Political labels

Do you like wearing a label? Do you like being defined in a narrow way by what others say you believe because they have labeled you? Examples;
(these examples may be totally in accurate)

Conservatives believe;
1- Greed is a good thing justified by principles of capitalism.
2- Oil companies should be allowed to determine our policies on foreign relations, and the environment.
3- Obama care is wrong because we love the health insurance industry and don't want to disrupt their profits.
4- America should be run as a religious government so we can rule things our way and get rid of the people we don't like. If we have more religion (our religion) everything will be wonderful like a utopia (kingdom on earth).
5- War is minor problem.

Liberals believe;
1- We are not greedy because we just print more money any time we want.

2- The Sierra club should be allowed to determine our policies.
3- Health care and all kinds of wonderful things are not privilege but rights.
4- America should be run with every religion except Christian.  America can be a utopia if we spend enough money. Our ideals of utopia are the dreams of mankind and we eventually will overcome and force these dreams on everyone if they like it or not.
5- Abortion is a minor problem.

How do you like those labels? Well what if I don't give you a chance to even explain? What if I just force you into a box and tell you what you believe?

check out the group No Labels; http://nolabels.org
No Labels group 

Racism-Born a bigot?

    Racism in this world may have its roots in the most basic parts of our human nature. Observing nature we see that animals use a system of what we might call stereo typing to distinguish between safe or dangerous species, a lamb encountering a predatory lion will stereo type the lion as unsafe. And these groups would not second guess themselves by saying, “maybe I should get to know that lion, it may be a real nice lion”. This is a basic system of survival for groups to identify each other. So our aptitude to stereo type by race, tribe, clan or culture may be deeply imbedded within our dna.

    However as humans we have a dilemma because we have to make choices that other animals may not be able to make. Regardless of your stance on evolution or creation humans are held to a higher standard of conduct. A social evolutionist may conclude that mankind has learned that for true survival our species needs to learn cooperation and the creationist may conclude that the creator of all humans expects cooperation between the human groups; anti-racism.

    My hypothesis for overcoming racism is not based on denying the differences between the human groups, but we overcome racism by a choice to respect. To deny differences may actually be way of forcing assimilation into a dominant group. Acknowledging our differences does give us the difficult task of not considering one group superior, which in our human history has been our pattern. Acknowledging our differences also means that we realize that stereo types in humans are never 100% true. Stereo types are built on partial truths and exaggerated. So as humans we have the choice to look beyond a stereo type and risk getting to know and trust the individuals.

Photo from a Christmas light festival in Kobe Japan

Gender roles

In defense of gender roles let me first make a couple observations. In nature we see that animals and insects have gender roles and these beings likely do not consider one gender superior to the other. Superiority is probably not an issue when the survival of a species is at stake. I cannot use this observation to dictate what the gender roles for humans should be but only to establish a principle that gender roles are part of nature and these roles do not mean that one gender is superior to the other. Another observation is that ancient cultures, mostly Asian since those cultures have remained intact for longer than our western blends of cultures, have preserved traditional gender roles. In these ancient cultures it is apparent that gender roles serve the purpose of simplifying relationships. By contrast here in the west we currently need to re-invent each relationship from scratch. In traditional relationships it does not need to be resolved that men are responsible to take certain responsibilities and women also theirs. When I look at so many of our social problems today such as unwed mothers struggling to survive while the play boy father runs around impregnating other women, I see our desperate need for cultural reform. These kinds of issues motivated Confucius in China several centuries before Christ to lead reforms of what we today call family values.

The negative side of gender roles is how they are abused for oppression. It seems that the human tendency is to pervert all that God created as good. The love of power, the fear of losing control, and greed all contribute to abuse. We find parts of our scriptures to endorse what we want to see. But if our hearts are inclined to the heart of God we will seek those parts of scripture that provide justice and liberation for the oppressed,

 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loosen the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear;

Then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”(Isaiah 58:6-10 NIV)

    If we are truly seeking liberation we will find that gender roles carried out voluntarily, with respect, can provide a very peaceful way to coexist. But any time we find ourselves using roles as an excuse to abuse or oppress then we should fear that we might be offending our Creator who seeks protection for the oppressed.

Mormon premise

Critical issues as I see it through Biblical perspective and personal experience;
1- The original vision Joseph Smith asks the wrong question “Which is the true church?” This is a continual war over who holds human authority as in pope vs. prophet vs. king. A true search for God would ask “Who is God?”
2- Original vision; speaker claims that none of the churches are true and that “all of their creeds are an abomination to me”. This is a judgment upon all of Christianity and separates all of Mormonism as a cult outside of and superior to Christians. Mormons consistent with this vision should consider it an insult to be called Christian but now they want to insist that they really are Christian. Crazy, can’t have it both ways.
3-Priesthood; the premise of the Joseph Smith vision and the LDS church is a need for the restoration of the priesthood because the Christian church had lost the priesthood. It is a false premise. Christian priesthood is the priesthood of all believers and is based on worthiness of Jesus our perfect Priest. It is not about man’s worthiness.
 4- Jesus says to know prophets by their fruit Matthew 7. LDS claim they have good fruit but they are referring to human works and institutions built by man. Fruit from God should first of all provide a connection to God, salvation and forgiveness, which should result in displaying the character traits of God. We can identify the character of one’s god by the character of the person. An angry unforgiving god will result in anger, violence, self justification, self-made religion.
5- Common sense revelation from nature; even those who do not believe the Bible can see from observing nature that our Creator is far above all mankind. Our purpose in this life as humans is to take our place as creatures before our Creator. The LDS claim that our purpose is exaltation to become gods and that God the Creator was once a man like us. This is called “eternal progression”. It is an offense to nature and to scripture.

Basically I see the LDS religion as one of arrogance rather than humility. It is not about the glory of God it is about the glory of man’s religion. It is man’s efforts to save himself and glorify himself. I know this is very blunt but it may sometimes be the last approach.

I was LDS when young. I was raised and still live in Salt Lake City, the capital of Mormonism.

A basic premise

   If I correctly understand the basic premise of the atheist position it is that: the physical world is the totality of our reality and that all truth is subject to the law of scientific inquiry. True? - If I understand the basic premise of the theist position (limit here to Biblical model) it is that: our physical world originated from a spiritual creator and this spiritual creator is not subject to proof by law of scientific inquiry. True? - Given the differences in these basic premises is there any ground for discussion at all? Is not nature the only common ground that all humanity shares? - My personal conclusion is that I can never “prove” anything to an atheist but only possibly convince him to reconsider his basic premise. Of course he also would like to persuade me that my basic premise is faulty.

For a complete discussion please see page title Philosophy

What's the problem with humans?

O WELL
O well its just one more insult
O well its just one more lie
O well its just one more broken heart
O well, o well, o well,
O well its just one more lost boy
O well its just one more stolen car
O well its just one more gang war
O well, o well, o well,
O well its just one more pregnant teen
O well its just one more lost dream
O well its just one more abortion
O well, o well, o well,
O well its just one more cheatin wife
O well its just one more shattered life
O well its just one more divorce
O well, o well, o well,
O well its just one more bad cop
O well its just one more bribe
O well its just one more lying president
O well, o well, o well,
O well its just one more terror attack
O well its just one more bloody war
O well its just one more nuclear bomb
O well, o well, o well.

Humans seem to have some kind of sickness. Some say its lack of knowledge. Maybe a lack of knowledge of God! Humans seem to corrupt everything we put our hands on. Especially our religion! The first murder was a religious war, Cain and Able (Genesis). Instead of many religions leading to God, we’ve created many religions running away from God. It is undeniable that there is something broken in mankind.

With all of mankind’s great potential, what is the problem? Why do we use our science to blow each other up; for abortions, clones, caustic chemicals, addictive chemicals, destructive porn, loud stereos disrespectful of others, destruction of nature?

It’s all about choice. In the beginning God gave us choice. Choice is the essential element in love. Choice is the difference between rape and love. And we’ve made our choice to rebel. Mankind made his choice to do it his own way. God is not a rapist, he is a lover. And our choices affect others. Why doesn’t God stop the drunk driver getting into his car? Why doesn’t God stop the atheist from blaspheming? Why doesn’t God stop rich people on one side of the planet for the sake of poor people on the other side? It is all about choice!

If we define evil as the absence of God’s goodness, then where ever we choose to not allow God’s rule, what remains to rule is evil. Darkness rules where the light is not allowed.

What about natural disaster, disease, birth defects? “If our Creator could have stopped this why didn’t it. Our creator must be evil!” some have said. Most religions make some attempt at explaining the existence of evil; karma, fate, ignorance, natural selection. The Bible offers its best explanations in Genesis and Job. Genesis points to man’s choice which may also affect nature. And Job shows a figurative drama involving an unseen world hidden from the eyes of Job, with job representing all mankind. These stories still fall short of giving us the exact reasons. It chooses an element of mystery preferring the right of the Creator to not totally explain itself. The Creator speaks to Job, “Who is this who darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!” (Job 38). Apparently God is not the one on trial.

Asking the right questions

The Question for this generation is not: Is there a creator? But the question we should ask is: Who is this creator? The time for asking, "does it exist?" is long past. People from every corner of the world know that there is some spiritual force or energy out there. But we should be asking; who is it? Does it reveal itself? Is it male or female or both? Is it an impersonal mysterious energy? Or is it capable of thinking, love, relationship, justice and mercy?

How can we know or understand anything about this creator? I would consider the creation as the first revelation of the creator. The art is just a shadow of the artist. Think of your most favorite person, how much you love them. Now think of how awesome the being must be who put life into that person. Your friend is just a partial reflection of an incredible being. So we can know something of the creator just by looking around. By the overwhelming size, detail, complexity of this universe we see that this being is so far beyond our comprehension that it must reveal itself to us if we want to know it at all. Knowledge of this being must be based on its own self-revelation rather than our conjectures.

I believe our creator is self-revealing, and dwelt in human flesh as one of us! Incredible, if you want to know what God is like look into the face of Jesus; who being in very nature God, did not hold onto His title but let it go. He became our servant even to death. All of mankind should recognize who it was among us. He is the ultimate revelation of God because He was a living revelation rather than someone like me just talking about God. He is the ultimate Prophet.

If this is true that our creator is revealing itself to us, then what does it desire for us? What should our response be? I believe that our Creator reveals itself to us that we might know it. It is our heart that it desires. It is a personal, spiritual relationship where we take our place as creatures before our Creator. We come to our Creator on its terms not our own.

O my Dog!

I tried to put my dog in a box, a cute little box,

But he would not go in, just wagged his tail, wanted to play.

I tried to put my dog in a bigger box,

Do ya know what that dog said? No way I won’t stay.

Tried to put my dog in a bigger box, as big as my house,

but he ran away, would not stay.

One day I tried to get my dog into a huge box, big as my church.

He just turned away.

I tried to put my dog into the world’s biggest box, big as the sky! I cried and said, “Why, won’t you please stay in my box?”

He just laughed at me and said,

"You silly boy, you can’t build a box big enough for me!

And I just will not stay, no way!”

Then my dog said to me,

“Welcome to my house, There’s plenty of room for you here!

Won’t you please come in?” So I did.