their ears are “tinned” and their livers are liquified jelly. The “good vibrations” flowing through the internal organs have drowned the simple message of goodness. This has led to the rapid growth and development of Bikini churches that cover the essentials of religion. Bikini Churches, Part 2 Suffering Christians Depart Mega-Churches In a small church you are not overwhelmed by the press of bodies, noise, glitz, nor inattention to your personal needs. Your contacts and your interactions are limited. Generally, it is a difference for which we are willing, if we have the resources, to pay a premium. A religious event is no place to be swallowed by the whale of anonymity. A religious event is no place to be “lost” in the crowd. All that is left at some churches is to add sales of peanuts, hot dogs, and beer. Writing About Something From Your Past As a command for an exercise in writing, writing about what you know, can have its perils. Yours might not know very much. You may have a poor memory for details. It is then up to you, the writer, to bring to that artificial environment, the white piece of paper, a degree of excitement and action. You must bring it to life to entertain your audience. You must convey emotion and the “vibes” of living interactions. Below is one of my interpretations, for 03/20/06. Dawg, Part 3 It would be helpful to read Dawg, Part 1 and Part 2 also on this site, but it is not absolutely necessary. Dawg, had one habit that my Dad enjoyed. He would chase after our car whenever we left the house. Not other cars, just our car. When he got tired, he would go back home and be waiting for us to arrive when we got there. Dawg was fast, tough, and had plenty of endurance. Dawg, Part 2 It would be helpful to read Dawg, Part 1 also on this site, but it is not absolutely necessary. Eventually my dog, Dawg, and I had a big event. He touched me. He touched his nose to my knee and pulled in a big old sniff. That sniff was the real beginning of our relationship. Dawg was, I think, an ex-farm dog. Dawg, Part 1 Dawg, I remember. I’ve had a dozen since, but none taught me the lessons that he did. Maybe that is because he was the first “pet” that was really “mine”. Some people are examples of animal magnetism. I, on the other hand, am an animal magnet. They gravitate in my direction. I am not complaining. Life is infinitely richer with God’s creatures a part of it. Bully Every school has at least one. Our little country school had it’s as well. Dewhit was ours. Not because we wanted him, but because he lived in our community. Dewhit was known for his sudden outbursts. Dewhit was well on his way toward being our elementary school tough guy, obviously preplanning his stay in the State Pen, a bully, volatile, and the most unfortunate kid in our school - whenever he was there. Little Bear, Part 1 Introduction I first saw my next dog in the back of my neighbor’s pickup. It was a very small Japanese pickup. It was a very large dog. At first sight I actually thought he had a large load covered with dark canvas. Then it moved. It was a very, very large dog. I wanted to know about a “runt” that size. It was mostly just hair. She was tall enough, but under all that mop, she only weighed in at about 125 pounds. Under all that hair was a skinny dog. Tall, with a big head and big feet, but skinny. Little Bear, Part 2 Porcupine Pincushion I coveted that dog. Little Bear was my kind of dog. My heart said she’d be a great companion. I set out to give her a good currying, as a kind of “get acquainted” activity. Bear’s hair was naturally oily and very water resistant. The major guard hairs were six to eight inches long and deep black with highlights. She glistened. Under this was a thick coat of very fine fur. Bear had a fault. It was really an obsession. It was all about porcupines. She didn’t like them. Building Boldness: If You Think You Can Write - Start with Your Local Newspaper You do not have to be happy when you write. Perhaps if you are unhappy, you will do a better job of writing, and communicating. The following letter is one that I sent to my local newspaper. This is an excellent proving ground and opportunity to hone your skills. It costs you a little time and a postage stamp. If you have e-mail, forget the stamp. Most newspapers are happy to get your e-mail letters to the editor. Bulding Boldness, Part 2: Have A Viewpoint: Write a Letter to the Editor You do not have to be happy when you write. Perhaps if you are unhappy, you will do a better job of writing, and communicating. The following letter is one that I sent to my local newspaper. Building Boldness, Part 3: If You Think You Can Write - Start with Writing Basic Letters Perhaps in a letter you will do a better job of writing, and communicating. The following letter is an actual letter that I sent in response to a request for information. This is an excellent proving ground and opportunity to hone your skills. It costs you a little time and a postage stamp. If you have e-mail, forget the stamp. Most people are happy to get your e-mail letters. It is very good practice. Volunteer for a community service group. Volunteer to be the secretary. A Celibate Cleric & A Blind, Deaf, and Numb Medical Doctor? What is really required to be an adequate priest, minister, or cleric? At the present time most clerics are about as useful as skin warts. It simply is not important whether or not clerics are men. It simply is not important whether or not clerics are women. A priest, minister, or cleric must regularly experience the transcendence, the ecstatic state, the strong spiritual part of the sexual embrace. A celibate priest is like a blind, deaf, and numb medical doctor. A Droplet in the Ocean There is a viable alternative to these patterns of corruption of religion. It is for each individual to accept personal responsibility for their connection to God. It is time to see through the camouflage to the truth of leadership of organized religion. It is time to see that absolute power corrupts absolutely. God will judge your actions when He calls you home to Him. He will savor your essence. You will once again be a droplet in the Ocean of God. You will have returned to God. Abortion God gives us all free will. God does not discriminate against women. Attempts to limit a woman’s ability to exercise her free will to choose an abortion is not a part of God’s Plan. God will tell us all when He changes His Plan. No child should ever come into the world without at least a loving, caring mother. Women instinctively know that they are not fit mothers. I believe these women are right. There should be no limit on a woman’s ability to exercise her free will. An Image of God? If someone tells you that he knows what God looks like, run away as fast as possible. We humans seem to desire above all else to have an image of God. Our imagination is limitless. Many things have been chosen, or created, as images of God. Here is one of the more unusual choices. The spider. It turns out that this choice is not a new one at all. In its own way, the choice is logical, if not very heart warming. Animals as Gods We humans seem to desire above all else to have an image of God. Our imagination is limitless. Many animals have been chosen as images of God. This happened all over the world. It is still happening today. We just use the images differently. We use these animal symbols because they help us identify with the teams, or products, or Gods. Are You More Than Organic Fertilizer ? You must make choices. Your mistakes are as important as correct choices. You learn from both. God will learn from you about both your good choices and your bad choices. The enslaved can make slavery so much work that it becomes too expensive to continue. A dead slave is useless except as a few pounds of organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizer is easy and cheap to gather at stables. All life on Earth is a short term condition. Our unique task is to bring God new knowledge. Biggest Slapstick Joke Since Vaudeville Humans have souls. This may be the biggest slapstick joke since vaudeville. This egocentric idea allows us to lie to ourselves. It gives us a sanctioned license to “seek dominion over all of the earth”. We humans want desperately to believe that we are important. We want it so much that we could have invented the idea of soul. As as an after thought, we may have invented “God” to “create” our souls. A falsehood nested inside a falsehood. Lies can grow and grow with each telling. Getting A Soul When does God attach a soul? First, please remember that we’re trying to use straight line steps of thought. Second, that I stated previously that the whole question of “soul” was an unknown. I agree that the whole question as to whether we even have a soul is an assumption. I believe that we do “get a soul” at some point. I just don’t know at what age. God’s Expectations and the Good Life Question: How do we know how to live the Good Life? Answer: We don’t. Survival is God’s only unwritten rule. Survival is Good. Remember these subsequent rules: 1. the predator evolves, getting smarter, faster, sneakier, and more adept at camouflage. 2. the prey also must adapt and change to every one of these abilities. 3. the prey must counter and defeat every new predator ability. Look Out for "Sin" Land Mines Repetition is the final step of learning. God doesn't deliberately set out "sin" land mines. Land mines for you step on and set off. You most often do it to yourself. The Bible was written at a time when theocracy was the general rule. The Constitution of the United States of America was the first written government document to almost totally separate civil law and religion. We are still not comfortable with the arrangement. Ten Proper Behaviors Proper behaviors are those behaviors derived from the evolutionary requirement for success. See through the camouflage. Fail this vision test and die. Be honest. Experience life. Be bold enough. Learn all the time. Think before you leap. Be observant and courageous. Play with friends and have fun. Get along with others. Modify our environment. Twelve Reasons for a More Realistic Creationism We humans are not alone in God's Universe. The results of Hubble telescope. The complexity question and the need for plenty of time. The Big Bang Theory. A more God-like Plan. God's goal is the result, not the process. God's toy soldiers. People are not toys. They are complicated and intricacate. People are driven by impulses. People are full of good and evil thoughts. People have desires. People have internal conflicts. People are blessed with free will . People are cursed with fr 18 Reasons No One Needs an AK-47 to Kill Bambi Right to life is a wonderful phrase from a wonderful document . The phrase has been applied inappropriately to issues not connected to the original intent and meaning. Originally it was propaganda. Now deliberately deceptive politicians are attempting to apply it to such diverse modern issures as abortion, dying of old age, stem cell research, or living in a brain-dead, vegetative state with the help of machines. We all need to see what the world as it really is, not what you want it to be. Five Reasons to Believe in God It all starts with a belief in God. What logic and reason might we use to help us form our faith in God? What observable, logical reasons form and give definition to our belief? By what basis do we defend to ourselves our belief and our faith in God? What proofs of the existence of God are available? What might lead us to believe in the existence of a God. A God that created us as intelligent beings and all that is around us? Sages & Sinners, Perverts & Priests, Five Reasons We all go to Heaven After our death, no one goes to Purgatory. Purgatory does not exist. No one goes to Hell. Hell does not exist. We all go to God. God exists. We all go to Heaven. God exists. God is. God's Plan is not about your accident of birth in a society, or a religion. God's Laws apply to everything and everyone. God's Plan includes every society and every religion on the planet. Six Similarities of a Priesthood and Organized Crime How to recognize the “con game” of organized religion. 1. Similarity of purpose 2. Similarity of plan. 3. Similarity of actions. 4. Similarity of results. 5. Similarity of style. 6. Similarity of modus operandi Eight Good Reasons for Birth Control Intelligence has changed things. We now have better medicine. We live longer, far longer. Eaising children to the standard of success takes a lot more time, and money for every child. We simply cannot afford to have as many children as did our ancestors. To do so in today's world is not a good survival plan. Birth control is not just a whimsey, a choice for frivolity, it is an economic necessity for most, especially poor, families. Birth control is also a choice of free will. Nine More Proper Behaviors Proper behaviors are those behaviors derived from the evolutionary requirement for success. Ten proper behaviors have been discussed in another article. Proper behaviors are those behaviors derived from the evolutionary requirement for success: survive. We can infer some additional guidelines for proper behavior that follow the first ten. Nine Points about Organized Religion Nothing about religion is simple. Some leaders of organized religions freely admit their own lack of faith. An organized religion is a formalization of conservatism designed to resist change. Organized religion is a pipeline and a connection. Organized religion provides a baby blanket for adults. Hatred and wars approved of by religion is the greatest of failures of organized religion. Organized religion has used “missionary work” as a weapon of mass destruction. “Beam Me Down” Creationism This is the idea that suddenly God decided to Create Everything, and then took a week to do the job. It is quite literally telling God how to do His Work. It has the gall to put Him on a work schedule! It is as if there existed a penalty clause for late completion. If God Is All Powerful, why does He need a week ? Get the job done Now. The question is, why should He? Why would God be in a hurry? Does God have a deadline? Human beings made up the story. Sex Instruction You, and only you, must teach your children about sex, sexual activity, "safer sex", and especially HIV. Because the risks are so high for your child's life, you cannot take a chance and risk not doing this for your child. What's a little embarrassment, or a whole tub full of embarrassment, compared to the gut wrenching emotional pain of having to buy a coffin for your beloved child? Little Children Shall Lead Them “What is God? Where is God? What does God do? How do I know God answers my prayers? What does God look like?" Answer as you would to a small child’s questions. Don't lie to your children. Children will test you and God. The straight forward answers are: We don't know. We don't know. We don't know. God doesn't answer our prayers. We don't know. Boils in Your Bowels What then of justice? First, it does not exist. Second, it is an abstract idea, an artificial human construct. Justice is a symbolic abstraction which we invented. Perfect Justice, if it could ever be achieved would be self limiting, and terribly suffocating. Injustice is a normal condition. Injustice, power seeking, pleasure seeking, anger, pain, greed, suffering, and monument building are the basic fuels of human nature. Without them, nothing changes. They are powerful motivators. Burning The Dumb & Domesticated The strength of your faith is not the question. I tend to believe that your faith is already strong. Faith can be more powerful than any other emotion. Organized religion has purposefully committed unnumbered acts of sacrilege. False religious leaders hold out their hands expecting you to place your money in their hands. You dutifully look on like a dumb domesticated food animal. It is your life. You must decide for yourself how to live it. Burn This Book: The Church, Women, and Celibacy If you do not have it within you to question yourself. Burn This Book. If all you want is comfort. Burn This Book. If all you want is to be left alone in your unconsidered beliefs. Burn This Book. If for you, the Bible is the actual words of God, and must be taken literally. Burn This Book. If you don’t understand the word version, at the top, where it says, The King James version of the Bible, then stop. Burn This Book. The Big Lie of Creationism & Intelligent Design Your soul does not die. Your soul is a part of God, immortal and everlasting. We are all part of the Eternal Whole, God. We all return to God. We are the carriers of God’s knowledge. God is not all knowing. He even questions Himself. He wants to learn. He is curious. He has set up His Plan of the universe. He has set up His His system of evolution. He lets competition to survive create His versatile tools. You are a part of that Plan. God's Plan is the only Intelligent Design. Behind Closed Doors Don't ignore history. To think to do otherwise admits an ignorance of the behavior of many religions. Especially that of their leaders in the past. Please consider what is demanded in return. You have to be domesticated like goats and sheep. You have to be prepared to be shorn regularly. The answer to these all too common perversions of religion is to go underground. Being a martyr is not a necessary part of the requirements of God. Basic Investing for the Small (micro) Investor The following is a letter I sent to my children in 2001. It is about investing and how to go about it. How to start. How to maximize safety. There is no free lunch. You do have to do some easy reading. You need to know this stuff to manage your 401k and your IRA. You might as well start now. What Is God? When I was in college in New Mexico, I first encountered the idea of a spider as a God. I was trying to learn something about the local culture and state history. There were several tribes in that state that had stories about Grandmother Spider, the Creator. By way of comparison, a spider might very well be a cute, cuddly critter when compared to God. God does not have a heart, in either sense of the word. God is pure intellect. God is only concerned about investigating His Questions. What Does God Look Like? What does God look like? I don’t know. I also don’t know if She, or He, wears boxers, briefs, or pantyhose, or needs any one of these choices. And are these questions really important? Well, I’ll grant that, to many people, an appearance by way of a picture, or a sculpture, allows them to visualize God more easily. As far as I am concerned, you may use any image you choose that pleases you. War Brides War is, in the end, a struggle over physical resources and minds. Killing in war has never been considered “wrong”. It seems to be connected to the self-defense mechanism. We are hard-wired to feel a genetic sympathy for close, tribal relatives. War used to be about increasing life. Modern weapons are a lot more efficient for massed killing than spears and arrows. Modern armies are very different. Modern armies and weapons are very efficient killers and destroyers. Sex Instruction: HIV and AIDS Seeing the world as it is, is God’s Plan. Sexual activity is God’s Plan for us. If you do not like God’s Plan, that is your real problem. Go argue with Him, if He’ll listen. I don’t think He will, so deal with the situation as it is, not as you want it to be. Be prepared to deal with reality. Teach your children what they need to know. Help them to know how to make better decisions. Help them live. Which immediately brings us to the problem of HIV and AIDS in the modern world. Life After Death? Part 1 Heaven and Purgatory How does it all end? We all die. We are all in this together. The only ways to escape are to die, or leave the planet Earth. What did you think? That God was going to give you a special pass? Were you planning to bribe your way past the Pearly Gates? What do you think the going rate is for a death pass there at the Pearly Gates? If God “Speaks” To You: Bliss and Terror, a Deer Caught in the Headlights If God “speaks” to you, you will know equal parts of bliss and terror. Think of yourself as a deer caught in the headlights. Think of hearing a distinctive voice talking to you. It might be a booming roar. It might be a quiet whisper at your ear. How many people that God is trying to talk to are thought to be mad? Isn't it curious that the mad were treated well by primitives? Isn't it curious that the mad are thrown into prisons by modern scientific thinking societies? Chop Down the Oak Trees At life’s end, God measures your worth in terms of the learning you brought to Him. This is the “weighing in balance”. You can only graduate by dying. A parent has a responsibility and duty to the child, society, and God to encourage learning. Parents must guide their children in learning how to make choices. The oak tree of self doubt is a powerful emotion. The soul that God provides you is an insatiable black hole for information. God is the potter. God, Homosexuals, and the Military I have two main thoughts on homosexuality. (a) Homosexuals have been set aside from society because they were non-contributors to population growth. They decrease the safety of the state by not maximizing the population available to fight enemies. (b) Homosexuality exists on the bell curve of human behaviors. As God's mechanism of removing genes from the gene pool, encouraging such individuals in high risk activities as the military and wars may solve two "problems" with one situation. Cheating Commandments If the individual has free will, he cannot be controlled or be given limits. The concepts are contradictory and opposites. Commandments from God are opposite to His purpose. A set of commandments is antithetical to God’s purpose. A set of ten commandments is a human concept, based on fear, and belief in the secrets and powers of numerology. It is Moses’ fault. Confronting the presence of God is not an every day experience. God’s Grace You cannot “confess” and be forgiven by anyone for anything you have done. God will not forgive, or pardon you. Forgiveness is a human idea. Forgiveness comes from weakness. God is not weak. The justice system doesn’t work today. This is one reason that decreases people’s trust in government. You chose your actions. You did them. Don’t be a wimp. Don’t be a crybaby. Be responsible for them. Be an adult. Learn some self-control. It is a Deliberate Lie to Call a Natural Disaster A Punishment of God People must make their own decisions. Learning made this way may be painful. God is not to be feared. He is not going to smite you. God is not vengeful, nor angry. God is not going to blast you, or your enemies. God does not send plagues, nor floods, nor clouds of locusts. These problems are only small parts of the natural world. When you hear from religious leaders that God is punishing you, or us, with such natural problems, recognize it for what it is, a deliberate lie. Death & Blackberry Pie You are born. You acquire soul. You live. You die. What comes after? That is the first question. The second question is, "Who, or what determines the part after death? Do you get just one run at life? Do you have an opportunity for multiple chances? Could a second life be a reward? Could a second life be a punishment? Isn't it up to God? Criminal Clerics & Blood Sucking Parasites God does not promise a long, or easy, life. God’s Plan only demands that you gain knowledge through experience. God’s Plan only demands that you are honest in self appraisal. God’s Plan only demands courage to do what you must. Don’t lie to yourself. Emotions are one of the strongest fundamental forces in the universe. As former fur bearers, human naturally detest blood sucking parasites. Consequences of Doing Good Accept responsibility for your actions. Prayer, charity work or donations, a “good” life, and good works are not necessary. Likewise charity probably won’t hurt anyone. You do have to be careful about unintended consequences. Do you feed a man a fish, or teach him to fish? One without the other has unintended consequences. You can consider joining a local service organization in your community. You will be following the golden rule. Communion Participation in any religious rite is your choice. The symbolism and mystery of the Transmutation is moving. The rite, if performed sincerely, is deeply moving and can be important to the individual. Think clearly about what you are doing in communion. Eating your God? Religious cannibalism is symbolic cannibalism. Participating in an unusual rite makes that rite just that much more memorable and reassuring. Circumcision vs A Clean Penis Cutting the foreskins from the penises of infant male humans will not affect God. God will not look more favorably upon a child so mutilated. Circumcision is a con job. Circumcision serves no useful purpose. We only need to teach male children to clean their penis. Cleanliness is next to Godliness. A clean penis is Godly. Nothing you can do, or say, will affect God. God does not listen to the childish whimpering of billions of spoiled brats. Christianity and Circumcision In Roman times, the new religion of Christianity was a really “tough sell”. The underlying culture was still strong. People were happy with the religion they enjoyed. The Christians were part of the Jewish faith, and new recruits were expected to comply with dietary laws and the rite of circumcision. This was a real test of conviction. Circumcision was given up as a severe public relations problem. Christians were being thought of as subversive and a threat to good civil order. Christian Troublemakers The Romans were tolerant of and protected all religions. What the Romans frowned upon was civil unrest and rioting. Christians were persecuted by Rome and across the Empire. This strongly suggests that Christians had become involved in, or had promoted, civil unrest. The various sects of Judaism may have fought in the streets of Rome against each other! Roman methods of justice were quick, reliable, and consistent. It kept criminals few in number and cautious. You Are A Disappointment to God? What is religious sin, especially if God is not going to punish you for your sins? Why can’t “sin” be as simple as God’s eventual disappointment at the results you have created of your life? God does not reject you, or throw away your soul when you are a disappointment to Him. If you waste your time, you can never get it back. Why should you waste even a single hour. "Soul" Pride & Rape of the Planet The idea of soul may be an egocentric concept. It allows us to believe that there is life after death. It permits a self-indulgent sense of pride. It justifies our otherwise stupid actions. We seek dominion over the earth. We rape the planet. We may even have invented “God”. Thinking that God thinks humans are important is simply more egocentricism. Don’t Expect to Be a Pig in Mud Expect little of God. Your whole life is a flicker of a shadow of a hummingbird's wing in flight. God is not interested in your problems. Get out there and do you job. A nanosecond, of bliss in a lifetime is enough. Bliss is not a hot tub. Don’t expect to be a pig in mud. There exists a place for regular periodic meditation. Enjoy God Like A Chocolate Milkshake Truth has no beginning and no end. Language determines thought. Study can lead to the Experience of Truth. It does depend on how you ascribe meaning to the words you use. You must experience God. You do not need to make magic, perform rites, or other claptraps of organized religion. You must experience a chocolate milkshake has the same result. You just do it. You need only a desire for the relationship with God to exist, and it does exist for you. Escaping Chains of Organized Religion The essence of religion is personal experience. In terms of that personal experience, there are no written rules of behavior for that experience. Human designed behaviors of worship are not God approved. Their purpose is to control you. As we live and have experiences, we will become different. Do not blind yourself by limiting your beliefs. Do not allow blinders to be fitted to you by others. A closed mind is a deadly weakness. An open mind is a deadly weapon. Evil & Capital Punishment Evil much more commonly results from deliberately hurtful actions by people. It is their actions that matter. It is the job of society to punish these persons for their hurtful actions. Society is not being protected to do its job safely. That job is to develop the economy and allow the safe rearing of children. Today’s prisons seem to be more like advanced training camps for stronger, smarter, more skilled, super criminals. Much of crime has become a free enterprise economic system. The Failure of Organized Religion To know God, to know bliss, or ecstasy, is our highest calling while alive. Religion is a way to find and experience personal ecstasy. Organized religion should teach us how to attain ecstasy. Organized religion fails in this duty. It has failed to teach the importance of, and implementation of, the golden rule in our lives. Individuals need to be taught how to attain ecstasy through implementation of the golden rule. You cannot buy your way into "Heaven". Faith is a Piece of Wood. Belief Is A String. Faith and belief are obviously related. How to illustrate them clearly so people can understand. Think of faith as a piece of wood. A stick. A rod. We are going to wrap a long string around the rod. This is called a spindle. Belief is string. Severe knotting of the string can result from mishandling. This severe knotting is called a snarl. We can reshape a rod of wood into a spool. The string can come off neatly with many fewer problems. Shaped faith, formed faith, controls belief. Faith Is A Refusal To Deny God Faith is being able to see God’s works around us. The mystery is our unwillingness to see what is before us. Faith is dealing with the hard realities. God insists these are more important than our wishes. Faith is a refusal to deny God. Faith is a refusal to deny God the Power to Do It His Way. Faith in God is based on the scientific method and is subject to proofs of sense and reason. Faith is believing Christ’s words, “Nothing is impossible to you.” Faith is confidence in God’s Plan. Faux Religion and the Real Deal It is Sunday so you got up to an artificial alarm, got yourself through a shower, and got dressed. You ate something you didn’t remember five minutes later. You drove to church in a dazed state. You are now singing a familiar song. Why? You have repeated familiar prayers. Why? You dropped a contribution in the collection plate. Why? Was it because it is expected of you? Why? By whom? Are their expectations about you that important? Why? What have you achieved? Terrorism From the Right Militant evangelical fundamentalists of whatever religion are dangerous people. They are ignoring what is good about religion. Killing, hurting, destroying, and causing schism is more important to them than the religious message. Protestant militant evangelical fundamentalists wear the same stripes as Islamic militant evangelical fundamentalists. Both are willing to violently attack people for political power. Both are willing to use government to force their religious laws on everyone else Fishing, Vultures, Hyenas & Shotguns Leaders of organized religions are skilled, practiced, and very often college trained. They proudly call themselves fishers of men. What kind of fish are you? Your predator is here. It is a predator of predators. Predators come in many forms. Most predators of humans have learned to smile, and soothe your fears. The low-life human scavengers are planning to take advantage of you. Free Will & The Soul Carrier I believe that you are a container of soul. Only our souls are of God. Free will is the keystone of both faith and belief. Faith, to be real, must be put into action. Faith, to be real, must implement the golden rule. To do something with your faith, you must choose. You must exercise free will. For you to have free will means that the future cannot be known. God is not going to get personal with you. God’s gift to you is the ability to choose and believe as you see fit. Fresh Meat in a Den of Hungry Lions As soon as Moses came down the mountain, he was faced with the truth. We humans were already twisting and squirming. We were debating and weaseling. God sent us a reformer. From the very beginning of this reformation, we humans have been at our old habits. Jews were highly skilled linguists. They were skilled legalistic hairsplitters in their own right. The Greeks were long layering meanings of words. It must have been like throwing fresh throwing fresh meat into a den of hungry lions From Vision Quest to Bribing God Many religions have practiced this “seeking after God”. Sometimes it is a "rite of passage". Organized religion took these ideas, reinvented them, adding voluntary retreat from society, asceticism, and vows of poverty. All are attempts to incur the pleasure of God. Each is a kind of bribe to try to get something from God. They are attempts to force some kind of recognition from God. Some way to retain their power. Pruning God's Garden of Souls, Part 1 Spontaneous Miscarriages God has a Plan. We are a part of God’s Plan. His Plan includes unintended consequences. God does not waste. DNA is God’s molecular Plan of life. He deliberately built into that process random chance. God's only concerns may be the good of the species, and the result He gets from His tools. The wounded and the weak must be allowed to perish for the good of the species, and an untempered tool cannot do the required work. God is a good shepherd. He culls the flock. He seeks perfection. Pruning God's Garden of Souls, Part 2 Untouched by God God has a Plan. We are a part of God’s Plan. His Plan includes unintended consequences. God does not waste. DNA is God’s molecular Plan of life. He deliberately built into that process random chance. God's only concerns may be the good of the species, and the result He gets from His tools. The wounded and the weak must be allowed to perish for the good of the species, and an untempered tool cannot do the required work. God is a good shepherd. He culls the flock. He seeks perfection. Pruning God's Garden of Souls, Part 3 Erupting Neonatal Newborns God has a Plan. We are a part of God’s Plan. His Plan includes unintended consequences. God does not waste. DNA is God’s molecular Plan of life. He deliberately built into that process random chance. God's only concerns may be the good of the species, and the result He gets from His tools. The wounded and the weak must be allowed to perish for the good of the species, and an untempered tool cannot do the required work. God is a good shepherd. He culls the flock. God Is Dead? God is dead. The whole idea is and was dumb. The real question is not whether God is dead. The question is, is He alive? Is God alive in any sense in which we humans could quantify, or could measure. Is God alive in any sense in which we humans could detect? This is likely doubtful. And, in fact, God may be so disinterested in us as individuals of our species that He could make very sure that we could not detect Him. How do you define lifeand death? Especially as it pertains to a Deity? God Is Evil ? Evil exists. Random chance events of nature. Chance events that are the result of free will choices of humans. Now apply these words: like, limits, happy, fear, misunderstood, and control to yourself. Are you wearing blinders? Do you try to deny God? God is neither good nor evil. Why should God “spoil” you? Why should God desire a rotten soul? God Will Not Jump Out & Bite You God does not seem to be listening. This does not mean you cannot pray. It does not mean that you cannot have a vision quest. Focus yourself on God. Control your breathing and relax. God is not going to jump out and bite you. You will no longer be able to hear the TV. You have begun to approach The Way, Oneness with God, Enlightenment, Bliss, or Nirvana. You will not be asleep. God Will Not Paddle Your Behind You want a brand of human created order. That will make you feel more comfortable. You are unwilling to limit yourself to being a part of God's World. You want God to treat you like we humans treat a puppy being housebroken. No matter how much you want it, God is not going to paddle your behind. Our God Given free will determines our choices. Our choices determine our actions. God's Hammer God is. The soul is. Death is simply a matter of time, place, and circumstance for all of us. Today is a good day to die. We are the tools of, and for, God’s purpose. Just so with God with a useful tool like a soul. Why should a soul not be used many times for different purposes? Our purpose is to be used by God. Between birth and death, is up to you. You are God's hammer. God's Petri Dish Even God is uncertain how the human experiment will turn out. He most likely has multiple back-up plans. God has plenty of time. He’s already got His Plan of evolution working for Him. He also has evolution’s great tools of diversification and competition working for Him. God is not good, nor is He evil. God is. God simply is. God is using human beings. It is our own free will that develops good and evil. The Threat of God's Wrath is a Terror Tactic Made up by Organized Religion I don't believe there is a Satan. God does not need Satan. Satan's chief utility is as a symbol. A terror tactic. Hell does not exist. Those that say it does exist, are terrorists in the truest meaning of that word. The issue is control. Who is it that controls you? Whenever you are asked to suspend your sense of credulity. Vote with your feet. God's wrath is a terror tactic made up by humans. God is not wrathful, or angry, or even mildly irritated at anything you do. Why should He b God, Charity & the Camel God is not charitable. This idea is human delusion and egotism. If you protect a child from every hurt. If you protect a child from every decision. If you protect a child from taking independent action. The result is that he, or she, does not grow in self reliance. You are God's child. Why should God spoil you? A knife blade to be strong, must be hammered, then tempered in fire and water. Can a camel pass through the eye of a needle? God, the Minimalist God also does things in small ways. He seems to exert minimal effort. God is persistent. God is patient. God is constantly Creating Hydrogen. He does this by the Force of His Will. When there is enough, God metaphorically “flicks His finger”, a la “moves a butterfly wing”, and creates movement. Movement leads to whirlpools coalescing into balls of gasses in sizes large enough to become stars. God is a minimalist. I Am Who I Am God exists. This statement of faith is the ultimate assumption. This assumption may simply be an egomaniacal self conceit centered around the idea that “I”, a human being, am so “special”. It is not possible for me to exist without there being an all-powerful God that “made me”. It is an unsupported and unstable ego platform. It is only a small step to an egomaniacal anthropomorphous God. That kind of God is more palatable or acceptable to the vast majority of humans. Immaculate Conception Immaculate conception was a needful selling point for organized religions for the times. It is not needed now. Immaculate conception requires God's active intervention in human affairs. It sounds like a lie backing up an inconsiderate mortal man's belief that women are cattle, good only for bearing children. God is noninterventionist. He does not interfere. The story smells of rationalization and embellishment. Rationalization, embellishment, and falsehood are human behaviors. Intelligence, Technology & Cockroaches The race of human beings is meaningless to God. God does not care if you, or the whole human race lives or dies. This may be the ultimate test of intelligence. Humanity will only survive as long as it is useful to God. We are testing the efficacy of intelligence and technology and tool using. The next time, it might be another type of test. Another species will get a chance to be in God’s tool box. Cockroaches are very tough and successful. God will choose the winner through evolution.
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