Wimerwhiners

Allowance

2010-06-10T07:50:00.000-04:00

Hey Rush, some cheese with that whine?

2009-10-19T09:56:00.001-04:00

Again the myopic right tries to defend the most bigoted racist individual on the air today with “we witnessed such palpable reverse discrimination (i.e. racism) instigated by leftist ideologues…[against Rush]” I sure know where to go when I need a good laugh! Never in the course of history has Republican Right Wing Rhetoric been so veiled with the “issues” as now. Time and time again they say, “We are not racists, it’s the issues we are fighting.” Yet, their demeanor and body language denotes an agenda that they will never admit. Whether it’s their words of individualism, their mannerisms of supposed caring or their proclamation of defending the “free” market (that’s controlled by their financial supporters), it’s the same old shell game. When we are looking in one direction, they are making their moves in another direction. Read my past article on “Sleight of Hand” to understand what they are doing.

If you believe their rhetoric then I suggest you do a serious inventory of your life. If you are so out of touch with reality that you ingest this foul smelling hooey and actually believe it, then you need to find a way to save yourself before you succumb to mediocrity. What is mediocrity? Achieving barely adequate results because of a poor and inferior attitude. Why are these spin merchants selling you their idea of America? Because they want to maintain the status quo where you are a worker bee and they are the beekeeper. It’s that simple. But, when you are distracted by being absorbed with getting the best for your family, having the latest and best “things” and enjoying your life, they are making beaucoup cash from you desires. Go ahead, make their day and believe their B.S. You will end up in debt and NOT have the access to affordable health care that you, and everyone, deserve.

If you don’t believe in their rhetoric, then make the time to call, email or write Rush and let him have it. Tell him to take a little cheese with that whine of his and temper his ratings lust. Call him out for the RACIST he is, and then do the best thing you can do and ignore him. Encourage thinking people to NOT listen to him and you will see that he will go by the way of all things that obscure reality; they will fade way into obscurity. Those who obscure will inevitably be obscured. The universe is NOT a vacuum as it was once described. It is a mechanism that moves with the precision of a fine tuned clock. Those who sow discord and derision will reap the fruits of their labors. It’s just a matter of time.

Do you think that Rush cares about you? If you do, you are fooling yourself. He only cares about one thing. RUSH! His ratings are of high import because they attract his advertisers, who pay dearly to be associated with him; in more ways than one. He only cares about the bottom line. How much money he makes on a daily basis. His only God is MONEY! As Paul said, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” Not money is the root of all evil as has been misquoted over the years. It’s hard for the rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven because he cannot give up all that he has made. It has become his God. Are you believing in a false God? Do you listen to and admire people who worship a false God? Then, as I said earlier, it’s time to take that life inventory. If God is truly at the center of your life then stop listening to hate mongers like Rush, Glenn, Bill and Sean. They are steering you down a path to destruction of your individual soul.

Follow the words and behaviors of Jesus and other teachers who pointed the way. A good teacher never tells you that they are the way, but points you to who, what, where, how, when and why you must follow a certain path to enlightenment and understanding. Buddha said “You are the enlightenment.” It is within each and every one of us to achieve unity with God. Take that path. The rewards are health, wealth prosperity and abundance. Isn’t that better than cheese with whine?

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. Please visit my Eschatology Refutation Blog. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." ©2009 Dean A. Banks. All Rights Reserved. Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.

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The boy in the bubble (balloon, i.e.)

2009-10-16T09:43:00.001-04:00

David Vetter, known as the boy in the plastic bubble, died in 1984 at the age of 12. He suffered from SCIDS (severe combined immune deficiency syndrome) and was forced to live in a sterile environment. Being cut off from the outside world he had to learn to live on his own terms. Can you imagine? Being cut off from physical contact with your family members and the rest of the world. The doctors said that David had a defective thymus gland, the gland responsible for producing immunological agents in the body that fight off disease and infections. Many new age holistic healers attribute the thymus gland to the figurative heart. When you feel and give love, symbolically from the heart, it is actually from the thymus gland, which is located near the heart. The thymus gland releases hormones that monitor the health condition of the body and generally remains active until puberty. As one gets older, it continues to shrink and atrophy. According to some schools of holistic healing, when you give and receive love actively, the thymus gland continues to produce hormones and immunological agents to keep your body healthy. Whether this is true or not, it was interesting to see the interaction of love between this boy and his family despite being separated by a plastic bubble.

Are you living in a figurative plastic bubble? Have you separated yourself from your family, friends or society because you have been hurt or rejected by someone? Have you been exposed to unusual circumstances such as the boy, supposedly in the balloon, that activate your imagination and personal agenda? Do you try to pass off your opinions about life as facts to other people? Take the balloon boy’s father for example. If you watched to interview he rarely looked at the camera with his eyes. His attention was focused on anything but looking directly into the camera. His body language was indicative of someone who was trying to divert attention from himself. On Larry King last night, his son Falcon said, “We did this for the show.” Wolf Blitzer, subbing for Larry, repeated this statement and the father got defensive. Do you get defensive when someone accuses you of some wrong doing? Why would anyone get defensive if they weren’t guilty of something? Perhaps they were trying to cover something up? Could it be that the father was emotionally distraught and his heart was hurting because, for a period of time during the balloon chase, he didn’t know if his son was OK or not? Or was it true that this was a publicity stunt? I guess we will never truly know unless they offer different testimony. Suffice it to say, that we can only base our opinion on the facts and not supposition.

Did you give the father the benefit of the doubt? Or did you distrust him because of his answers and body language? It’s a tough call. If we examine the circumstances surrounding this event, we could draw many different conclusions. It depends on whether we accept the father’s demeanor as being honest or opportunist. After the family being on Wife Swap twice, we could conclude that they like the publicity and notoriety of being on TV. Being storm chasers and UFO junkies we could conclude that they are just nut cases. But what are their true motivations? Are they seeking experience and adventure or are they purposefully addicted to attention?

Much like the boy in the plastic bubble the boy in the plastic balloon was separated from a normal existence. His parents fueled his imagination and provided experiences for him and his brothers that were different from most children. When your imagination is activated and highly developed it can be difficult to separate reality from fantasy, especially at the age of six years old. It’s no wonder he hid in the garage attic because his dad had yelled at him. The parents had taught their children to not be afraid of danger and adventure. They didn’t teach him how not to be afraid of dad yelling, and it cost the entire world the anticipation of not knowing whether he was safe or not and to slowly exercise their hearts from their throats when it was discovered that he was alright. Did this adventure activate the love within all of us for the safety of this boy? The pressure has been so intense for Falcon that he actually threw up on the interview with the Today Show this morning.

Are these parents thinking about the overall effects on the lives of their children? Can you imagine what is going through the minds of these kids as a result of all of this attention? Does anyone care? If you don’t, then it’s time to leave your bubble!

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Your emotional scale (part 1)

2009-10-15T08:56:00.000-04:00

I started teaching a class last night in Multimedia Production and in this introductory class I spoke about the differences between analog and digital recording. I watched the look of bewilderment on some of the students faces as I explained how digital recording is simply capturing an analog signal and representing it with zeros and ones. I realized that the next phase of explaining how to research facts and not rely on opinions should be to discuss our emotional reactions. Nothing reveals more about the human condition and influence on the environment than a study of human emotions. This is a broad topic and will take several parts to discuss.

I continued to explain to the students that each hardware device in a computer needs a software program to manipulate the hardware. The software program is called a driver. Just like a car requires a human driver to manipulate the controls, a computer requires drivers to manipulate the hardware. A software driver is simply a coded script that lists commands in a sequential order that the hardware obeys. Much the same as our emotions are programmed and scripted as a result of our experiences in our minds and our environments to determine our behavior. In critical times we simply rerun these emotional scripts to react to events, circumstances and occurrences.

The human response occurs either moving toward (fight) or moving away from (flight) an event, circumstance or occurrence. The human body physically reacts to these events by releasing the adrenalin hormone from the adrenal glands located on top of your kidneys. Each emotional response has a physical reaction in your body. These physical reactions can either help or hurt your body if they are repeated and patterned in the memory of your nervous system.

Emotions are not just simple states. They are often layered on top of one another and combine to form other more complex emotional states. Some emotions have more intensity and subsequent physical reactions than others. Their correspondent energy levels are more or less intense dependent upon whether they are acted upon or not. A simple list of emotions and their definitions can be found here.

Many psychologists, psychiatrists and scientific researchers have come up with emotional layering models that allow us to scale their combinations and intensity. Robert Plutchik devised a wheel of eight basic and 8 advanced emotions (each composed of two basic emotions) in 1980. It is the graphic that appears with this article. For a more detailed explanation, click here. Plutchik believed that emotions evolved for the sake of human survival and reproduction, much like Charles Darwin. But why should we be concerned about the layering and intensity of our emotions? Because if we can identify and categorize an emotion, we can better understand not only where it is coming from, but what effect it has on us. The author of Changing Minds said, “Learn to recognize emotions at increasing levels of detail. If you can see the emotion, then you can respond appropriately to it.” A comprehensive but not exhaustive list of emotions can be found here.

Emotions can be described through the meanings of words, phrases and idioms. The science of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) connects these meanings to programmed responses within our neurological systems. Our sympathetic (inputting) nervous system senses our environment. Our central (outputting) nervous system reacts to our emotional states based on our emotional scale (intensity of emotions). Some psychologists believe that there are six main types of basic emotions; happiness, anger, fear, sadness, disgust, and surprise. We will discuss these more in Part 2.

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Are you delusional?

2009-10-14T10:16:00.000-04:00

Are you sure about some of the conclusions you make? Do you feel that you have garnered all the facts before you have made an important decision? Decision comes from the Latin word decisio, which means to cut off all other options. When is it good to cut off all other options? Only when you have based your decision on the facts and NOT others’ opinions. In order to evaluate the facts, one must have a handle on the gathering of information. First, you must have the freedom to collect that information. Next, you must have the desire to dig as deep as is needed to find the facts while being aware that you need to ignore any pre-conceived notions that you might have about a topic. Finally, you need to realize that knowledge is dependent on a correct understanding of any information you evaluate. The only way to gain an understanding is to utilize your mind in an imaginative manner. Delusion means that you maintain a false belief that resists reason or is revealed when confronted with an actual fact. Reason means an ability to use your mind to make judgments and evaluations based on observance, correlation and logic. Do you believe in things that resist reason? If so, you are delusional.

How does one escape being deluded? The first step is to be thankful for the freedom you possess to gather information. In this country there are libraries, internet resources and eyewitnesses available to source information on any topic. Knowing how to research facts that are not tainted by opinions is of prime import. Learn how to read body language and techniques of reading between the lines. Become a master of research before you make conclusions and discuss your opinions about any topic. One of my favorite sayings is “Wise is the fool who knows enough to keep his mouth shut.” Epictetus said, “No man is free who is not a master of himself.”

Next, you need to develop the desire to ferret out the facts. Just because your hero or some radio or TV talks show host says something doesn’t mean it is correct. Everyone has an agenda, whether they realize it or not. From the time you get up in the morning until the time you go to bed you are manifesting an individual agenda. Our daily interactions with others influence our emotional states and affect us whether we realize it or not. In order to be a fact seeker one must put aside the emotive result to judge facts and embrace the mental result of evaluating the facts. Evaluation is based on a logical correlation of observed facts. Judgment is based on an evaluation in relation to yourself. There is a difference! Each time you research the facts about any topic do more than you did the last time to discover the motivations of those involved in presenting the facts. Mia Hamm said, “Celebrate what you’ve accomplished, but raise the bar a little higher each time you succeed.”

Pre-conceived notions have a significant effect on whether or not someone thoroughly researches the facts. If you view the world through rose colored glasses you see only the good. If you are suspicious and paranoid about how people are influencing your life, then you will see the bad in everything or everybody that opposes your position (Beck, Hannity, O’Reilly, Limbaugh). Try to approach the research on any topic with an open mind and NOT a desire to find facts that back up what you feel is happening. Only then do you minimize the tendency to taint information to reinforce your pre-conceived notions. Merry Browne said, “Preconceived notions are the locks on the door to wisdom.”

Information is the characteristics or assets of facts, events or occurrences. When you understand how this information is applied, it becomes knowledge. When you understand how to apply knowledge to an event, situation or occurrence, it becomes wisdom. The key to getting from raw facts to an effective and accurate judgment is understanding. Understanding is a comprehension or personal interpretation of the facts that are observed. It is a cooperative and mutually tolerant frame of mind that allows different perspectives to be taken into account before a conclusion is made. It stems from an individual’s ability to have imagination. Imagination is the ability to form mental images or concepts without having information present to the senses. It is the ability to take what facts you concentrate on and contemplate their possible outcomes. A highly developed imagination is the hallmark of understanding. In fact, Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

Only through an acceptance and understanding of how to effectively research a topic can one avoid deluding oneself. Embrace the freedom you have to seek knowledge and the ability to observe and evaluate the facts. Release any pre-conceived notions and develop your imagination to the point where you take all the facts into consideration before you make judgments. Only then can you start to recognize the truth in all opinions. When that thread of truth is used to make a convincing argument to lead a base of people into supporting your conclusions without a 360 degree evaluation of the facts, then you are trying to delude others based on your own judgments (e.g., 9/12 March). Seek a better understanding of the facts before you take action. It will keep your foot out of your mouth and not mislead those who believe you. You can only delude others when you are pretty good at deluding yourself. Take the high road and speak the truth; it will surely set you free.

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Laugh out loud!

2009-10-13T11:04:00.000-04:00

I haven’t laughed out loud like I did this morning in a while. I read this article and couldn’t stop laughing. It started off with “Liberal revisionist historians and biased media types continue to do what they can to strip Americans of the truth of our heritage”; sounds like a whine about the liberal media again. Talk about parroting, word for word, Glenn Beck’s statements. As one commenter once said, this writer is the best cut and paste man in the business. I wonder what this “writer” has to say about Conservapedia re-writing the Bible? This GB supporter really loves his work and lays out his argument based on others’ opinions and NOT the facts. Subsequently, not a very good analysis. As Alistair Cooke once said, “A professional is someone who can do his best work when he doesn’t feel like it” applies. Since this writer continually manipulates the facts with opinions, professionalism is NOT a word that should be used in reference to his writings. Talk about right wing Republican rhetoric! What is exactly behind this rhetoric? It is attitudes and subsequent behaviors that come from a mindset that the way they look at things, their evangelical Christian view, is right. But most of the time their view is NOT based on the teachings of Christ. It is based on the Christian leaderships’ “interpretations” of the Word. Fools fooling themselves because they don’t THINK their way through an argument to a logical conclusion.

Articles like the one referenced amaze me. They take bits and pieces of the truth and concatenate a plausible argument because the facts are colored by the perspectives and opinions of those with manipulative agendas. If you choose to believe something, it is human nature to seek out those in agreement with you to reinforce what you believe. If your belief is valid, why do you need someone else to validate it? Could it be that your position is so weak that you know you have made a leap to a conclusion and are too lazy to investigate it? Or is it that you just feel that your conclusions and suppositions are valid because you have made them? Either way, the ego is involved. Anytime one’s ego is involved in determining beliefs it is skewed. Why? Because the ego is our survival mechanism. It is the device that oversteps any character that we have in order to protect ourselves. Character comes from making good choices based on facts and not opinions. It is the moral and ethical qualities of honesty, courage and integrity. Margaret Jensen once said, “Character is the sum total of all our everyday choices.” Ego was once said to mean Edging God Out. When YOUR needs are greater than others, your EGO has taken over. Embrace what God is telling you and go to Him for guidance. It will make you survive even more so than your ego. Don’t listen to the Beck’s, Hannity’s, O’Reilly’s and Limbaugh's of the world who preach FEAR! Rudyard Kipling once said, “Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are your own fears.” Stop listening to the liars of the world who prey on your fear and listen to the still small voice of God.

The Republican rhetoric of late has been to say “No” to everything. Just watch Fixed Noise every night and see what I mean. Fox News is the promotional vehicle for the Right Wing Agenda. It is NOT a news organization. They promote the simplistic and juvenile opinion that Nancy Reagan adopted when she said, “Just say “no” to drugs.” Just say no? She obviously didn’t have a clue what kids in school were going through because she used her frame of reference to evaluate a situation without all of the facts. The Republican representatives are just saying no because they think they know all the facts, but they don’t. Just show me one Republican (or even some Democrats) that are really in touch with the people! Their theories and suppositions are based on who is lining their pockets, not on what YOUR needs, wants, desires and expectations are. Wake up people and listen to what God tells you and not what manipulators are filling your heads with; their results will be frustration and depression. Make the time to go within and ask God for guidance.

There are times when saying no is good. Saying no to things that don’t contribute to life are wise. War, disease, poverty and ignorance are just a few examples of things to say NO to. Have you ever noticed that when you have said YES to things you haven’t thoroughly investigated that it came back to bite you? It is always a good policy to make the time to check your facts. Don’t give your opinion out until you have checked out what you have heard or read. If you don’t, you will be inclined to make big mistakes. Moss Hart once said, “All the mistakes I ever made in my life where when I wanted to say No, and said Yes.” Are you saying yes to the right things and saying no to the wrong things? Are you saying no to the right things and saying yes to the wrong things? It is simple. If opinions don’t contribute to life and the support of all concerned, then saying no is probably OK. If opinions contribute to life and the support of all concerned, then saying yes is probably OK. It is your choice. Make the smart decision. If someone spits rhetoric and B.S., turn your cheek and laugh out loud. They don’t have a clue, but you do!

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Out of touch

2009-10-11T20:55:00.002-04:00

Are you out of touch? What exactly does that expression mean? First, it is an idiom. An idiom is an expression of speech whose meaning is not a result of the literal meanings of its elements, but is a result from the parallel thoughts it creates. “Kick the bucket” is an example of an idiom which means that someone has died. Hence, the subsequent term “Bucket List”, which denotes a list of things to do before one dies.

Out of touch is an expression of speech which alludes to someone who is no longer interacting and communicating with one’s physical environment. The opposite idiom is to be in touch, or have regular communication and interaction with one’s physical environment. Events and circumstances regularly occur in our physical environments. Are they a result of random chance, or are they a result of one situation building on another situation until these situations are expressed as a final result? If you don’t pay attention to events and circumstances on a regular basis in your physical environment you are out of touch. In order to understand what that truly means we must analyze how events and circumstances manifest in our environments.

Jesus said in the Lord’s Prayer, “on earth, as it is in heaven.” Another way of saying this is “As above, so below.” These expressions of speech describe how the process of creation manifests in the physical world. As living beings, we have different aspects or levels of being that relay our thoughts into the physical world. Our spiritual aspect is our connection to God. It is a knowing that exists within us that we are expressions of the Most High God. Our mental aspect is where thinking occurs in our minds. It is where we generate and move the energy of thought. Our emotional aspect is where feeling occurs and it is where we either react to or pro-act with our physical environment. Finally, our physical aspect is where we interact with our environment through sensing. Our senses are our point of contact with our environment. Each of our 5 physical senses absorbs or feels different frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum and converts them into electrical copies or representations within our brains. What we perceive in our minds are symbols of our environment. We compare these thought symbols or archetypes to previous experiences through the contemplative processes in our brains. Our perceptions are a result of the state of all of our aspects of being in relation to the physical environment.

When we deny the facts that occur in our environment and replace them with the perceptions or opinions of others we are out of touch with ourselves. Anne Morrow Lindbergh once said, “When one is out of touch with oneself, one cannot touch others.” Do you live your life based on the perceptions or opinions of others? Are you so out of touch with your environment that you defend mediocrity and false beliefs? Have you daily accepted the easy way out because you have given up on your dreams? There is a way back to a state where you can be in touch with reality. It is a process that requires discipline and focus. By making the time to relax and block out the distractions of the outer world, you can begin to listen to the still small voice of God, who will develop your spiritual aspect to the point where your environmental interaction is based on knowing instead of reacting. Meditation is a process where you let go of the grip of the outer world and enter the peace and joy of the inner world. You might say, “I have tried to meditate and it feels weird, so I give up. It’s too hard.” First, you don’t try to meditate; the very definition of meditation excludes trying. If you try you are not letting go! Secondly, Henry Ford once said, “Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.” I addressed this in a previous article.

If you haven’t made the time to get in touch with who you are, then you will inevitably fall into mediocrity. Do you just get by? Are the results of your life barely adequate? Have situations occurred in your life that have shaken your world and have brought you to the point where you know something must change? Charles C. West said, “We turn to God for help when our foundations are shaking, only to learn that it is God who is shaking them.” Has God given you a wake-up call? Has He rattled your cage enough that you are finally paying attention to what is truly going on in your environment? Will you heed His call or will you ignore it? It is your choice. Choose life, awareness of yourself and being in touch with the reality from all aspects of your being. That is the only way to escape being out of touch.

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Finally a peacemaker is recognized!

2009-10-11T20:54:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Barack Obama for winning the Nobel Peace Prize. All of the cable talk shows are slamming the electrons with diverse and wacky opinions. Yet, for once, a person who has reached out to the Muslim world in peace is under attack from the conservative right wing Republicans who spend each and every day sitting on their shoulders. Sore losers who can’t even smell their own stench of backwards thinking. First the Evangelical Examiner with his evangelical cowboy diplomacy who doesn’t even realize that the death of the cowboy is nigh. Then, the Catholic Examiner who claims the Nobel Peace Prize is now tarnished! What about the priests in your church who tarnished young boys? Do you think we forgot about that? Then the Christian & Politics Examiner who couldn’t quite seem to make up her mind about Obama’s win. Instead of us all being thankful that someone from our country won the award, the same country that has wreaked havoc all over the world from the Bush Doctrine, the nay-sayers use this opportunity to promote their backwards agenda. Let’s go back to the old ways. Yeah, right. The ways of Ronald Reagan that put us in this mess to begin with. And he wasn’t even a real cowboy. He was great at reading cue cards, though.

And then there are Glenn Beck’s comments. He said Obama should give the prize back because he didn’t earn it. Jealous are we, Beck? Your 9/12’ers aren’t worthy of the NPP. You should give your show’s time slot back to someone who is mentally stable. After listening to this idiot’s revisionist history cries for an hour I got a headache. This man is truly delusional. And then there is his staunch supporter who claims that science has made evolution a religion. I will address that one in my coming series of the Evolution of Religion as a logical response to observations and conclusions that are made with opinion instead of fact.

Did you know that Conservapedia is re-writing the Bible with a conservative bias? Yeah, when the Bible teaches them to care for the other guy that’s just too liberal for them so they need to change what Jesus said to align with their hillbilly ways. And then there’s Newt and Callista Gingrich hawking ”Rediscovering God in America” DVD on Hannity. Talk about pompous! They claim a Judeo-Christian slant on the early settlers of this country and the Founding Fathers, who were predominantly Deists. Don’t these people read history?

Oh, and then there’s Rush Lamebrow. He calls Barack Obama a liberal sellout. Who’s the sellout Rush? Who’s the one who, in an on camera interview, stated that he would say anything for ratings and money? It’s funny that a practicing misogynist was asked to judge a beauty pageant. And Rush wonders why women don’t want to be around him. Even the football players of the team he wants to buy don’t want to play on the team if he buys it.

Let’s just call the cowboys and the cowboy mentality what they are, MORONS who practice backwards thinking and who don’t listen a word of what Jesus said. Yet they proclaim their allegiance to him. What liars and hypocrites! Thank God for Congressman Grayson who has the cajones to call it as it is! Call a spade a spade. Let’s start ignoring the cowboy racists who try to perpetrate their conservative skew that is NOT from the teachings of Jesus. Maybe they can move to a country ending in “stan” and play their war games with other non-practicing Christian morons. I’ve got a great idea! Why don’t the hypocritical evangelicals, Catholics, cowboys and proselytizing conservatives move to Texas and secede from the union. There’s plenty of dust to obscure their B.S. After all, they love spreading it!

Finally, let’s ask Michael Steele what he asked of Obama; “What have you accomplished, Mr. Steele, besides putting a black face on the Republican party and being their puppet spokesperson?” Just like the Reps selecting Sarah Palin for cosmetics and no substance. Just look at John McCain’s expressions and body language every time they appeared together and tell me that he was happy with her.

Who are the conservamorons trying to fool anyway? Don’t they know that anyone with half a brain can see through their selfishness and egocentricity? Their behavior is NOT the behavior that Christ outlined for us. Yet they try to manipulate his words to fit their agendas. Jesus’ behavior was considered liberal at the time he lived because he cared about those who were weak and poor. One person noticed this back in the sixties and spoke with clarity and bravery about the words of Christ. In 1964 at the age of 35 years old Martin Luther King won the Nobel Peace prize. He earned it just like Barack Obama. Unfortunately, he was killed for his beliefs in peace. Obama humbled himself in his speech on Friday and took the award as a charge to bring together all races, creeds and religions on this planet. Finally, after 8 years of mindless war someone is seeking peace. Remember, Obama walked into Bush’s wars. Thank God that finally, a peacemaker is recognized.

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Quit fooling yourself

2009-10-09T11:50:00.000-04:00

Do you get up every day and think you have a handle on life? Do you stack the deck in your mind to make your thoughts and actions appear favorable? Are you ignoring the facts by embracing the opinions of others who do the thinking for you? Have you jumped on the bandwagon without knowing where the bandwagon is going? Then, quite frankly, you are fooling yourself. The psychological definition of being delusional is maintaining a false belief that resists reason or is revealed when confronted with an actual fact. Do you still believe in things even though they have been proven to be wrong? Then you are delusional.

Let’s take for example the political rhetoric we face every day on the TV, radio and Internet. One side says one thing, the other side counters and everyone ends up confused. But what are the facts? Truth is relative and depends on one’s perspective. In a sea of reactive opinion we are treading water and not addressing the issues of humanity. But is there an absolute truth? Any action and behavior that supports life is based on an absolute truth of growth and expansion. Are you selfish about what you have earned and unwilling to share in the bounty of life? Do you reject those who haven’t benefitted from life simply because they don’t have the material bounty or the good breaks you might have?

An interpretation of Matthew 25:33-46 in the English Revised Version (ERV) is as follows: “The Son of Man will put the sheep (good people that give) on his right and the goats (bad people that are selfish) on his left. Then the king will say to those good people on his right, 'Come. My Father has given you great blessings. Come and get the kingdom God promised you. That kingdom has been prepared for you since the world was made. You can have this kingdom, because I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your home. I was without clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you came to visit me.' "Then the good people will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food? When did we see you thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you alone and away from home and invite you into our home? When did we see you without clothes and give you something to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and care for you?' "Then the king will answer, 'I tell you the truth. Anything you did for any of my people here, you also did for me.' "Then the king will say to those bad people on his left, 'Go away from me. God has already decided that you will be punished. Go into the fire that burns forever. That fire was prepared for the devil and his angels. You must go away, because I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you did not invite me into your home. I was without clothes, and you gave me nothing to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you did not care for me.' "Then those people will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty? When did we see you alone and away from home? Or when did we see you without clothes or sick or in prison? When did we see these things and not help you?' "Then the king will answer, 'I tell you the truth. Anything you refused to do for any of my people here, you refused to do for me.'"Then those bad people will go away. They will have punishment forever. But the good people will go and have life forever."

Are you buying into the rhetoric that says look out for number one and number one alone? If you do, you are fooling yourself. Jesus embraced the poor and downtrodden and gave them hope. He said that whatever we do to the least of these, we do to him. If someone shows up at your door in need and you slam the door in their face you have done it to Christ. His door was open to all to raise the consciousness of all mankind. In John 6:37 Jesus says, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” Or, as the Good News Bible (TEV) says, “I will never turn away anyone who comes to Me.” Are you fooling yourself by thinking that you are better than others? Do you think that others who don’t have what you have are not worth helping? What has truly made this country great are neighbors helping neighbors. People go out every day and dedicate their lives to helping those who haven’t had the opportunities or blessings that they have. They don’t posture about who’s right or wrong; they act. They don’t prophesize about some end time when things are going to get worse and then better; they make it better now!

Step out of your comfort zone and extend yourself to help those in need. Whether they need food, shelter, counseling or a loan. Live what Jesus taught us and give your time, money or wisdom to help those who desperately need it. In the Wilmington community there are many churches, missions and organizations that reach out daily to help those in need. Visit their websites, call them, reach out to the community and give of the blessings that God has bestowed on you. He will reign down His blessings on you and your family for the love that you have given. Quit listening to the power mongers and their message of doom and gloom. Quit fooling yourself and bless yourself with the wisdom of God. Contribute to the expansion of life and the growth of your community, whether locally or globally.

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Planting the seeds of greatness…

2009-10-08T17:45:00.002-04:00

In my last article I emphasized what Jesus clearly said about knowing others by the fruits that they bear. Before anything in life can come to fruition, seeds must be planted. Who are you and what do you want to become? What kind of seeds (thoughts) do you plant? Where will you plant your seeds? What is the condition of the soil (your mind)? Has it been tilled (disciplined and pro-active) or is it rocky (emotionally reactive)? How is the weather (your environment) going to affect the growth of your seeds? When do you need to plant your seeds? Why are you planting them to begin with (your ultimate purpose)? All of these questions need to be answered in order for you to grow seeds of greatness. When you plant your seeds do you have faith that they will grow? Does a farmer go and dig up the seeds everyday to see if they are taking root? Hardly. He knows that if he plants the right seed at the right time in the right soil and believes that he has done his best, the seeds will take root and grow. That’s faithing.

After Jesus rebuked the devil from a child and he was cured the disciples wondered why they couldn’t cast him out and Jesus could. “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you (Matthew 17:20).” Interesting! The disciples couldn’t heal the child because of their unbelief and lack of faith. He told the disciples that if they had the faith as a grain of mustard seed (the smallest of seeds), that mountains would move and nothing shall be impossible unto them. A tiny little bit of faith has the power to move mountains! Earlier, Jesus had told the disciples “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof (Matthew 13:31-32).” Your seeds of faith can become the greatest of things when you believe in the promise that Jesus made.

“But how do I find my seeds of greatness”, you might ask? Simply spend the time to unleash the power of desire that God has put in your heart. Desire means of the Father. It is the spark within you that God has given as your gift of the spirit. If you don’t pursue the fruition of that gift it is like telling God that He didn’t know what He was doing when He created you. That wouldn’t be wise since God knows more than any of us. Your everyday thoughts are seeds that you plant in the soil of your mind. Is the soil there fertile or barren? Have you made steps towards positively acting in a manner that supports growth and life or are you just reacting to your environmental circumstances? Do you associate with people that promote growth and prosperity or do you just hang with the same old go nowhere croud? Have you made the steps to educate yourself about the facts instead of just jumping on the opinion bandwagon? In order to be great you must understand your ultimate purpose. Have you made the time to find out what that is?

It’s all about what you’re focusing your energy on; whether it’s the past, present or future. Whatever you focus your thoughts and energy on creates an equal vibrational state of being that attracts the outcome of those thoughts. Every time you plant a seed (thought) and dwell on that thought fervently (with faith and belief), it moves mountains; just as Jesus said. The seed takes root. The more you actively think about a thought the more it becomes a belief. You begin to accept it as true; whether it’s true or not. It works both ways. The more you believe and have faith in your thoughts (seeds) the more they begin showing up in your life. It works conversely as well. Focus your thoughts and energy on being the great being that God has created you to be. Don’t believe those who preach lack and limitation, fear and anger and separation from God. If you believe what they say and focus on it enough it becomes your reality and your truth. Choose to focus on abundance and prosperity, faith and love and union with God. Then, and only then, will you be planting seeds of greatness. May God be with you.

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Are you bearing healthy fruit?

2009-10-05T10:28:00.003-04:00

Matthew 21:18-22 (KJV): “Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

Are you bearing the fruits of your life and offering it to those who hunger? Do you spend each day making your leaves look pretty and not developing the content of your inner self in order to bear the fruits of an abundant life? When Jesus encountered the tree he was hungry and the tree could not supply his need. Did he bless the tree? Did he ignore it? No, he cursed it to no longer bear any fruit. Have you not been offering fruit for so long that when the opportunity for you to be blessed comes along that the only thing you have to offer is superficiality and not content? Jesus did not react. He pro-acted and the tree withered away to the marvel of the disciples. In their astonishment, Jesus clarified this event by telling them that they had the power, through faith and removal of doubt, to not only prevent superficiality, but to remove negative content from your life and the lives of others. After Jesus left the fig tree anyone who passed by would no longer be fooled by its superficiality because it was obviously dead and withered. He told the disciples to ask for their blessings in life through prayer in a state of believing and they would receive whatsoever they asked! Furthermore, he earlier warned the prophets to know false prophets by the fruits that they bear:

Matthew 7: 15–29 (KJV): “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”

A good tree brings forth good fruit. Does Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly bring forth good fruit? Hardly! They bring forth anger and self-righteous indignation. Jesus furthermore said that a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, nor can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. If a tree brings forth evil fruit then cast it into the fire. Remove it from your life and leave it to its own devices. Just as water seeks its own level, so will these angry and foolish people reap the rewards of their aberrant behavior. Don’t dwell on it or allow them to rent space in your head! Just as they proclaim and announce their righteousness, they are bearing the fruits of derision and anger. Jesus said that if they heard his word and didn’t do what he said, whether they professed him or not, they would NOT enter the Kingdom of Heaven. A wise man digs for the facts and does not rely on the opinions of others. He builds his house upon the rock. As a result, his house will stand. When a house is built on innuendo, opinions and anger, it will surely fall. Where do you stand? Are you building your house upon the rock? Or are you building you house upon the sands of opinions? Just as the people were astonished by the doctrine of Jesus, be astonished by the fact that Jesus spoke with authority. He KNEW the truth. He stated it, didn’t have to debate it or defend it.

It is important to keep your emotional state pure. Your emotional state affects your conscious control over your experience. Your resultant emotional state will determine the outcomes you receive in your life. Live and embrace anger, and your will encounter situations, time after time, that will trigger your anger. Don’t fool yourself by pretending that you are not angry or happy about something. Embrace your feelings in private and dig for the facts that bring you to that state. If you pretend to feel different, or ignore how you feel, you will create a vibrational state of in your being of acceptance to the things you do not desire. You basically feel powerless. Jesus told us that we HAVE the power to make mountains move! Why don’t you listen to him! Analyze the facts and take the steps to alter your feelings so that they align with the results you seek. Then, and only then, will you begin to move mountains!

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Are you homophobic?

2009-10-04T12:15:00.000-04:00

Are you upset about the queering of elementary education and the sexualizing of school children? Do you listen to town criers with an obvious homophobic agenda and justify it by invoking Christian values? Do you even know what Christian values are or are you content with just listening to those with overt agendas and opinions? Well, if you are unsure about this issue then read on. If you disagree, then go here for your mother’s milk. As for the truth, it can only be found in the love of God and the realization that we are all created by Him and we are all blessed by Him. We are his most prized creation and He loves us enough to allow us to have free will.

What is free will? Free will is the relationship between the freedom to act on, or react to, situations and events and the causes of these situations and events. Are we subject to the laws of nature that create situations and events or do we affect the laws of nature? Or is it a combination of being affected and affecting? If a tree falls in the woods does it make a noise? It depends on the definition of the term noise. Science is aware that the experimenter can affect the outcome of the experiment. If you comment on any occurrence and have a pre-conceived notion that will affect your analysis, it’s no wonder that you come up with evidence to support your conclusions. If you believe that everything that is happening to you came from prior occurrences than you are deterministic. If you believe that the prior statement is true, but some events and situations are not previously determined by prior actions, then you are considered to believe in indeterminism. If you believe that free will and determinism compatibly exist then you are considered a compatibilist. If you feel that free will and determinism are incompatible, then you are compartmentalized into 3 categories of incompatibilism:

Hard determinism: determinism is reality and free will is an illusion.
Libertarianism: free will is true and determinism doesn’t exist.
Pessimistic Incompatibilism: Neither free will nor determinism exists.

Depending on your viewpoint of the world you can affect the observations you make. Do you believe that homosexuality is a choice? Do you believe that it is an abomination to God? Are you more concerned about judging others than accepting who they are and for what they are? Are you listening to those who preach fear and the end times of God’s wrath and judgment of man for his sins? Do you base your entire life on a book that others have passed down mouth to mouth and page to page without questioning the motives of the writers? Or are you an open minded person who hears, sees, feels, tastes and touches reality without any prior pre-conceived notions? Our senses are wonderful interpreters of the electromagnetic spectrum that allow us to interact with our environment. However, all of our perceptions are merely electrical copies of reality that exist in our brains. Our perceptions are just that; perceptions and not reality.

When we impose our perceptions and beliefs on others based on our individual skew we are committing a form of brain washing. Whether we make blanket statements or allude to our own agendas by asking questions we are still manipulating a desired response from our environment. Are the schools trying to queer our kids with acceptance of homosexuals? Hardly. The schools are trying to create a base of acceptance for others without judgment based on an individual’s choice in their beliefs. Are they trying to sexualize them too early, or are they utilizing preventative medicine to allow them to make their own choices based on the facts and not someone else’s religious skew? You decide. Our children are our future and we need to make them aware of the choices they need to make in their lives based on facts and not religious opinions. Does God read the Bible? Did God create us just to punish us? Or did He simply give us the free will to choose our paths as we go through the journey of life. As always, you decide.

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What if the Bible didn't exist? (Part 2)

2009-10-03T12:23:00.000-04:00

Recently, I conducted an interview with Dr. Witless Blather from D.C. Dr. Blather is well-known for his cutting edge commentary and interesting facts concerning the Bible. Following is Part 2 of this interview:

DAB: What did Martin Luther base these decisions on?

DWB: Martin Luther was a 16th century German monk. He was disturbed by certain things which he viewed as anomalies in his studies. For example, he didn’t agree with the doctrine of Tradition.

DAB: What was that doctrine and why didn’t he agree with it?

DWB: Tradition is a doctrine in the Catholic Church which is the oral or unwritten Word. According to the Catholics, Tradition and Scripture are the sources of all Christian doctrine. It is the Christian indirect Rule of Faith. He didn’t agree with certain abuses within the Catholic Church and resulted in confrontations between him and the hierarchy of the church. Luther didn’t agree with Tradition as a legitimate rule of faith because it was in conflict with the scripture. Ultimately, Luther accused the Catholic Church of corrupting Christian doctrine and distorting Biblical truths.

DAB: So, due to an internal conflict in the Catholic Church, the doctrine of Sola Scriptura was adopted by Luther as being the only Rule of Faith instead of both Tradition and Scripture. Is this validated anywhere in the Bible?

DWB: No. Protestants often reference 2nd Timothy 3:16-17 as validation, but that is debatable. St. Paul often referred to his Hebrew teachings as a basis for his understanding.

DAB: In other words, Paul had his own agenda and so did Luther.

DWB: Possibly so. Many years went by after the Biblical canon before Sola Scriptura even became an issue.

DAB: Very true. Most people up until the time of the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg, circa 1439, were illiterate. The Catholic monks hand copied the Biblical documents and became the middle men between the masses and God. Most of the education of the story of Christ was conveyed through art and stained glass art in the churches. 1400 years went by without Sola Scriptura being an issue.

DWB: The books of the Protestant Bible as it stands today were canonized in the 4th century C.E. Several Catholic Councils determined the validity of the books included in the canon. Scripture and Tradition were the benchmarks of the Rule of Faith for Christians.

DAB: Concerning the biblical manuscripts that the monks copied by hand, didn’t this create many variations and interpretations based on Greek to Latin translations, geographic idioms and language nuances?

DWB: Yes, it did. There are hundreds of Bible versions that were hand copied from monk to monk and the Bible as we know it today wasn’t available to the individual believer until the 15th century when the printing press was invented and the Bible could be mass duplicated. The Jewish Bible contains 24 books, the Catholics have 73 books, the Orthodox Christians have 78 books and the Protestants have 66 books in their Bible.

DAB: With all these different books being accepted and rejected by church hierarchies, how did the Bible get written in verses?

DWB: There are several stories about this but the most popular is that a Dominican monk traveling throughout Europe on a donkey occupied his time by re-translating the Koine Greek of the New Testament into Latin and he made each thought as stated into a verse and numbered them.

DAB: Let’s recap. Martin Luther came to his own conclusions about the interpretation of the Bible by the Catholic Church. I’m curious to know more about the state of mind and psychological makeup of Martin Luther. Was he mentally stable or did he suffer any mental health problems?

DWB: Yes, there were definite psychological and emotional problems that Martin Luther displayed. More to come…

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‘Tripe masquerading as commentary’

2009-10-01T08:15:00.000-04:00

It was a wonderful morning. 5 AM, crickets chirping, tree frogs whirring and a hot cup o’ jo. Then I went to the computer and read my rival examiner’s comments and laughed almost out of control. His statement concerning my commentaries was ‘tripe masquerading as commentary.’ This is something you would expect from someone whose opinion is not factually based and who is undoubtedly pinned to the ropes. Such a statement reflects the mindset of someone who has no facts to back up what he says. After all, being a Glenn Beck supporter certainly speaks volumes. However, we will not degrade ourselves into ‘worthless drivel’ or ‘witless blather’ as his commenters have accused me of; we will take the truthful and poignant road and, like Congressman Grayson, and call it as we see it.

Let’s look at his commenter’s frame of mind in regards to evolution. Who’s to say that evolution was not God’s way of creating the universe? There is no scripture to refute this. In the original Aramaic, the words without form and void in the first chapter of Genesis are ‘tohu’ and ‘bohu’. The meanings of these words are a vast chaotic wasteland; an implication that the earth was ‘re-created’ six thousand years ago, NOT initially created. One of this examiner’s thoughtful readers commented, “They teach our kids that the Earth revolves around the sun too but we know that’s not true either. I tell them to get up every morning and watch the sun turn around the only planet that God made for man and my country which is the greatest that God gave man.” WTF? If this is the average level of intelligence of his readership then he is fulfilling a purpose. Feeding the minds of the mindless is a worthy job. The level of your sincerity is determined by WHAT you are feeding them. How about a flat earth?

God has given us senses in order to experience our environment and a brain to sort it all out. If you use a book or someone else’s impressions of reality as the sole determining factor of your existence, then you are limiting your scope of experience. You are operating under tunnel vision. When I quote Jesus and give solid examples of his behavior and words, most of my commenters react in rage and disgust. When I support the position of love and nurturing, they react with a nationalistic agenda and unscientific analysis. When you solely use your feelings to determine your reality you are operating in a vacuum. Your emotions and feelings are simply a feedback system to allow you to qualify and quantify what you sense in reality. It is NOT the sole determinant of reality. Yet, people seem to NOT want to expand themselves out of their comfort zone to embrace FACT instead of OPINION. They set an agenda based on feelings alone, and then spend their time trying to convince themselves and others that their skew on life is correct.

Eschatology is a prime example. Based on the concept that we are all sinners and need to fear God, stories are told by delusional people to reinforce their own fears and a belief in a fantasy world in the future. Whether it’s Revelation, Nostradamus or the world coming to an end according to the Mayan calendar in 2012, it’s all reflective of fear and a final judgment on man for all of his sins. Hogwash!!! It is all game-whipping of those who want to control, dominate and manipulate others into their will and their skew on life. Don’t believe it! God has created an abundant universe that operates as a precision clock. Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven is here and now. The only thing we truly have is the now! We can reflect on the past and dream about the future, but we can only live in the now! Choose life and be with the living instead of choosing death and existing with the walking dead. Bless them and go about your way on a path to life by speaking the truth and giving love to all. Don’t settle for anything less than that, because if you do, you are carving a path of lack and limitation; something that the fear mongers thrive on. Follow the words of Jesus and emulate his behaviors. He is our model for living life. He knows that the earth revolves around the sun and that all people on this planet are created equal. His perspective is one of love, wisdom and abundance. Dispute that and you are disputing the truth of God’s love.

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Foot in mouth syndrome

2009-09-30T07:50:00.001-04:00

I must say the past year has been very entertaining. As countries in the world are becoming more and more aware of being a part of the global community, there are still some separatists that operate with impunity spewing hatred and vitriol. None is more popular and moronic as Glenn Beck. Each night he consistently puts his foot in his mouth with unresearched “facts” and “suppositions” that have bubbled up in his ADHD mind. His paranoia and lack of sound judgment has gone beyond being funny. He has managed to feed a base of people who vicariously release their inner frustrations through this man’s nightly dance.

It seems that poor judgment and lack of education is the hallmark of this base. Even David Frum, W’s former economic speechwriter, says “People become less Republican as they become better educated.” Hmmm. It seems that this base needs to sign up at the local community college to learn about Political Science, Philosophy and History. Something that seems to be remiss in their diatribe. Even when Jay Leno asked a recent college graduate where the pilgrims landed they responded “Buick Rock.” ??? It’s not just the lack of education it’s the lack of focus. Too much information and too many distractions can cause confusion and instability. Something that GB lives and counts on.

My question to the spiritual people out there is this: Does the behavior of Glenn Beck, in any way, emulate the behavior of Jesus? Hardly. His conversion from Catholicism to Mormonism removed some of his earlier self-imposed restrictions and gave him the strength of the periphery that drives him nightly. If you ask any theologian worth his salt, he will tell you that Mormonism is based on a “vision”, or should we say “delusion” of Joseph Smith. If you spend some time at the library you will find the history about this man and it isn’t very pretty. Like Martin Luther, Joseph Smith was a man with his own agenda. If you follow any man and his teachings that separates and segregates you from your fellow man, that should be a red flag to you that something is wrong. Jesus ate with “sinners.” He associated with the down trodden and the lesser people in his society. He rejected people like Glenn Beck (the Pharisees) and embraced the blind and sick. Yet, many quote the Bible in defense of GB. What a joke! His behavior is the fruit that he bears and that should be enough for anyone with half a brain to discern that his message is one of fear and incitement.

His take on the school children singing about Obama was answered quickly with a video of the same thing happening with George W. Bush. He wasn’t aware of that, according to his team, or was he? If he wasn’t, then he simply is a moron. If he was, then he is the worst form of manipulator and he will surely reap what he has sown. The bottom line is that he doesn’t care what fear and vitriol he spews; he is only concerned about himself and his family. If he was sincere, then why didn’t he show up at his own 9/12 rally? You see, the facts are right in your face. If you choose not to believe them, you must deal with the consequences. May God have mercy on your soul if you continue to believe such a liar.

The message that Jesus taught was simple. Love God and love your neighbor. Is this what Glenn Beck does every night? Hardly. Make the time to edify yourself and study about the truth. Go to the library and research the facts and don’t believe in the skewed opinions of delusional people. They will lead you down the road to fear, loss and a felling of lack and depression. The universe that Gods has created is boundless and abundant. Through faith in God and diligent research you can come to an understanding of the fact that we are all children of God. We are His most prized creation. He created us with a mouth to speak and feet to walk and run. Don’t end up living your life with foot in mouth syndrome. Check out the facts, make the time to educate yourself, and stop listening to morons who don’t give a damn about you or your families. Grab the reigns and take charge of your life. May God bless you.

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Foolbook: Should stupidity be killed?

2009-09-29T09:01:00.001-04:00

Recently, a Facebook poll asked respondents "Should Obama be killed?" The choices were “No, Maybe, Yes, and Yes if he cuts my health care.” As with any forum that allows people the freedom to operate under an unwritten moral code, there are sometimes going to be people who display moronic behavior and make stupid and treasonous choices. Such is the case here and the Secret Service will undoubtedly find this person and bring them to justice. The question is, “what was going through their mind when posting this poll? Was it an innocent question? Hardly. Was it a sincere quest for knowledge? Don’t think so. Or, was it meant to incite an unstable base into action? Now we’re getting warm. Ultimately, we don’t know what was going on in the mind of such an individual, but as Jesus demonstrated with the fig tree, we will know them by the fruit they bear. I nominate this person for the new site “Foolbook.” Their blatant form of stupidity should be rewarded with humiliation and serious jail time. Time to reflect on their aberrant behavior and the responsibility associated with access to swaying public opinion.

Every day my fiancé and I comment to each other about the lack of focus, respect for adults and common stupidity associated with younger people we encounter. Is it that the schools have failed them? Has the government failed them? Have the failed themselves? Or, is that we, as parents and grandparents have failed to raise them with discipline and compassion? Have we ignored them and relegated their learning to electronic babysitters? Only each one of us truly knows our individual experiences in regard to the raising of our children. Is this current younger generation totally remiss in an understanding of common sense and reason, or are they simply just trying to come to grips with information overload and a daily battle in handling it. Generally, schools haven’t adequately prepared people for college or life. They teach information and ways to obtain knowledge, but fail to give students techniques in developing wisdom. Understanding is the key in converting information into knowledge and knowledge into wisdom. But how does one develop understanding? Through experience? Through impartation? Through osmosis? Understanding comes from a willingness to learn and a diligent search for the truth.

A fool is generally a stupid person who lacks the ability to exercise common sense and effective judgment based on the facts. As I have said many times in my articles, “Who is more foolish, the fool, or the fool who follows him?” Yesterday my fiancé and I drove by Route 202 and Route 1 in Concordville, PA. and saw three younger people on one corner with anti-Obama health care placards and one older gentleman with an anti-abortion placard on the opposite corner. My only thought was for them to get a life. I admired their strength and belief in themselves to stand there in the rain and wave their beliefs to the passersby, but ultimately, what they were saying was NOT based on fact but on the skew and spin of their heroes and/or parties. Not to mention the fact that someone driving by might have paid too much attention to the arm waving and reading of the signs that it might have caused an accident. I know; it was just less than a mile from this spot where a drunk hit and run driver hit me last May.

My vote is that we kill stupidity. Let’s all make a concerted effort to examine the FACTS and not blindly believe the OPINIONS of others who have an agenda that we might not be aware of. Let’s make the time every day to investigate the truth and pro-act the results. Let’s move away from reacting to the opinions of others and act on the solutions that we can all help each other attain. Be willing to learn the truth and take the diligent steps to acquire it. All of us will benefit from the truth and we will not be fooled by the opinions of those who try to use us for manifesting their agendas.

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Right wing Obamanation: worthy to read, but not believe

2009-09-27T10:01:00.002-04:00

There you go again, Keith. Using tidbits to reinforce your weak and loser position. Let’s start with an analysis of your most recent commentary:

“By now there are few Americans left who remain unaware of the recently uncovered video of New Jersey school children singing songs of "praise" to President Barack Hussein Obama at the behest of one of their teachers. One must assume the video's discovery makes the use of his middle name acceptable again. Ardent liberals have chided conservatives in the past for its invocation, claiming it was employed to unfairly prejudice others against him.”

My retort to Paragraph 1: It is interesting that he uncovers one video utilizing “Hussein” and emphasizes it in the title of the article.

“It's remarkable how many have made the argument, "if that had been George W. Bush the kids were singing about, the left wing media would've gone berserk." Not that it isn’t a valid point, it is. Can one imagine the level of outrage commentators Keith Olberman or equally cretinous, foul-mouthed, leftist Joe Scarborough would have exhibited if indeed the adulation had been directed at "W"? Scarborough would no doubt have intentionally loosed the "f" word instead of the way he used it "accidentally" on live TV recently. Perhaps the applicable adage here would be, don’t try to justify bad behavior by pointing to someone else’s. Although, admittedly it does give perspective and often helps demonstrate rampant hypocrisy.”

My retort to Paragraph 2: Yes, Keith Olberrmann would have said something; after all, his team of researchers scour out the facts and not opinions like GB “researchers.” Leftist, just like you say “Racist.” Isn’t Joe Scarborough a Republican? Or did you forget to check that one out? There you go again Keith, making an ass out of yourself by ASSuming. Are you the source for determining what you call bad behavior. As for hypocrisy, you take the cake. You teach your Eschatology and political horsecrap to Jim-Bob’s who swallow it hook, line and sinker. Still a sore loser, huh? Well, hopefully you’ll get over it before you influence too many people and steer them down the path to hell. It’s amazing what some people do when they are afraid of the facts!

“There is however a more fundamental argument against this type of, dare it be said, "indoctrination." Yes that word has become wearisome with its overuse of late, but if the shoe fits... Perhaps "brainwashing" would be a better descriptive, who’s to say? A couple of things to consider putting the situation in its proper perspective; first, the office of president of the United States of America is indeed prestigious and inherently commands respect. The men who occupy it however, must earn the respect that comes with the office. Whether or not Barack Hussein Obama has earned any thus far is up to individuals to decide for themselves.”

My retort to Paragraph 3: If anyone knows brainwashing it’s you, Keith. You present your illogical arguments based on right wing religious horsecrap and package it in a palatable form for morons who don’t have the inclination to investigate your erroneous claims. You take stabs at me for my “leftist” position and cry foul when I call you and your commenters “racists”. You and your whiners are the worst form of hypocrisy because you can’t smell your own stench. As for earning the respect, Obama has. Who the hell do you think you are to be the determiner of what constitutes earning respect? After all, your discovery of the Word in 1996 has led you down a path of misinterpretation and false support for views you have only recently learned. Compare that to a lifetime of research and living the word. There is no comparison. Yet you pose the question and put it in the laps of your readers with a pronounced skew in your presentation. Again, trying to manipulate the outcome.

“Regardless of where one comes down on that matter, can one honestly believe it’s appropriate for a public school teacher to coerce children to sing songs of worship about a public official? Politicians are supposed to do a job on behalf of the constituents who "hire" them. Once accomplished, it may be fitting to laud the public servant for particular achievements, but to generally glorify an unproven leader with questionable character, less than popular policies, who constantly globe trots apologizing for America, is simply unfettered propaganda. Using impressionable children to convey the message is beyond reprehensible and only makes matter much worse.”

My retort to Paragraph 4: There you go again. Subtly presenting your “character” skew and using children to gain access to your readers soft spots. You are the worst form of manipulator, sir. And Obama is correct for apologizing for America. Your Republican war policies and reprehensible behavior toward the global community is based on lies and manipulation. Did you forget about Iraq, Afghanistan and torture perpetrated by Bush and Cheney? Convenient for your argument.

“Barack Hussein Obama cannot fairly be described as an Adolph Hitler type of leader. People should really stop using the comparison as it harms their own agenda. It is nonetheless unconscionable that the same type of mind control tactics are being used by Obama supporters, as were implemented by the Nazi regime during the 1930’s (as illustrated by the video below.)”

My retort to Paragraph 5: Mind control tactics are your obvious weapon, Mr. Whiner. Present a skewed video to back up your obviously weak position and it adds icing to the cake. Your methodology is to take the available and skew it to fit your right wing Republican religious agenda. Seek enlightenment and understanding that Christ provides and your cloak of right wing righteousness will fall to ground where it belongs.

“Palestinians use similar techniques indoctrinating their children to hate Jews and commit Jihad. There’s no comparison of course, other than methodology. Still, the New Jersey school district should atone for what they’ve done instead of expressing outrage that the video found its way into the public forum.”

As for his commenter who wants Jesus back in the schools, what makes her think that this country is just Judeo-Christian? If you want religions in school than why not all of them? We could all learn temperance and tolerance for others by embracing all forms of belief and not judging each other. Something modern day Christians use as a flag to wave. Why not wave a flag of respect and unity instead of maliciousness and derision?

As always, your comments and conclusions are welcomed. As I have stated in a previous article, I no longer read them, but you are welcome to debate my position amongst yourselves. May God bless all of you, whether you agree with me or not.

Republican Rhetoric Revealed: What the Beck?

2009-09-25T08:22:00.001-04:00

It’s tough being a Republican watchdog. Every day new spiritually professed alliterations are spewed on the American public under the guise of what’s good for America. But what NEW ideas do the Republicans have to offer? None. Since their hero Raygun and his trickle-down policies, deregulation has caused the financial problems we are currently facing now. They keep trying to re-package the same old rhetoric and perpetrate it on the American public. The definition of insanity is to keep trying to do something the same way and expecting different results. Their obvious delay tactics in Congress are more ego centered than God centered and people centered.

Since most of the Republican representatives (and some Democrats) receive “campaign” donations and “incentives” from corporations, it is no wonder that they do whatever they can to stop health care reform. Looking out for number one. Why isn’t anybody complaining about the obvious crookedness of lobbying and buying off our representatives? This, in itself, should be illegal. It reminds me of the Catholic Church’s alignment with various governmental leaders over the course of history and the way they “suggested” certain actions that benefitted their church.

A person who is an expert at rhetoric uses exaggeration as their tool to convince others of their viewpoint. In my writings I have been accused of using rhetoric simply because my viewpoint was drastically different from that of the accusers. That, in itself, does NOT constitute rhetoric. I call it as I see it. As I have said many times, truth is relative. We all observe facts differently and arrive at different evaluations and ultimately, different judgments. If we base our evaluations and judgments on FACTS and not OPINIONS, we stand a better chance of offering a convincing argument. We all see the ‘truth” differently and reveal it in our own way. Some people have misinterpreted what I have said in my articles as putting down other people’s truths. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Only an opinion-educated mind and rhetoric addict would make that conclusion. You know who you are.

I have discovered a fantastic site that helps bring clarity to the cesspool of Republican Rhetoric. It removes the purported “spiritual” connection to their backwards policies and reveals their rhetoric in the true light of REALITY. It is theFBM.com. Led by Kerry Martin and his team of writers, they expose Republican Right Wing Rhetoric right out of the heart of Texas yahoo country. What guts! To speak the truth from the source of the RW stench (Bush Country) and backwards thinking makes their truths even more palatable. Kerry and his fellow writers are dedicated to researching facts, watching and listening to what politicians actually say and watch dogging censorship. If you want to sift through the layers of RW B.S. this is the place to go.

I sure hope they address Mr. Beck. After Beck’s fiasco if misreading the Constitution and its fees for slavery, the people in the town of Mt. Vernon, Washington (where Beck was born) have signed a petition to stop the Mayor from giving Beck the key to the city. The mayor has refused and in so doing has secured not being elected next term. I say, why not give Beck the key to the city. Perhaps he can use it to unlock the truth instead of promulgating his ADHD rhetoric and rantings on the American public. One thing I can say about Mr. Beck, he has modeled his approach after Howard Stern. When listeners were asked why they listened to Howard Stern they replied, “We listen because we don’t know what he is going to say next.” This came from both people who liked him and hated him. This type of appeal is based on sensationalism. Ordinary people seeking extraordinary events by vicarious participation. Exactly the goal of Republican Right Wing Rhetoric. I think Wii outta pay attention! If they sold a Republican Right Wing Rhetoric game they would make a fortune!

What if the Bible didn’t exist? (Part 1)

2009-09-24T07:15:00.004-04:00

Recently, I conducted an interview with Dr. Witless Blather from D.C. Dr. Blather is well-known for his horrendous lack of talent and insight concerning the Bible. Following is a transcript of this interview:

DAB: Good Morning, Dr. Blather. You have been accused of not making any sense about Biblical prophecy, an inability to make a cogent argument and a complete arrogance about your opinion. Yet you claim to be a voice of reason concerning Biblical interpretation. What do you have to say about these judgments?

DWB: I have read the Bible many times and I study it much deeper than most. My arguments are based on the facts in the Bible and yes, I can get arrogant over my opinion. Thank you for the compliment.

DAB: I have a question I have asked several people lately and I wish to ask this question of you. What if the Bible didn’t exist?

DWB: Interesting question. I suppose that many people in this world would be lost. They wouldn’t have anything to base their lives on and the world would decay into chaos.

DAB: Why?

DWB: There would be no testament to the lives of the Biblical heroes and we would have no way to measure our lives against them. We would have to rely on other historical documents that don’t take into account the message that the Bible conveys.

DAB: And what message would that be?

DWB: That Jesus Christ is Lord.

DAB: Is that the only message the Bible conveys?

DWB: No, it conveys the lives, situations and problems that the Biblical heroes overcame by trusting in God.

DAB: I would like to ask you about particular aspects of the Bible. The Bible had originally been communicated mouth to mouth and then written down by man. It survived several translations that didn’t take geographic idioms, language nuances and agenda settings into account. How do respond to that?

DWB: That’s true. However, the Bible’s message is defined by Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide. Basically, the Bible in its entirety is directly from the mouth of God and that one attains eternal life through faith in God and not by one’s works. It is indisputable.

DAB: Why is it indisputable?

DWB: Because of Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide. No one has the right to dispute the holy word of God.

DAB: Says who?

DWB: God.

DAB: But man wrote down the supposed word of God. Don’t you take into account that man is notorious for amending concepts and ideas to suit his needs?

DWB: Yes, man did write down the word of God but God inspired him to write it down. Yes, I suppose it is possible for anyone who received inspiration from God to change its message, but the message has survived for several millennia.

DAB: Who decided that Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide were valid?

DWB: Martin Luther came to the awareness that the interpretation of the individual believer, and not the Catholic Church, was the only true religious authority. This was the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. He also said that one who appears to have faith and does not do good works never had faith at all!

DAB: That appears to be a circular argument. Wasn’t Martin Luther a person that hated the Jews for killing Christ? This seems contradictory to the message that Jesus taught.

DWB: Yes, he believed that the Jews should be relegated to having their properties and assets seized and should be treated as the least in the community. This was taken to the extreme by the Nazis.

DAB: So, let’s get this straight. Many Protestants believe two doctrines that were originated by a man with hatred in his heart; a man who decided that the Bible is the sole authority of God’s word and that faith in God is the sole way to eternal life. Something doesn’t seem right here. More to come…

What’s your favorite whine?

2009-09-23T08:54:00.001-04:00

All of us have something that happens every day that we don’t like. We might not like the way someone looked or reacted to us, the politics or religion of someone else or the results we have obtained at the end of the day. We have choices in regards to whether we react, do nothing or pro-act. If we react, we either run away from the problem or we attack it head on. If we do nothing, we either give ourselves the time necessary to evaluate or we tread water. If we pro-act, we evaluate the situation and find the best solution to the problem that is beneficial for everyone. Reaction comes in many forms. If we are the type of person who is aggressive we might choose immediately to fight a particular viewpoint or circumstance. If we are more passive, we might choose to remove ourselves from a person whose viewpoint we feel is erroneous. Doing nothing allows us the time to evaluate a situation and delay the necessary action we eventually need to take. For example, making the time for effective research about a particular subject to learn the FACTS and not just the OPINIONS of others. However, if we tread water long enough our spiritual “arms” and “legs” become tired. Procrastination in making an evaluation and delivering the subsequent actions can cause internal stress and physical maladies. Pro-acting affords us the best solution in that we take the time to evaluate a situation and not judge those involved in the situation.

Facts are observed or sensed things that actually exist or that have happened in the real world. Opinions are personal views, beliefs or judgments that provide certainty in conclusions for an individual as a result of observing facts. A person’s perspective and pre-conceived notions have a great deal to do with how they will arrive at their opinions. If they are at all confused about their opinions of the facts, they might procrastinate making a decision either hoping to achieve more clarity about the situation, or wishing that it would just go away. The latter is definitely fooling oneself. Situations and problems occur in our lives in order for us to grow and expand. It challenges our comfort zone and affords an opportunity for us to gain a greater perspective.

Evaluation of the facts requires us to utilize our senses in an organized fashion in order to see the balanced picture. In other words, a snapshot of reality. Judgment involves us to take the evaluations we have perceived and to create an opinion. Only through judgment can we see the validity or invalidity of the facts as we perceive them. If you feel powerless to act on your judgments you might retreat into your inner sanctum or start to whine about how things are. Whiners cry loud enough to force their opinions on those who don’t agree and seek those who agree with them in order to validate their opinions. Whining comes from uneasiness, discontentment and self-pity. In other words, a loser mentality.

What is your favorite whine? Is it because you think that our government is turning socialist and your opinion is based on others’ opinions and not the facts? Is it because you are lily white and you cannot take the fact that an African-American is president? Is it because you have read the Bible and it tells you we are coming to the end times and we need to be ready? Or is it because you just didn’t get your way? Was your ego so dominant that you couldn’t handle the FACT that most of the people in this country are tired of wars, hunger and corporate lies about health care reform and they want a positive change? It isn’t all about you, ya know. It’s about all of us. To the whiners out there, quit your whining. If you feel we need to go in a different direction then present a plan that involves incentives for people MORE than for corporate rape. Be a part of the solution instead of whining about it. Stop listening to morons who make up “facts” and see conspiracies in just about everything. Use the brain God has given you and be a part of the solution and not part of the problem.

Glenn Beck’s day of atonement

2009-09-22T10:38:00.003-04:00

Yom Kippur. The most important of Jewish holidays with emphasis on repentance and atonement for one’s sins against man and God. Fasting begins the night before (sundown is the beginning of the Jewish day) and carries on for a 25 hour period (September 27, 2009). After God determines the fate of each person for the coming year on Rosh Hashanah (last Friday, September 18, 2009), He seals his decision on Yom Kippur. As you can imagine, a most holy day for practicing Jews. No to be undone, Loose Lips Beck decided, in his miniscule brain, that he would declare a day of fasting and atonement for our country. Declaring the 9/12 March a must do he didn’t even show up at the event. He must have missed his dose of Prozac and Aderral for his ADHD condition. His neurons began firing at such a rapid rate that he must have felt the guilt for blatantly lying to the American people and felt that he needed to atone. But hey, why not make everyone atone and get great press in the process. What a sensationalist! Even Joe Scarborough of Morning Joe, says that Glenn Beck’s statements about race are generating hate amongst us and the Republicans need to distance themselves from him as fast as they can. Mike Barnicle of Morning Joe said GB is heading downward fast! Cut him loose!

So, let’s give GB the benefit of the doubt. He feels that he needs to help people understand what is truly going on. That, in itself, is admirable. I can imagine what he feels after lifting himself out of alcoholism and trying to manage his time with other activities. Activities that make him a great deal of money. But at what expense? As Keith Olbermann and now Joe Scarborough have said, that if GB incites his unstable followers to do anything, he is ultimately responsible. Wouldn’t therapy be a better outlet than inciting an unstable base to do things like camp out with cameras and automatic weapons at as military base and look for FEMA camps? Oh, I guess not. Just like Rupert Murdoch would say, “Argh.” Enough is enough people. When will you begin really looking at the issues and stop listening to sensationalists and morons! In Beck’s case, he has brought a new definition to the term moron.

Megalomaniac- obsessed with doing extravagant things and marked by delusions of greatness.

Ostentatious- tendencies to pretentious and conspicuous displays to impress others.

Reprehensible- all too deserving of rebuke and blame.

Oligarchous- or should we say OLIGARHY? A form of government where the dominant clique rules (Fixed Noise’s unfair and unbiased view of the news? LOL!)

Numbskull- a stupid person; a person who knows better but still insists that he’s right when he knows he isn’t.

Basically a moron who is a person who lacks good judgment. One who clearly sees the fact that if he takes the step forward the rake will hit him in the face? He knows this, but takes the step anyway. Boy that accurately describes Mr. Beck. Don’t you think it’s about time for Mr. Beck to atone for HIS sins? How dare he interrupt a high holy day of the Jews for his own agenda! Is it because he is a Mormon and there is an inherent lack of respect for the Jews within that church? Is it because he down deep inside wants to atone for his lies that he nightly perpetrates on the uninformed? Is it the medication or lack thereof that fires his neurons in a convoluted manner? Or is it the fact that he sees the rake and steps on it anyway? You decide. Pray for the enlightenment of GB and maybe, just maybe, God will answer our prayers.

Wimerwhiners, Part 2

2009-09-20T11:20:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the new blog solely dedicated to the opposition of right wing blogger Keith Wimer of examiner.com. I am the Spirituality examiner for examiner.com and became exposed to Mr. Wimer’s blog during the summer of 09. Mr. Wimer’s bio states the following:”Keith became a follower of the Christian faith in 1996 and since then has carefully read the Bible cover to cover many times. In addition to general Bible study, Keith has perused the texts of other world religions (including the Qur'an) with an emphasis on attaining an understanding of how the topic of "eschatology" -- understood to mean the study of so-called "end times" -- varies therein. Over the past ten years, Keith has read nearly a hundred books presenting various positions on eschatology. Additionally, he has deliberated at length upon such topics as cosmology, evolutionary theory, and Christian apologetics.” In his 13 short years of religious studies he has come to a unique right wing perspective of the universe as a whole. Wow! 13 years. How impressive! Hogwash. This person has manipulated and directed his readership to a space where they have no clue of the truths hidden within the Bible and the Qur'an. When you study anything with a pre-conceived notion, you will always find things that will support your position.

Eschatology is the study of the end times. Throughout human history we have had eschatological theories perpetrated upon believers in order to keep believers in line with a religious group’s beliefs. It is the preaching of fear by fear mongerers. Playing to his right wing base, Mr. Wimer, article after article, supports right wing nuts like Glenn Beck. And no wonder. As I say in the tag line of this blog, “A blog dedicated to refuting the erroneous claims by the right wing blogger and Glenn Beck supporter Keith Wimer. His brand of inciting his unstable base needs to be countered by intelligence and forthright opinion.” After experiencing the wrath of Mr. Wimer’s commenters, I assure you, they are unstable. I have collated their inciteful (misspelling intentional) comments for any reader who would like to view them. Just leave a comment with your email and I will forward them to you. Why? Because we need to see and understand that there are unstable people in this world who will go to any length to assert their position; i.e. going to town halls with handguns. These people are uninformed, blind and self-righteous about their position and listen to morons like Mr. Wimer.

This blog is the result of the whining of Mr. Wimer. After an article I wrote entitled, “Wimerwhiners, Part 1, Mr. Wimer reported me to the Examiner claiming that I was not being professional in my attacks on his ludicrous position. I was informed by the Examiner that it was inappropriate for me to attack another examiner and they refused to re-post my article. They removed the article and I have re-posted it here as Wimerwhiners: Part 1. In this article I list the points where I agree with Mr. Wimer. In fact, the tone of the article is not egregious at all. Yet, it was taken down by the editors of the Examiner. I was taught to respect someone in their house and I replied to my section leader with a notice that I would respect his wishes. However, since Mr. Wimer has gotten away with spewing his vitriol against me with impunity, I have had no choice but to acquire a new piece of virtual real-estate, this blog, in which to refute his erroneous claims. Mr. Wimer’s form of self-righteous indignation is dangerous at best. I would like to thank the Examiner for the professional manner in which they handled the debate between Mr. Wimer and I, however, the fact remains that he has whined and cried at the fact that I caught him in his lies and he can’t take it. I say to him; if you can’t take the heat, then get out of the kitchen. I am not the only one who has caught Mr. Wimer in his lies. Please visit Kerry Martin at thefbm.com and read his words. Compare his 13 years of research with my lifetime of living and studying the Word and there is no comparison. Yet, he sits on his self-appointed throne of readership with his court jesters saying yes to his every word without investigating where his word came from. This is the worst form of truth-bating and those who follow it are doomed to a life of ignorance and fate.

Those who preach fear will reap fear. Please, read the fear of his followers as they spew their support for a person who does not completely research his findings; just like his hero Glenn Beck. In article after article he uses Biblical references to support his weak conservative position without any care to the fact that he is inciting and unstable base of people who don’t research the Bible and who blindly take his word for what it means. This is the most dangerous form of posturing and that is why I have created this blog. As time permits, I will examine and respond to his blitherings here in order to challenge and enlighten those who seek the truth and not conservative white-washing. Welcome to a blog where a debate is welcome and censorship is not allowed. Speak you mind whether you agree with me or not. And here you won’t have to worry about Mr. Wimer’s whining. It will NOT influence the outcome of this blog.

Wimerwhiners: Part 1

2009-09-19T12:04:00.001-04:00

I have been anxiously waiting to begin this series on those commenters who frequent Keith Wimer’s column on Religion & Politics, as well as the refutation of Mr. Wimer’s eschatological conclusions based the Bible, Nostradamus, et. al. Something of this magnitude requires a significant amount of time digging in the dirt, so to speak, but the fruits of my labors will expose the eschatology for the sensationalism that it truly represents; sensationalism based on fear. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, then it is a duck. You can anthropomorphize the duck to the Nth degree, but in the light of reality you will see an animal that paddles with its feet and dives for its food.

In his article entitled “Glenn Beck: a chink in the armor” Mr. Wimer asserts that Glenn (Watsamatta U) Beck’s “unflinching promotion of traditional American values” through “incisive and well-researched interviews” makes him “worthy of a degree of admiration.” This is laughable at best since Mr. Beck takes facts and creates conspiracies like speed freaks read FBI marching orders on the oblique in daily newspaper columns. With any set of facts one can read just about any agenda into anything. Glenn Beck is a master at this! Mr. Wimer continues his discourse on John Hagee, the end of days clown who has repeatedly proclaimed the end of the world without success. Keith correctly pins down John Hagee for his “scandalous past” and Glenn Beck for being “responsible for the content of his program.” Whether Beck’s staff “didn’t bother to check the man’s credentials or didn’t find them germane” is my case in point. Jesus said emphatically that “no one will know” the end of days. Since we are “no one”, then it is safe to assume none of us will know.

Mr. Wimer further asserts, correctly, Hagee’s interpretations of current events into signs of the coming apocalypse as “hogwash.” I will go one step further and assert that St. John’s vision of The Revelation of Jesus Christ as being nothing but delusions of a sick and dying man trying to instill fear on those who had persecuted him. What better way to get even with those who were more powerful physically and politically than him; if this were not the case, then why was he hiding out in a cave on the Isle of Patmos in 90 C.E.? Just as I challenge the visions of Joseph Smith of Moses and Jesus I challenge the vision of St. John the Beloved. Science teaches you that if you cannot prove something by re-creating an experiment, then it cannot be accepted as fact; whether written authoritatively or not. Mr. Wimer continues with Biblical assertions made by some Christians which don’t have any basis in the written word. His points are as follows:

“A future uber-evil leader of a one world government (a.k.a. New World Order, a.k.a. "Revived Roman Empire") commonly referred to as the Antichrist. (Nope)
A future seven year tribulation period. (Not to be found)
Nuclear warfare. The battles fought in the Bible, especially the one that is supposed to happen at the climax of human history, Armageddon, are all fought with ancient weaponry, e.g. bows, arrows, swords, men on horseback, etc. hence each has already happened in the PAST!
Israel becoming a nation again, the temple being rebuilt therein, the reinstitution of the sacrificial system, as in animal sacrifices. (The Bible is eerily silent about these matters)
A future seven year tribulation period. (Not to be found)
A multi-stage second (or third) advent of Christ, inaugurated by this made up thing called "the rapture". (Nope, it can’t be found in the Bible either)
Christ reigning from a throne in Jerusalem (Uh, sorry, look as you dare, you won’t find it)
Modern day geopolitical sovereignties such as Russia, China, Iran. (Hello? Simply not there)”

Mr. Wimer’s above points are correct according to my research. However, inferences to #8 are debatable due to some scholars’ assertions that the Tribes of Israel and their descendants are manifested in European, Middle-Eastern and Asiatic countries. As for dispensationalism, God relates to human beings as his most prized creation. His message has been the same since the beginning of our time on this planet; it is how we perceive it that has changed. Mr. Wimer states that “Christianity seems imbecilic to those who don’t already understand its simple straightforward meaning.” I couldn’t agree more. Mr. Wimer focuses his attention on “those who misappropriate the teachings in order to line their own pockets and otherwise muddy the waters for personal reasons.” We agree. So far, so good. Not for long, however. His last statement reflects both John Hagee and Glenn Beck to a tee! More to come…

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." ©2009 Dean A. Banks. All Rights Reserved. Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.

You lie! oh yeah, section 246

2009-09-19T12:03:00.000-04:00

It is better to remain silent, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. A wise saying that all Wimerwhiners should adhere to. In regards to Congressman Jim-Bob of South Carolina’s blurting out to the President. Not only was this a major faux pas, but one based on NO facts. It takes a simple reading of HR3200, Section 246 to view the language in regard to illegal aliens. Section 246 reads, "NO FEDERAL PAYMENT FOR UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS. Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States." Why doesn’t Congressman Jim-Bob step up to the plate and admit that he is a racist? This 9/12 March on Washington that claimed over a million people in attendance used Photoshopped photographs to give the “appearance” of more people than were there. It was accurately estimated at 75,000 by the Fire Department. And Glenn Beck states that a university, that he can’t remember the name of (Watsamatta U?), stated 1.7 million. How many people were in attendance at Obama’s Inauguration? About 2 million. What a difference! The placards about “Bury Obamacare with Kennedy” were not only in poor taste, but based on lies and inaccuracies promulgated by racists who won’t accept that an election of a black man took place last November 4th. Sometimes I am embarrassed to be white, and this is one of those times.

The difference is obvious after the election of 2000. George W. Bush became the first duly selected President of the United States. Selected by right wing Supreme Court justices when Al Gore had clearly won. Yet, Al Gore had the sense and loyalty to this country to step aside for the greater good of maintaining order and peace. What are these 9/12 morons doing? Not reading, not listening and most of all, choosing to believe rhetoric and gossip over the facts as they stand. A simple reading would make them aware. But when was the last time that most of these people even read a book? A newspaper? A blog? Well, a group of voiceover artists got together and donated their time to reading the bill into an audio format that these people could listen to it, if they choose not to read it. Will they listen to it? I doubt it. They are so entrenched in their racism and hatred against blacks that their lily white faces are turning redder by the second. Get over yourself and your antiquated beliefs and accept what the majority of the country has chosen. I was not happy when the Supreme Court selected Bush, but I dealt with it. All 8 years of lies, control, domination, manipulation and stepping on of our rights. Especially, the Patriot Act. What an offense to all Americans! Fascism flourished and intelligence diminished.

Then the 9/12er’s counter with, “we are not racists; we don’t want big spending and government takeover!” Well then, where were you when W. and Cheney rode heard over our budget and took a Clinton surplus and converted it into a W. deficit? Nowhere to be found. You were happy that there was a lily white Christian cowboy in the office and no matter what he did you could blindly trust him. Revel in your moronic behavior because you are violating what Jesus had taught all of us. Follow the commandments. Follow the Beatitudes. If you would take the time to read them and embrace what they say, you would then know that the behaviors and loudness of the 9/12er’s come from hate and NOT love. Dispute that one, Wimerwhiners! BTW, the Bible is available on CD audio as well.

Your acid test is WWJD. Or should we say, what DID Jesus do. Jesus said “And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's (Luke 20:25). Are the 9/12er’s following this simple rule? Does their anger that is being fomented by a paranoid psychotic big mouth named Glenn Beck justify their behavior? Not by a long shot. Respect what Jesus has told you to respect and you will receive the respect you give. If you base your behaviors on racial prejudice and lack of intelligence, then you will reap your reward of frustration and anger. God ahead, make your day one of hatred and anger. Share the love of Christ with red in your eyes and red on your neck. See where that will get you.

9/12: fear at its peak

2009-09-19T12:01:00.000-04:00

From the smell of burgers on the grill at tailgating parties to the mall in D.C., many gathered to proclaim the mantra, “I want my country back!” And exactly what is their country? A country that, until recently, most of the world hated and despised for its infiltration into the societies of the world and its manipulation of their governments and economies. In essence, Big Brother. Yet the war paint of the old government fans and their louder and louder yelling doesn’t change the fact that our country has changed. People who have studied world history have finally gotten to the point where they see that we are no longer an island unto ourselves, but part of a global community. The founding fathers of our Constitution, mostly Deists, knew that the Constitution had to be a dynamic document. One that could be amended and modified to suit our growth and the times in which we would live. Not a static rag that would putrefy knowledge, growth and wisdom. Flexibility is the key to transition. Rigidity causes attitudes and behaviors to break instead of bend. Yet, with NRA placards in hand and a full metal jacket, those who want to defend our old way of life rise up and march on Washington.

With Bibles in hand they proclaim a way of life that has caused injury and insult to many peaceful people who want to be integrated into a global community. The same mindset that raided the lands of the Native Americans and called them heathens. Peaceful and sharing people who welcomed the settlers with open arms and shared our national holiday of Thanksgiving. People who were open to sharing the land, not raping it. Even if these 9/12er’s were taught the true history, they would still deny it based on the loudest of their leaders’ skew on the facts. Why? Because their leaders are right? Hardly! Because it fits into their pre-conceived agenda of control, domination and manipulation; the American way. Or should I say the redneck American way. In full regale the yahoos led by Jim Bobs marched on D.C. proclaiming an anti-socialist agenda and to make a statement. Over a million strong availed themselves of the right to demonstrate; in full view of the Congress and the President. This wouldn’t have happened in the Bush Administration, for they would have been relegated to demonstrating miles away.

With mantras like, “I want my America back”, many marched with self-righteous indignation like they “own” this country. What about the rest of us who want a better life? Are our opinions of no matter? Leaders who want power for themselves rule with control, domination and manipulation. They spin the facts to suit their needs and get even with those who disagree with them. They smear anyone who offers another opinion. If an opinion stands up to logic, based on facts, then it is worth debating. When conclusions about facts are embraced by people as true, it must stand up to scrutiny under the microscope. Also, it must be seen in a collective light as well. The Christian question is WWJD? Yet, many of these self-righteous 9/12er’s spin that question to defend a way of life that has hurt, moreover than helped, many people in the world.

The bottom line is that the 9/12er’s are preaching FEAR. Did Jesus preach fear? He preached obedience to God and respect for your fellow man. Not to take a position and posture yourself so that your viewpoint is right, whether it stands up to scrutiny or not. Remember the line he drew in the sand? Do most of you know what that idiom means? Have you taken the time to investigate the message of love and faith that Jesus taught? Or are you taking the easy way out and joining a mob of fear and defense based on an antiquated outlook of separatism? Are you enforcing fear at its peak like the Glenn Beck’s of the world or are you contributing to the growth and prosperity of your community? You decide. The facts are right in front of your face. Will you ignore them or support them? It’s up to you.

Granny and the intercessor

2009-09-19T11:58:00.001-04:00

After a relaxing weekend I decided to read some R&P articles. I needed a good laugh and Mr. Whiner sure knows how to give you one. My “esteamed” (misspelling intentional) colleague raises the bar when it comes to non-sense and rhetoric. One of his readers, Frankly Speaking, left an interesting comment: “Keith Wimer is the best cut and paste man working on the internet today. He believes that Glenn Beck was sent here on a mission from God to push the Conservative agenda forward. He agrees with people on his site that condemned Ted Kennedy to hell the day after he died. He is one confused Christian indeed.” Hmmm. Interesting. Frankly speaking, I found Mr. Whiner’s behavior “inexcusable.” Oh, he tried to back pedal in his second article on Ted Kennedy, only to take the cowardly way out and quote a Catholic priest with his own agenda to reinforce his position. His take on Ted Kennedy is like Sarah Palin’s “kill granny” theory of “death panels.” He elevates himself to the position of intercessor between you and God. He then rants about comments against Glenn Beck as being libelous. As Kerry Martin from thefbm.com says, “Keith needs a dictionary! It's not libel if it's the truth.”

Then comes his take on judgment. Judgment means to form and opinion in an objective, authoritative and wise manner. Judgment depends on a person’s evaluation of the facts. Evaluation means to set the value or significance of something after you examine the facts. Mr. Whiner states my “continued efforts to shame, denigrate, and assail the character of this column and its author, through his own writings. The consensus by the majority has been, invectives such as these aren’t worth dignifying.” How convenient. My evaluation of the facts came to one conclusion. Mr. Whiner wasn’t there at Ted Kennedy’s accident, and therefore had no idea as to what had truly happened. He then claims I judged him for that with “Aren’t folks who reprimand others for passing judgment, not in fact themselves passing judgment on those they deem "judgmental"? The absolute apex of hypocrisy is for one to accuse another of something they are so blatantly guilty of themselves, whether one recognizes or willingly acknowledges one's own duplicity or not. This is the greater principle the preceding anecdote seeks to edify one and all with.” My evaluation of your actions is completely correct. My judgment is of no consequence, sir. That one you will have to deal with when you meet your maker. Mr. Whiner’s above statement doesn’t hold water when one examines the facts. The apex of ego and hypocrisy comes from anyone who assumes they KNOW what God’s judgment is and inflicts it on another human being. That is NOT our job!

Then, there are his readers. After leaving many insidious comments about me and my character, I decided to wipe my comments and start the slate clean. My choice, my decision, my right. Again, Mr. Whiner’s whiners complained to high heaven with one even threatening to hack into examiner.com’s servers to retrieve the comments. And these are stable minds? One of his commenters said, “Bringing your daughter into this out of the blue was about as low life as this piece of human garbage can get!!! What an A**hole.” The fact is I referenced his position on TK and asked him what his daughter would think if she knew that he was judging another human being without the facts. I said nothing derogatory about his daughter at all. This is the mindset of these right wing nuts. Attack the person, not the truth that they are saying. Distract the focus from the issues and the truth. Another commenter, Mike Litoris, is such a coward that he uses a play on words that identify a woman’s genitalia to identify himself. In reference to me he says, “He is obviously so envious of your ability to write and reason circles around him, that he has nothing left to offer but personal and highly inaccurate professional attacks on you and YOUR quality work.” There is nothing farther from the truth. I would rather have one reader that I reach with the truth than to have my readers act like such childish morons as Mr. Litoris. To be envious of someone you have to desire what they have. I can assure you, there is nothing that Mr. Whiner has that I want! I have read the Bible cover to cover like him many times and we both see different things. Our major difference is that I don’t buy his eschatological horsecrap. I guess Mr. Whiner was a fly on the wall in the cave on the Isle of Patmos in 90 C.E. when St. John wrote the Revelation.

Here is the bottom line. Anyone who listens to fear and acts on it has not developed his character to lead other individuals. Glenn Beck is one prime example. Anyone who follows him is unstable at best. As Penn of Penn & Teller said, “If God told you to kill your child and you said no, then you are an Atheist. If you said yes, then you are dangerous and stay away from me.” Those who teach and practice faith in God and NOT fear of God are the true leaders in Christ. Not those who preach doom and gloom and the end of the world. Those are the people who don’t have a clue of the mission of human life on this planet. May God bless them in their ignorance.

God is NOT a hater, but Glenn Beck is!

2009-09-19T11:56:00.000-04:00

I feel especially qualified to make this statement after I conducted my experiment for the past three weeks. After collating my results and reading the comments for the final time, I truly realized how delusional, moronic and infantile most of the negative commenters were. I want to thank Keith Wimer, Religion and Politics Examiner for directing his readers to view my articles and decide for themselves. They made the snake pit quite interesting with their intelligent comments like, “this guy is full of crap.” What an intelligent comment! Their participation allowed my experiment to be rich and full of non-diversity and hate talk. Talk about opinionated and closed minded! Kind of makes you wonder about those with such a weak position who call themselves Christians. I now fully understand the hatred that is taught by Glenn Beck.

In Keith’s article, Glenn Beck facing leftist limbo, Keith states the following; “Limbo, as in the popular song and dance; question is, "how low can they go?" Hypocrisy, callousness, malice, and outright LIBEL from leftist propagandists have, can it be said, finally answered that question. Of course one daren’t set the low mark just yet. One thing seemingly inevitable, when it appears these loony radicals couldn’t possibly get any baser, they jerk an all new falsehood from their collective sphincter. Perhaps it’s appropriate the aforementioned 50’s party fad was based on a Trinidad funeral dance. Allegorically speaking, today’s "leftist limbo" does appear to signal the imminent death of civil discourse amongst those who disagree with each other. Incidentally, it had been decided that Glenn Beck was going to take a hiatus from this column for a spell to examine some other issues, but extremist scoundrels have thrown the gauntlet and to not denounce their madness would be ethically wrong.”

Well Mr. Whiner, excuse me, Wimer, I had such a good laugh over this one! I guess that I am one of the “extremist scoundrels” you mentioned. It would be ethically wrong for me not to say something about your apparent lack of intelligence in regards to this issue, in my opinion. The readers you sent me commented at such a low it was amazing. Civil discourse for them is verbal pollution. As for libel, when you are public figure and make statements there is no libel when someone calls you a moron; especially when you suffer from ADHD, display a dry drunk attitude and simply find conspiracies in everything. As for you and your readers‘ collective sphincter, as you call it, it’s the same old song. I won’t attempt to denounce you and your readers’ madness, I will just LOL! And you and your readers call yourselves Christians and Godlike? What a joke. You wouldn’t know compassion and understanding if it hit you over the head. Are you finding sickles and plow shares in any Wilmington government or banking buildings much like your hero GB is finding at Rockefeller Center (incidentally where the Fox News is located)?

I carried on a dialogue recently with Father Jacob, a Catholic priest. He insisted to me that God hates. God hates? What a moronic conclusion. God has created everything in this universe. We are His most prized creation. Who are the haters? People are, not God! Glenn Beck is so full of himself and the fact that he preaches to morons every night that his ego is out of control. This man, in my opinion, is a hater and needs serious mental help! What’s next? As Chris Matthews says, “Fox News is constant verbal incitement.” Incitement that affects people like the lily white Jim Bob at a town hall that kept interrupting a woman in a wheel chair who was only trying to tell her story. People who believe communistic and socialistic threats from morons who don’t even know the meanings of the words. If it didn’t push people to bringing guns to town halls it might be just simply funny. But it isn’t. It’s simply hate and fear mongering.

Want to be a hater? Want to deny what Christ tried to teach you? Then keep listening to the Beck’s, Hannity’s, Limbaugh’s and O’Reilly’s of the world. Nothing but sore losers! If you want to truly make a difference, then follow the principles in the Beatitudes that were stated in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Don’t be deceived by the rhetoric of haters, liars and manipulators! They are on a path to destruction, no constructive dialogue and a life of fear and lack. God has created an abundant and loving universe. When you seek that, it will come to you. When you live hatred, it will come to you as well. Which will you choose?

Venom and the snake pit

2009-09-19T11:54:00.000-04:00

Several weeks ago I wrote an article on the town hall meeting disruptors. The onslaught of commenters favoring Glenn Beck was like a tsunami; quick to judge and laying out mass destruction. I decided to walk a mile in Mr. Beck’s shoes and respond to his supporters as negatively as I possibly could. Since it takes about three weeks to form a habit and about three weeks to break one, I decided to conduct an experiment over the next three week period. I decided to level the commenters with insults, question their validity and be as acerbic and nasty as GB is. Mr. Beck cloaks his insults in niceties, but the result is the same. He gets you to doubt something to further his weak position. Why? To sell advertising. It’s not working, Glenn! At this point he has lost 57 advertisers. That speaks volumes!

Three weeks were up yesterday and as a result, I have been called a hater, a dumbass, a liar, a moron, ignorant, stupid, uninformed, unqualified, Anti-Mormon and on my way to hell. It is interesting when you push people’s buttons how they react. Wanting to be fair, I chose to respond to the commenters. I discovered that not only did it take up a great deal of time, it was stressful and hurtful; not just to myself, but my family as well. When you jump into the snake pit and spew venom repeatedly, it takes its toll. Since yesterday was the conclusion of my experiment, I am relieved to begin pro-acting again instead of reacting.

When people learn something and emotionalize it, it becomes real to them. No matter what anyone else says, they will choose to believe what they are convicted to believe. The snake pit of commenters is like a trip to virtual hell. It is place where everyone is trying to make his opinion known and correct and saying the hell with what anyone else says. This venom wells up from their spirit and spits out at others with such velocity that it burns the recipient, but ultimately, it hurts the person who spews it more. As I have said in my past articles, if you believe something, test it. Conduct experiments to test the validity of your convictions. In the snake pit, there are attacks and anger, as well as compliments and kudos. However, entering the daily sparring match can not only take away precious time from your family; it can have a deleterious effect on your mind, body and spirit.

I have led an absolutely wonderful life. God has blessed me immensely with a large family, great friends and a joyful spirit. During my 20’s and 30’s I was a recording and touring musician. I progressed into recording engineering and production in audio and video. Currently, I design and market websites and multimedia productions. I am quite busy with my work and I simply don’t have the time and energy to live in the snake pit. I have, and will continue to speak my mind on subjects that I have studied and learned about; much to the dismay of some commenters. I know who I am. Do they? Living in the snake pit and spewing venom has become a way of life for them. That is their choice. One particular commenter has a fascist like hit list where he discloses Anti-Mormons to the world. His delusional behavior and self-aggrandizement is indicative of a very sick mind. Is his faith in his religion so weak that he has to attack and label anyone who disagrees with his church? He has challenged me to produce my credentials, yet refuses to declare his.

I know what I have done and I don’t need to prove it to anyone. He feels that I have announced my credentials in my bio because I want to prove to the world that I am an authority. The truth of the matter is that is what examiner.com asked for and they put it in my bio. During my undergraduate studies in psychology, philosophy, religious history and computer science, I concurrently attended seminary school. We studied in depth the world’s religions, comparative gospels and I wrote a dissertation on ancient religions. I graduated from UCS, a Los Angeles based seminary school in 1985 and the school closed in 1989. During my studies I had to learn Aramaic (Hebrew), Koine Greek, geographic idioms, language nuances and the re-translations of the Bible by the Catholics into Latin. It was fascinating to learn about how some of the things that we have been taught are totally erroneous. Prior to college I had spent most of my child and teen life attending Pentecostal churches. I learned the Bible inside and out. But there was more I needed to learn; hence my attending seminary school.

My good friend and confidante Pastor Dr. Benjamin “Twin B.” Brown relayed a story to me about the situation concerning the Anti-Mormon accusations. He said that if you throw a brick into a pack of dogs, the one that gets hit is the one that yelps the loudest. How true! Greg West, whom I refer as the Anti-Mormon hater (I guess the brick had hit him), disputes my credentials and surely goes out of his way to include me on his Anti-Mormon hit list. This is a form of fascism, and his Mormon cronies don’t seem to like it. The tell me to look it up. I know what it means. They need to look it up. I call it as I see it. And this man questions my spirituality? Why, because I reacted fervently against his hatred and lies? I have had many years of experience with the Mormons. Having attended one of their wards for several years and having to deal with their incessant meddling into my private family affairs, I decided to leave their controlling, dominating and manipulating philosophies of life. After I left, I spent years investigating exactly who Joseph Smith was and what he was all about. I will be doing a series on them in the near future.

My best friend says that I can’t stop the birds from flying over my head but I can prevent them from making a nest in my hair. As for the snake pit, I am done. In fairness to the commenters and their right to comment, I will allow their new comments to appear if they decide to write them. They can fight amongst themselves if they so choose. I will be removing all of the comments currently there to wipe the slate clean and start anew. I will not be entering the snake pit anymore to read any of the comments. Post your hatred and disagreement if you like and if it is obscene and racial and it is reported, I will remove it. I have a great life and I choose to live it without animosity, stress and strife. Furthermore, if anyone tries to email me with negativity I will summarily block their addresses. I will continue to speak my mind on a variety of spiritual subjects, analyzing religions and what they teach people as well as the beauty of being one with God. If you don’t like what I say, then go somewhere else to learn more or spread your hatred. I challenge you to NOT read my articles. Only read them if you want to learn about where your accepted beliefs came from and how they have been manifested in today’s world. Don’t be like the Greg West’s of the world who’s insecurity in their own religion and their desire to enlist other’s attacks on people who disagree with him causes them to resort to fascism and hatred. I am truly sorry if I have offended anyone with my retorts. My goal was to get you to think. If you choose not to, then it is on you. Challenge your beliefs daily to learn the truth. May God bless you and your families now, and forever.

The religious right: sore losers and bible abusers

2009-09-19T11:52:00.000-04:00

The recent onslaught of right wing holier than thous preaching to me has been most amusing. One particular reader, Greg West, has added me to an Anti-Mormon hit list for his constituents. Hmmm. Sounds fascist, doesn’t it? What does that mean? Will I be denied a loan? Do I have to keep watch for skinny tied young men on bicycles? Must I look over my shoulders or have my cable cut off? Mr. West begins by trying to poke holes in my credentials and then getting into my family business, just like I stated to a Mormon commenter about MY experience with the Mormon Church. He claims that because I attacked Glenn Beck, who is Mormon, that I am attacking all Mormons. What a small mind! In his quest to diminish me, he has reinforced my argument. Maybe I should make up a list of anti-spirituality people and post that on the Internet; no, I’m not a fascist like Mr. West.

And what about the right wing sore losers? They have claimed to be the “sleeping giant” yet my assertion is that the real sleeping giant was awakened and acted last November 4, 2008. This was one of the most important times in our history, because the people spoke loudly about how they were tired of the good ole boy network of corporate rapists, crooked politicians and self-serving mercenaries. The people have spoken and no matter how much rhetoric is yelled loudly at town halls, no matter how many would-be pageant contestants spread hate and lies and no matter how many holier than thous writhe in pain, finally, the voice of the people will be heard. Let’s face it; the days of making a fortune off the other guy’s hard work are on their way out. People are finally really listening to what Christ said and following his tenets and principles. No, it will not happen overnight; but it WILL happen. People are tired of being abused by big business, government and self-righteous haters.

Now, here comes the fun part. The Bible abusers. Those holier than thous who beat their Bibles or beat you over the head with their Bibles. Especially those with the Bible AND the Book of Mormon. I think it’s funny, that if you take the “C” that Glenn Beck left out of oligarchy, and add it to the name of the Angel Moroni, it spells “MORONIC.” That’s why he left out the “C!” He didn’t want to reveal his true nature! Nice try, Glenn. Those who abuse or bastardize God’s word are the worst kind of morons. God has given us a set of rules to obey and follow, yet, through many years of mistranslations and agenda fulfilling, the Bible has been made into a vehicle to whip game on others. It was NOT intended for that. Jesus laid out specifically our attitudes to be. Read them and take time to absorb what they mean. Then, go and read or view the hatred spewed by Greg West and Glenn Beck and tell me that they are following Christ. Hardly.

The Bible is our guide to live a blessed life. Each book for each major religion is their guide for life. Jesus said for us to follow the “SPIRIT” of the law and not the letter of the law. When any man makes what is written down more important than feeding a hungry child, helping a sick and elderly person or giving of your time to help those less blessed than you, than he is truly missing the point. Jesus said that if ANYONE knocks on your door and you turn them away, then you are turning him away. Yet, in this health care debate the Republicans are fighting the very thing that Jesus told us to embrace. Compassion and care for the poor. Respect for all people, no matter what they believe. Giving of yourself to others because it makes us all stronger.

I have been attacked because of my acerbic tone in my writings. I have been called foolish, angry, full of it and a loser. I really don’t care what any one of you calls me. I choose to follow the words of Christ and not the words of those who THINK they know what he has said. That’s why I spent most of my life studying the Word in church and in seminary school. Mr. West can try to diminish my credentials, but what right does he have to diminish my spirit? Absolutely none. His form of hatred and lies are the very reason we are all in the mess we are today with health care, wars and strife. If you teach fear and hate you will reap the rewards of that in your life. My message is simple. Don’t believe everything you read, view or hear. Investigate it. Listen to the still small voice of God. He will guide your steps no matter how many freaks come out of the woodwork.

Glenn Beck: nonsensical or spiritual?

2009-09-19T11:50:00.000-04:00

As a result of the recent diatribe over the validity of Glenn Beck and his endless chalkboard points, I decided to watch his program one more time to see if there was anything of value purported by the commenters on my articles and the commenters of Keith Wimer’s articles. I entered the experience with an open mind and as sure as I can say, “You Betcha”, Glenn proceeded to make a complete moron of himself on national television. And the commenters say I should take this man seriously? Give me a break! This man puts his foot in his mouth so much that it’s natural for it to live there. He begins his monologue with his famous chalkboard supposedly spelling the word oligarchy. However, his spelling was O-L-I-G-A-R-H-Y. Not noticing his blatant mistake, he comes back the next night and states that he purposefully left out the C because it stood for “Czars.” ??? The stupidity of this man goes beyond his entertainment ability. Why? Because he believes his own horsecrap! He then proceeds to identify points based on each letter which have absolutely nothing to do with each other, save in his own demented mind. Calling Mr. Beck a sound political commenter is like calling a rapper a musician. A musician creates and translates music through his being into an instrument. He doesn’t sample what others have done, add his own spin to it and call it original music.

This nonsense of his is insulting to those of us who seek a greater knowledge of the world around us. Being aware of your physical existence is only part of the equation. We have, as human beings, other aspects of our beings that need to be recognized in order for us to grow individually and collectively. If we but took the time to nurture and develop these aspects, we would become more aware of the world around us. When we go to school or college we are developing our mental aspects. We learn how to study, listen and think. We are inputted with many types and forms of information, and through the practical application of this information we obtain knowledge. By developing our emotional intelligence, we learn to listen and respect the other guy and his position, even though he might not agree with us. However, when someone continually subjects us to moronic and unsubstantiated claims, we either fight them or simply turn them off. In my non-self righteous indignation, I have chosen to refute the claims of nonsensical individuals like Glenn Beck. His daily dispensing of misinformation no doubt comes from a deep-seated emotional and mental problems. His behavior is so indicative of a “dry-drunk" (an astute observation by Sue Golden, a reader of my column). Kerry Martin, the FBM.com) has more interesting information about this whole "divide and distract" thing of Mr. Beck.

But is he truly spiritual? The final, and most important aspect of an individual, is where we can truly see whether this man is telling the truth. His religious affiliation is Mormon (The Church of Latter Day Saints). I have had many years of exposure to Mormon believers and I have plenty of information about their belief system. My eldest son is a devout Mormon and he and I have had heated debates over what Joseph Smith witnessed on the hill of Cummorah in New York state. You can rest assure, I will have a series of enlightening details about Mr. Smith and his “Latter Day Saints.” My experience with this church is that they brag about family values and their commitment to their people, yet they stick their noses into people’s private business where they have NO purview. To me, they are the worst form of hypocrites. Why? Because they feel that they have some special knowledge and dispensation from God just like I called out Mr. Wimer on in his first article on Ted Kennedy. Anyone that tells you that they have as direct channel to God is waving the worst kind of B.S. possible. A truly spiritual person seeks to develop their spiritual side by becoming one with God; without a middle man. The religions of the world are great for those who are novices in spirituality. But there comes a time when you must grow up in your beliefs about God. When you understand the knowledge you have obtained, then, and only then, do you obtain wisdom.

Make the time daily to still yourself and become one with God. The reward you will get is less stress, more peace, a developing spiritual connection to the divine, and finally, the ability to distinguish nonsense from truth. Take the peace from this time and seek the truth. Develop all of the aspects of your being; physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Don’t just develop one aspect and think that it is enough to get you through. Balance of all of the aspects is what makes one aware and truly a contributor to truth and understanding.

Spirituality and the public option

2009-09-19T11:45:00.000-04:00

Much has been said recently about the public option of HR3200. The supporters say that we need such an option to provide health care for millions who don’t have it, while the nay-sayers preach fear and distrust because it increases government and takes away an individual’s right to choose. Let’s examine. The word option means the power or right of choosing. Hmmm. How is a public option taking away a person’s choice, when the very root of the word is choice? I really think the nay-sayers have blown it on this one. No matter how many times they are told that it won’t affect their own insurance, or right to buy that insurance, they still listen to the Beck’s, Limbaugh’s, Hannity’s, O’Reilly’s and Murdoch’s of the world. People who make a living on spreading hate.

Spirituality is the belief that things that cannot be seen affect things that can. However, it works both ways. What you do outwardly every day affects your inner spirit. The nay-sayers don’t seem to have any clue how their negative behavior based on innuendo and not the facts is affecting their spiritual being. Thomas Paine once said, "A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right." Are the nay-sayers fooling themselves? Or do they have a point? They base their argument on the right of individual choice.

Years ago I had the privilege of studying under Dr. Cleon Skousen. Dr. Skousen, a staunch conservative and Mormon, taught about how individual initiative is what allowed the first settlers to this country to survive. Communistic policies that were enforced in the first winter after their landing led to laziness and lack of contribution by some members of the community. But was his assessment correct? At that time it was. We, as people, are dynamic. As our bodies and minds grow, the awareness of our spirit grows as well. Because some form of behavior created a set of circumstances at one point in history does not necessarily make it viable at other points in history.

We have grown as a society in incremental steps toward a greater understanding of our spiritual nature. However, there are many churches, priests, preachers and religious leaders that still attempt to beat us up with fear, sin and eschatology. If you believe that God has created this universe then come to realize one thing; this universe is abundant. Can you count the blades of grass, the drops of water and the stars in the sky? We have the tools, like most of our Deistic (not Judeo-Christian) founding fathers utilized; to take what God has given us and make it a better world. We have that opportunity with HR3200 to give everyone an equal right to healthcare. It does NOT take away individual initiative, it reinforces it!

A public option would push the insurance companies to negotiate more fervently and as a result it would lower current health care costs. Currently, some Medicare beneficiaries have experienced cost increases; the public option would lower these costs as a result of more fierce competition. Costs wouldn’t be shifted to Americans with private insurance because we would be paying for value, not volume, and subsequently, a practical elimination of over payments. Socialized medicine is NOT socialism. We will still operate as a democratic state and not become a welfare state. The public option will lower costs to families due to the more intense competition. The fear that is being preached is that Americans will be forced to purchase insurance from a public plan. That is so far from the truth it is disgusting! Remember what the word option means. Finally, the patient-doctor relationship would improve because only the necessary care would be administered. Currently, insurance companies decide what they will pay out regardless of what the bill says, and stick the patient with the rest. How is that fair?

Dr. Skousen was right on one very important point. Competition is the soul of our capitalistic society. Furthermore, if we need to resort to socialized medicine to drive up competition, then so be it. To the nay-sayers, stop preaching fear, lies and lack. Realize your true spiritual connection to God, your fellow man and yourself. The more tightly you squeeze on something in your hand the more easily it will slip through your fingers. This is an abundant universe and we are all children of God. Stop hoarding, lying and being self-centered. It will make you a better human being for yourself, others and the rest of the world. As was once said about Ted Turner, “lead, follow or get out of the way.”

Keith Wimer: right wing whiner

2009-09-19T11:42:00.000-04:00

As a result of my recent article on Glenn Beck, I have received many comments from yahoos and right wing nuts who think that I am not logical. People who don’t know how to think; they just emotionally react. I have stated my respect for Mr. Wimer to those who defend him. And yes, I did respect him until I read his article on Ted Kennedy. Mr. Wimer stated, “Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy has died. Sincere condolences to his loved ones. God have mercy on his soul. May the Almighty be infinitely more attentive to Mr. Kennedy's eternal condition than Mr. Kennedy appears to have been to lovely, bright-eyed, blonde-haired, 28 year old Mary Jo Kopechne whom he left behind to drown in the car he had driven off an unlit bridge on the night of July 18, 1969, in Chappaquiddick, MA. Kennedy, and this (i.e. special treatment) is a fairly common tale amongst the fabled "Camelot" clan, was given a mockery of a sentence (2 months in prison - suspended, a year’s probation and a 6 month loss of driving privileges) by a Massachusetts "kangaroo court" for "leaving the scene of an accident".

Who died and left you judge, Mr. Wimer? What would your daughter think of you if she knew you made statements and claims about anyone without being there? Were you there at that bridge or in the water? How do you know if Ted Kennedy didn’t try to save her? Did God let you in on some special knowledge that the rest of us don’t know? You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Well, just like your yahoo readers, your true essence has come forth. Whatever respect I had for you is totally lost. I sure hope the readers can see who you truly are. A proponent of misinformation, fear mongering and hate.

Then, in the next paragraph Mr. Wimer displays the picture of one of the greatest haters of all time; Bill O’Reilly. Why don’t you say what Mr. O’Reilly said in his famous YouTube speech now that you have been caught in your spreading of hate? People like you and your constituents continually spread misinformation because you can. Thanks to Liberalism and not Fascism. You reinforce your skewed beliefs and don’t seek the truth. You tipped your hand, Mr. Wimer. Your assessment definitely misses the WWJD test. Jesus taught love and respect for others. The spreading of misinformation, fear mongering and hate IS lunacy and is NOT what Jesus would do. Mr. Wimer states, “Every true Christian, this one included, hopes this is so and again, the sincere and heartfelt sentiment here is that God will be merciful to Mr. Kennedy.” Your supposition of what happened in the water under that bridge shows your personal belief in your superiority in KNOWING what truly happened. How dare you! Take yourself down from your high horse and be thankful for all that God has given you and stop judging others.

Step up to the plate Mr. Wimer and teach the truth. Show people you truly have character and admit that you weren’t there at that bridge. Admit that you truly don’t know what happened. Then, and only then, will your credibility be re-established. Start to teach your viewpoint without acting like you have some special knowledge that God has dispensed on you. Your arrogance is only tempered by your humility. I will continue to read your posts because I believe down deep inside you are a truth seeker. However, if you don’t start to humble yourself when it comes to things beyond your purview, then you will reap the rewards of your actions. May God bless you, Mr. Wimer. I hope that you will see the error of your ways as you have stated in your article, Ted Kennedy: death of the Liberal Lion.

Glenn Beck: the fusion of fear mongering and lunacy

2009-09-19T11:38:00.000-04:00

Got your attention, did I? Well, I won’t let you down. Keith Wimer, former Eschatology Examiner and now current Religion and Politics Examiner has recently had a series of articles on Glenn Beck, erroneously portraying him as the school yard nerd who is getting beaten up by the big boys. I commented on Mr. Wimer’s article by saying, “Who is more foolish, the fool or the fool that follows him? This was not an attack, but a question. I want to congratulate Mr. Wimer on his recent success with the Examiner. But at what cost? First, the switch from Eschatology to Religion and Politics because his writings have drawn out the Religious Right contingency and given them a basis for their immoral turpitude on the true teaching of the Bible. It’s understandable when you believe in the eschatological horsecrap based on the psychotic induced visions, or should we say delusions, of St. John The Beloved. John is the supposed author of The Revelation of Jesus Christ. But did Christ truly reveal this allegory to John? Christ taught love and forgiveness. Revelation teaches FEAR! You decide. One of my commenters, Father Jacob, insists on the Bible as the complete Word of God. Father Jacob, why don’t you comment on how the Catholic Church canonized Revelation? Please, let’s seek and speak the truth!

I for one will continue to challenge readers on their beliefs. Where did they come from? How can you know for sure that what you believe is sound? Oh right, the Protestant and Catholic doctrines of sola fide and sola sciptura. Tools for fear mongering preachers like Mr. Beck who day after day sells his soul at the altar of TV ratings. What is fear mongering? It is uses fear through repetition. Keep saying a lie over and over again and eventually people will believe it’s the truth. What is lunacy? Its meaning is insanity and it is classified as a mental disorder. It is sometimes referred to as intermittent insanity and was formerly believed to be related to phases of the moon. Insanity is repeatedly doing something over and over again the same way and expecting different results. One might ask, “How can someone lie repeatedly and still sleep at night?” It’s simple; if they believe they are in the right they simply don’t know any better. Any challenges to their beliefs are summarily dismissed. We are all products of our environment and products of heredity. The truth only lies in the complete investigation of the origins of our beliefs. Something Mr. Beck doesn’t seem to understand because he touts his delusions every night with reckless abandon. Take the FEMA camp at the military base incident. If that lady would have caused any harm to anyone, Mr. Beck would have been just as guilty as she for inciting her with his lies. Who is more foolish? The fool, or the fool that follows him? Beck describes his program as "the fusion of entertainment and enlightenment.” I describe it as “the fusion of fear mongering and lunacy.” Remember, Glenn Beck, like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly are entertainers; NOT experts. More like big mouths that spew diarrhea of the mouth and constipation of ideas.

Back to Mr. Wimer. His audience seems to be a mix mosh of good ole boys, yahoos, BACF’s, in-breds and generally those with an eye for sensationalism. Like Keith Olbermann said last night on his program, “Why don’t you just get a hood?” If the shoe fits wear it pal! I challenge each and every one of his readers to NOT read my column because they might learn something that would undermine the basis of their whole existence; it’s called the TRUTH! Go ahead, Jim Bob, make your comments and further cement your lack of awareness by even entertaining anything coming out of Glenn Beck’s mouth. Glenn Beck teaches fear from his basis of lunacy. Like Olbermann says, “A Don’t Tread on Me Paranoia.” Ready to attack? Then listen. I was raised a Republican. I became a Libertarian. I don’t believe in big government but I believe that if government illegally collects a wage tax from you they can at least provide medical coverage for you and your family. Right wing nuts can call it socialism, but it works. Isn’t that better than UIC’s CEO collecting 750 million dollars off the sweat of your brow? Argue with that one, Jim Bob. Have I got more? Like the right wing nut job and pageant wanna-be says, “you betcha!”

All we have is now. What we thought and believed in the past has made the circumstances you are living now. What you think and believe about now makes the circumstances of your future. One such example is Ted Kennedy. He stayed focused on basic human rights and believed that he could help create a world where we could talk and not kill each other if we disagree. Republicans have been trying to paint Ted Kennedy’s contributions as bi-partisan and conciliatory. Yes, he reached across the aisle, but he embraced the principles of liberalism and to walk a mile in the other guy’s shoes. He did it because he believed in the democratic process. He fought for the average American even though right wing nut jobs took the life of his brothers Jack and Bobby. He believed in the goodness of people. So did Jesus. Did Jesus pick up a stone and stone the adulteress? Did he grab Peter’s sword and finish the job on the Roman? No; he expressed understanding and love. Something that Glenn Beck has NO concept of; you can tell a great deal about the person by the fruits that they bear. Jesus cursed the fig tree when it didn’t bring forth fruit. Corporations, the very thing that Glenn Beck supports and vilifies, have backed out of supporting him. To date, 46 corporate advertisers have said, “we don’t want guilt by association.” Doesn’t that tell you something, Jim Bob? I have prepared a response to Mr. Wimer’s 3 articles on Mr. Beck and they will be forthcoming. I challenge him to tell the truth about Mr. Beck and stop perpetrating the spin on Glenn Beck’s statements, policies and behaviors. Let the battle begin!

Spiritual agendas

2009-09-19T11:36:00.000-04:00

Over the past few weeks our country has been in a gridlock over healthcare reform. The loudest reactions to health care reform have been those who don’t want it. Why do you think that is? And, what does this have to do with spirituality? Plenty. Your being is a psycho-physical unit that is programmed to survive, and ultimately thrive. If not, we would not be here as the human race. An agenda is a list of things to be done; done in order to either maintain or grow a current situation. When things don’t proceed in an effective manner, and either stagnation or regression appears imminent, then a methodical outlined approach of how to manifest inspiration leads to an agenda. Not everyone will agree on what is termed political agendas, but they sometimes will get even angrier when discussing spiritual agendas.

A political agenda is a set of policies or issues addressed or pursued by an individual or a group. In order to understand why those policies are on their agenda, one must understand their motivations. For example, why such fights recently about health care? Let’s examine their motivations. On the surface the proponents of no plan say that government run health would be disastrous; look at Medicare. Please, let’s look. Medicare operates with a 4% overhead while insurance companies hauled in $230 billion dollars in profit last year. They cry socialism yet Medicare works! Hmmm. I smell a rat. Yes, about every 10 years Medicare gets into trouble because of rising health care costs, yet it still manages to provide quality payment of health care services; it does not provide health care services. Medicare IS a government run program. Insurance companies provide payment of health care services; they do not provide health care services. There is a difference! When a political agenda focuses primarily on the profits of companies instead of the health and welfare of individuals, there is bound to be acrimony over anything that threatens that position. What value do the insurance companies provide to us for the billions in profit they generate? Have they re-invested into our health care system? Remember, in business the bottom line rules and it is their God!

A spiritual agenda is a set of policies adopted by a religious group or an individual. For example, the Catholic Church has a defined set of rules that were adopted alongside their understanding of the Bible that their church adheres to; this becomes the guideline for their spiritual agenda. The Protestants as well have their agenda, even though they disagree with the Catholics on many issues. Other religions adopt agendas based on the needs of their constituents and desire for growth. Due to the firm beliefs of some Muslims, Christians have lived in fear of their religion by lashing out anyone who is part of the Muslim religion. There are radicals in every religion. Take Blackwater’s “Christian” agenda for example. Then there are those who outside of the mainstream religions who simply want to live their lives in peace without sets of rules and agendas in order to become the best that they can be. But, according to some, there are going to hell unless they take it upon themselves to help save their soul. What audacity!

Most Christians today operate on two principles in relation to understanding the Bible. These are the doctrines of sola scriptura and sola fide. Sola scriptura maintains that the Bible is the final source of authority for Christians; in other words Literary Authoritarianism. Sola Fide maintains that faith and not works is what is necessary for salvation; in other words the gospel according to Paul. When any book or sets of books that has been passed down by man mouth to mouth, and then written down, there has to be a question as to what has changed. Christians believe in the infallibility of the Bible as it stands as the Word of God. Yet, man, in putting down the written word had his own agenda. Many Christians use Sola Fide as a crutch to convince themselves and others the validity of Sola Scriptura. Instead of going within and listening to the still small voice of God, who guides and directs your every movement, they aggressively bang the Bible when, most of the times, they haven’t even read it or meditated upon it. They follow what their religious leaders have told them. Why? Is it too much to research it themselves? Are they too lazy? Or do they just want to take the easy way out and jump on the bandwagon. When people rely solely on their emotions and don’t think, what we have seen recently in the news is not surprise. What is your spiritual agenda? Are you looking for a better life? Are you willing to take the steps and walk the walk to a better life? Are you willing to do the research? Or will you blindly accept what others have told you to believe. It’s up to you. Design your own spiritual agenda to daily seek the truth and wisdom of God; meditate and listen to His still small voice. Don’t rely on the written word alone but feel the spirit of God within you. He will reward you with health, wealth, prosperity and abundance. It is your birthright.

Right to life?

2009-09-19T11:33:00.000-04:00

Does the Constitution say that we have a right to life? Bob King, in his graphictruth.com post states the following, “The Right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness are all things that can only be guaranteed to the extent that we agree to not interfere with the lives and choices of other persons.” Well said, Bob. HR3200 states clearly that the government will pay for an initial counseling session where the patients doctors will discuss with the patient and/or the patient’s family what their viable options are. Options, options, options; not death panels. Now, if you don’t choose to believe me then go and read the bill. In a response to a comment I received from Bill of Houston I said, “The panels as you say are for consultation as to whether they will have a quality of life, that the government will pay for. Have you ever been to a nursing home, sir? Have you seen the constant meds and soul-less stares on the patients, as doctors hack one limb off after another and the patient doesn’t even know where, or who they are? Know what you are fighting for, sir! These people have no quality of life because the pharmaceutical companies are making such a huge profit off of their care.” I know. I visit my father in a nursing home. He doesn’t even know who I am because they have him so drugged up and in a constant stupor; the longer he lives the more the pharmaceutical companies make. Is this quality of life? Hardly!

Republican spokespersons who put down HR3200 say that the government should stay out of our personal choices about life; a belief I hold true as a Libertarian. Well then, what about W. cancelling his vacation to stop Terry Schiavo’s husband from taking her off of life support? He didn’t cancel his golfing vacation for Katrina, when thousands of people’s of lives were at stake (he flew over, tours the area and went back to golfing), yet he said, “we should err on the side of life” just for one individual. No doubt sound advice from his brain Karl Rove. And what about statements made by McCain and Palin about their approval of advanced directive (including living wills) and now denouncing it? Sounds two-faced to me. Argue that one, jim bob.

Now, let’s look at abortion. One of my commenters, Alan, stated that abortion is murder. My response to him was, “ ...Find me one, mind you, just ONE thing about abortion in the Bible...” I challenge all of the evangelical Christian community to find me a verse. Just one; that’s all I ask. But some of the activist Christian community believes that it’s OK to murder abortion doctors. Did Jesus grab Peter’s sword and finish the job on the Roman soldier? No, he picked up his ear and healed him. I don’t care what you say, your actions to meet what act you perceive as wrong by committing the same act is just as wrong. If you don’t see that, then there is definitely something wrong with you. Alan also stated that abortion is against the mandates of the Bible and that I was a pro-abortionist. My response to him was, “As for abortion, I don’t believe in abortion. I have 6 children and 6 grandchildren and I thank God everyday for such a blessing and legacy. I never said that abortion was OK. The mantra you refer to is a woman’s right (to choose)!“ Alan further says, “Anyone who stands by Obama, a rabid pro-abortionist, and still tries to hide behind the hem of Jesus' garment is the worst possible kind of hypocrite.” Sir, I don’t hide behind the hem of Jesus’ garment, I announce it! As for your remarks about a man who recognizes that he is not a woman and has NO right to make choices FOR her, your form of sexual bigotry is dying out quickly.

Like the lady in the town hall meeting who said (no doubt from a script), “you’ve awakened a sleeping giant.” The sleeping giant was awakened last November 4th when the country mandated a change. A move away from fear and fascism toward a democratic and peaceful society. In fact, this same lady, when asked by a reporter said that she “wanted us to go back to what the founding fathers wanted for us.” When he responded with, “Ok, no Medicare, no women’s right to vote” she clammed up and couldn’t say a thing. The Founding Fathers made the Constitution a dynamic, living and breathing document that grows as we grow. Not a static set of rules like most evangelicals THINK the Bible is. The Bible is our operation manual for life. It is NOT our life! Give thanks for the blessing that God has given each and every one of us and you will see and receive the blessings of this abundant universe!

Politics and religion

2009-09-19T11:29:00.001-04:00

When I woke up today I went through my usual routine. I started my day with thanking God for allowing me to embrace another day as the caffeine from my coffee seeped into my veins. It is a great day, I thought! I spent most of my evening responding to commenters about my article yesterday. It was enlightening to find that most of them accused me of either being a liar, the devil or simply an idiot. What a great country we live where we can speak our minds without fear of reprisal. It’s funny to me that I posted, in Jesus’ own words, the Beatitudes concerning our attitudes to be. What else is funny, is that none of the commenters paid attention to what Jesus was saying. They only focused on how I was using Jesus’ words to further my political agenda. First off, I have no political agenda. I have a thirst for the truth. Especially the truth as revealed by Christ; IN HIS OWN WORDS!

But, as usual, the point was missed by the commenters completely. It has been said that if you want to make friends, then don’t discuss politics or religion. I am not out to make friends; I am out to seek the truth. When I witness the moronic actions at the town halls, the blatant lies being perpetrated by common people in the media and the hostility of the commenters, I begin to understand why Jesus was put to death. He spoke the truth to those who didn’t want to hear the truth. The only way that His words could be silenced, they thought, was to put Him to death. As we all know, that didn’t work. Listen up Rush, Bill, Glenn and Sean. Distraction might work for a season, but ultimately, you will be known by the fruits you bear. Remember, Jesus cursed the fig tree that didn’t bear healthy fruit. Can anyone of you say that the fruits of racism, birthing, deathing and disrupting are healthy fruit? I think not.

Yet, you bellow out you position, day after day, louder and louder each day, drowning out the calm and respectable voices that are present at the town hall meetings. I was very impressed by the Republican man at the Obama town hall who spoke what he felt, in turn and calmly. There are many composed and contained Republicans and Conservatives who speak with maturity and conviction. I fail to see why they don’t shut down the hate mongers like Sarah Palin and her death panel constituents. Or why they let Rush become the figurative head of the Reps. Or how they scream how Bill O’Reilly speaks the truth! That, right there, shows me how misguided and misinformed they are. These are the same people that call me the devil after I quote Christ. I say, what about the devil in you, my friend? Cast the beam out of your own eye before you point out the speck in mine. The speck in mine is my reaction to the idiocy of the past few weeks. People speaking out of turn about things that they don’t know and about companies and people they know absolutely nothing about. Yet, they have an opinion. An opinion means nothing unless it is an informed opinion based on the FACTS and on an obvious truth.

HR3200 might not be the perfect solution to our problem of health care, but it is the only one on the table today. Yes, it might be loaded with earmarks and deals that have to be there so that the corporations can still rape us somewhat, but at least it offers a way for people with CURABLE maladies to afford to have them treated. It won’t affect your current health care, yet the spin doctors want you to believe that so you can shoot it down. Stop listening to the lies of the those who worship the bottom line. Are you truly a believer in God and the word of Jesus? If you are from another religion, do you believe the God you worship would cause harm to His most prized creation? Would someone who respects God’s creation torture another human being? Would they lie to their brother so they can make interest on them? Remove the beam from your eye so you can clearly see the light of day. The only choice left is to live in the darkness.

Racists, birthers, deathers and disruptors beware!

2009-09-19T11:27:00.001-04:00

Your time has come. It’s the end of an era of posturing and ignorance. Your good ole boy clubs and networks have been placed under the microscope. Every day that you invade town halls with your rhetoric and insanity proves this fact. Your bellowing of how health care reform will drastically interfere with the free enterprise system is being revealed by the fact that good ole boys are paying citizens to disrupt discussions at town halls. The financing from the insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies of the good ole boy network is trying to stop what they feel will hurt their bottom line. You are fueling the underlying racial divide with rhetoric and distraction. Do you honestly think that the average intelligent person can’t see through you scripted statements and false passions? Most of the people are simply tired of your B.S. That’s why Obama was elected. It’s time for you to grow up and stop being sore losers. Oh, but that’s trying to get rationality out of people who are irrational, which, in itself is irrational. Oh no, circular logic!

Was Jesus a racist? Did he not say that the good news was for both Jews AND Gentiles? Jesus embraced all kinds of people. A simple analysis of the Beatitudes reflects this:

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew5:3) – the poor and humble in spirit are blessed by God. Are the racists, birthers, deathers and disruptors of town halls humble in spirit? Hardly. Theirs is a spirit of frustration; “I want my country back!” Back from whom? A black president? Ah, you have revealed your racism!
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4) – mourners are those who have endured the tremendous might of evil which invades the world; one of these evils is racism. Christ is also a comforter. His wisdom and love of man is unparalleled.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5) – the meek are humble and gentle; they don’t strive for disharmony because they put their needs in God’s hands, who ultimately delivers their inheritance of peace and justice on earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. (Matthew 5:6) – the loaves and the fishes are a result of the oppressed people who longed for salvation and acceptance; sound like slavery of the African-American people? How many years did they endure oppression? Separation from their family members. Working hard for NO wages. Yet they thirsted for righteousness and the result was an African-American president who is aware of, and capable of, bringing the races together. Something the separatists despise. It is ruining “their America!” Funny, I thought this was our America?
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. (Matthew 5:7) – When you show mercy to another person who you perceive has violated you, then you are superseding justice with love. By assuming a quality of God and showing mercy, mercy will be shown to you. Are the racists, birthers, deathers and disruptors merciful? They are demanding back what they perceive is theirs without regard for anyone else. That, is NOT mercy!
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8) –When you see God in everything that He has created, you are pure in heart. We are all expressions of God no matter what race we are. Anyone who sees that differently is NOT pure in heart. Is someone who accepts money to disrupt a town hall meeting with rhetoric and distraction pure in heart? Hardly!
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (Matthew 5:9) – Those who seek peace accept God as the creator of all things and diligently seek enlightenment and alignment with God. The God of the Old Testament appears to be a warrior God to some. Defending the Jews and claiming them as his “chosen people.” We are all children of God, yet when we seek separation from the whole of God’s creation, we are dividing up the whole into us and them. This is the basis for war, racism, separatism and all hostilities. Those who seek peace and calm, focused discussion recognize their connection to God. Is this the kind of behavior exhibited by racists, birthers, deathers and disruptors? Hardly!
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:10) – God set the example of how we should behave with the actions and behaviors in the life of Christ. Jesus demonstrated human emotion, divine healing and showed mercy and brotherhood to all. When Peter cut off the ear of the soldier, Jesus put it back on. He lived in the Kingdom of Heaven and said it was here and now. Not in some far off place in the sky. It is up to us to emulate his behavior and live in the Kingdom of Heaven now! There is no derision and hostility in the Kingdom of Heaven. Will there be sidearms present when you live in the Kingdom of Heaven? Think about it!
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12) – This verse has been my guiding light. I am exceedingly glad and my reward is being able to live in the Kingdom of Heaven here and now. When I receive attacks from commenters who speak out of their a~s, without anything to back it up, I smile and thank the Lord for blessing me with insight and understanding. The Beatitudes are about keeping the testimonies of God and seeking Him with all of your mind, body and spirit. When you do this your are living in the Kingdom of Heaven everyday. Those who seek derision against man without proof, claim to know the Bible without thoroughly researching it and act like animals at public events are persecuting everyone who shows up to discuss the current issues. Rejoice in their ignorance for they truly have their reward! They have to live with themselves. Ultimately, pray for their guidance from God and the understanding of His laws.

Racists, birthers, deathers and disruptors beware. Your B.S. has been seen in the light of day. Try actually reading the content of the Health Reform Act before you cast judgment. Stop listening to self-aggrandizing inciters like Sarah Palin who don’t have a clue about reality, except to manipulate apparent circumstances to support their positions and increase their bottom line. Do you really think she actually cares about you? If you do then you are quite foolish. Keep displaying your ignorance and keep revealing your lack of understanding of what Jesus has taught us. I can only pray that one day you will wake up and smell the flowers. They, too, are a part of God’s magnificent creation!

Sieg heil, corporate america

2009-09-19T11:25:00.000-04:00

It never ceases to amaze me how the lack of intelligence and bullheadedness of conservative right wing intellectual terrorists will defend the very thing that is hurting them the most: corporate america. And what is an intellectual terrorist? A person that keeps battering you with distraction and nonsense long enough for you not to observe and THINK about what is REALLY happening. The expression the blind leading the blind comes to mind, but however, that is not what is happening. Most of these average American citizens are hard-working, family-oriented and want the best in their lives. Yet Corporate America daily dangles the carrot of that better life without hope for them to ever get it.

Many years ago the banks orchestrated the Federal Reserve creation in order to run rampant on the average citizen with interest rates and low monthly payments to keep them in debt forever. The government imposed an income tax on citizens and the IRS took that, according to their code (and NOT the law), to tax your wages. Income tax is legal and wage tax isn’t. There IS a difference! Every ounce of sweat you give into your job earns you money and gives you stress. Stress is the major source of all illnesses because it weakens your immune system. The only way a wage tax would be fair is if the government offered the supporters health care. But do they? Not currently except for the poor and the elderly.

Yet every time a conservative right wing regime is in power in this country, health care reform is passed over. Do you see a pattern here? Corporate America is in the pockets of both Republican and Democratic representatives who proclaim that their stance against health care is for the betterment of America’s citizens. They wave the flag and decry socialism. They try to distract all of us from the truth. Corporate America worships only one God; and that is THE BOTTOM LINE! Their deacons and ministers are the numerous bean counters who daily tally up that “take” and advise them what needs to be done to keep increasing the bottom line. And what’s wrong with that a healthy capitalist might say? Nothing, except when it steps on the freedoms and rights of American citizens. Physical slavery was abolished over 100 years ago and look how long it took for an African-American president to be elected. It is time that people ignore the distraction and nonsense of misguided individuals who support Corporate American rapists and put a STOP to financial slavery.

Stop worshipping at the altar of a false god. What do you think the Hebrews did when Moses didn’t return when they thought he should? They made idols of golden calves (money?) and began worshipping them. God and Moses didn’t take kindly to that, did they. But yet, these same people who bang the Bible in town hall meetings are the same people who turn a blind eye to what Corporate America is doing everyday and cry, “I want my America back.” Why don’t they just call a spade a spade and admit that they are racists. They can’t believe that the best person for the job of leading us out of the mess created by the neo-cons is an African-American. What better person than Barack Obama, who had to grow up with bi-cultural assets in a separatist world, could understand the plight of the average person who is being raped by Corporate America.

People, wake up. Don’t bang the Bible professing it is truth. Read the truth that is in it and realize that Corporate America is your enemy, not your friend. Bring down the regime that has forcibly put you into financial slavery by supporting the real people who are fighting for your individual rights. Don’t just pray for them, get off your tush and do something about it. Show up to town hall meetings to discuss the issues, not distract the discussions from the issues. Truly be an American; one who fights for religious freedom and says no to taxation without representation. Write your congressman, go to town hall meetings, make your voice known. John the Baptist was a lone voice crying in the wilderness; yet his cry announced the Son of Man and the blessings that God has bestowed on us. Wake up and smell the stench of the lies of those who wish to control, dominate and manipulate your every action! Don’t listen to Sieg Heil!

Conspiracy theories

2009-09-19T11:21:00.000-04:00

“A conspiracy theory is any theory which explains a historical or current event as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful Machiavellian conspirators. The word conspire means ‘to join in a secret agreement to do an unlawful or wrongful act or to use such means to accomplish a lawful end.’ The word ‘theory’ is, in this usage, sometimes considered to be more informal as in ‘speculation’ or ‘hypothesis’ rather than mainstream scientific theory (Source: Wikipedia).”

Two of the most popular conspiracy theories are 911 and the Moon Landing. Some people, in contrast to the eyewitnesses and scientific evidence foolishly, in my opinion, believe that the moon landing never took place. One of my readers commented to my article "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind", “The moon landing was fake, filmed in the desert in Nevada with the help of captured Aliens from area 51. Don't believe it.” Well, I choose to believe the facts in this case; not implausible theories. In regard to 911, however, there are two conspiracy theories; the first is that Al-Qaeda perpetrated 911 and the second is that the Neo-Cons, under the command of Bush (more like Karl Rove) and Cheney, allowed it to happen. In Secretary Mineta’s testimony to the 911 Commission he stated that Cheney had, within his power, to stop the attacks cold; but Cheney’s order to stand down never changed. It kind of makes you wonder what was going through the diabolical mind of a man who has had repeated heart problems and lives in fear. As for Bush, his dumbfounded look in the classroom when he was informed of the attack clearly shows he had no idea; he was clueless. Yet Cheney, was in the “bunker” in command and giving the orders; or should we say NOT giving the orders to shoot down the jets. After years of searching for the WMD, none were found; yet one man’s fear plunged us into a war and many American and Iraqi lives were sacrificed on the altar of fear. If you are wondering how could someone like this sleep at night, come to know that they can; because they are convinced they are doing, or have done, what is right for themselves and everyone else. Neo-con thought embraces the principles of Machiavelli.

In The Prince, Machiavelli is attributed with the fundamental break between political Idealism (the outside world is an extension of the mind) and political Realism (existence is independent and not a result of knowledge and consciousness). The Prince is a manual to acquiring and keeping political power. In regard to Bush and Cheney, there is an interesting quote from The Prince; "There are many who think a wise prince ought, when he has the chance, to foment astutely some enmity, so that by suppressing it he will augment his greatness." Interesting, considering Machiavelli’s position taken by the Medici family when the families of Italy had to be united in a common cause against the Gauls. As a political scientist, Machiavelli emphasized the methodical exercise of brute force (punishment or reward) to preserve the status quo (current or existing state of affairs). The term “Machiavelli” denotes someone of politically-extreme perspective and is referenced in modern psychology as a personality type. Personality types involve qualitative differences between people as opposed to personality traits which are quantitative differences between people. In regard to personality types, Carl Jung postulated that there were four main functions of consciousness; sensation and intuition were perceiving functions and thinking and feeling were judging functions. These functions were modified by the two main attitude types of extroversion and introversion. Jung’s theory further states that whichever function dominates a person’s consciousness, its opposite is repressed and will characterize their unconscious behavior. In regard to personality traits, the Big Five factors and their constituent traits are Openness (curiosity), Conscientiousness (self-discipline), Extraversion (self-confidence), Agreeableness (compassion) and Neuroticism (easily experiences negative emotions; emotional instability). In other words, if your dominant thoughts are neurotic and extraverted, you will repress the good things in life and tell others that’s how it is. When you live in fear you are living outside of yourself (Realism). Turn to the world on the inside of yourself and discover a place where there is no fear, only faith (Idealism). Show me anything created by mankind on this earth that wasn’t first a thought in someone’s mind. You can’t! Seduction comes from the Latin and it means “to lead astray.” Mankind continually uses distraction and seduction to convince others to follow their belief system instead of going within and accessing the one true God. Don’t be fooled by getting distracted and seduced by unscrupulous individuals who are out to gain power over you and rent space in your head.

The true principles of spirituality lead you to an alignment with God and His resultant creation. Those who perpetrate fear and separation are responsible for all of the lack and limited beliefs in the world. This universe and this world are abundant. Those who live in fear will always tell you otherwise. You have the power to change their channel to a channel of wisdom, peace and abundance. It starts by shutting off the outside world and going within to seek the Kingdom of Heaven. God has no conspiracies!

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.

The law of distraction

2009-09-19T11:09:00.000-04:00

The definition of the Law of Attraction, according to Esther Hicks (Abraham), is “that, which is like unto itself, is drawn." In other words if you think positive thoughts you will attract positive outcomes. Conversely, if you think negative thoughts you will attract negative outcomes. Seems simple enough, doesn’t it? I can hear all of the scientists laughing out loud. The mere thought that the electrical signals in your brain can generate a significant enough magnetic field to affect the energy and matter outside of the brain is not plausible to them. Just as scientists claim that the magnetic fields of the planets and stars are not strong enough to affect us; their main claim to poopoo Astrology. Yet the gravitational effect of the Moon’s mass in its orbit around the Earth affects the tides. Since our bodies are between 88% to 92% water, wouldn’t that affect us as well? Dane Rudhyar, in his book “The Astrology of Transformation”, approaches astrology as a language of symbology, not physics. Remember, science needs to measure things quantitatively and qualitatively. If it cannot devise a way to measure something, it is relegated to the term pseudoscience. Pseudoscience is defined as theories methodologies, or practices that are considered to be without scientific foundation. In other words, they cannot be proven by experimentation; according to the way some scientists think. But what if the Law of Attraction is merely symbolic?

Before a coffee table became a coffee table the thought of that coffee table was in the mind of the designer. By looking at it from every angle of how it would come into being, the designer, either by himself or with the help of others, brought the idea into a thought form. Before things existed they were first thoughts. Some scientists can clearly see this, yet they still poopoo the Law of Attraction because they cannot develop an accurate way to measure it. So, like most small minded people, they throw the baby out with the bathwater and relegate the LOA to pseudoscience. I call this the Law of Distraction. Simply because one is not intelligent enough to devise a way to measure something doesn’t mean that there isn’t a way to measure it. In other words, “that, which cannot be measured, according to current understanding, is dismissed.” Some scientists conveniently forget that our senses and our measuring devices, which are based on our senses, are limited. Science cannot measure beliefs and faith. Since they don’t have physical properties, they are all constructs of the mind. Many scientists forget the human passion that is necessary to create all the wonders we experience today. Passion like that of Nikola Tesla. The man who invented radio and alternating current, making it possible to communicate and receive power over long distances; in effect, bringing our world closer. He saw these things in his mind and his passion made it come about.

Politicians effectively practice the Law of Distraction. If they can make up a scenario for you to focus on long enough, they can distract you from seeing what they are really doing. Take “C Street” for example. Also, the constant commercials about writing your congressman to stop health care reform. God forbid we don’t do what the banks, insurance and pharmaceutical companies want us to do. In order to be an aware individual you must not get distracted from your focus. Don’t listen to the nay sayers, whether scientists, theologians, corporations or politicians who bait and switch the masses everyday. After watching Liz Cheney make an utter fool of herself concerning Obama’s birth certificate, I came to the conclusion that the Republican party is so desperate to distract their constituents from the truth, that they parade the former VP’s daughter around in the media. Why is she there? What civil service job has she held? Oh, that’s right; she is a blonde and speaks forcefully supporting her dad; the same dad who endorsed death squads and torture camps. And then there’s G. Gordon Liddy. Oh yeah, we can surely trust him! If they can keep you distracted long enough, they can convince you, by congressional inaction and finger pointing, that they were right! Don’t be fooled with rhetoric and distraction.

The LOD is a ploy to make you NOT look at the facts. Just because you cannot measure something doesn’t mean you cannot believe in it or have faith in it. Do you know what magnetism is? Because you don’t know what it is or how to measure it does that mean that you don’t use it? Everyday, from your clock radio to your TV, microwave and car you use magnetism. Examine the facts about the world around you and don’t get distracted by those who speak with authority and conviction in order to distract you from the truth. Stay focused and attract the best into your life by letting go of distraction.

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.

Question authority

2009-09-19T11:04:00.000-04:00

An Authoritarian is defined as characterized by or favoring absolute obedience to authority, as against individual freedom: an authoritarian regime. Of, relating to, or expecting unquestioning obedience. Authoritarianism is defined as the habit of conduct, thought, and speech expressing total submission to rigid principles and rules. The principles and views of the rule maker.

I will never forget when I walked into my 7th grade World Civ class in 1967 at Central Junior High School in Newark, DE. As I walked to my seat I saw a bumper sticker-like flyer on the cork board that said, “Question Authority.” Since I was raised a Pentecostal in an Assembly of God Church, I was indoctrinated with an authoritarian God who breathed either blessings or fire and brimstone with the same breath. That phrase, “Question Authority” stuck in my head and became a theme for my life. Yes, it caused me a great deal of grief at times but it was my individual salvation. It taught me to learn to think for myself.

Being raised in a Republican family, I went along with the tenets and politicians of conservatism, not knowing what it was all about. In fact, when I turned 18 and voted for the first time, I voted for Nixon. Not something I am proud of, but I was indoctrinated and uninformed about the truth. When Nixon fell, it woke me up to my responsibility to research not only what a politician says, but what he doesn’t say as well. But Nixon was a religious man; a Quaker by faith. Yet, with all his lessons of propriety and obedience absolute power corrupted him absolutely. Soon after, I dropped out of the political game and pursued my musical career.

In the eighties I returned to college and learned logic. My professor instructed me that I would be using a part of my brain that I had never used before. His statement of “most people don’t think, they emotionally react” triggered my memory about questioning authority. He further taught my class about the Socratic Dialectic where the philosopher Socrates taught his students by not answering them, but by replying with another question. This forced his students to think. During the school year President Reagan (I refer to him as Raygun) came to our campus and gave a speech. My professor got an advanced copy of the speech and gave an assignment to break down the speech by logic principles and write a summation. Also, we had to attend the rally and compare the speech given with the advanced copy and break it down with logic principles. When I completed the assignment I couldn’t believe what I discovered. President Raygun really didn’t say anything of value. He stated platitudes such as “What a great land, this country of ours.” What the hell is that? The crowd cheered and howled when truly nothing was said. There were only two people in class that got an A for this assignment and I was one of them. He never said anything of value. He was the major proponent of supply side economics and the trickle-down theory.

History has proven that trickle-down economics doesn’t work. Yet the neo-conservatives continue to whine the same old tune of returning to the Raygun years. How many times do we have to hear this out of tune song and continue to listen to it? The modern day conservatives, neo-conservatives and moderates operate on the authoritarian model of government. They cry about less government control and they deregulate their greedy buddies and allow them to send our economy on a roller coaster ride into hell. I recently heard Tom Delay state how our economy was stable during the “W” years. This guy is delusional! “W” walked into a budget surplus over 200 billion dollars and left us with a trillion dollars in debt. “W” listened year after year to his diabolical advisor and consummate “Spin Doctor” Carl Rove. All of their oil cartel buddies consistently got their wallets padded at our expense. And now Dick Cheney’s assassination squads have been revealed. Will we demand justice for individuals who were in authority positions and blatantly violated the law? Torture and death squads originating in our country and we do not prosecute? What does that say about us?

Yet, why is it that almost fifty percent of this country voted for the lies of John McCain? Don’t get me wrong here. I hold John McCain in high regard for his loyalty to this country, but his lies and foolishness ended up in his political demise. Why do you think the Republicans forced such an apparent airhead as Sarah Palin on him as a running mate? I really got sick and tired of hearing the “Maverick” crap during the campaign. John McCain bucked the neo-cons and they wanted him to lose. It’s a shame that he couldn’t see that. Let’s get back to their authoritarian model.

Jesus was persecuted for speaking the truth. Some of those he spoke the truth to were uncomfortable with the fact that he knew their game and that they didn’t want anyone else to know their game. Jesus questioned authority and could see within the hearts of men. That’s why authoritarians seek and most times get support from common folk because they believe they will blindly follow them and never question their authority. Jesus questioned authority and died for it.

People like Rush Limbaugh dupe the masses with their rhetoric. After examining his audience I have come to an interesting conclusion; most of Rush’s listeners are rednecks and are uneducated in the ways of the modern world. Where are Rush Limbaugh’s answers? He wants Obama’s policies to fail! Where does that leave us? Why don’t you say the truth, Rush? You want us to fail so you can succeed! So you can be proven right. What a way to validate your ego! You don’t truly care about this country or the people in it! The way this man thinks is childish at best. His message operates from a space of lack and limited resources. Yet his bank account is loaded! Why would anyone with half a brain listen to this man? What really strikes me very funny is that a comedian is the figurative leader of the Republican Party. The lies are continually being perpetrated on those who accept for gospel what they say and DON’T question authority.

Recently I have been under attack by some nay sayers. That’s OK because we are all entitled to our opinion. I will daily continue to question authority and stave off mediocrity. The real enemy is mediocrity. I suggest you read this article to find ways to shake off the stain of mediocrity.

In summation, I would like to say that I am a Libertarian. I believe that government needs to regulate our economy and trade to stave off the greedy, but should stay out of our personal lives. Just look at what the fascist regime of George W. Bush did to our Bill of Rights and got away with it. I believe that we all need to learn from the greed and control freaks in the world. Their time has come to an end. They are old school and we now have a President who wants to defend and protect our individual rights. Wake up people!

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.

Are you attached to the outcome?

2009-09-19T11:01:00.000-04:00

I had a great conversation with a good friend of mine over the weekend. He has owned several businesses in the past and is very successful. In fact, he owns a business that finances and factors other businesses. In our conversation he outlined what he has learned from starting and running his businesses. I think this information is relevant based on the exchanges with evangelicals I have had lately concerning the Word of God. First, my friend said that one has to respect his customers, employees, financers and finally himself. Without respect for your environment you cannot completely understand what is going on around you. Secondly, you must not be attached to the outcome of your efforts (or others’ efforts) or you end up getting involved in more than you can handle. Finally, you must learn to trust your actions based on your perceptions after you have carefully thought out your course of action.

Doctrines have a way of being static. They are rigid and reflect a manner of thought and principle which limits the creativity and expression of those who are different than the mainstream. Doctrines and principles are necessary elements of an organized and lawful society. But just as our criminal justice system is notoriously 30 years behind social change, we need this lag in order to gradually adjust to our ever growing perceptions of our world. All of this comes from observing our world and environment as it stands; not how it was 2000 years ago! Respect for your environment comes from observation, clear perception and an understanding of growth. Taking the correct action and making the steps to change things to allow their growth requires a correct visualization of their outcome. Not how they get there, but the end result. Problems arise when people attach themselves to a perceived outcome based on just their understanding of doctrines and principles without taking into account the perceptions and observations of others. When we take others perceptions and observations into account we truly begin to see a 360 degree picture of life. Then, and only then, can we make a decision to take a course of action that is beneficial for all and not just for us.

Judgment of others restricts our own growth and well-being. It separates us from God. God’s creation is wonderful. It exudes life and growth. What comes into your life is based upon the thoughts that you hold on to. How you feel reflects your resistance or allowance of life. If you feel good about life you are allowing the blessings of God to come forth. If you feel bad then you are resisting these blessings. Pointing the finger at those you perceive as sinners does not create positive feelings. It creates a separation between you and God. God daily supplies you with life and abundance. Why cut yourself off from that supply by judging others? There is no poverty or sickness. Only the thoughts that accept these conditions based on a lack of understanding and a separation from God by either judging others or yourself. You attach yourself to an outcome based on the thoughts that you hold true. Holding separation thoughts daily and viewing the results of these thoughts time and time again create a holding pattern for your life. You never get to where you want to be because you are holding yourself back. You accept these thoughts because of your experience and they become your beliefs. Stop it! God has given you the power to change these false beliefs and make heaven on earth; not just for yourself, but for everyone.

Seek the truth and know that God is a God of love. His creation is perfect and it is not your job to judge it based upon what someone wrote thousands of years ago. The Bible is a guide as how you should behave but the books in it were selected by men who wanted to lead others and be glorified for their actions. It is a guide and NOT the final word on life. Any time you look outside of yourself for the truth you are putting yourself in a position where you can be attached to the outcome of your actions or others actions or lack thereof. Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven is within. It is in you right now. Seek the truth and read the red. Anytime you choose to believe that you need a middle man between you and God you are off course. Go within and seek the Kingdom of Heaven. Meditate on the God within you and listen to His still small voice. It is there that you will receive the truth. Not in the translations and manipulation of man. Attach yourself to the truth that is revealed by God and not the truth that is revealed by the middle men of God.

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.

Doctrines in Christianity

2009-09-19T10:53:00.000-04:00

For the past week I have been in some heated debates with evangelicals who simply refuse to acknowledge the facts about the Bible as it stands today. From the mindset of examining the correct translations to the use of idioms the baby gets thrown out with the bathwater when it comes to challenging the “Word Of God.” It doesn’t seem to matter that man has translated and attributed meanings to the “Word.” The only thing that seems to matter is what was taught by a religious leader and their interpretation of the “Word.” I have never encountered such closed minds as I have when it comes to evangelical interpretations of God’s word. What amazes me is that most of these evangelicals are among the 256 sects of Protestantism. Protestants are those who follow the doctrines of sola scriptura and sola fide. Sola scriptura maintains that the Bible is the final source of authority for Christians; in other words Literary Authoritarianism. Sola Fide maintains that faith and not works is what is necessary for salvation; in other words the gospel according to Paul. Since Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the All Saints Catholic Church on October 31, 1517, the Protestant Reformation has re-translated and imposed doctrine much similar to the Roman Catholics. In fact, let’s consider the source of these doctrines from a man that thought that homes of the Jews' should be destroyed, their synagogues should be burned, their money confiscated, and their liberty curtailed. These opinions were revitalized by the Nazis during WWII. Didn’t Jesus say that the Kingdom of Heaven was for both Jews and Gentiles?

Since the Nicene Creed of 325 A.D. the Catholic church has embraced the Gospel of John as the definitive source of their belief. The two major opponents in the Council of Nicaea were the Gospel of Mark which refers to Jesus as the “Son of Man” and the Gospel of John which refers to Jesus as the “Son of God.” The two predominant schools of thought were the Antiochene and the Alexandrian. The adoptions of this council were as follows: We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father [the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God], Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; By whom all things were made [both in heaven and on earth]; Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man; He suffered, and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven; From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. And in the Holy Ghost. Those that didn’t adopt this creed were excommunicated. Martin Luther’s 95 Theses were disputing the authority of the Roman Catholic Church to interpret the Bible; yet the Protestants whip their own game similar to the Catholics. Christianity has gone through many changes since the death of Christ and many have argued, maligned and killed others in the name of Christ and God. Why? Didn’t Jesus teach peace and to love your neighbor as yourself?

Yet, just get the average evangelical to think his way through the Word and come to know the spirit of the law and you are in for a long night. I am not saying this about all evangelicals; just the ones I have recently spoken with about Bible interpretation. The conditioning of many protestant churches has their constituency focused on what they believe and how they interpret the word. Just because we might not interpret the word the same as others doesn’t mean that the baby should be thrown out with the bathwater. Some Christians believe that there is no difference between homosexuality and murder because they are both sins. Depriving someone of their life is much worse than loving another individual; no matter whether that relationship is homosexual or heterosexual. God is a God of love and He loves His most prized creation; us!!! Stop judging others and stop thinking that it is your job to dispense punishment to those whom you perceive as sinners or wicked. Remember, Jesus sat down and ate with sinners and Paul said not to do that. Who are you going to follow?

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.

Are you resisting well-being?

2009-09-19T10:48:00.000-04:00

At varying times in our lives we have situations that occur when we know something is wrong. We feel it down deep in our beings, yet we follow the conventional acceptance because of societal programming. How does this affect our well-being? Well-being is defined as a state characterized by health, happiness and prosperity. The outer effect reflects the inner state of mind. If you repeatedly bury facts brought to your attention because of societal programming they will eventually surface and affect your well-being. Why? Because truth in life flows easily and effortlessly. When human beings manipulate the truth to their own end is when it gets convoluted. Manipulating the truth is what creates resistance to the truth and this is where religions and churches have controlled the masses over the millennia. Churches and religions have become the middle men between God and man. People have sought out religious leaders because they believe they have a special connection to God, when in reality, we all have that special connection.

I was raised in the Assembly of God Church whose sect of Protestantism is Pentecostal. Every week we were hammered with memorization of Bible verses. Yes, we memorized them, but without a clue as to what they really meant. Verses taken out of context to support assertions made by the pastor and his wife. The pastor’s wife was a pistol. During the sixties she translated the meaning of the Bible to whip game over the women in our church. She twisted Bible verses into facts that women shouldn’t wear slacks, go bowling or be forward with men. As a child something felt wrong about this but I went along with the conventional wisdom of the church leaders. I kept observing the women in the church believing what the preacher’s wife said; they took it hook, line and sinker. They would never question her because she was the preacher’s wife and they feared her. Did Jesus teach fear? Hardly. He taught compassion and understanding. Year after year I observed and prayed for understanding about the way these women were being misguided. I asked God to somehow be an instrument in making this woman understand that she was misguiding others and imposing her beliefs on the women in the church. She was teaching what she believed and not what Jesus had said! Be careful what you ask for; sometimes you get it.

Every Sunday the kids in Sunday School had to get up in front of the congregation and recite Bible verses. The preacher’s wife would say a word and we would have to recite a Bible verse from each letter of the word. The boy next to me had an “I” and I had a “T”. We switched letters because we had already memorized verses from those letters. When it came to me I quoted Proverbs 21:9; “It is better to dwell in the corner of a housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.” “Sacrilege!”, she screamed and demanded I quote another verse immediately. I followed with Proverbs 21:19; “It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious woman and an angry woman.” The congregation burst out in laughter and she looked up at her husband behind the pulpit and he had his hand over his mouth covering his laughter. She stomped her foot down and stormed out of the church; never to return. The pastor and his family left the church and we never heard from them again. I was terrified that I had done something that had affected so many families. I went to Brother Brown (a Deacon at the church) and cried because God had answered my prayer but I didn’t want anything to happen like this! He said, “God works in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform” (William Cowper/1731-1800). It wasn’t until years later that I truly understood this statement. God will reveal the truth in His own good time. He will allow others to be blinded by those who whip game over others because His glory will be revealed at just the right time! The Apostle Paul’s teachings have corrupted believers for too many years. Even as a child I recognized the contradictions between what he preached and what Jesus preached.

To the first comment by L.E.G. on the last article I would like to say that it wasn’t my intent to label all Christian Conservatives as the Religious Right. But if the shoe fits, wear it. If it doesn’t, then cast it off. The reader provided a link to his article, “Did the Apostle Paul Preach Another Gospel? I suggest readers read this article and the comments that follow. Thank you L.E.G. for responding and providing enlightening material. To the second commenter (IIDHM) I reply, “What about the truth do you not understand?” Do you know who wrote Leviticus? Were you there? Were you a part of the people that experienced life at that time more than 2000 years ago? I don’t think so. Yet you speak with such authority about something that you know not of. Yes, the literal translation of abomination is “God hates it”, but did God say this or did man? You are wrong about sin. God has given us the free will to choose whether we sin or not. What a great God! The fear of sin and God’s reprisal has been the downfall of mankind since the first priests whipped game on the masses with this concept of sin. Like Jesus said when he forgave the adulteress, “Go and sin no more.” God doesn’t hate sin. God loves his most prized and creation. You and me. He is a God of love and not hate. As for the final commenter (G.D.) I say the following: Your attitude can only come from many years of sitting on your shoulders. Pull your head out of you know where and seek the truth. It will truly set you free! My training has been quite extensive, and if you have read any of my other articles I am very well prepared in my presentations. Before I write anything I extensively research it and make sure that I am presenting the facts and not an individual skew presented by Holier Than Thous like Pat Robertson. As far as my arguments being untenable, then please, present your case and I will argue with you ad infinitum about your faulty conclusions. Brush up on your facts because I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed person. People like you are what gives true Christians a bad name. Get off your high horse and don’t blame the Examiner for publishing someone who researches their topics as opposed to someone like yourself who just spouts off at the mouth with no rhyme or reason. As for being an expert, neither I nor the Examiner has ever claimed that I am an expert. By the way you talk, you surely think that you are by your presentation of your facts (which were somehow left out of your comment; hmmm). If you are an expert, then please continue to write your 500 word articles to those who will listen to your skew and B.S. I can only pray for your enlightenment and awareness to the truth of God’s word and not the skew of man’s religious leaders.

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.

Paul: apostle or apostate?

2009-09-19T10:41:00.000-04:00

Paul The Apostle: Rembrandt

I was surprised that I hadn’t received more comments on my previous article. Especially when I attack the Apostle Paul. Paul is the fundamental follower that the Religious Right quotes when it comes to justifying their judgment of others. One reader made several comments to my article and I would like to address them here. First, in regard to the differing beliefs from Jesus, the reader wanted me to list a few. Well, here they are:

Jesus prohibited public prayer and public displays of worship (Matt. 6:1-18). Paul organized churches and started the “religion” of Christianity. His letters (epistles) were more to maintain control and to make standards for the church. Most of these were not based on the teachings of Jesus, but on his own beliefs. The apostles were horrified when Jesus sat and ate dinner with Matthew, the tax collector. Jesus made it a point to sit down with sinners and the downtrodden. Paul states in 1st Corinthians 5:11 "But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat." This is in direct contradiction to the behavior of Jesus. Jesus fed the poor and those not capable of working. He said that if someone comes knocking at our door and we turn them away we are turning him away. Yet Paul says in 2nd Thessalonians 3:10 "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat." Where is Paul’s charity for the poor?

In Ephesians 6:5 and Titus 2:9-10 Paul says to the slaves to “obey their masters” and never condemns the ownership of man over man. The reader asks why we should care about what Thomas Jefferson said. Jefferson was a slave owner and still recognized the folly of Paul’s words and how they undermined what Jesus had said. Go ahead my friend, defend Paul over Jesus and reap the rewards you so justly deserve! Paul didn’t believe in equality for women and that they should be submissive to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22-24 and Colossians 3:18-19). Oh, that’s right; it’s a man’s world for the Religious Right. Finally, the only thing about homosexuals in the New Testament is Paul’s account in Romans 1:26-27. Please take note: JESUS DID NOT SAY THIS!!! PAUL DID! Yet, church after church, preacher after preacher, believer after believer quotes this passage to JUDGE a group of people who only want their God given right to love another human being and to not be trampled upon by those who are “HOLIER THAN THOU.” Listen up Pat Robertson! How dare any of you judge another human being! Like in the account of the adulteress whom the crowd wanted to stone, Jesus said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” (John 8:7). Drop your stones my friend and start acting like Jesus wanted you to act! Paul asserts that the Law of Moses is no longer operational in his writings EXCEPT when it comes to the passage in Leviticus 18:22! It sounds like Paul didn’t respect women, slaves and homosexuals. Perhaps they didn’t fit into his idol picture of the followers of Christ. This is the man who stated so eloquently, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). Then why didn’t you embrace what Jesus did and stop preaching what you “thought” he would say?

The reader further states to me, “You cherry pick Jesus' words, I say. Of course Jesus was not opposed to judgment. He opposed hypocritical judgment, not prudent judgment. John 7:24 says "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment." And who determines what is right judgment? Man? As with all verses in the Bible, they can be taken out of context. Preachers and theologians have been doing this century after century. In reference to this verse and the previous verse I respond with what Jesus said; “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). No one has the right to judge another! Pluck the beam out of your own eye before criticizing the mote in another. Love is love. That’s what Jesus taught. Judgment is judgment; no matter what form or excuse you can make. Can you see this? If not, then I can only pray for your salvation. I read what Jesus said and I listen to the spirit of the law behind it. Don’t judge others based on your standards. Live and let live; or should I say live and let God. If there truly is a problem based on what Paul has said about anything, then who appointed you judge and jury? It is not your cross to bear. Why do you choose to bear it?

Jesus’ behavior and actions are the ones we should emulate. He is our role model. Stop listening to “Holier Than Thous” who misinterpret the word. Don’t just read the Bible and not take into account the translations, idioms and proclamations made by those in robes with pomp and circumstance and their extended reach on the radio, TV and Internet. I have one question for you; did Jesus act that way?

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.

Pat Robertson – Spokesperson for God or Today’s Paul?

2009-09-19T10:26:00.000-04:00

This week I’m beginning an analysis of the evangelical wing of spirituality. Let’s examine one of its biggest representatives and spokespersons today: Pat Robertson. I have watched the 700 Club from time to time and I appreciate the intent to help and alleviate suffering that CBN and Robertson practice on a day to day basis. Pat Robertson operates Operation Blessing International, which has provided hunger relief, disaster relief, medical aid and community development to more than 192.8 million people in 96 countries and all 50 states, providing goods and services valued at more than $1.2 billion (Source: Wikipedia). God bless this man and his family for their love and kindness to humanity. However, I must take pause with Pat Robertson about his self-appointed elevation to being a spokesperson for God; in effect, becoming a modern day Paul.

I recently saw an interview with Pat Robertson where he said that homosexuals were “on their way to Hell; you’ve got to love them to rescue them.” How DARE he! As with many other preachers since the birth of Christianity they misinterpret the written word based upon their understanding of what it means. I have coined the term, Literary Authoritarianism for those who follow the written word alone, without deep introspection into the spirit of the law of God. Jesus said, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:8-9). Personally, I am a Read the Red guy. This is a term that applies to those who read what Jesus has said in red-letter editions of the Bible. I follow what was uttered from the mouth of Jesus after I have compared what he said paralleled in the four gospels. I also apply what idioms were used during the time of Jesus’ life. What is an idiom? An idiom is an expression whose meaning is not the literal meaning. For example, the saying “It’s in the bag.” Does it mean that something is literally in a bag? No; it means that something is definitely going to happen. All cultures have geographic and language specific idioms and one must know the meanings before one can embrace the message being imparted.

A good translator of the French language listens to the words and visualizes the thoughts, ideas and idioms that are being said and then translates those thoughts into the words of the translated language. They don’t translate the meaning word for word because it might not be the same thoughts. The books in the Bible were written down with geographic and language specific meanings; they were recopied and canonized by the Catholic church; their misinterpreted meanings have been the source of wars, pilgrimages and acts of atrocities all by people who misunderstood their real meanings. Is this what Jesus had intended? Hardly. He preached a message of love and forgiveness; not judgment. Jesus said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). Pat Robertson obviously has missed this one. In fact, check out his off camera chatter here. In his quest to help he has forgotten that you do not enforce what YOU believe on someone else. For example, I do not believe in abortion unless the health of the child or mother is at risk. I am a man and I don’t have woman’s body. How can I choose for someone else? The same applies to homosexuality. For myself, I am a heterosexual. That is my choice. Homosexuality is not for me. But what right do I have to judge another for the choices that they make? None. I am responsible only for the choices I make in my life. I have no right to judge others or I will be judged myself. Jesus made this crystal clear.

Not once did Jesus mention homosexuality or abortion. In fact, he embraced those who were outcasts of their society or practiced alternative lifestyles. Those who were looked down upon by the mainstream population or status quo. Jesus stated in Matthew 25 that being saved is expressing universal compassion and those who don’t express compassion and judge others are not saved. Where does that put you Mr. Robertson? Click the above video to view his compassion. In following Christ Mother Theresa sought out to help others and not condemn them. Victor Frankl noted the deep compassion of the Jews in concentration camps and according to the Apostle Paul, because they didn’t confess Jesus as their savior, they were going to Hell. What? A converted Jew that would sentence his brothers and sisters to Hell! And what about Paul? Who was he anyway? Paul was originally known as Saul of Tarsus; a persecutor of Christians until his “conversion” to Christianity. Paul was astute in his knowledge of the law. But did he use his knowledge of the law to enlighten the followers of Jesus or lead them astray? Paul was a devout and mysterious character to say the least. His influence on Christianity is profound. In his writings he espouses many of his own beliefs and not necessarily what Jesus said. In fact, Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “Paul was…the first corruptor of the doctrines of Jesus” (Works, 1829 edition, Vol. 4, p. 327). Who do we believe? Paul or Jesus? Pat Robertson or Jesus? Since I am a Read the Red guy I know who I am going to believe. More to come…

For more info: Download my free Wilmington Spirituality Examiner toolbar. “Life is a gift. Be thankful for it and it will be replete with abundance. Encourage others to express creativity, release negativity and embrace pro-activity." Dean A. Banks, MCIWD, DD can be reached at webproducer@hotmail.com or banksnet.com. Download my free eBook on Articles 1-10 here.