It's Blasphemy!

[Jim Spencer]

Can you imagine what life was like, 2000 years ago in Palestine? I spent 7 years in Saudi Arabia and Iran---strict Muslim countries. The penalty is death for a Muslim to convert to Christianity---even today.

In Jesus time, the Jewish peoples followed the Torah, from which the Old Testament came from. When Jesus came teaching them a deeper understanding of God's nature--the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man----the Jewish religious leaders were outraged. How dare this man from Galilee disregard the traditional Jewish laws and their "holy" leaders. He made them really uncomfortable and they needed him to go away.........The Jewish clergy had a good gig going. They prayed loudly in public places; they adorned themselves in ceremonial robes, and made a big deal about their service---all the while guilting the simple people into supporting them in their lavish lifestyles.

And then here comes the Son of God, dressed as an ordinary person; a carpenter and a boatbuilder. He loved children, forgave the sinners---even the prostitute at the well. He healed the sick, said that man was saved by his own faith; allowed himself to be baptised by John the Baptist in order to set an example of humility. He even raised the dead. He talked about how much God loves his Prodigal Son's---those who were not afraid to live life---even making errors of judgment. He talked about unconditional forgiveness--"we are forgiven---AS--we forgive others". And he talked about unconditional love---"leaving the 99 sheep to go and find the lost one"----and rejoicing over the return of that sheep and the prodigal son.

Is it any different today in our religious communities? Are our spiritual leaders placing themselves up on pedestals---with ceremonial robes, and elaborate ceremonies, and encouraging personal recognition and honor----all the while----when stories come up that do not reflect the life that Jesus led? We can say that all of these stories are only rumours or lies. But, when they keep on coming up---only to be explained away---as they have been for 40 years---------doesn't it sometimes make you wonder if there is any truth to them?

The problem that I found, and resolved for my own life---was the sometimes seemingly incredible depth of the speeches. They are mesmerizing---and seem to be true. Many great leaders have the ability for great oration---swaying the masses. Once you are locked in to a belief structure, it is sometimes close to impossible to step back and refocus. No matter which religion a person is in----they believe what they believe because they feel the spirit of God speaking to them through the religion.

This is true whether you are a Muslim, a Catholic, a Baptist, a Hindu, or a Moonie. Personally, I am a Urantia Book Reader and consider myself an Apostle of Michael of Nebadon, whom I relate to as Jesus of Nazareth. I see Him in my vision at will---I feel His constant love for me---and I am learning to feel His love for one more person each day. My goal is to understand His love for Rev. Moon---so that I can love Rev. Moon as God loves him. Back in the day when I left the church, I had a lot of criticism towards him. Today, my heart is modulating. While I believe that I should not be afraid to speak my truth sincerely---I continue to seek to understand Father more and more. From some of the information that was received from the S.W. Yogananda realized that reincarnation was a false concept, after he  passed on, and now he is working with his followers to correct this misconception. By the way, Yogananda was a truly superb human being. He loved Jesus, and when he came to America in the 1920's, he adapted his Hindu religion so that it was more palatable to Christians. Yogananda was a simple, humble, servant of others. He never tried to promote himself---even though he was a man of deep meditation and love for his fellow human benings. No matter how far we get from the path---God will always give us the opportunity to right our wrongs, especially if our motivation was true to our beliefs, and we did not try to willfully hurt others.

So, no matter if Rev. Moon is erroneously claiming to be the return of Christ or he is--- and I am totally misguided----God is still our Father and we all are his sons and daughters. He loves us. He wants us to explore----to test the truth. If he wanted robots----he could have made us like the animals. He wants Co-Creators------we are here on earth to gain experience---to challenge, to question, to learn love and compassion. Fear Not! God's not dead. He's living on the inside of each one of us.

 

Peace Out