When are we going to get serious about peace in Palestine?

At least 225 dead as Israel hammers Hamas-run Gaza - World - smh.com.au

The problem with "An eye for an eye" is that it makes everyone blind.  Clearly that is the case in Israel. The government and Hamas are both blind to other alternatives.

Let's make a difference.

Op-Ed Columnist - Raising the World’s I.Q. - NYTimes.com

Read this article.  It is frightening that we can make such a difference with such a small effort and we are not doing it yet.  According to the article, the Canadian government is doing this, but it should be part of every aid programme.  It is such an easy thing to do.

My main overseas aid effort is Oxfam.  I am not sure yet if they have any programmes to provide iodised salt, but I will find out.

My concerns over Tasers

Police slammed over Taser plan - National - smh.com.au  While I can see some benefits in tasers in that they are less lethal than guns, I am concerned that police may be more willing to use them for situations when there are other alternatives.  Personally, I believe that part of the training process should be to be shot with a taser so that the shooter knows exactly how painful it really is.

Homosexuality

I was recently challenged by a Christian on my non-condemnation of homosexuality.  I replied that I thought the Old Testament references were not really valid, because they were in the same context as the directives not to mix meat and milk, and not to wear fabrics of two different types at the same time, and other practices that are clearly no longer acceptable to mainstream Christianity.   I indicated that I was fairly sure that the new testament references to Homosexuality were also ambiguous.  After the conversation, I felt the need to check the new testamant to see what it said.

 

There appear to be three references to homosexuality in the new testament.  Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and 1 Timothy 1:10.  There is clearly disagreement among Scriptural scholars about whether these passages actually refer to the practice of homosexuality, or not.  However, even putting that aside, and assuming that God does not approve of homosexuality, it is variously equated in these scriptures with envy, gossip, adultery, drunkenness, theft, disobedience to parents and other sins.   So, if that is what the scriptures say, why do the churches talk as if it is an unforgivable sin and one that necessarily excludes the sinner from the community?  There is clearly something wrong here.  Even if homosexuals should be excluded from the community because of this sinfulness (there wouldn't be many people on the inside, if the same treatment was given to the other classes of sinners), why does the church support the active discrimination against homosexuals in secular society, where the defacto relationships of homesexuals are not recognised by the law?  I have no hesitation in saying that to the extent that the Church is opposed to changes in legislation to protect the rights of homosexual couples that the Church is wrong and is speaking against natural justice.

 

That is why I happily support changes to legislation to end discrimination against homosexual couples.

 

DISCLAIMER:
This e-mail and any attachment is intended only for the exclusive and confidential use of the addressee(s). If you are not the intended recipient, any use, interference with, disclosure or copying of this material is unauthorised and prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender by return e-mail immediately and delete the message from your computer without making any copies. Please see http://www.ge.com.au/help/email_privacy_policy.html for information about our privacy practices.

I always hesitate when someone, especially a 'Christian' asks me what I believe in.

 

If they were asking me to share the 'Song of Joy" that is my experience of God, so that they can benefit from it, or at least know God better, then I would happily share, but generally, people who ask this question seem to want to run what I say through their personal orthodoxy test to decide whether my experience of God is valid.  This isn't really something that i am interested in doing.  Mainly because what I know of God, (which is almost nothing), is only known to me through my experience.  How do you share that with someone who has an orthodoxy test.

 

For anyone who is still reading, here is what comes to mind right now when I ask myself this question:

 

- I experience God as loving energy.  Sometimes, I experience this through a heart to heart sharing with another person, at other times through the beauty or terror of nature, or through my sense of my own inner energy.

 

- Based on my experience of God as energy I feel comfortable in saying that I believe in God.

 

- Many of the things that I have learned in my journey, through the Catholic church, through other christian churches, through buddhist teachings, and through political and social activism ring true to me and seem worthy of encouragement, support, activism, belief, whatever.

 

- Because my life experience has mainly been through the Catholic church, I feel comfortable with lots of Catholic teaching, Catholic worship, but there are also many things about the Catholic church that I don't like.  Enough that I don't really feel comfortable calling myself Catholic.  For the same reason, I don't really feel comfortable with any other 'religious' label either.

 

- I believe in the holiness of human life.  I do not agree with abortion and believe that in general abortion is wrong.  I can see that the world is not perfect and there is often a need to choose the lesser evil.  I don't have any magic solution to how to choose the lesser evil, and question the honesty of anyone who claims that they do know how to always choose the lesser evil. I believe that science is a gift from God, and that we should enjoy the benefits of science, but one of the things that science, (or rather mankind in general) tries to do, is to avoid necessary pain.  By making the avoidance of pain a priority, as society does, we create technologies that dehumanise us.  Examples of this include using stem cells inappropriately and research into cloning.  Avoiding the pain of gluttony, or depression with medication are other examples.

 

This is a rambling more than anything, and is not really intended as a "Creed", rather as a 'consciousness stream' triggered by the question "what do I believe?"

WYD08 :: Home :: Media :: Latest News :: Decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary

WYD Plenary Indulgence

Here is a perfect example of how far the 'Institutional Church' has strayed from leading people to a meaningful relationship with the God of Love.

What a load of rubbish. This isn't too far from arguing about the number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin.

New storm over nude child picture - Arts - Entertainment - smh.com.au

New storm over nude child picture - Arts - Entertainment - smh.com.au

I can't help feeling the politicians and the media are exploiting this issue far more than any 'pornographer' might be. We are really becoming a wowserish society. I am happy to say that I think this photo is beautiful. I am quite comfortable that that does not make me a pedophile. If someone wants to label me as such, then that is their problem, not mine.

Coming soon: meet the wife, she's a robot - Technology - smh.com.au

Coming soon: meet the wife, she's a robot - Technology - smh.com.au: "partner" It is interesting that this article totally ignores real relationships in it's description. The characteristics of 'love' that are being considered are basically about self gratification. There is nothing of real love referred to at all. Certainly it is clear from the article that the most desirable feature of an ideal lover is to be totally compliant to our own desires. I don't think there is any possibility of real personal growth through this type of relationship. If this is really what the future holds, then perhaps Aldous Huxley will have been far closer to the truth than he could possibly have dreamt.

Prayer

These quotes that landed in my In box today really summarise my attitude to prayer.

He prays best who does not know that he is praying.

St. Anthony of Padua

Prayer at its best is an attitude, an awareness of God's presence. It's a feeling that we are not alone, no matter where we are or what we're doing. It is a thankfulness, a silent appreciation of and communion with our source.

Most of all, prayer is stepping back and letting go. It is a conscious awareness that we are the instruments of God's will, that your greatest fulfillment and satisfaction
come in letting that will - not ours - prevail. The best prayer is remembering that your self-will consistently gets us into trouble and that listening for God's will is
the way out.

Karen Casey

I really think we are entering a new era of self righteous ignorance.

While this article is not the ideal article to highlight, because it is clearly generally accepted as bad taste, to wear a Klu Klux Klan outfit, it illustrates how ludicrous our society has become. The other example today was of the woman in bondi wearing a kefiyah style scarf. I would link to it but it seems to have disappeared.

The Henson nudes is another example of self righteous bandwaggoning.

The other thing that annoys me about these examples is how they are splashed all over the media for about two days as if they are the most important thing in the world, then they quietly move over for some other fascinating tidbit. It really points to an incredibly shallow society.

Lets ban these bombs

Hi,

I've just reminded our Government that we're supposed to be one of the good guys - cluster bombs are weapons that break up in mid air to litter the ground with mini-bombs, some of which remain unexploded for years awaiting innocent civilians. But as the international community meets in Dublin to ban them, the Australian Government is going out of its way to frustrate the process.

Thousands of civilians have lost their lives and limbs, mainly children from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and Lebanon. But our Government is trying to water down the treaty that could ban them.

They're hoping this issue will slip under the radar without anyone noticing - but the stakes are simply too high to ignore. We need a strong international treaty to prevent horrors like those experienced as a result of land mines, and that decision is being made right now in Dublin. Join me in banning the bombs:

http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/BanTheBombs

Thanks!