Where Do We See G-d In The "Mess" Of Today? Here:

 There's lots of things

Going on today

That we want to avoid

Close our eyes, ears, minds, hearts to

We are like the authorities 

Jesus condemned 

For wanting a special sign [or a pill] 

To solve life's "problems" [Matthew 16:1-4]

So where can we see G-d today?

Just look at nature

Watch the native flowers open

And the pollinators gathering there

To gather pollen

To take home to their babies

Such love

Beauty-full

Plants like golden rod 

Flourish if we let them

They are heaven to the pollinators

[And no they don't trigger allergies: it's ragweed that does. Golden rod is actually one remedy and also for colds and a digestion strengthener!]

Stop watch, listen, meditate

There in front of us

We can see G-d

Or maybe we need to plant something  or leave something to grow first!

We can see G-d in ways

We are conditioned to fear or even hate

Like when the tree frog happily chirping

Like a bird

Is gobbled up by a snake

How dare he! If he is a he!

We want to impose our foolishness and domination

On creation

But watch the magical 

Move-ment of the snake

As it quietly moves

And even "smells" with its tongue

You try it! 

We can't even survive without

A grocery store nearby

But all of nature does!

Or watch the spider

An amazing creature that makes a web

Try it! And catches 2000 insects 

In it's life time

You don't like mosquitoes?

Well thank the spiders for catching them!

Don't like ticks? Thank the possums for eating them.

Don't like mice and rats? God is there in the skunks to eat them.

And look at the humans who sacrifice them-selves

Like the parents who lay on their children to save them

As Israel drops another bomb on yet another school in Gaza [August 2024]

And all that is left are body parts of over 100 people

God is there and everywhere

That people stand-up for love: for justice - against oppression

And even those who sacrifice convenience

To not pollute

Like the woman who has a car

But takes the train instead of driving 

And those who walk, ride, and take public transit

To DO something to slow down the climate emergency

 

And those who take a moral stance

To not fly

Or even turn off the car's air conditioning

Saving 20% in fuel and pollution

We see God in those who follow

Jesus' command to sell what we have

And give to the poor

Shedding our second homes: cottages

And finally we see God 

In more small things [are they really small?]

Like when someone says thank you

Or when someone answers harshly

And calms down and says "I'm sorry"

Perhaps we need to be sorry

For be-ing blind to God 

In so many Creations - including us

We need to be creators of a beauty-full world

On an individual and also a societal/political level

Let's step out - stand up

Let's reach out

And thank God

And thank the frogs

And thank those who sacrifice them-selves

And don't forget the spiders too!

"...The LAND Is MINE And You Are But Aliens And My TENANTS..." - The Creator G-D

 

 

The glorious Creat-i-on

Revels in beauty

Harmony is its song

Listen, smell, feel....

Stop

Your excess-ive rush[ing] [and consuming of goods and experiences]

To no-where

Fast

Harmony:

Nature does not need humans

"Civilized" humans are a pariah

Greed, material-ism, luxurious "living"

 

Christians, Jews, Muslims, Agnostics, Atheists

All should be ashamed

For justifying their self-absorption

And abusing our fellow humans and non-humans

 

Stealing the land

       Air

        Water

            Anything and everything

 

As if they own all

                It is MY land

              You are but aliens

               And my tenants*

 

All you talk about

Is your right

To en-joy life

To fly to 50 countries

 

Let's talk about respons-ibility   

It's time to BE [silent]

To observe 

To listen and hear:

 

Let the rivers clap their hands,

Let the mountains sing together for joy;

Let them sing before the LORD,

For he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness

And the peoples with equity.

Psalm 98 [NIV]   

 

*from the Jewish scriptures: Leviticus 25 NIV

COVID19: God Sides With The Oppressed, The Workers And The Victims

While many governments are using the pandemic to take away workers rights, the religious/spiritual person needs to demand justice. Trump and his gang of thieves are taking away more from the workers to give to corporations - perhaps will be $4-6,000,000,000,000. Where are the riots?

Workers from Amazon, Instacart, Whole Foods and others are uniting. In protest, they demand the minimum: safe working conditions. But the wealthy corporations/Republicans say "get back to work". No breaks. No PPE [personal protection equipment], no sick days, etc. States will not give financial aid to those who are sick or fear going back to work. Shame! Evil, greedy, mainly old men controlling/deciding. Democracy? Yea.

Where's the participation of the worker/citizens in life?

But the church goer continues to pray, for "God knows what". And, ironically, perhaps, many conservative pastors who denied the reality of C19 have died! Telling the gullible to still go to church and that God will magically protect them - or outrightly deny the reality of the pandemic/science[sound familiar?].
God bringing justice?

The Buddhist, who thinks she is superior to the Christian, meditates for peace - while there is no peace for the poor or the earth. Bubbles. Reality Bubbles. But while these people may not care for the plight of the poor or the workers. God does! [Psalm 12 NIV Jewish Scriptures]:

:Because of the oppression of the weak

and the groaning of the needy,

I will now arise", says the Lord.

"I will protect them from those who malign them."

And the words of the Lord are flawless.

Clearly God is taking sides. The oppressor must 'pay'. [Huh? Doesn't God love everyone?]

So what kind of oppression do people suffer today? Isn't all work a form of oppression. Unions can help get rights and protect these rights of the workers. But many, like Trump and his gang, and all conservatives, oppose them! The owners of the capital oppress the workers. The workers are exploited and many can not even pay for food, rent, etc. Where is the government or biz helping them? We need to demand it.

In Ontario and many places, the horrid conditions of long-term care facilities is coming to light. 50% of the deaths are occurring there.  There the weakest live. God takes their sides.

And the workers that are not permitted to form unions, most often immigrants, struggle at unliveable wages. In Ontario $4/hr. has apparently been added to their wages - that from the same Ford government that fought to keep minimum wage below a liveable wage of at least $22/hr. He also cut public health by 30%! Yet, like his bud south of him, gave hefty tax breaks to the rich. God is not happy boys!

The wicked freely strut about

when what is vile is honoured among men.

Normal life of polluting by driving, flying, and the wars to get oil are considered normal, everyday, blah blah b....With Covid19 people in India are seeing the mountains. Air is breathable now in many places.

            "I've been to 40 countries and counting", proudly says the woman on the dating site.

                               The 2000000000 dead in Iraq might say these are vile, evil acts - honoured among people. It's time to change.

It's time those who think they are right-eous by meditating, going to mosque, church, work, ....

make real changes to the vile things they do. And to change the systems that reward fellow oppressors and oppress the poor and the weak.

      Then, God will arise in/through us. Time to take back the power. Value shift...

                                                                              Life [-style] shift.

                                                                                      "Sacrifice" for the privileged.

"My Gun Knows How To 'Love Thy Neighbour'", says the American - and other ideas

Most religions, spiritualities, rationalists agree that "love is the answer". Sadly, today, hate is the answer for many. All the more reason we need love to counter this hate. Jesus even said we must die for others and love those we may even hate.

So what is this love? Whom is our neighbour?

All humans and non-humans are our neighbours. We are all connected and influence one another. For e.g., much of the pollution in China finds its way to California and even to Canada. Of course political/economic policies reach round the world. We are dependent on all of creation. We are part of 'it'. Any dichotomy has been discarded both by science, philosophy, religion and spirituality.

So how do we love?
Love is not merely emotion but act-i-on. Sure we may help  a person on an individual basis but what about a mass scale  Of course it means not to harm. But it must involve justice also. Some practical ways to love:

1. Make all equal - gender, economic, status. No hierarchy. Inequality continues poverty, repression, oppression... When 6 people have more wealth than almost 4000000000 people - there is a problem. When few women are in positions of power - we have a problem. When the rich and corporations don't pay tax and devour the earth - we have a problem. When power exists we have a problem. In Canada, $80000000000 is not paid in taxes, we have a problem! Tax havens amount to at least $24000000000000 for the rich and corporations! Jesus said the rich cannot enter the kingdom of God: just like a camel cannot go through the eye of a needle!
2. Pollution kills the poor and vulnerable: humans and nonhumans. Dumps are put in areas where poverty reigns. In the U.S. many of those residents can't even vote. Their polling stations also have been shut down. The rich go to their cottages in the summer. They can buy bottled water, for which corporations literally steal from poorer rural communities [one is very close to the author - and little or no taxes are paid on a LIMITED "resource"]. The poor live by highways and busy roads. The middle class and up drive to the suburbs - polluting but 'escaping' it. Noise pollution kills: increasing stress and leading to more cancer, heart attacks. 
3. Support local agriculture and organic growers especially. Pesticides, herbicides and the like cause cancer and kill humans and nonhumans. Buying local means less pollution from the transportation and usually local farmers use less toxins than far away ones. But this is relative. If your country has strict government regulations - then this applies. Strong citizen action and government action is needed. The "free" markets just supports whatever brings quick cash. The workers don't matter. Creation [and they are part of it] doesn't matter. The soil [i.e. the source of all life] doesn't mater... You get my point.
4. Grow your own food. You won't force somebody to be your wage slave labourer that way. Farm workers are often abused on many levels. "Even" in Canada, migrant farm workers suffer much. If you have land or even have a pot of soil, it all helps. And see the wonders of Creation! See here for inspiring pics and ideas!
5. Support unions and similar organizations. "Divide and conquer" is the goal of the capitalist/oppressor. Taking away power from the worker means people suffer. Without unions we can be treated unfairly, lose our jobs, get harassed, etc. Obey or be gone - or dead in many cases - either murdered or from starvation.
6. Consume less and buy locally. Workers in China, for example, have no rights. More goods does not mean more happiness. Look to share instead.
7. Welcome immigrants. We all are immigrants, including many indigenous peoples. Watch for a future post on this.
8. Share what you have. Churches, mosques, universities, businesses should fill their oft empty spaces with the homeless. How fair is it to leave a building empty much of the time? People with cottages use their second homes a few weeks of a year. Shame. Why is this accepted/legal? I better watch it I'm sounding like a communist. 
9. Make the climate emergency a priority in your life and country. The poor, Creation and others are suffering now. Scientists say we have 12 years max. to do something! That includes the above things. It requires a practicing of what you say. It means do what your religion, spirituality etc. say. Not driving, not flying, not supporting corporations that rape the earth ... opposing military budgets [almost $1000000000000 in U.S.] ... 
10. Have hope. As Cornell West says:

Hope and optimism are different. Optimism tends to be based on the notion that there's enough evidence out there to believe things are gonna be better, much more rational, deeply secular, whereas hope looks at the evidence and says, "It doesn't look good at all. Doesn't look good at all. Gonna go beyond the evidence to create new possibilities based on visions that become contagious to allow people to engage in heroic actions always against the odds, no guarantee whatsoever." That's hope. I'm a prisoner of hope, though. Gonna die a prisoner of hope.

Notre-Dame Cathedral Burns Like Fuel In Your Car, Plane, Butt

Fire burns the 'great' cathedral
People crying
History lost
Coverage all over the world

Fire burns your fossil fuels
Fire burns inside internal combustion engines
Fire burns to lift the plane that delivers your 'Amazon'
Fire burns to take you to your vacation spot

Fire burns the forests in Canada and U.S.
Drought came first
Greed came first
"Give me convenience or give me death"

No connect-i-on-s with climate change/dis-ruption
No world coverage
Keep it a secret
What's the score in the latest 'game'?

What's the score of diminishing resources?
What's the score on lack of clean drinkable water?
How's the game of clean air?
What's the score on the toxins in your food?
What the count of endless living organisms murdered by spraying fossil fuels on the land?
[used to make herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers: and very delicious and nourishing and safe: TRUST the company that profits from selling them!]

The climate emergency is more important than a relic
Representing taking money from the poor 
To make the obedient, rich and clergy feel safe
Built with slave labour

God doesn't live in temples
S/he lives among the poor and oppressed
Seen through the hope-full and wonder-full Creat-i-on
For there we find release

As greedy people, of all COLOURS/races
Devour each other and Creation
Destroying the very children: human and nonhuman
Of the Creator

For Creation reveals the great-ness and good-ness of God
Let us do all we can to protect it [we are it]
It is God's [or reason's/universe's/Buddha's/etc ad nauseum] demand
It is essential:

O LORD my God, you are very great;

you are clothed with splendor and majesty [nature].

He wraps himself in light as with a garment;

he sretches out the heavens like a tent

and lays the beams of his upper chambers on the water.

He makes the clouds his chariot

and rides on the wings of the wind. 

He makes winds his messengers [or angels],

flames of fire his servants.....

He waters the mountains from his upper chambers [yes rain is good!];

the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.

He makes grass grow for the cattle, 

and plants for man to cultivate-

bringing forth food from the earth:

wine that gladdens the heart of man...

The lions roar for their prey

and seek their food from God...

How many are your works, O LORD!

In wisdom you made them all;

the earth is full of YOUR creatures.....

These all look to you

to give them their food at the proper time...

When you hide your face,

they are terrified...

When you send your Spirit,

they are created,

and you renew the face of the earth.

May the glory [nature] of the LORD endure FOREVER;

may the LORD rejoice in his works [nature].

Praise the LORD, O my soul.

Praise the LORD.

Psalm 104 NIV

"Biblical" Marriage: Not What You Think!

Most evangelical "Christians" dream about a heavenly biblical marriage. With-holding sex from them-selves and their partners, they want to "save" "it" for that "special" person. Sure is odd that they can do everything, including anal, but oh no...not the vagina. For this discussion see my post Dirty Girl Purity Cults Exposed

But it relates here as we think about what a truly "biblical" marriage is. Let's first separate the "biblical" version [or any marriage] from the Hollywood version. It takes work, maturity and more work. Now to the gist of what a "biblical" marriage is like. Let's make it clear that the bible, like any literature, must be interpreted. And there may be many different interpretations to contend with. But here's some pretty clear lessons from the bible and the culture it came from::

1. Marriages are arranged. Parents chose your future spouse.
2. You are about 12 years old, if a girl; 14 if a boy.
3. It is mainly an exchange to increase the wealth of your parents.Perhaps they will get sheep, land, gold....How many sheep are you worth?
4. You may not meet your "lover" till the "celebratory" day.
4. a. It should be clear this is not a romantic relationship! Keep reading those fantasy books and watching those films.
5. If your brand new husband is wealthy, you have to contend with numerous wives and concubines for his attention! The more babies the better. So that means, he needs more baby machines. Are you ready?
6. Sex is about baby production. Many church fathers protested God, "why do I have to do that horrid thing with that horrid thing to get a baby?".
7. Yea, women [were] are property. And horrid at that! As in many Muslim countries, even today, men do not associate with this underclass. Same goes for synagogues and some churches. Forget going to the movies holding hands!
8. If you screw up, the man has the right to send you to the streets. Jesus chastised the Pharisees for such abusive attitudes.
9. No Netflix.And no "netflix and chill" either! It's all about work: baby care, cook, clean, grow food, chop wood, sew clothes,.... without recognition of course. No room for any fat Suzies! [Watching too much Family Guy].
10. Paul opposed marriage. He saw it for the weak. Isn't it odd that the church demands marriage. What a surprise the church ignores most of the bible. You are not  a woman [or man] if you don't marry.

While you may deny this is biblical, pull out the good ole book and you'll see! Or do what most Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Republicans, Conservatives, Liberals, Communists....do: Pick And Chose! Good luck everybody else!

Is Driving A "Sin" [love that word]?

If God made the world and said it was good, how can people destroy it - without even a thought about it?! If people say the bible is sacred and must be obeyed...then Hear Ye::

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Gen. 2

How many today view their goal in life to care for the land?
"I don't have time"
"I want to fly to Maui to swim with the dolphins"
"I have to drive my kids to..."

The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants...you must provide for the redemption of the land...Lev. 25

If we really under-stand who owns the land - NOT us - then we must live responsibly. Not only is private property condemned, but we must care and provide for the land. Today, most just take take take from the land for selfish reasons. Where does the pollution go? Where does your poop go? What toxins are put on food and poison the land, water, air, workers, .... ?

I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you - the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals...every living creation on earth...Never again will life be cut off by the waters of a flood...I will set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Gen. 9

The stress is on all of Creation - NOT just humans! Yet, foolish "christians" say God will destroy the world, blah blah blah...doctrine shoved gleefully down their throats by pastors about the "end times". Very odd: discard the Jewish Scriptures for junk.
Discard Creation..
Discard the poor...
Discard love...

Cars/driving them epitomizes the idea that we can do what we want without regard for Creation [which includes humans]. 2000000 dead in Iraq for oil. Blood on your hands if you drive, fly, use any fossil fuels [in pesticides etc.].....
The pollution/carbon to make cars [electric cars etc. are not the answer: 50% in the MAKING of cars]
Roads wipe out forests
#1 killer of kids
Traffic causes incredible stress
Traffic destroys community
What about the smog...pollution by driving itself?
Where will the list end [very few mentioned here]?

It ends when you make a choice between love for ALL Creation and your-self.
The choice is to obey God or your selfish desires.
God/the gospel demand self-sacrifice.

"...the deceitfulness of wealth and desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful." - Jesus [Mark 4].

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." - Jesus [Mark 8].

So let's get in the car and drive to church/temple/mosque/synagogue... to "worship" the Creator! Amen.