I get a lot of email (not just junk mail – we all get that, gmail is very good about filtering that out).? I spend hours daily going thru my mail and am never able to read it all.? Most recently I have started to receive email from people wishing to convert me to Christian (once they discover I am not) and Muslim.? I even get email from one individual who wants us all to believe that the Catholic Church is really evil.? While he does offer a lot of factual news articles, well, I’m sorry.? While it may be true that one church might be better or worse than others, or one religion worse or better than others, it is not my place to judge this and I won’t go there, I find such things a waste of my productive time and because he has no option to unsubscribe from his list, I will have to add him to my spam list.
To you who are religious like myself but might belong to a religion unlike me, feel free to share, it’s ok, I’m curious, I like to learn, and even to evangelize may be apart of your religion and that’s ok too, I don’t mind, but be careful not to try to convince me that you have the corner on truth, I assure you, YOU DON’T.
****
I have read the bible, I have also read all the Gnostic scriptures, the teachings of Confucius, the Hopi legends, Jewish Apocrypha not included in the bible and about half of the Koran.? Next I plan to tackle the book of the dead, Egyptian scriptures. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof , for correction, and for training in righteousness,”
**** – You should not say that my testimony or beliefs cannot be found in the bible.? I can remember being told that the Catholic’s teaching about purgatory was not scriptural and that’s what I told a Catholic Priest one day who was happy to show it to me in the bible.
The KKK uses scriptures to justify their actions and the early settlers actually quoted scriptures as they were throwing Indians into the fire.? Hitler was scriptural too and so was Bush in his decision in attacking Iraq.
You see, you can make that bible say almost anything you want, you just have to find the right scriptures.
But I’m not going to waste my time or yours throwing scriptures back and forth trying to prove something.? Because the real word of God is in the heart not on a piece of paper.
You ask your heart, was we all born on this earth to die and go to hell unless we are saved?? If you tell me that your heart agrees with that, then I think you’re lying to me or you have manipulated you’re own heart to accept beliefs that it could not.
With all due respect, that usually
happens when a person follows hearsay, what was heard
in church rather than what was read in God’s word.
****, you didn’t read my testimony.? But I’ll tell you what, I’ll shorten it for you.
For the longest time I searched for salvation, I joined several churches, been baptized a couple times. I was looking for truth or true salvation.? I spent many years, Pentecostal, Bible Churches, Catholic and the last was Mormon.? One day I woke up and asked myself, who condemned me?? Who made me believe that if I wasn’t saved I would go to hell, that’s nuts. What kind of God would create something just to send it to hell?? So I discarded all of my beliefs and started over and I studied all the major religions and decided that Gnosticism was the most true and it was then that I had this dream:
THE DREAM
With out question, thought or prayer
For no reason what-so-ever I had this dream one night
I saw nothing, but only heard a voice
A?voice that was both male and female. “It is true that the body is made by the false god But the false god also creates the soul This continues to happen But God takes you and makes you unto himself As if you were a ball of clay And makes you His own This process takes time.”
I woke up
**** – To understand this dream a little more you’d have to have an understanding of Gnosticism.? But no matter, because this dream is actually saying that Gnosticism is wrong.? And you know what, I don’t know a single religion that believes what’s in that dream, and you know something else, I don’t know of any religion that teaches that we came from heaven (that’s in my testimony) except Mormonism.? But they teach that you can’t remember, but I do remember.
So I have my beliefs that I didn’t just make up nor did anybody teach them to me and I’m all alone without a church or religion, but you know what, I don’t care.? And I’m not going to try to prove to you or anybody else my beliefs, because I don’t have to, I don’t doubt what I believe.
Like you, my father believed I was being deceived and I disowned him because of it and he died shortly after and I felt a little bad about it.? But you know my dad did a lot of bad things in his lifetime.? You know what, he never said he was sorry.? Two words “I’m sorry.”? would have fixed a whole lot of hurt, but he believed he didn’t have to because conveniently Jesus died for his sins so he didn’t have to.? I think he will discover that he was mistaken.? I figure he will be sent down here again to try it again to see if he gets it right, and that don’t mean to live a perfect life, but say “I’m sorry.”
So now that you know a little bit more about what I believe, you can believe it to or disbelieve it, that’s up to you.? But you are not going to make me disbelieve what I believe even if I’m the only person in the world who believes it.
Sincerely,
Roger
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So what do I know. I know that salvation is a process and that I’m not going to hell and that’s all I know.
So what is the true God and the false god and does the life and death of Jesus have anything to do with this process, I DON’T KNOW!
So I don’t know a lot and have lots of questions, I do have some ideas and let me explain here and now, religion is faith in things unseen, things that cannot be proven, or unproven, so all you people who spend your days trying to disprove or prove religion, it disappoints me that I live in a world that is so ignorant – but good luck with that, you who have so little faith that you must defend it and you who have no faith and must justify it.? You both have much to learn.? Learn to be confident in your own beliefs rather than steal your confidence from the destruction of others, this is disappointing.
But I will share this one idea I do have, as I believe it does have the backing of logic. I believe that the God that created the earth, the birds, trees, flowers, the fish and the bees and all other living things on this earth is not the same god who created us. And this is why I believe this. All other life is a part of a natural order that sustains each other on this earth maintaining this earth for a very long time. However, we are different. We go against the natural order on this earth and may very well be someday it’s destruction. We create great things like no other animal on this earth and some scriptures actually refer to us as gods. Some have argued with me that we are just like all the other animals on this earth and while I think that is a very nice idea, they miss the obvious and do not recognize how we are so much different than all the other animals on this earth. That being said, that’s what I believe and if you wish to discuss this with me further, you are more than welcome.
That is what Bloomberg reports has been committed on behalf of the American taxpayer to bailout America’s finance system. This includes spending by the Treasury, Federal Reserve and FDIC.
- The amount is equal to half the value of everything produced in the United States last year.
- It is $24,000 for every man, woman and child in America. That is nearly $100,000 for a family of four.
- It’s nine times what the U.S. has spent so far on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
- It is enough money to pay off more than half the country’s mortgages, but bankruptcies have continued despite the bailout.
We do not even know where all of those funds have gone. The taxpayer is putting up a King’s ransom and not being told who is receiving it. We guarantee the debts of banks and are not being told what collateral is provided or who is receiving the funds. Before receiving the bailout funds, Treasury Secretary Paulson promised transparency. But, Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke says that such transparency would be “counterproductive.”
All of this money and yet foreclosures, bankruptcy and unemployment are all up; the stock market, consumer spending and housing prices are down. Pouring tax dollars into banks is not working.
We don’t know where the bottom is. There is no evidence that the bailout is working and already, as Barry Ritholtz, author of “Bailout Nation,” points out, the bailout has cost more than the Marshall Plan, Louisiana Purchase, moonshot, S&L bailout, Korean War, New Deal, the Iraq war, the Vietnam war, and NASA’s lifetime budget – COMBINED! In fact, the bailout is almost double:
You’d think for $7.7 trillion we’d get health care for all, tax relief or free college education! But Americans got none of that. Is this a wise use of tax dollars? Are there better ways to use this money? Will this trickle down approach work this time, even though it has failed in the past?
We’re doing two things:
First we are working to break the bailout. Join us at BreakTheBailout.com and pledge to help Break the Bailout. On December 7, we take the first step toward taking back our economy and transforming it into an economy that puts the people’s interests first. Pledge today and help build a movement that will stop trickle down Wall Street economics and build the economy from the bottom up.? If you have already pledged – forward this email to your friends, colleagues and neighbors and urge them to get involved.
Second, we will out forward a Prosperity Agenda – a vision of what kind of economy America should have – and we will advocate for it.? We would like your thoughts on what you want out of the economy. We are at a crossroads where a new energy economy is going to be developed. How should it be different than the current economy? Give me your thoughts at KZeese@earthlink.net.
Acting alone, we can achieve nothing; acting together, we can change everything. We need to act together because change is urgently needed.
I’m going over
Over there
I’m not sure where
Something’s happening to me
Changing again
Living in
Something
A candle burns
Earth turns
An embryo in escape
Reaching for the unreachable
I’m really something
But just what that is
I just don’t know
I’m happening
But just what’s happening
Don’t know
I loose myself
or
Am I being myself
Have to get out of here
or
Have to make here
Really something
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I wrote this poem when I was a teenager and I imagine this is how a teenager feels, looking to their future.
I think it’s funny, at the same time, they have a message. Using a bit of imagination, they’ve managed to get that message out, and not only that, but they invite you to join them.
I have joined them, because I’m an old guy and I figure they need a little bit of my help.
We live in McCain country, the younger two in our household had voted for Obama in their school, the youngest in middle school and the oldest in high school and in both schools Obama won, hands down, yet, in our state McCain wins. The older of the two says that the kids feel like they are a small island in a sea of McCain and it is just a bit frightening. My mother voted for McCain, and she doesn’t like to hear this, but the truth is, she watches TV.
You see most of the old folk got or get their information from TV while the younger generation, they were raised up learning the art of surfing the internet. The elite, the richest people in the world, they control the information that comes forth from the TV to ensure that they remain rich, but they don’t control the internet – NOT YET ANYWAYS.
All of us have an inner god, it’s called the ego. Here’s what happens when you watch tv, your eyes see the message, your ears hear the message and you enjoy watching it, because that’s why you turned on the TV, to relax or whatever. Because you enjoy it, critical thinking shuts down and what you see and hear on the TV your mind records as facts without question. So now your head is full of opinions and beliefs fed to you by the TV and your ego, the god inside convinces you that these are your ideas and opinions, but they’re not, they were fed to you by the TV set. Anyone, like myself, if we try to explain this to you, you’ll deny it, no way, you can make up your own mind, your ego will not let you believe that you’re being white washed.
I remember when Vietnam ended – NEVER AGAIN. Not only have we done it again, this time we actually started a war and legalized torture. In my life time we have done a complete 180, how did this happen, TV. While we were busy being entertained we surrendered our government over to the elite and they have stolen our peace and prosperity by feeding us fear and patriotism through the TV set.
I will say no more. Turn off your TV and join I Power, lets bring back critical thinking.
I’m walking without talking
Got something to tell you
But there are no words to explain
What I have to say
There’s strange feelings in my chest
All mush inside
So often I want to cry
More often I laugh
Don’t mind having all these feelings
But how do I tell you
With no words to explain
As I walk without talking
Not sure where I’m going
I feel for you
I feel for all
Differently for every different one
Don’t know if its good or bad
Sometimes happy
Sometimes sad
It’s kinda neat
Not sure where I’m ?at or walking to
There’s a drug for this
Some people might think
Wanting to stop me in the street
Stop my walking feet
Asking where I’m going
Sorry, I’m not knowing
Only believing its where I’m supposed to be at
I’ll be fine, get there in time
If no one condemns me before I get there
Not able to explain this path I walk
When you cry
I’m not far
When you fear
I am here
Can’t read your mind
But I can feel your thoughts
One of my more recent poems, less than a year old.? Sometimes when you’re a guy, you feel things, I think it gets worse when you get older, well, it ain’t wrong and it’s not some kinda disease.? Actually, it’s probably the way we are supposed to be, but the world caused us to throw up fences that come loose; and build walls that crumble with age.
Living on a turning world
hard to tell where your at
if you’re coming or going
its hard to be knowing
nothing is ever expected
hard to not ever be surprised
We all know that the sun will rise
But
Living on a turning world
hard to tell where your at
is it fiction
or is it fact
am I lied to again
is this really a sin
I know the sun will set
But
Living on a turning world
hard to tell where your at
does she like me
is he just pretending to be nice
is that lice
man or mice
It has to taste bad to be good
build it up
make it hurt
and make sure to get a good nights sleep
If we take a stand on a turning world
Will we eventually find ourself on the bottom
But
Things will turn around
and we’ll be on the top again
I still can’t help but wonder
Why are we here
Going round and round
on a turning world
By Roger Harkness
The Okcitykid
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Do you every get confused, are you ever unsure, do you every wonder.? One of my most recent poems, I don’t believe it is a year old.
TREES GROW DIFFERENT Stop and consider a moment
You can wear the right cloths
Drive the right kind of car
And say the right things
But who are you
Does anybody care
Don’t you think this is boring
To be in
Being Fav
or
To be in
Being yourself
Look at the trees
Their strong
Live long
But they all grow differently
Yet
When the wind blows
They all bend the same way
Helluva Jesus
(partial lyric) copyright 2006 Timbre Wolf
You tell me Jesus is coming – trumpets blowing on the clouds
You say He’s bringing judgement and He’s nine hundred feet tall
You’re telling everyone about Him, ain’t you gonna make Him so proud?
I seem to remember something ’bout His voice being “still” and “small”
The way I read the Good Book – says “the Word of God’s in your heart”
But you’ve bound it up with leather so it better suits your purpose
Beating us up with the Bible and condemning us is your art
You’re just spewing hatred ‘stead of handing out love’s surplus
Oh, oh oh, oo -oo
On Earth as it is in Heaven,
why make it hell this time?
We eat the bread without the leaven,
and turn the water into wine
Which I drink and you condemn me.
I don’t want to know your Jesus
‘Cause He ain’t friendly
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