I've had a pretty packed year; lots of transitions. Another move, this time to Sacramento, adjusting to life in the city again. Juggling jobs, friend and family issues and drama. Taking care of my beautiful grand-daughter, Alivia, and watching her grow has been a joy to my world.
But I have to say that, throughout my entire life, not just this year...I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that I have served or helped someone, even if it's been a thankless thing. So many people in this world do things that go unnoticed or unappreciated. So many times I keep quiet and think: "If they only knew..." and know in my heart how much good is done in the world that so many do not see. So many times I bow my head in gratefulness for the people who have helped me (they know who they are). So many times I ache, wishing that people knew the truth about such deeds, but know that there is a blindness that covers eyes, hearts and souls. A cancerous, selfish blindness that seems to have no cure here.
Christmas has become a time of year when the masses succumb to commercialism and paganism, crowded malls and department stores playing holiday music over the intercom. Selecting that perfect photo of entire families smiling for the cameras and sent as Christmas cards, calendars or postcards. Letters sent out notifying loved ones of a year's worth of updates and activities. Trees covered in lights, presents under the tree, stockings over the fireplace, candles lit...
It's a wonderful life. Or is it just another day in the life?
As an edgy, unorthodox believer, there is not too much I believe "in" these days. My faith is strong, but my belief waxes and wanes like the cycles of the sun and moon. I don't like to be told what to believe, nor how to believe...and at Christmas time, I greatly struggle with the parameters, boundaries and burdens that the media, market and religion has placed upon humanity. Wrapping "God in a box" doesn't do it for me. I do give credence to tradition, only in the human sense, because tradition contains the familiarity of hope and basic human, "agape" love throughout the centuries...real human beings of the past who have carried on the rituals and signs of hope in a world that even they even recognized was doomed. Galileo. Michelangelo. Mozart, Handel's Messiah...and so many more. Other than those, it seems that I am an enigma in an apparent sea of confusion and strife.
My mother (God rest her soul) taught me one thing that has continually impacted in my life, through thick and thin: "Actions speak louder than words." This gifted wisdom from her heart and soul has guided me through my "wonderful life" like every day being Christmas. It has helped me see through fake friends, shallow salespersons, empty marriages, ungrateful recipients, boring dates, thankless jobs, spoiled, immature youth, etc. The truth is and will be revealed through actions, not words. This is an ironic thing for me as a writer, where all I write are mere words.
But truth? Oh, truth is something that is greatly feared and rejected in today's "wonderful life". No one really wants the real story behind the story. After all, real truth is not marketable, not kosher, not representative of the "institution" being represented. It's all so very hush-hush. Truth be told...no one wants to hear or see the truth! Governments, religions and ministries, corporate institutions buy into their own drilled-up assholes thinking: "Let them eat cake. Let them buy into our bullshit so we can buy ourselves time. Then we will die, and the next generation has to deal with our mess. Smile for the cameras and clueless reporters." Oh, too soon? Too honest?
Guess what? Some lemmings might actually be thinking...some for the very first time.
It's one of the many things I love about the human aspects of Jesus Christ. What we know about this man is that he: 1) Was a carpenter, meaning he was a hard worker (thanks to his father, Joseph, who, by the way, had to deal with the whole Immaculate Conception thing), 2) Was dedicated to a cause, meaning Jesus knew the truth of what and who he was about (Luke 2:49), 3) Saw the world for what it was: fallen, and 4) Recognized "God in him" ie. "God with us" (Matt. 1:23). That prophets foretold his coming isn't a surprise. The world needed...and still needs...a superhero. Not necessarily physically, but spiritually. The soul in need of saving. The heart in need of beating for something. For anything...and not for destruction and demise of the world, but for the building up and saving of this world. Christ in us. Is that so hard to fathom?
Oh, so what did humanity do? Yeah, crucified the Dude. Oh, that's coming up here during the Easter season, where everyone does the Easter Bunny, egg hunt crap. Before you know it, Walmart's shelves will be adorned with plastic grass for those plastic baskets, hollow chocolate bunnies, and your Generation Z children who only care about the latest Xbox and iPhone upgrade...a spoiled, over-endulged generation that whines and cries about whatever the soup du jour is in a world that isn't.
Like I've said before, it doesn't take rocket science to be a prophet, for the future (time) here is based upon probability. If we haven't evolved to a state which could recognize unconditional, unadulterated love for what it truly is, well...live long and prosper.
But wasn't that what Jesus said?
Merry Christmas, Earth. And peace on it...
Carol
John 16
New International Version (NIV)
“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.
I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’
Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Spirit will not come to you; but if I go, I will send It to you. When It comes, It will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when the Spirit of truth comes, It will guide you into all the truth. It will not speak on Its own; It will speak only what It hears, and It will tell you what is yet to come. It will glorify me because It is from me that It will receive what It will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what It will make known to you.”
Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”
At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”
They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”
Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’?
Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
“Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech.
Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”
“Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
--
Carol
Monday, December 24, 2012
Monday, November 5, 2012
Membership Has Its Privileged (and you all thought Obama was the Anti-Christ)
In February of 2011, I met with Pastor Karen Siegfriedt and discussed the position of Director of Music & Worship. I told her, straight up (in so many words): "I'm not Episcopalian; please, don't ask me to be Episcopalian, I will never be an Episcopalian. That said, if you still want me to direct your church's music ministry, I'll do it." Then I explained to her my religious history. As many know, I was born and raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (mainstream Mormonism, LDS...no, not a polygamist fundie). In 1996, I left the only religion I had ever known (nearly 30 years) and went into, well...nothing. I only say this because I had no "Plan B" at the time that I left, so it was quite literally, nothing. Since that time, the journey has been quite enlightening. I went from borderline atheist, to agnostic, to "I don't know what the hell I believe anymore", to studying world religions, to "Okay, this Jesus dude might actually have something here." He did, I do...and I've been at peace with my spiritual journeyings...ever listening, ever reading, ever thinking. Church is, well...church. Could I or anyone really find a "church" or ministry that really believed in who or what they claimed to be?
My job in Nashville as Music Minister of a Southern Baptist church required me to join as a "member" of the Southern Baptist Convention. I had told them that I had a real problem with signing the dotted line with any religion or abomination (um, er, denomination). They assured me that membership really didn't mean anything, that it was just a requirement for paperwork for the position. In May of 2010, I found out quite differently (long story) and resigned my position. Jobless and homeless, I moved back to California and well...enter Trinity Episcopal. So when I questioned Episcopalian "membership", Pastor Karen looked at me quizzically and said, "Um, I don't think we've ever required anyone to become a 'member' of anything. We're...well, a church!" Since then, this little church in the heart of California's gold country has been a diamond in the rough. My trust has been compromised many times in my life, but where there is love, there is hope. Where there is hope, you find those who believe the same. That, along with an awesome, real-world congregation that truly live their motto of, "Whoever you are, wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you are welcome here," ...that was good enough for me. I've been there since March of 2011, and have had no regrets. Trinity Episcopal welcomes all, and you will find love. I wish all churches held the same creed in their hearts.
This election year has prompted a plethora of emails and Facebook messages to me from those wanting to know more about Mormonism, which I am assuming is coming from those wanting to know more about the beliefs of Mitt Romney, or curiousness because of all the current LDS [Mormon] PR and promotional campaigns on television and YouTube. The whole, "I do this and this and this, I am this and that, my name is [such and such]...and, I'm a Mormon," has seemed a bit contrived, at least to me. Mind you, I have not been an active Mormon for over 16 years, and as I do recognize that there are some good things in every religion, one cannot ignore the "other" stuff - the lies, hypocrisy, violence, and yes, murder - regarding the things that you never hear about because of a well-scrubbed history. I really can't knock a religion's attempt to appeal and market to the masses for attention. However, I'm also very aware of the fact that there are quite a few churches and religions with an unnerving amount of power and control, scrambling around to win "membership". Of such, Jesus said to "beware".
"Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others." (Matthew 23:1-4)
Most know that I'm quite unorthodox and "on the edge" in my beliefs and views about Jesus Christ. This Figurehead in history - whether you believe him to be an iconic metaphor, a mere finite mortal, or the literal Son of God - one fact that no one can deny is that Jesus changed the world. He is, quite frankly a "Superhero", an icon of power. However, it seems to me that the evolution of Christianity and religionizing of Jesus has created all kinds of gods, idols, beliefs, doctrines, rites and rituals that seem to [ironically] contradict everything that he taught and ultimately died for. Heck, even the Bible itself has become a "holier than thou" idol worshipped by unware, ignorant zealots and fundamentalists. Religious leaders and authorities are revered and respected - rings kissed, books written, money invested, media junkets scheduled, corporate ministries formed and desperately promoted, etc. Corporate religion, like Mormonism or Catholicism, Scientology and many more...is more respected than the basic "love thy neighbor". How Jesus is painted in the Bible as some poor and meek homeless transient, despised and rejected, healer, teacher and world savior as compared to the well-marketed, commercialized, politically-charged, Hitler-like leadership role of today, well...the religionized Jesus certainly doesn't exactly want to make me a joiner.
Like Jesus needed membership in anything! Like the proclaimed and prophesied "Son of God' needs the fundamentalist trash, reverends, ministers, pastors and political endorsements to make his point. His resistance to corporate religion of his day got him crucified! Now, I'm not so easily influenced with scare tactics, as his disciples were. The rooster doesn't have to crow three times, believe me (Matt. 26:34) But I sure as hell won't be forced into voting for a man who believes in a Jesus Christ that some self-proclaimed prophet thought he saw in a vision in the 1800s. Talk about Muhommad's vision in a cave near Hira? What makes Joseph Smith's vision in upstate New York any better...or worse?
I don't know much about Romney. He is not in my circle of friends; he doesn't know who I am, and hell, I don't know if either candidate has me or my best interests at heart. I don't know Obama from Adam [West]. But Romney is a Mormon, and Mormonism is a very powerful corporate religion. I do know, however, that it has been the vision of Joseph Smith (the founder of Mormonism), Brigham Young, and many Mormon leaders and "prophets" to build up their "kingdom of God" on earth. If a leader is going to be in a position of power, what better way to usher in and accomplish such a mission than the Presidency of the United States? Yet, because Romney is a Republican, there seems to be this "forced loyalty" to vote in such a manner. I guess until the cards are actually called, ignorance is truly bliss.
Most don't know a whole lot about the Mormon religion. I can only speak from my own experience, and it has been over 16 years since I left. Most of the questions I'm asked are about what ceremonies go on in those white, elaborately decorated temples, or the "funny underwear", or why Mormons can't drink coffee or alcohol, or why they seem so...well, "Stepford". Some probe deeper into the doctrinal and theological aspects of the religion. If you wonder, don't hesitate to email me, carolrharper@gmail.com. I'll do my best to educate you.
For you Christian fundies and those who have ears to hear the media and ignore logic and reason...realize that the LDS Mormon church has a force of over 40,000 missionaries who speak in many tongues. Realize that the LDS/Mormon church's membership of millions is led by an authorative hierarchy that has the appearance of goodness, wholesomeness and what America thinks it wants. Realize that the LDS church's very foundation is laid upon a Jesus Christ that was Lucifer's brother, that this Jesus had a few wives himself, that this Jesus "appeared" in a vision to Joseph Smith with "the Father" (two personages, not one, which is polytheism)...and that those who are "members" of this church believe that they, too, will become gods and goddesses of their own planets, have many wives, and will populate their own worlds in the universe. Sounds kinda Sci-Fi, and yeah...it kinda is. Want to find that ticket on the next Hale Bopper comet, be my guest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Applewhite
"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." (John 8:32)
Read Matthew 24. Religion has this way of defining, whereas truth has this way of refining me as a spiritual human being. Hard to believe that I was loyal and dedicated to the fictional Book of Mormon, the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, and all Mormon scripture (Doctrine & Covenants/Pearl of Great Price) for nearly 30 years of my life. But when I left, it was quite a bit more devastating than finding out that there was no fat, chimney-spelunking Santa and eight flying reindeer. The religious deprogramming process was one of the most difficult, emotionally and mentally trying times of my life, but I did get through it, not because of belief, but because of my own, innate faith, the security in my own self and belief in my own spiritual journey, a search for the truth...but most of all, the balance between all of it.
How will we actually seek the truth in this election? Or are we fascinated by the pretty colors and fluff?
One of my favorite chapters in the Gospels is Matthew 23. A Jew in the Roman world, Jesus was obviously not about religious belief, and had the strength and wisdom to object. In fact, he abandanded his born-into religion of Judaism, recognized the religions of power in his world (Roman/Greek mythology, Judaic law and mysticism), and called things as he saw them. In a world cursed with millions of years of doubt, I still hold to the belief that there has been only one real "Superhero" in history who shouldn't be ignored by either skeptic or spiritualist:
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. (Matthew 23: 13-15)
I looked in my purse today. I have several "membership" cards. I'm a "member" of several local organizations, and I do this because they and I believe in what they say they deliver. I carry cards in my purse for Beverages & More (hey, can you blame me?), Dimple Records, Costco, Starbucks (duh!), SaveMart, PetCo, Gold Trail Foods, Panera (awesome cheese bread!), CVS Pharmacy...all are clamouring for attention, for endorsement, for money and attention. I trade membership with a few local business organizations. But when it comes down to it...when the pedal hits the metal...who's gonna care about me as a person? Politics? Corporate religion? The media?
So here I am. I vote Romney and fulfill befitting anti-Christ prophecy (Matthew 24)...or vote Obama and continue to abide by faith. I tend to walk by faith...even in not the best of circumstances.
Be wise tomorrow as you vote. Foolishness has a price.
_____________________
Below are some links to sites that might be helpful/informative:
http://www.exmormon.org/
http://www.exmormon.org/tract2.htm
The Godmakers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfz6pG5JRQY.
Quite sensationalized and the cartoon is kinda hokey, but it does give you an idea of some basic Mormon beliefs/doctrines.
Mormonism Exposed, Parts 1 & 2 - An interview with a couple LDS missionaries.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wndhHF4t0Bc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB7VsO_sR0A&feature=relmfu
My job in Nashville as Music Minister of a Southern Baptist church required me to join as a "member" of the Southern Baptist Convention. I had told them that I had a real problem with signing the dotted line with any religion or abomination (um, er, denomination). They assured me that membership really didn't mean anything, that it was just a requirement for paperwork for the position. In May of 2010, I found out quite differently (long story) and resigned my position. Jobless and homeless, I moved back to California and well...enter Trinity Episcopal. So when I questioned Episcopalian "membership", Pastor Karen looked at me quizzically and said, "Um, I don't think we've ever required anyone to become a 'member' of anything. We're...well, a church!" Since then, this little church in the heart of California's gold country has been a diamond in the rough. My trust has been compromised many times in my life, but where there is love, there is hope. Where there is hope, you find those who believe the same. That, along with an awesome, real-world congregation that truly live their motto of, "Whoever you are, wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you are welcome here," ...that was good enough for me. I've been there since March of 2011, and have had no regrets. Trinity Episcopal welcomes all, and you will find love. I wish all churches held the same creed in their hearts.
This election year has prompted a plethora of emails and Facebook messages to me from those wanting to know more about Mormonism, which I am assuming is coming from those wanting to know more about the beliefs of Mitt Romney, or curiousness because of all the current LDS [Mormon] PR and promotional campaigns on television and YouTube. The whole, "I do this and this and this, I am this and that, my name is [such and such]...and, I'm a Mormon," has seemed a bit contrived, at least to me. Mind you, I have not been an active Mormon for over 16 years, and as I do recognize that there are some good things in every religion, one cannot ignore the "other" stuff - the lies, hypocrisy, violence, and yes, murder - regarding the things that you never hear about because of a well-scrubbed history. I really can't knock a religion's attempt to appeal and market to the masses for attention. However, I'm also very aware of the fact that there are quite a few churches and religions with an unnerving amount of power and control, scrambling around to win "membership". Of such, Jesus said to "beware".
"Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others." (Matthew 23:1-4)
Most know that I'm quite unorthodox and "on the edge" in my beliefs and views about Jesus Christ. This Figurehead in history - whether you believe him to be an iconic metaphor, a mere finite mortal, or the literal Son of God - one fact that no one can deny is that Jesus changed the world. He is, quite frankly a "Superhero", an icon of power. However, it seems to me that the evolution of Christianity and religionizing of Jesus has created all kinds of gods, idols, beliefs, doctrines, rites and rituals that seem to [ironically] contradict everything that he taught and ultimately died for. Heck, even the Bible itself has become a "holier than thou" idol worshipped by unware, ignorant zealots and fundamentalists. Religious leaders and authorities are revered and respected - rings kissed, books written, money invested, media junkets scheduled, corporate ministries formed and desperately promoted, etc. Corporate religion, like Mormonism or Catholicism, Scientology and many more...is more respected than the basic "love thy neighbor". How Jesus is painted in the Bible as some poor and meek homeless transient, despised and rejected, healer, teacher and world savior as compared to the well-marketed, commercialized, politically-charged, Hitler-like leadership role of today, well...the religionized Jesus certainly doesn't exactly want to make me a joiner.
Like Jesus needed membership in anything! Like the proclaimed and prophesied "Son of God' needs the fundamentalist trash, reverends, ministers, pastors and political endorsements to make his point. His resistance to corporate religion of his day got him crucified! Now, I'm not so easily influenced with scare tactics, as his disciples were. The rooster doesn't have to crow three times, believe me (Matt. 26:34) But I sure as hell won't be forced into voting for a man who believes in a Jesus Christ that some self-proclaimed prophet thought he saw in a vision in the 1800s. Talk about Muhommad's vision in a cave near Hira? What makes Joseph Smith's vision in upstate New York any better...or worse?
I don't know much about Romney. He is not in my circle of friends; he doesn't know who I am, and hell, I don't know if either candidate has me or my best interests at heart. I don't know Obama from Adam [West]. But Romney is a Mormon, and Mormonism is a very powerful corporate religion. I do know, however, that it has been the vision of Joseph Smith (the founder of Mormonism), Brigham Young, and many Mormon leaders and "prophets" to build up their "kingdom of God" on earth. If a leader is going to be in a position of power, what better way to usher in and accomplish such a mission than the Presidency of the United States? Yet, because Romney is a Republican, there seems to be this "forced loyalty" to vote in such a manner. I guess until the cards are actually called, ignorance is truly bliss.
Most don't know a whole lot about the Mormon religion. I can only speak from my own experience, and it has been over 16 years since I left. Most of the questions I'm asked are about what ceremonies go on in those white, elaborately decorated temples, or the "funny underwear", or why Mormons can't drink coffee or alcohol, or why they seem so...well, "Stepford". Some probe deeper into the doctrinal and theological aspects of the religion. If you wonder, don't hesitate to email me, carolrharper@gmail.com. I'll do my best to educate you.
For you Christian fundies and those who have ears to hear the media and ignore logic and reason...realize that the LDS Mormon church has a force of over 40,000 missionaries who speak in many tongues. Realize that the LDS/Mormon church's membership of millions is led by an authorative hierarchy that has the appearance of goodness, wholesomeness and what America thinks it wants. Realize that the LDS church's very foundation is laid upon a Jesus Christ that was Lucifer's brother, that this Jesus had a few wives himself, that this Jesus "appeared" in a vision to Joseph Smith with "the Father" (two personages, not one, which is polytheism)...and that those who are "members" of this church believe that they, too, will become gods and goddesses of their own planets, have many wives, and will populate their own worlds in the universe. Sounds kinda Sci-Fi, and yeah...it kinda is. Want to find that ticket on the next Hale Bopper comet, be my guest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Applewhite
"You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." (John 8:32)
Read Matthew 24. Religion has this way of defining, whereas truth has this way of refining me as a spiritual human being. Hard to believe that I was loyal and dedicated to the fictional Book of Mormon, the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, and all Mormon scripture (Doctrine & Covenants/Pearl of Great Price) for nearly 30 years of my life. But when I left, it was quite a bit more devastating than finding out that there was no fat, chimney-spelunking Santa and eight flying reindeer. The religious deprogramming process was one of the most difficult, emotionally and mentally trying times of my life, but I did get through it, not because of belief, but because of my own, innate faith, the security in my own self and belief in my own spiritual journey, a search for the truth...but most of all, the balance between all of it.
How will we actually seek the truth in this election? Or are we fascinated by the pretty colors and fluff?
One of my favorite chapters in the Gospels is Matthew 23. A Jew in the Roman world, Jesus was obviously not about religious belief, and had the strength and wisdom to object. In fact, he abandanded his born-into religion of Judaism, recognized the religions of power in his world (Roman/Greek mythology, Judaic law and mysticism), and called things as he saw them. In a world cursed with millions of years of doubt, I still hold to the belief that there has been only one real "Superhero" in history who shouldn't be ignored by either skeptic or spiritualist:
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are. (Matthew 23: 13-15)
I looked in my purse today. I have several "membership" cards. I'm a "member" of several local organizations, and I do this because they and I believe in what they say they deliver. I carry cards in my purse for Beverages & More (hey, can you blame me?), Dimple Records, Costco, Starbucks (duh!), SaveMart, PetCo, Gold Trail Foods, Panera (awesome cheese bread!), CVS Pharmacy...all are clamouring for attention, for endorsement, for money and attention. I trade membership with a few local business organizations. But when it comes down to it...when the pedal hits the metal...who's gonna care about me as a person? Politics? Corporate religion? The media?
So here I am. I vote Romney and fulfill befitting anti-Christ prophecy (Matthew 24)...or vote Obama and continue to abide by faith. I tend to walk by faith...even in not the best of circumstances.
Be wise tomorrow as you vote. Foolishness has a price.
_____________________
Below are some links to sites that might be helpful/informative:
http://www.exmormon.org/
http://www.exmormon.org/tract2.htm
The Godmakers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfz6pG5JRQY.
Quite sensationalized and the cartoon is kinda hokey, but it does give you an idea of some basic Mormon beliefs/doctrines.
Mormonism Exposed, Parts 1 & 2 - An interview with a couple LDS missionaries.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wndhHF4t0Bc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB7VsO_sR0A&feature=relmfu
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign
By Carol Harper
I’m kind of weird; I actually escape to the big city to relax. These days I seem to find more peace, wisdom and enlightenment in the city’s chaos than the quiet little Mayberry-like town I live in. I suppose there are different brands of chaos, and it’s good to get away from it once in a while. Still, I expect the unexpected and deal with life’s challenges, but sometimes it’s nice to take the time to float instead of tread.
On my way to Sacramento each week, I see many types of signs: Stop. Yield. Exit. Do not pass. Speed Checked By Radar. 65 Miles Per Hour. 55 Miles Per Hour. 45 Miles Per Hour. 35 Miles Per Hour. Road Work Ahead. Detour. Slow Children At Play (that sign still amuses me, for apparent reasons). “Vote For…” or “Re-Elect…” signs. “For Sale/Lease” signs in the front of vacant stores/buildings. Billboard signs that try to appeal to commuters to buy this, buy that, text this, text that, special today, discount this month. Yes, I’m a bit weary of the over-saturation and bombardment, but sign pollution is not a new problem:
Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him,
“Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign.
But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah…”
(Matthew 12: 38-39)
Who knows if the legend of Jonah is true. Metaphorically speaking, I often feel like I’ve spent waay more days in the figurative whale’s belly than Mr. Jonah himself. Maybe the real story is that he had a bit of time to tread water and think about the unpopular marketing campaign he was about to deliver to Ninevah, but whomever he was, it seems to me that Jonah had his work cut out for him. For throughout the history of humanity, one thing has always been clear: The truth isn’t necessarily something people want to hear.
I believe prophesy to be mathematic, based upon the law(s) of probability. It doesn’t take rocket science to figure out that one might have to “Barney” it down for some of the masses still blinded by the same old tactics and schemes that religion and politics have plagued the world with for centuries on end. I myself have experienced a lot of needless chaos and drama in my own life, and I fully admit that there have been times where I’ve ignored the signs…of a bad marriage, relationship or friendship, a bad purchase, a bad move, heeding bad directions on both physical and figurative roads. I’ve hit plenty of bumps and potholes in my life, regretting many things that made me wonder why I’m still alive. Others experiences I had very little or no control over, such as receiving severe whiplash from being rear-ended by a city bus, or hospitalized and deathly ill with strep and pleurisy. Or when I was a passenger in the car of a friend of mine (ironically, an attorney) who opened a bottle of beer while driving and said, “It’s a stupid law, anyway.”
Sign, rules, laws…all meant to establish control and order, yet the truth is: No one has control. In this laughable “God versus man”-type of competition, I fail to see where fallible mortals would ever think to win it. Death comes to us all. Accidents happen. Earthquakes, floods, fire, tsunamis, solar flares, asteroid impacts, droughts, diseases and pestilences, you name it...pray all you want to whatever god(s) made your rules, but I’m thinkin’ there is Something a bit more in control of cause-and-effect than all of the “because we said so” laws, signs, icons, rites, rituals, rules and commandments that man uses in an attempt to define and compete. Yet millions upon millions still blindly heed those who assume hierarchal, cultish control, simply because they can and we let them. Why?
My boyfriend and I often enjoy our evenings outside, in the chaos of the city. On several quiet-noise evenings in the early Spring, he would say, “Just look at this tree. Wait until it starts to leaf. It’s wonderful…the shade, the privacy, the peace....” I did wait, and I do see, and have spent many mornings with my laptop and a cup of coffee (or two, or three) and write under its shade, its protection, its power and beauty.
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” (Matthew 24: 32-35)
I waited in anticipation for that tree to do exactly as my boyfriend promised, and it did! All the signs were there…the budding leaves, the tender twigs, and thought further: if there was only one sign that really mattered in the whole wide world, what would it be? Where or to what would it point? What are we all looking for? What were the Pharisees and teachers of the law demanding from Jesus; what do we demand? He said that there would be no sign given except for one, and Jonah was the referenced icon. As we read in Matthew 12, Jesus does make his point:
“… For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.” Matthew 12: 40-41
In a world history riddled with destruction, violence, despair and death, and the vast amount of conquests that have been wrought to gain and maintain control…if there were nothing else in the world left to believe, there would be one sign that would be of value, at least to me:
The sign of hope.
A rare thing, hope. A lack of it can cause depression and despair. The falsifying of it can devastate trust and cause great cynicism. A pining for it can be a bit idealistic. Jesus wasn’t telling the Pharisees a riddle; he was “Barney-ing” it down for them in terms that even the most piously clueless could comprehend. There is hope, there is good news, “Light has come into the world…” (John 3:19) but you’re not going to find it in religion, politics, laws, rules and commandments, and the interpretations of such. You’re not going to find it in the stresses and worries of life, in the control or lack of it, and you’re not even going to find it by accident.
Hope is found in the living of life.
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10
Even way back then, Jesus could see that the world was in need of hope. His life and death were no accident; it was a sign. Still today, we ignore the kind of hope Jesus offers by putting him some sort of “God in a box” defined and marketed by religion, freeing him whenever we think it might benefit us. What’s in it for me? What do I get out of believing in Jesus, in God, in life—in life after death? Prove to me that my life is going to be any better than it is now. Show me a sign.
Jesus did. His foretold, mathematically-calculated mission was to deliver hope. The world waited in anticipation for what was promised, and it was done, the sign was given. Ironically, Christianity has stolen it away. I don’t think Jesus’ intent was to have his life and teachings packaged and marketed into religious factions, denominations, ministries and conglomerates, into a cross symbol, a statue, a painting…or even into an idolized book. In fact, I think Jesus would be downright embarrassed and temple-cleansing angry. An artist, a carpenter—Jesus was someone who created and built with his own hands, and it continually amazes me as to how Christians and their beloved churches have become so blind to how very anti-Christ they are in their destruction of hope. Rather than considering and examining this, they get offended and go into denial at the very thought. Rather than admitting their exploitations, they spend much time justifying them. They ignore the Jonahs that might come along and bring a bit of truth to their ears. After all, how could anyone say that they aren’t Christian? How could anyone question their beliefs, their witness, their worship, their testimonies? Don’t their mega-churches prove otherwise? Don’t their membership increases and bottom lines prove otherwise? How could anyone question their leaders, their mentors, their pastoral degrees in religion and theology hanging on their office walls? Don’t their sermons inspire, their Bible studies edify and convince? Don't the sales of books, music and products at big box Christian bookstores prove success of their witness? So many ministries and missions, who needs independence? So many signs, beliefs, rituals, creeds and commandments, who needs faith? So many self-serving, who needs saving?
Now, each day I take time to pay attention to different signs—not the ones made by men in their desperate attempts to prove their own “truths” and the myriad of versions of it, but actual signs of life that not only strengthen faith but also gives real hope. I look at and admire those magnificent trees that give shade, watch and listen as a breeze rushes through their leaves. I watch the clouds float by, birds flying by and hawks soaring high. I look at a bee hover around a flower. I see an entire prism of colors– blue skies, green grass, pink petunias, yellow sunflowers, the reds and oranges in a magnificent sunrise or sunset. I breathe in the morning and evening air; watch the water on a pond or lake glisten in the evening sun, see the wind bend the tall grasses in a field. I look up at the stars at night; try to find the moon in whatever phase it might be in. I smile as I look into the faces of loyal, loving pets. I listen to my grand-daughter giggle or cry, listen to a fellow musician sing or masterfully play an instrument, hear the majestic sound of a rushing river. I smell the aroma of freshly ground coffee beans, crushed garlic, bacon frying, the first rain of Spring, fresh bread coming from a local bakery, early in the morning, or the first smell of the crisp Autumn air. I watch the seasons change grey to green, from death to life...a deciduous process and power that I cannot give an answer as to why it happens, yet does in front of my very eyes, unexplained.
The signs I see point to Something that does not need packaging…and though the simple messages of truth and signs of hope might be squelched by today’s forces that be, I am grateful for the laws of nature and the signs that have remained true for millions upon millions of years.
See how the flowers of the field grow? They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field,
which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire,
will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or
‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
For the pagans run after all these things
and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.
(Matthew 6:28-34)
“Sign, Sign, Everywhere A Sign…” Copyright © 2012 by Carol Harper. Permission to publish, contact: carolrharper@gmail.com
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