joran420
09-03-04, 20:59
heh im not religious at all but i got this email and thought it was pretty cool
[i know no one will prolly read it but if ya do its kinda neat]
Unnecessary Religious Rivalry
Author Unknown
My Dear Children (and believe me, that's all of you),
I consider myself to be pretty patient. I mean, look at the Grand Canyon.
It took millions of years to get it right. And how about evolution? Boy,
nothing is slower than designing that whole Darwinian thing to take place,
cell by cell and gene by gene. I've even been patient through your fashions,
civilizations, wars and schemes, and the countless ways you take Me for
granted until you get yourselves into big trouble again and again.
But today, I want to let you know about some things that are starting to
tick Me off.
First of all, your religious rivalries are driving Me up a wall. Enough
already! Let's get one thing straight These are your religions, not Mine.
I'm the Whole Enchilada; I'm beyond them all. Every one of your religions
claims there's only one of Me. But in the very next breath, each religion
claims it's My favorite one. And each claims I wrote its Bible personally,
and all the other Bibles are man-made. Oh Me, how do I even begin to put a
stop to such complicated nonsense?
Okay, listen up now I'm your Father and Mother, and I don't play favorites
among My Children. Also, I hate to break it to you, but I didn't write that
stuff. I've always been more of a "doer" anyway. So all your books,
including the Bibles, were written by men and women. They were inspired,
remarkable people, but they also made mistakes here and there. I made sure
of that, so that you would never trust a written word more than your own
living Heart. You see, one Human Being to me-even a bum on the street-is
worth more than all the holy books in the world. That's just the kind of Guy
I Am. My Spirit is not a historical thing, It's alive right here, right now,
as fresh as your next breath. Holy books and religious rites are sacred and
powerful, but not more so than the least of You. They were only meant to
steer you in the right direction, not to keep you arguing with each other,
and certainly not to keep you from trusting your own personal connection
with Me.
Which brings Me to My next point about your nonsense. You act like I need
you and your religions to stick up for Me or "win souls" for My Sake.
Please, don't do Me any favors. I can stand quite well on my own, thank you.
I don't need you to defend Me, and I don't need constant credit. I just want
you to be good to each other. The thing is, I want you to stop thinking of
religion as some sort of loyalty pledge to Me. The true purpose of your
religions is so that you can become more aware of Me, not the other way
around. Believe Me, I know you already. I know what's in each of your
hearts, and I love you with no strings attached. Lighten up and enjoy Me.
That's what religion is best for. What you seem to forget is how mysterious
I Am. You look at petty little differences in your scriptures and say,
"Well, if this is the Truth, then that can't be!" But instead of trying to
figure out My Paradoxes and Unfathomable Nature- which, by the way, you
never will-why not open your hearts to the simple common threads in every
religion? You know exactly what I'm talking about. Consider them:
a. Love and respect everyone.
b. Be kind. Even when life is scary or confusing, take courage, be of good
cheer, I Am always with you.
c. Learn how to be quiet, so you can hear My Still, Small Voice (I don't
like to shout).
d. Leave the world a better place - live your life with dignity and grace.
e. Hold back nothing from life - the parts of you that can die will surely
die, and the parts that can't, won't.
f. So don't worry, be happy Simple stuff. Why do you keep making it so
complicated? It's like you're always looking for an excuse to be upset. And
I'm very tired of being your main excuse. Do you think I care whether you
call Me Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah, Wakan Tanka, Brahma, Father, Mother, or even
The Void or Nirvana? Do you think I care which of My Special Children you
feel closest to - Moses, Jesus, Mary, Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed or any of
the others?
You can call Me and My Special Ones any name you choose, if only you would
go about My business of loving one another as I love you. How can you keep
neglecting something so simple? I'm not telling you to abandon your
religions. Enjoy your religions, honor them, and learn from them, just as
you should enjoy, honor, and learn from your parents. But do you walk around
telling everyone that your parents are better than theirs? Your religion,
like your parents, may always have the most special place in your heart; I
don't mind that at all. And I don't want you to combine all the Great
Traditions into One Big Mess. Each religion is unique for a reason. Each has
a unique style so that people can find the best path for himself or herself.
But My Special Children - the ones your religions revolve around - all live
in the same place (My Heart) and they get along perfectly, I assure you. The
clergy must stop creating a myth of sibling rivalry where there is none. My
Blessed Children of Earth, the world has grown too small for your pervasive
religious bigotry and confusion. Air travel, satellite dishes, telephones,
fax machines, rock concerts, diseases, and mutual needs and concerns connect
the whole planet. Get with the program! If you really want to help Me
celebrate life, commit yourselves to figuring out how to feed your hungry,
clothe your naked, protect your abused, and shelter your poor. And just as
importantly, make your own everyday life a shining example of kindness and
good humor. I've given you all the resources you need, if only you would
abandon your fear of each other and begin living, loving, and laughing
together. Finally, I'm not really ticked off, I just wanted to grab your
attention because I don't like to see you suffer. But I gave you Free Will,
so what can I do now other than to try to influence you through reason,
persuasion, and a little old-fashioned guilt and manipulation? After all, I
Am the original Jewish Mother. I just want you to be happy. I really Am,
indeed, with you always. Always.
So, trust In Me, eat a piece of chocolate and get on with being joyful.
Your One and Only,
You Know Who
[i know no one will prolly read it but if ya do its kinda neat]
Unnecessary Religious Rivalry
Author Unknown
My Dear Children (and believe me, that's all of you),
I consider myself to be pretty patient. I mean, look at the Grand Canyon.
It took millions of years to get it right. And how about evolution? Boy,
nothing is slower than designing that whole Darwinian thing to take place,
cell by cell and gene by gene. I've even been patient through your fashions,
civilizations, wars and schemes, and the countless ways you take Me for
granted until you get yourselves into big trouble again and again.
But today, I want to let you know about some things that are starting to
tick Me off.
First of all, your religious rivalries are driving Me up a wall. Enough
already! Let's get one thing straight These are your religions, not Mine.
I'm the Whole Enchilada; I'm beyond them all. Every one of your religions
claims there's only one of Me. But in the very next breath, each religion
claims it's My favorite one. And each claims I wrote its Bible personally,
and all the other Bibles are man-made. Oh Me, how do I even begin to put a
stop to such complicated nonsense?
Okay, listen up now I'm your Father and Mother, and I don't play favorites
among My Children. Also, I hate to break it to you, but I didn't write that
stuff. I've always been more of a "doer" anyway. So all your books,
including the Bibles, were written by men and women. They were inspired,
remarkable people, but they also made mistakes here and there. I made sure
of that, so that you would never trust a written word more than your own
living Heart. You see, one Human Being to me-even a bum on the street-is
worth more than all the holy books in the world. That's just the kind of Guy
I Am. My Spirit is not a historical thing, It's alive right here, right now,
as fresh as your next breath. Holy books and religious rites are sacred and
powerful, but not more so than the least of You. They were only meant to
steer you in the right direction, not to keep you arguing with each other,
and certainly not to keep you from trusting your own personal connection
with Me.
Which brings Me to My next point about your nonsense. You act like I need
you and your religions to stick up for Me or "win souls" for My Sake.
Please, don't do Me any favors. I can stand quite well on my own, thank you.
I don't need you to defend Me, and I don't need constant credit. I just want
you to be good to each other. The thing is, I want you to stop thinking of
religion as some sort of loyalty pledge to Me. The true purpose of your
religions is so that you can become more aware of Me, not the other way
around. Believe Me, I know you already. I know what's in each of your
hearts, and I love you with no strings attached. Lighten up and enjoy Me.
That's what religion is best for. What you seem to forget is how mysterious
I Am. You look at petty little differences in your scriptures and say,
"Well, if this is the Truth, then that can't be!" But instead of trying to
figure out My Paradoxes and Unfathomable Nature- which, by the way, you
never will-why not open your hearts to the simple common threads in every
religion? You know exactly what I'm talking about. Consider them:
a. Love and respect everyone.
b. Be kind. Even when life is scary or confusing, take courage, be of good
cheer, I Am always with you.
c. Learn how to be quiet, so you can hear My Still, Small Voice (I don't
like to shout).
d. Leave the world a better place - live your life with dignity and grace.
e. Hold back nothing from life - the parts of you that can die will surely
die, and the parts that can't, won't.
f. So don't worry, be happy Simple stuff. Why do you keep making it so
complicated? It's like you're always looking for an excuse to be upset. And
I'm very tired of being your main excuse. Do you think I care whether you
call Me Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah, Wakan Tanka, Brahma, Father, Mother, or even
The Void or Nirvana? Do you think I care which of My Special Children you
feel closest to - Moses, Jesus, Mary, Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed or any of
the others?
You can call Me and My Special Ones any name you choose, if only you would
go about My business of loving one another as I love you. How can you keep
neglecting something so simple? I'm not telling you to abandon your
religions. Enjoy your religions, honor them, and learn from them, just as
you should enjoy, honor, and learn from your parents. But do you walk around
telling everyone that your parents are better than theirs? Your religion,
like your parents, may always have the most special place in your heart; I
don't mind that at all. And I don't want you to combine all the Great
Traditions into One Big Mess. Each religion is unique for a reason. Each has
a unique style so that people can find the best path for himself or herself.
But My Special Children - the ones your religions revolve around - all live
in the same place (My Heart) and they get along perfectly, I assure you. The
clergy must stop creating a myth of sibling rivalry where there is none. My
Blessed Children of Earth, the world has grown too small for your pervasive
religious bigotry and confusion. Air travel, satellite dishes, telephones,
fax machines, rock concerts, diseases, and mutual needs and concerns connect
the whole planet. Get with the program! If you really want to help Me
celebrate life, commit yourselves to figuring out how to feed your hungry,
clothe your naked, protect your abused, and shelter your poor. And just as
importantly, make your own everyday life a shining example of kindness and
good humor. I've given you all the resources you need, if only you would
abandon your fear of each other and begin living, loving, and laughing
together. Finally, I'm not really ticked off, I just wanted to grab your
attention because I don't like to see you suffer. But I gave you Free Will,
so what can I do now other than to try to influence you through reason,
persuasion, and a little old-fashioned guilt and manipulation? After all, I
Am the original Jewish Mother. I just want you to be happy. I really Am,
indeed, with you always. Always.
So, trust In Me, eat a piece of chocolate and get on with being joyful.
Your One and Only,
You Know Who