Home
>
Spirituality
>
Love vs. Fear - Volume 18

Love vs. Fear - Volume 18

Breaking with tradition, today's article comes from the 9-23-04 edition of Sojomail. Sojomail is produced by Sojourners; an evangelical journal, and calls itself a 'weekly email-zine of spirituality, politics and culture.' I personally object to their use of the term spirituality, because they are decidedly Christian oriented. For them to replace the word 'spirituality' with the word 'Christianity' would be a lot more accurate. I do feel that the good people at Sojourners do have very wonderful intentions. I just wish they didn't feel the need to route all their efforts through Christianity, to the exclusion of billions of the earth's inhabitants.

I'm also uncomfortable with the four core beliefs of evangelicals. Here they are; 1) The Bible is without error (that alone is enough to stop me), 2) Salvation comes through faith in Jesus and not good deeds (so cancel all those good deeds you had in mind), 3) Individuals must accept Jesus as adults (is there a cut-off age for that, is it 18 or 21 or what...?) and 4) All Christians must evangelize. To evangelize means to 1) Preach the gospel and 2) Convert to Christianity.

Christianity says that you HAVE to claim Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior in order to get in to heaven. Where does that leave all the Buddhists and Muslims and all the other non-Christians of the world? Spirituality says that EVERYone goes to heaven. Spirituality says that God loves unconditionally. That means that God loves everybody; not just Christians! Spirituality is all-inclusive, whereas Christianity, and most other major religions are exclusive. Either you belong to our club, or you're out. No heaven for you!

Anyway, the article in Sojomail is entitled; "Jimmy Swaggart tells congregation he'd kill gays." Isn't that nice!? Here we have a self proclaimed Christian 'man of God' telling a global audience that "If one ever looks at me like that I'm going to kill him and tell God he died." To which he receives laughter and applause from his audience. This is not a movie, this really happened, on Sunday; 9-19-04! I honestly can't believe this! How could a man who claims to be a 'man of God' preach something so un-Godly!? Mr. Swaggart quotes the biblical passage where God says that homosexuality is an 'abomination.' There's just one, of the MANY proofs that the Bible is WITH error! Any passage in the Bible that contradicts the truth that God is unconditionally loving, is false. Those ideas came from some man or men with the agenda to control us through fear.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again; there are a lot of 'homo-phobes' out there. Many people see gay peoples' differences as justification for hating them. This hatred is based in fear; "I don't understand them, therefore I don't like them, and I'm gonna kill them." A more Godly response would be; "I see their differences, and I may not understand them, but I will embrace them anyway, as they are also God's beloved creatures, as am I."

We've got two role models to choose from today, folks; God & Jimmy Swaggart. Take your pick...

PEACE!

John Ford - Life Coach
(512) 657-1584
http://www.happinessforsale.net

Your questions and/or comments are welcome and encouraged! Please feel free to pass this on, in its entirety, to everyone you wish. If you would like to subscribe or unsubscribe, please let me know at http://www.happinessforsale.net. Also, please know that your email address will never be bought, sold, traded, folded, spindled or mutilated, for any reason, by anyone. Thank you.

About The Author

John Ford

I live in Austin, Texas; where I have lived over half of my life. I am a graduate of Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Accounting & Marketing.

I have always been interested in personal development, and have studied many books and tape programs over the years. I have read over 50 books on the subject in the last 3 years alone. I also have the CDs to many of the books I've studied, which I am constantly rotating through the CD player of my vehicle whenever I am driving. I have applied many of the concepts I've learned, to my own life and business, and have developed a "real world" knowledge of what works and what doesn't.

I began the rewarding and fulfilling career of being a full time Life Coach after 20 years of being a certified public accountant for a wide variety of numerous businesses. I knew in my gut the first time I heard about the coaching profession, that I had always been a coach in my heart and that this was my new career. I enrolled in coach training programs and learned what I needed to know to get started, but my education continues constantly. Self development is an ongoing, life-long process.

I am PASSIONATE about Life Coaching because it enables me to serve mankind in the most useful way that I can spend the days of my life. Not only do I greatly enrich the lives of my clients, but I get to benefit as well. As I coach my clients to greater happiness in every area of their lives, I also get to receive the gift of having provided that service! Nothing else in my life has ever given me greater fulfillment and satisfaction, than helping others dramatically improve their lives.

http://www.happinessforsale.net

Mokena prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare

In The News:

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says a malware app called SpyLend is posing as a financial tool, hitting 100,000-plus downloads.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says Clone Robotics’ Protoclone mimics humans with 1,000 muscles – too human for comfort.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson urges you to use Apple’s App Privacy Report to see what your apps are really up to.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how to smoothly transfer your data from an old laptop to a new one using cloud storage or external drives.

Kurt the CyberGuy offers tips to safeguard your personal information as scammers become more sophisticated with scam texts and other methods.

WeRide's unmanned electric delivery van, the Robovan W5, has 194 cubic feet of cargo space and can carry payloads up to about 2,205 pounds

Kurt the CyberGuy recommends deleting 16 browser extensions immediately in response to a report saying more than 3.2 million web users were affected by a security breach.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

A robotics firm in China claims a robot has performed the world's first humanoid robot front flip, which is significantly more difficult than a backflip.

A digital ID may be even more secure than a physical ID. Storing your driver's license in your Apple Wallet is an ideal solution for commuters.

A cybersecurity firm has shed some light on just how common tax scams have become. Kurt the CyberGuy offers his advice for how to protect your refund.

Lifesize Plans offers immersive walk-throughs that allow customers the opportunity to tour a home's design before construction actually begins.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

A man invested $4 million in bitcoin and lost it all with a single click when he was targeted by a vishing scam, which uses phone calls to trick people.

Expandable's Touchdown is a designer trailer that promises a luxury off-grid living experience and unfolds into a home in about 15 minutes.

Major employee screening company data breach affects 3.3 million people. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson explains what happened and gives five ways to protect your data.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals mind-blowing tech that gives you sunlight on demand.

New malware "FrigidStealer" targets Mac computers. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers four ways to stay safe from infostealer malware.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how lab-grown muscles power a biohybrid hand for scalable prosthetics and research.

Reports of task scams have significantly risen in the past four years, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Kurt the CyberGuy offers some red flags.

iPhones have a hidden folder that eats up storage without you knowing it. Kurt the CyberGuy offers some tricks to free up storage on your device.

A recent ransomeware attack targeted Zacks, an American investment firm, and a cybercriminal claimed to have stolen records for millions of customers.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Researchers unveiled a new soft prosthetic hand that combines the natural coordination patterns of our fingers with the decoding of motoneuron activity in the spinal column.

Accidentally deleting a text message on your iPhone or iPad is not a problem if you still need the message. Apple has a built-in way to recover it.