Category: Uncategorized

To Know God as a Friend

     This, I believe, is and should be the goal of any true seeker of God; not just to know God through what others have said—what’s been passed down through the generations and through religion—but to know God for ourselves, to know God as a friend—as our best friend.

— Excerpted from The Truth as I See It: A Collection of Spiritual Writings by Adam Soto (p. 66)

 

Copyright 2018 Golden Rule Independent Publications

The Magic Ring

     A woman once asked the Teacher, “Which is the true religion?”  The teacher replied: “Once there was a magic ring which gave its bearer the gifts of grace, kindness, and generosity.  When the owner of the ring was on his deathbed, each of his three sons came separately and asked him for the ring.  The old man promised the ring to each of them.

     “He then sent for the finest jeweler in the land, and paid him to make two rings identical to the original.  The jeweler did so, and before he died, the father gave each son a ring without telling him about the other two.

     “Inevitably, the three sons discovered that each one had a ring, and they appeared before the local judge to ask his help in deciding who had the magic ring.  The judge examined the rings and found them to be all alike.  He then said, ‘Why must anyone decide now?  We shall know who has the magic ring when we observe the direction your life takes.’

     “Each of the brothers then acted as if he had the magic ring by being kind, honest, and thoughtful.

     “Now,” the Teacher concluded, “religions are like the three brothers in the story.  The moment their members cease striving for peace, grace, and love we will know that their religion is not the one God gave the world.”

“The Magic Ring” attributed to Moses Mendelssohn.

Source: https://www.dailyrecordnews.com/religion/messages-of-faith-strive-for-love-and-justice-in-our/article_d718a4ce-81d2-5002-8508-ce81df6d88a0.html

The Yogi and the Pizza

     The Yogi walked into the Zen Pizza Parlor and said: “Make me one with everything.” When the Yogi got the pizza, he gave the proprietor a $20 bill. The proprietor pocketed the bill. The Yogi said “Don’t I get any change?” The proprietor said, “Change must come from within.”

Source: http://www.enlightened-spirituality.org/Spiritual_Humor.html

Freethinkers

     “I divide men into two lots.  They are freethinkers, or they are not freethinkers.  Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their own customs, privileges, and beliefs.  This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for right thinking; where it is absent, discussion is apt to become worse than useless.  A man may be a Catholic, a Frenchman, or a capitalist, and yet be a freethinker; but if he puts his Catholicism, his patriotism, or his interest above his reason, and will not give the latter free play where those subjects are touched, he is not a freethinker.  His mind is in bondage.”

– Leo Tolstoy

Source: http://www.fobes.net/rumors2004/quotes/tolstoy.htm

Not Just Known—But Experienced

     The truth or validity of any belief or experience must be tested within a person’s own conscience or soul.  It’s in this way that the truth can be known—and not just known—but experienced, and through this experience, can become more than just an abstract idea, but a living reality.

— Excerpted from The Truth as I See It: A Collection of Spiritual Writings by Adam Soto (p. 66)

 

Copyright 2018 Golden Rule Independent Publications

Spontaneous Blog Post 5/9/19

In case you’re wondering, from time to time you may see what I’m calling a “Spontaneous Blog Post…”  To take away any confusion, I already have my blog posts scheduled for the next couple of years, but from time to time, I may feel the need to post something that’s currently on my mind.  This is one of those times.

God, Punishment, and Free Will 

One of the most important things Jesus did during his life was help to change the perceptions people had about God’s nature. Rather than being vindictive and punishing, Jesus presented God as overflowing with love, understanding, and forgiveness. I believe that spirituality and religion, for the most part, still have a long way to go to in transforming their image of God’s nature. Far too many people continue to hold on to and preach an image of a vindictive, punishing God. 

Think about it this way: we all have free will, right? What kind of just god would give us free will and then punish us for using it? If you had a child and told them that they were free to choose a good, healthy meal for supper, or that they could choose to eat ice cream, would it then be fair to punish them for choosing ice cream? And if the child gets a stomach ache from eating ice cream for supper, isn’t that just a natural consequence? It’s its own form of punishment, is it not?

I believe that it is the same way with us and free will. I don’t believe that God punishes us for using our free will; but if we choose to live in selfish or ungodly ways, the results are usually negative, or cause us unhappiness or separation. They are simply the natural consequences of our choices, just as choosing to live in Godly ways brings us happiness, peace, and fellowship with God and those around us. 

I’m asking that you really examine your understanding of God. Any just god would have to give each person free will; if not, then we would be slaves, and true love would never make a slave of anyone. For love to be true and perfect, freedom is the only way.

An understanding god would know that we can be very selfish and weak at times, and that this usually stems from some form of ignorance. A patient and understanding god would let us learn from our mistakes, not punish or torture us, knowing that the natural, negative consequences of our actions is punishment enough. Anyways, God also gave us souls that live for eternity, so we will all continue to grow into love and into God, no matter how long it takes. 

I’d also like to add this: it’s very easy to let other people do our thinking for us.  Whether it’s our parents, religion, or society, we often accept whatever people tell us, regardless of our own feelings on the subject, and without much investigation into the matter.  God gave us all individual minds so that we can think for ourselves.  It is not a sin to question your beliefs.  Jesus obviously questioned the religious beliefs of his day, and spoke out about what he thought were misrepresentations of God’s nature.

Understand that it is built into many of the power structures in our religions and society to make us feel bad about questioning authority; some will even preach that it is offensive to God.  This is designed to protect those who are in power from anyone questioning their authority. See this for what it is, and never be afraid to think for yourself.

So what do you believe about God’s nature? In my experience, God is all love, all mercy, all grace. God’s nature is one of compassion, understanding, empathy, love, and forgiveness—and all is unconditional.  This is the Good News that Jesus was willing to die for in opposition to the established religion of his day.  This is the Good News that isn’t talked about nearly enough, and has the power to change people’s hearts and minds.  It has the power, in fact, to change the world.

Believe this Good News.

The Most Important Questions We Can Ask Ourselves

What is God?  Who is God?  Does God exist?  What is God’s will?  Does God love everyone?  Does God hate anyone?  Is there a hell?  Would God really torment someone in hell for eternity?  What must one do to be unified with God?

     Do you ever ask yourself these questions (or questions like these)?  How often?  How do you arrive at an answer?  Do you think about these questions for yourself, applying reason and logic (including spiritual reason and logic), or do you simply accept what others have said (others being your pastor or parents, church, religion, or society)?  What about your own experiences and relationship with God, and the feelings of your own soul—how much do these factor in when trying to answer these questions?

     For those of us who believe in God, shouldn’t these be the most important questions we can ask ourselves?  Shouldn’t answering these questions be directly associated with our very reason for existence?  If so, how does someone even begin to approach a subject as grand as God?

     These are good questions; you might as well know that I don’t have all the answers…  But I believe that it’s in the very exploration of these questions that the answers begin to be revealed to us.

     These answers can come in a variety of ways—through meditation and reading, through the sharing and exploration of questions, ideas, and experiences that we and others around us have had, or through the feelings of our own soul and our own relationship with God; the possibilities are endless.

     And when exploring these ideas, I believe two things are of fundamental importance: we must maintain an open mind, and we must trust in God to lead us to the truth.  That means questioning both old and new beliefs and experiences, comparing them with all available information, and trying to ascertain their truth and credibility in relation to God and the feelings of our own soul.

— Excerpted from The Truth as I See It: A Collection of Spiritual Writings by Adam Soto (p. 65-66)

 

Copyright 2018 Golden Rule Independent Publications