Re: Our truest nature - is GOOD!
Quahom said:
I submit the laws are written in man's heart, and all it takes is something as small as a smile to open those laws to a man, and cause him to change.
Here is a seed thought, a gem of Truth if ever there was one! Thank you, Q.
Thanks, too, for other wise words, and reminders ...
as of -> The Law,
, written in your heart, and in mine.
The Law that is written in the heart
I would like to join every Christian, Buddhist, Hindu and Pagan in an affirmation that this Law is
Love.
Agape, Dharma, Ananda, and so forth ... there may be
more than Love, but we do know that the Law is Love, and no one needs to tell us this. We are born knowing, understanding, feeling, and also yearning both to love and to be loved.
Do we think that our deepest, innermost nature - could somehow be
less than this dearest, Greatest, most sublime and Supreme Law -
Love? If Love iteslf, much as we like to approach it
as a verb rather than a noun, if Love itself is identifiable
with God, and if we all emerge
from the very Heart of God - the Source of Love ... then should we really be so surprised to learn that
in Truth, our truest, highest Nature is
also loving, like God's?
This
Spark of God dwells within us, for certain, but is the cleft really unbridgeable?
St. Paul spoke of
"Christ in you, the Hope of GLORY." (Colossians I:26-7). Imagine this aspect of our being forever abiding within the Heart of Father-Mother God ... yet also as located about 12 feet above our head. It is the
high point of our contact with the Divine.
Having a Judeo-Christian background, I am comfortable with the
Vav, the Hebrew letter - or
glyph, at the top of this post, as a symbol. It represents the Presence within us of
God, the `Father,' from Christianity
.
I also visualize Deity as the Eternally burning Flame, Who appreared in precisely this way to Moses. Within this Eternal Flame,
we are Divine Sparks, winking in & out of being - yet always, at this level, in God's Presence.
And here we find ourselves, living, walking and breathing on planet Earth. Upon this planet, there is a manifestation of God that can be symbolized by an
equal-armed Cross, encircled -
or bounded - by a ring,
the Globe itself.
![40px-Earth_symbol.ant.png 40px-Earth_symbol.ant.png](http://www.interfaith.org/community/data/attachments/0/202-e7cb41cb6a38f8b080f1ff7bbf45ebfb.jpg)
This boundary shows that Christ is not yet
transcendent, or fully triumphed - having not been "Raised up" within the hearts of the majority ... we still have some growth to do.
Our Hope lies in the fact that we are One Family,
and the bonds that Unite us are far stronger than those that divide. That's my summary response to this entire thread, in briefest form.
The Earth, our Mother,
is the womb of Creation, and here is the Aspect of Deity which nurtures the Christ. It has been beautifully symbolized thousands of years before Jesus was born, and certainly in the Gospel narrative as well. This is the recognition of the Pantheist, of God within Nature, to be viewed alongside the Deist's acknowledgement of the
Godhead above.
Thse are like two poles of
One spirituality, whose proper focus is St. Paul's
"Christ in you" ...
The world's great Mystery Traditions have universally acknowledged, affirmed, honored, sought and taught the presence of the
Christ within. Appearances and presentations vary, but not the Essence,
the Truth.
If we acknowledge
one Humanity, despite differences of gender, skin color, facial appereance, or even
personality characteristics (such as musical aptitude, scientific genius, or leadership strengths) ... then we do a disservice to God by forcing our personal religious or spiritual template upon any other living human being.
To be true to self
and true to God, we must Honor God in our
own hearts and acknowledge the
Highest Good within all people ...
Joseph Campbell's
Hero of a Thousand Faces reminds us that there is a Heroic Archetype
living within us all. The Hero within is able to draw from a fount of Pure Goodness, of Divine Strength, and of
Infinite, Boundless Wisdom ... so long as the motivation is pure and focused on the rendering of some
Service to the Greater Whole.
God's Plan of Divine evolution for Humanity leads us
from Original Good, through increasing Good, into the Greatest Good imaginable.
![Smile :) :)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
"Bad" can be an unproductive afternoon, an angry word spoken rashly, glass broken unnecessarily, or an airline accident whose survivors are burned beyond recognition. We can
find "bad" if we look, but each of these scenarios is also Good. They become opportunities for learning and growth ...
or "oflags," as I've heard it said. Some are larger than others.
Instead of saying,
"oh, s**t," we need to learn to say, "Oh,
neat!" (maybe not after a major disaster, but how about when someone rear-ends you on the way to the grocery store?) It's amazing how the
worst of circumstances can develop into truly Golden opportunities. I could not lift the book containing a record of my
"missed opportunities" from last week alone. I hope this coming week's is at least a hundred pounds lighter. But that's up to
me.
For the exceedingly stubborn, I remind folks that Christ cast demons
out of people, not vice versa.
![Wink ;) ;)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
What do you suppose it was He hoped to replace the demons with? And if you say,
"Him," then be a little more specific. Skip the metaphysics, tell me something a chld of four can understand. If you can do that, we're on the same page.
Our genetic code is perhaps a bit over-burdened at this point with some material challenges which the
Spirit must untangle. It will take a true,
team effort, yet I think the vehicle (body of Humanity, civlization itself) can probably be salvaged if we are extra careful. The loss of a limb is acceptable survival. An offending eye can be cast out. But
thanatos must turn loose his butterfly.
Ah, so much for the 4-year old ...
lol
I dunno, maybe he's just a bit like Lenny ...
Love and Light,
taijasi (andrew)
![JesusUN.JPG JesusUN.JPG](http://www.interfaith.org/community/data/attachments/0/204-60017bf5f67124131fca58a13977e3b1.jpg)