Here's the blog of John Farr. It is unusual.
I've known John long. A very spiritual, intense, and honest person.
Regular readers of my blog will recognized these sentiments of John's:
"SOMETHING is going on that everyone can feel, an involuntary affirmation of a mighty, mighty force.
History is nothing... The whole world is nothing. Yet everything is A-OK. That’s what’s coming through right now. It’s all OK."
reminds me of some words I saw recently on a Church bulletin:
ReplyDelete"It will be alright in the end
even if it's not alright in the end."
"SOMETHING is going on that everyone can feel, an involuntary affirmation of a mighty, mighty force.
ReplyDeleteHistory is nothing... The whole world is nothing. Yet everything is A-OK. That’s what’s coming through right now. It’s all OK."
sadly, everything isn't okay. i'm not being pessimistic but the guy can't be living on earth. history is nothing? that's naive, the world is nothing? If it's nothing than not everything is right.
and not everything is wrong. he makes no sense.
He does sound a bit "Farr" from reality. ;-)
ReplyDeleteBut optimism is an attitude, and attitudes can shape the world.
Yesterday, France saw the passing of its most popular celebrity : Father Pierre, 94, mostly known for having struggled his whole life to help the poor and the homeless. What this true saint (IMHO) said time and again was : "Everything is NOT right, and shame on us, for it requires very modest effort to supress the inacceptable."
I say, let everybody choose the attitude that suits them best; so long as our aim is the same the rest doesn't matter.
Just like it doesn't seem to matter much to God what religion we follow, as long as we follow it with the right spirit. The styles vary, but God, or Good, or Love, are always One. The Bible confirms this principle, as a matter of fact (see Es 45:1).
Just like it doesn't seem to matter much to God what religion we follow, as long as we follow it with the right spirit.
ReplyDeleteDear Pascal, not to argue but.....there are truly major differences. You don't want to wind up in Hades after death.
My faith is Trust in Christ alone and accept him and you'll have eternal life.
QUOTATION OF THE DAY
ReplyDelete"I’m in favor of anything that would help the victims. But in a personal sense, having these letters treated as murderabilia is appalling to us."
DAVID KACZYNSKI, brother of the Unabomber, Theodore J. Kaczynski, who is fighting an auction of his correspondence for the benefit of his victims.
see.........history is still important today. to say it isn't is ludicrous.
My faith is Trust in Christ alone and accept him and you'll have eternal life.
ReplyDeleteYou are extremely wise Mr. Nobody. Thank you sir and God Bless You!
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History means everything. We have learned that certain people cannot be trusted period. We learn much here.
No everything is A-Okay. All is not okay. Especially in the United States!
"These thoughts might not make sense to anybody who can't see exactly what's going on in my mind."
ReplyDeleteYour mind being a private place by essence is a very good thing. Just look how infuriating it is to dictatorships! :-)))
"Just as the dreamer remains safe at home in his bed regardless of the happenings in his dream"
Well, I prefer my dreams pleasant regardless. ;-)
I'm getting pretty good at being in control in my dreams. My flying is extremely efficient now (both in speed and control), and in most nightmares I either will myself to awakeness thinking "this is not real and I know it", or even better, play God and will the events of my dreams to change in a way I like!
But I think such demiurgic power is not meant to be accessible to us humans in that dream of the soul that we perceive as our "waking life". Save for miracles... if/when you can be sure they're genuine! (Beware of imitations, they're everywhere.)
I have to differ with you regarding history. First, because it is cluttered with falseness, but not exclusively. Chris Columbus DID sail across the Atlantic, for example. ;-)
And second, because the mere fact that many people believe in official history gives it an existence of its own. This very deep-rooted belief is at the source of the Middle-East conflict, for example. Jews see that "we were forcefully evicted and spoliated by the Romans". Arabs say the same, with "Romans" replaced by "the British and the Jews".
True, this perception is the root, the essence of the problem. But it's a very real problem, because every person's perception IS there just as your own, Lucid. It is their "truth", and the driving force that makes them affect the world. At some degree, it is very real.
Just like a TV image is only an optical illusion created by high-speed pixels, but since you see an image and it bears signification to you, it has effect via the information it carries, and hence it has some reality.
"Today doesn't have to determine the quality of tomorrow."
Ah, maybe, but tomorrow will always come from what you do today. It's a continuity. (Naturally, you may continuously modify your course if you decide to.)
It's funny : I'm never really(!) sure whether you and I agree to disagree, or disagree that we are in fact in agreement. Another illusion? ;-)
mr. nobody said...
"You don't want to wind up in Hades after death."
Heck, that's for sure! ;-) But what I believe in probably won't change a thing to the nature of the Beyond which awaits all of us. I'll put it in a caricatural way : it's not because a good man becomes a muslim that he'll then receive an eternal reward of sex and sweets instead of chastly playing the harp on a cloud for Jesus and his Father.
Now, of course, I'm with you : religions sometomes vastly differ on defining what's good and bad, and my own conception of it is essentially based on the message of Jesus.
Interestingly, I think Jesus himself said that one could follow him without making it "official". I'm a Christian, but I'll take a decent non-Christian any day over a fanatic hypocrite or a paedophile priest. Jesus called it "having Love in your heart", and made it the essential principle of those seeking to follow him.
I've already detailed many Gospel references on this topic : many Christians will be convinced I'm not sharing their beliefs, while I'm convinced I'm following the original, fundamental principles of Christiannism. The core, eternal spirit that makes it a great and timeless religion. I was raised a Christian, but in dogmatism (both at school and in my family). I made the choice to remain a Christian out of belief in the fundamentals, in spite of great disbelief in many of today's expressions "on the field".
I'll take the example on Mother Teresa : most of the lepers she helped in India didn't convert, and yet they just *knew* she was a mahatma, a great spirit. They didn't pray Jesus, but they sure got the message!
It's not because "Jesus said so" that I follow him. It's because of what he said. Until nearly the end, he was very careful not to officially declare himself the son of God, except in parables. Why? Because this was not how he wanted to convince. Not by his name or origin : by his attitudes and deeds.
"No, *I* am Spartacus!"
"to verify beyond a reasonable doubt which is the correct faith. The only way to do so would be to follow them all, and most of them forbid that."
Did you intend this to come out as amusing as it did? :-D
It is most ironic when you consider the Monotheisms : Christiannism has Judaism for its roots, with many of its principles already there, and yet antisemitism in Europe only receded VERY recently, and probably "thanks" to Hitler's horrors. Islam explicitly recognizes and respects Christiannism and Judaism, and changing to one of them will usually earn you a death penalty for "apostasy", betrayal of the True Faith.
This is not God/Allah/Yahve's doing. It's WAY too stupid. Such a state of things can only be man's doing. Men claiming and/or believing to most faithfully following divine will, but sadly mistaken.
I remember the good Samaritan : my fellow brother is everybody and anybody, no matter where he's from or how he prays. Hey, "Jesus said so"! :-)
"Ultimately all religion is about the same thing: getting in touch with the divine."
Lucid, with such principles, you wouldn't perchance happen to be a Baha'i? ;-)
I like these guys. If I were dissatisfied with what I believe in, I'd probably join them.
"The differences just seem much bigger because that is what we tend to focus on."
You've just put your finger on it, buddy!
(Yuck!) Now hurry and go wash your hands, it's urgent!
"I've known people of faith that exhibited these traits far less often than some of the atheists I've known."
Yeah, it's quite amusing. You can be both a religion-less atheist and be a fanatic about it. I've seen it!
"How is an eternity of suffering justified by a finite life of iniquity?"
Also, how is this possible (and oft GUARANTEED to us!) coming from a God that by definition has infinite mercy? It's never too late to be forgiven if we repent.
Here's a proof : angels have sinned and fallen, in the Other World. Even a demon can repent and be forgiven, in theory.
"Moreover, how can I love when I fear?"
"Now, you love God your Father who has infinite love for you, or you'll burn in Hell for all eternity, and that'll serve you right! Brat."
P.S.: Jesus did NOT say that. But a very pious relative of mine did, or something near identical. The poor soul.
"But if he is as they say they are, I do not feel I can trust him."
If he were that way, it would mean he's been feeding you truckloads of lies about love, compassion and forgiveness. Doesn't quite fit the notion of a perfect being, if he were so naive that we flawed creatures can spot it this easily!
Blatant imperfections in the doctrin cannot come from a perfect God, period.
So, either this perfect God doesn't exist, or not everything we're told actually came from Him. Me, I vouch for the latter.
My great homonym, Blaise Pascal, sought long for something to truly believe in. He ended up a convinced christian, but a lucid one. He formulated the "principle of the Bet" : "If we believe in a God that doesn't exist, we have pretty much nothing to lose in the end. But if we do not believe in a God which actually exists, we have everything to lose."
I'd say this is very intelligently put. :-)
And yet, this is only an intellectual argumentation about how it makes much sense to believe. It doesn't mean it is the RIGHT reason to do so. And it's certainly not mine. It makes sense to love your parents too, but interest's not the right reason for loving them.
"Regardless, living in fear of punishment that may or may not come my way upon death is not a notion I can entertain whilst I live, otherwise I risk my sanity over something that might never occur."
Which is exactly why the Church of Bigotry deservingly called you an apostate, mister! ;-)
Not that I like to congratulate myself, but I think being raised in dogmatism, realizing it, and then choosing to reject only the dumb part instead of all of it, must require some unusual sense. It would appear that in most cases, those who've been through this either become bitter atheists, or superstitious miscreants (they sin, mock religion and priests, and are the first to kneel and pray when afraid). Both choices felt very wrong to me. If you want to be an atheist, don't do it out of spite, but of metaphysical conviction. This I shall definitely respect.
"Regardless of what tomorrow holds I know I will look back upon today without an ounce of regret"
Religiously speaking, I'd say this is being respectfully thankful for the gift of the life that God gave you. By living it to its fullest, enjoying it the way it deserves to be appreciated.
Reporter Cupp,
You're right, it does feel somehow sick. Like selling nazi antiques to benefit the victims of the Shoah. Which nobody did, I believe.
"You won't need to count the days Bush has left in office. This key chain does it for you!"
Who needs a keychain? I'm trying to focus on something OTHER than counting... and it's not working!
"unless he's impeached or tarred and feathered first"
Please, stop tantalizing me with these visions if you don't intend to fulfill them! That's just cruel, dude. ;-)
"Top Ten Reasons"...
ROTFWL! :-D
unless he's impeached or tarred and feathered first"
ReplyDeletePlease, stop tantalizing me with these visions if you don't intend to fulfill them! That's just cruel, dude. ;-)
smiles ;0
Rev. Hallwell said...
ReplyDeleteMy faith is Trust in Christ alone and accept him and you'll have eternal life.
I applaud you Rev Hallwell. Thank you for not being ashamed of Jesus Christ the only hope mankind has ever known :)
Blog commenting instruction manual.
ReplyDeleteSee these three choices on the top right, just below the space for your comment?
*Blogger. *Other. *Anonymous.
Click on "Other", then pick a name, any name you like, just choose something you'll remember so you can use it again next time. Write it down if you have bad memory (like me).
Then post as usual, and savour the noble pleasure of having shown "netiquette", a.k.a. fine manners online.
Also, remember that pressing "Shift" plus that key next to "Enter" allows you to type a quote in a fraction of a second. It's used to separate what YOU say from what others said earlier and which you're just repeating as a reminder. It's very helpful if you want to be read!
Ain't life pleasant with just some very simple effort? :-)