Monday, September 3, 2007
...to do as the god of love instructs.
I’ve dubbed them the Ladies Aid Society. Affectionately. They are a group of ladies on the Alzheimer’s message boards. Regulars. They tend to stick together in their criticism of me. They think I am irreligious, irreverent and perhaps even an atheist. They all seem to be dyed-in-the-wool Christians. As for me, I’m a free-thinker. A freelance monotheist. I believe in god. But a rather liberal and open-minded god. A god that readily admits he doesn’t know everything. A god that acknowledges there are many, many ways to salvation. Not just a single way. See, god and I don’t think in conventional ways. We’re different. And really quite tolerant and nice fellas. I have conversations with god. In lieu of praying. I like the give and take in a dialogue. I ask god questions, and usually he asks me to ponder, to come up with the answers on my own. But god assists me. Encourages me. Gives me a pat on the back. He’s my mentor. And a true friend. Yes, we’re on very cordial terms. God tells me he laughs when people depict him as vengeful and a strict disciplinarian. He’s really easy-going. Pleasant. A lover. Yes, a lover, first and foremost. God even tells me to love the ladies in the Ladies Aid Society. They mean well, god says. Their intentions are honorable, just like yours, Jim. You all should learn to accept each other. I told god he sure makes sense. God says it’s all right to think in different ways. Conventional ways. Unconventional ways. God says diversity of opinion is good for the soul. And the true nature of love, he explains, is acceptance. Total. Complete. Unconditional. God says I’m on the right track. That makes me feel good. God says it’s important that I feel love for all members of the Ladies Aid Society. In fact, for humanity as a whole. And believe me, I’m trying to do as the god of love instructs. –Jim Broede
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20 comments:
Jim, am I reading this right? Are you equating yourself with God?
Dear Anonymous:
I think of god as the superior being. A friendly being. The creator. Of everything. And god also is pure love. Absolute love. If one is immersed in love, one has been permeated by god. And one has to become a spirit in order to fully experience god. But it's possible for a physical being to have a conversation with god. A love connection. A spiritual or mystical connection of sorts. It's not total. But one gets a hint of what it's like to be a totally free spirit. Something akin to pure joy. Ecstasy. That's how one feels in god's presence. --Jim Broede
Now, this would be a good, debatable entry, except for the fact that you couldn't resist the "Ladies Aid Society" jab. Name-calling just serves to minimize the rest of it.
One person, one time that I recall, called you an athiest. If you read the criticism, you would realize that it is mostly because you demean Christians. You claim to respect all religions, but you practice otherwise.
Christians are also monotheists. We believe in only one God. We also believe that His name, and words referring to Him(such as Him, His, etc.,) are capitalized as a sign of respect. There is only one reason that you would choose to capitalize the name of Jesus, and then not the name of your god.
I do believe that those who believe God is vengeful, are those that follow only the Old Testament of the Bible. God WAS fearful then. Through Jesus Christ, He revealed His loving side, His forgiving side. That you would continually and purposefully trivialize these, speaks volumes of your values.
I do not believe you will perish in hell. My God loves you, too. He has said that through Jesus Christ, we will enter Paradise. I believe that means not that you must believe that Jesus existed in His Holy form, but that God has shown, through Him, that death is the way to enter into God's house.
I think that my God cries for you, as so many people have tried to reach out to you, yet you disregard them. You continue to dwell on the negative. You are living a miserable life on Earth, but your Heavenly reward will come. You will just have a bigger surprise than those who believe in Him, I think.
Your god is not my God. My God is not tailor made, to suit me. I am tailor made to suit my God. My God is not created by me. I am created by my God. I pray AND talk to my God. Your god belongs to only you. My God belongs to all.
Maebee
If I may suggest, you re-read your writings. Absolute love? Kind? I might waste my time counting just in your blog how many times you have posted "unkind" words. Although it would be fruitless due to your "godly control"
Hey, Maebee, I think of the Ladies Aid Society fondly. Affectionately. If I jab, it's a friendly jab.
And as for god. Well, maybe god is indefinable. In so many ways. We can only approximate god. In some ways, god is beyond human comprehension. We all may have a little piece of god in us. Maybe god is the accumulation of everything. Of all being. Of all existence. Of all creation. It's fascinating, isn't it? Life itself. So fascinating. To be alive and conscious. How wonderful. Don't you ladies just love being here on Earth? At this moment. So many opportunities to be joyful. Happy. And yet some of us spend so much time being unhappy. As chronic complainers. Angry with each other. Fighting wars. Political wars. Religious wars. Just plain hating people that don't think exactly like us. Out to exploit our fellow beings. For profit. Maybe not what our gods had in mind, right? But we commit oh so many crimes in the names of our gods. Always have. Always will, I suppose. Tell me, Maebee, is your god better than my god? Is that what you are trying to tell me? Is your god the true god? And if other 'believers' tell you that ain't so, what are you gonna do about it? Go to war? And kill each other? In the name of your gods? --Jim Broede
There are a couple things that I see right off where we differ. First, I don't talk to God like he is a buddy. I speak to him with reverance and respect. The second thing is you say that your God doesn't know everything. I'm curious how you can worship a God who is not all knowing, although come to think of it, I didn't notice the word Worship in your post.
Dear Anonymous:
Being truthful can be a form of kindness. You mistake it for unkindness. Maybe because you don't want to hear the truth. --Jim Broede
Dear Anonymous:
Maybe you should learn to talk to god like he's a buddy. It might bring you closer to god. It sure has worked for me. And even though I'm not a Christian, I consider Jesus to be my buddy. He's the sort of fella that would sit down and have a beer with us. And we'd have a good philosophical discussion. I'd ask him what he'd do in a variety of situations. And I'd ask him if he really walked on water. And would it be possible for me to walk on water -- that is, if I really truly believed I could do it? I think his answer would be "yes." --Jim Broede
I doubt you would print the truth I can say. And it is the truth
Possibly you decided what gets posted because someone brought up a few truths.
Broede's Broodings said...... But it's possible for a physical being to have a conversation with god. A love connection. A spiritual or mystical connection of sorts. It's not total. But one gets a hint of what it's like to be a totally free spirit. Something akin to pure joy. Ecstasy. That's how one feels in god's presence. --Jim Broede
September 3, 2007 3:23 PM
I have read about this before! Are you in a cult? There was mention of this in "The DaVinci Code" and subsequent documentaries.
No, Anonymous, I'm not a member of a cult. I'm really not a joiner. I'm independent. An independent free-thinker. I like to think of myself as one of a kind. I don't find it necessary to be like anybody else. I'm just me. I don't have to fit into this or that social circle or political circle. I just love. Love to think. In my own way. I don't foist my views on anyone. I just express 'em. Folks can take it or leave it. Now and then I make a real good connection. With another human being. Here and there. My Jeanne was the best connection I ever made. But there are a few others. That's all I need. It makes me happy. --Jim Broede
I'm always amused by "anonymous' people who call for the truth. But they don't even use their true names. They just stay anonymous. That's not being very truthful, is it? --Jim Broede
I'm also amused by Maebee, who says I'm leading a "miserable life" here on Earth. That rather surprises me. Because I think I'm living a rather pleasant and meaningful and happy life. I found my true love. And lived with her for almost 40 years. I'm a romantic idealst, a free-thinker, a liberal and a lover. I think that's a pretty good combination. Yet, I'm told I'm "miserable." Then, my gosh, I gotta say that misery is a good thing. I'm enjoying it. --Jim Broede
OK - So we're the Ladies Aid Society - LOL - Couldn't resist using an adapted version of the analogy by the Monkees. LMAO
In every little town and village too
Somewhere in the neighborhood
You'll find a little band of ladies who
Can't stop doing good
Good for the pigeons in the park
Good for the weekly tea
Good for the national bank where they keep their treasury
We're the ladies aid society
And we're really a great bunch of girls
We're the ladies aid society
And soon we'll take over the world
Here we come marching down the street
With our picket signs in hand
bearing down on YOU!!!!
We're the ladies aid society
and we're really a great bunch of girls
We're the ladies aid society
And soon we'll take over the world
We're the ladies aid society
And we just want to sell you the truth.
LMAO
Patricia, a proud member of the Ladies Aid Society founded somewhere in the late 1800's
FYI The clicker number that titilates you so is obviously an inflated number. The secret is out. Your two supporters (in the world) have been running the numbers up day in and day out. Wouldn't you think they would have more to do, especially Cherry? Care giving for her hubby must not require two hands.
Why not run it up to 10,000? It means nothing at all. How pathetic.
Regarding anonymous posts. Why would anyone be willing to offer themselves up for you to cut and paste and lie about? Yes, you signed on for it. They didn't. You are a very sad example of how into oneself and miserable a person can be.
click, click, click, feed Charlie, click, click, click, click,
Jim,
I think you would fit in with the Unitarian Church or the 'feel ggod church' as my brother calls it.
Their credo is, "Nothing we do is wrong - all is good in the eyes of the God".
Which is fine, if you first do no harm to others. And sometimes your writings or rather your 'way' of expressing yourself has hurt others.
I have no problem with your deliberate choice of writing God as god. I think it's rather cute - child-like on your part. Like a little boy calling his Mom and Dad by their first names - as a sign of disrepsect and growing power over them.
I don't think the supreme being cares how he/she is addressed - it's all about how YOU are and how YOU treat others.
What do you do that's positive and good in the world? Certainly not attacking the Ladies Aid Society. Come on - go after bigger game, like Geo. Bush, Agri-business, Pharmaceticals, or Britney Spears?
I also noticed that you deliberatly use lower case when talking about your Dad as dad.
Admit it - it's your 'way' of showing disrespect to the titles, or the position of God and Dad.
In my opinion you seem to equate the two.
You chafe at authority. You want everything to be on level with you.
Which I guess is fine - utimately what does it all matter anyway?
We sit, we debate - for what?
Our actions speak more, accomplish more. Talk is talk but can we walk the walk? Ah, there's the rub.
But it's not true. Nothing is equal.
You see, there is always someone, something better or greater than us. Just as there somethings, someone lesser than us.
Where am I going with this?
Just as society needs the Rule of Law in order to function, in order to have order - we need to acknowledge a force greater than us, better than us to be 'us'.
Yes we can and should strive to be God-like but we should never fool ourseleves into thinking we are.
To me, it shows an arrogance and an ignornance. We are still his/her children - no matter how old we get.
Thanks for letting me blog.
This was a fun mental exercise.
Ann
Oops,my bad - I meant the Unity Church not Unitarians.
Ann
You're always welcome to visit the blog, gals. As long as you obey Broede's rules of behavior. You keep this place click, click, clicking along. Remember, now, keep your words and thoughts clean. Behave like ladies. Don't bring shame to your Ladies Aid Society. --Jim Broede
Ann:
The Unitarians are too intellectual for my taste. But the Unity churches I have been in have had fine music. Wonderful music. But the sermons are far too heady. They need to be more poetic. --Jim Broede
By the way, Ann, I audit courses from time to time at United Theological Seminary in New Brighton, Minnesota. The seminary was founded in 1957 -- a merger of a Congregational Church seminary in Yankton, South Dakota, and an Evagelical & Reformed Church seminary in Sheboyan, Wisconsin. The two denominations merged in the 1950s into what's now called the United Church of Christ. It's a relatively liberal denomination, and I think that at the present time there are more women than men attending the seminary. When I was a Christian I served on the board of deacons of the Plymouth Congregational Church in Fond du Lac, Wis. I enjoyed my stint as a Christian. But as many of you know, I've evolved into a free-thinker. Or what some call a freelance monotheist. --Jim Broede
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