 |
| Total Page Views | |
We received
8516439
page views since Nov 2004 | |
| Login | |
| Shop Amazon | |
| Scifillian, Inc. | |
| SPOXTalk | |
| Stories By Topic | |
| Exploration | |
| Who's Online | |
|
There are currently, 19 guest(s) and 0 member(s) that are online.
| |
| Monthly Quote | |
"Scum always rises to the top, but instead of scraping it off and discarding it, most people follow it!?!"
--Sherlyn Meinz, 2008
| |
| Link to us! | |
| Anti-War Webs | |
| |
 | Gnosticism: Alpha & Omega Christian Gnostics |
 About Us by Soulgazer
If You are content basing your spirituality on any established tradition….do not bother to read any further!
Don’t expect the usual fare when perusing this article or visiting our site: Alpha&Omega Christian Gnostic Church
Alpha & Omega is dedicated to the “Spirit of Truth”
14:17even the Spirit of truth: whom the world cannot receive; for it beholdeth him not, neither knoweth him: ye know him; for he abideth with you, and shall be in you. ~ Gospel of John
Over the centuries, a lot of stories purported as true have developed around Christian churches, and in the last couple centuries, around churches calling themselves Gnostic; the infallibility of the bible, Peter went to Rome, a list of churches claiming unbroken Apostolic succession and Magical thinking surrounding ritual and tradition, that contradicts critical history, science and psychology.
We blow right through that stuff; We aren’t interested in anything that cannot withstand the simplest testing, except as a means to bring us closer to the truth.
“Why?” someone might ask. ...
|
|
|
Posted by Blue1moon on Tuesday, September 07 @ 21:35:40 EDT (20 reads)
(Read More... | 16730 bytes more | Comments? | Gnosticism | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Opinion: Christians Who Must Have A Devil |
By Howard Bess
My roots are in Midwestern Christian Fundamentalism. My family was Baptist and Republican. My father and grandfather believed every word that Joseph McCarthy said about the Communist threat to America. The pastor, who had the most influence over me, was trained at Moody Bible Institute and was an ardent dispensationalist. Franklin Roosevelt was Satan in disguise. At different times Adolph Hitler, the Pope, and Joseph Stalin were named as the Antichrist of the Book of Revelation.
Through the process of college and graduate education, my world view was significantly altered. My roots have left me with an abiding interest in the dynamics of American Christian Fundamentalism. My understanding has turned out to be quite simple. At the heart of American Christian Fundamentalism is a basic religious dualism that is obsessed with a never ending struggle between good and evil. They are obsessed with fighting and must always have an enemy.
This struggle between good and evil is not without Bible precedence. There is no shortage of Bible material that supports this approach to life. The history of Israel is filled with bloody battles with neighbors. The crux of Revelation is the final battle between good and evil with a triumphant Jesus Christ the winner over every opposing force. ...
|
|
|
Posted by Blue1moon on Tuesday, August 31 @ 18:07:17 EDT (29 reads)
(Read More... | 5463 bytes more | Comments? | Opinion | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| The News: Religious Freedom In America |
By Howard Bess
Muslins are planning to build a mosque and community center in lower Manhattan near Ground Zero of the 9/11 attac[k] on the World Trade Center. In order to begin construction, the Muslim organization that is building the center has passed through every procedure required by the City of New York. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Jew, has spoken out strongly in defense of the project. Commentators have pointed out (I believe accurately) that were the 13 story building being built as a Jewish synagogue or a Christian church, not a peep of protest would be heard. No one would be protesting that the building was insensitive to those who died in the 9/11 attack.
We all need to be reminded that the people who died on 9/11 respresented a broad spectrum of religious persuasions. American Catholics, American Protestant Christians of many varieties, American Jews and, yes, American Muslims died. Included in the victims were atheists and agnostics. Sprinkled in were probably a few Hindus, Buddhists, and Taoists. Anyone who knows a bit about New York City is fully aware of the splendid diversity of people who live and work there. The people who were working in the twin towers and died on 9/11 most certainly reflected a cross section of the New York City population. People of every religious persuasion were big losers on 9/11. ...
|
|
|
Posted by Blue1moon on Tuesday, August 24 @ 17:44:39 EDT (45 reads)
(Read More... | 5300 bytes more | Comments? | The News | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Opinion: A "Mosque" Should Be Built at Ground Zero |
by: Brita Rose, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed
After almost a decade since 9/11, it is surprising how little we have learned. Still plagued by xenophobia and Islamophobia in the US, it is hard for many Americans to identify who the enemy actually is in this so-called "war on terror." Nothing has brought this to light more clearly than the current controversy over the supposed mosque to be built at ground zero.
Firstly, the debate itself is riddled with inaccuracies. The proposed building - now called "Park 51 Project" - is to be, not merely a mosque, but a cultural center backed by the Cordoba Initiative(1), a progressive group which promotes peace and crosscultural understanding, and will contain a prayer room among its many facilities. Thereby, even the use of the term mosque for such a space is up for debate. Secondly, the building will not be at ground zero, but two blocks away, and dwarfed by surrounding skyscrapers. Thirdly, there over 100 mosques in New York City - one of which already exists four blocks from ground zero. Following the detractors' reasoning, these mosques should be eliminated.
But each of these facts misses the point. Were they not the case, we should still be asking what the true objection is here - given that the religious/cultural center in question is being built by legal permit cleared by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission in a country founded upon religious freedom. What is wrong with building the center at ground zero? ...
|
|
|
Posted by Blue1moon on Wednesday, August 18 @ 21:26:54 EDT (51 reads)
(Read More... | 11395 bytes more | Comments? | Opinion | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| History/Culture: Which Parts of Jesus Teaching Should We Believe? |
By Howard Bess
Typical Christians are very selective in their Bible reading. The parts in which believers find affirmation, they are quick to quote. Bible portions that confront them and their chosen lifestyles are conveniently ignored. Americans are especially adept at sidestepping the teachings of Jesus about wealth. Jesus left us with a lot of teachings about wealth. They are not few and are not obscure.
This Sunday many churches, especially those connected with a denomination, will use Bible readings from the Common Lectionary, a weekly listing of suggested Bible passages chosen by the denominational bureaucracy. Very few ministers will dare preach on the Gospel Lesson for the day. If they do, they will dance around the clear message, being careful to offend no one. It is the parable of the bigger barns found in chapter 12 of the Luke Gospel.
The Gospel writer chooses to put the story into the context of a dispute between two brothers. It seems their father had died and left an inheritance. By tradition, the oldest son was in charge of the estate. The disagreement between the two brothers was not different from the ugly arguments that still take place among family members when their parents die. In our modern world lawyers make a lot of money settling such disputes. The triumph of greed over blood is an experience that is both ancient and modern.
The younger of the two brothers came to Jesus and asked him to arbitrate the dispute. ...
|
|
|
Posted by Blue1moon on Saturday, July 31 @ 21:50:47 EDT (82 reads)
(Read More... | 6051 bytes more | Comments? | History/Culture | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Art News: Who Will Speak Up For The Expendables? |
By Howard Bess
I serve on the Board of Directors of Palmer Arts Council. Every year the Arts Council facilitates dozens of events that feature music, drama, poetry, films and art. One of our most popular summer programs is theatre for children. It features high quality training in the skills of theatre and culminates in the presentation of plays complete with original sets, imaginative costuming, lights, sound and live audiences.
The first play of the 2010 season was entitled “The Amazing Mr. Fox.” The story line reminds us of the classic Robin Hood. Mr. Fox has been feeding his wife and family with chickens taken from the chicken house owned by a farmer, who is becoming angrier by the day. The chicken house owner vows to kill Mr. Fox. He fires several shots at the crafty fox. He actually shoots off Mr. Fox’s tail. The lurking danger left the Fox family seriously hungry. The situation called for action. The Fox family dug a tunnel and came up in the middle of the chicken house. The Fox family grabbed chickens as fast as they could and escaped with their bounty. During their chicken grabbing venture, the sound tape played vivid chicken squawking.
The play closed with a well-fed Fox family and a frustrated villain, the chicken house owner. AND lots of dead chickens.
I watched the production twice. ...
|
|
|
Posted by Blue1moon on Wednesday, July 14 @ 19:47:01 EDT (93 reads)
(Read More... | 5981 bytes more | Comments? | Art News | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Opinion: Revelation in the 21st Century |
By Howard Bess
Every time there is a crisis in the nation or the world, real or imagined, a significant part of the Christian population takes on a renewed interest in the last book of the Bible, Revelation. Like it or not, the book called Revelation is in the middle of our 21st century plate. We ignore it to our own peril.
In order to make sense of this literary enigma, a series of questions need to be addressed. Who wrote it? When did the author write it? Why did he write it? To whom did he write it? What literary vehicle did the author use?
Let us begin.
We do not know who wrote the treatise. It was not the apostle John. He had died long before Revelation was written. John was as common a name as it is today. It was a good name for an anonymous author. The best answer is “We do not know who wrote the book of Revelation.” Common scholarly opinion places the book’s writing some time after the turn of the first century CE. Possibly as late as 125 CE.
Among early Christians there was strong resistance to bowing down to a Roman emperor who claimed divinity. ...
|
|
|
Posted by Blue1moon on Saturday, June 12 @ 22:53:37 EDT (91 reads)
(Read More... | 5373 bytes more | Comments? | Opinion | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| History/Culture: Jesus gave greatness a different meaning |
By Howard Bess
Are Christians destined to be rulers? Over the past 2,000 years the vast majority of the followers of Jesus have answered that question with a resounding “yes.” With that answer we have deserted the very one whom we claim to follow.
Among the aphorisms of Jesus is a simple message that his followers found troubling. “If any among you would be great, let him be a servant of all.” This saying is found in both the Matthew gospel and the Mark gospel. The saying is given story settings that are a bit different. However, in both settings a dispute has arisen among his disciples. They were vying for first place when Jesus became a powerful ruler. They were looking forward to the day when they would be top dogs in a powerful ruling kingdom.
Jesus had a different vision. The people of God were to be a servant people. Jesus pointed out to his disciples that other people aspired to greatness by exercising authority. His words were direct and plain. “It shall not be so among you!” ...
|
|
|
Posted by Blue1moon on Friday, June 04 @ 21:48:26 EDT (101 reads)
(Read More... | 5274 bytes more | Comments? | History/Culture | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Opinion: Thoughts on coming to terms with the Bible |
By Howard Bess
I have always been a religious person, but not just religious. I was a Christian with a life commitment to Jesus. I have never considered any other life path. My life’s goal has been, in the words of the song, “to see Thee more clearly, love Thee more dearly, follow Thee more nearly, day by day.” The Bible has always been my primary tool in defining my relationship to my Lord Christ.
At Wheaton College, Bible was my major and Greek was my minor. My work at Wheaton was rigorous and helpful, but I had little introduction to serious critical study of the Bible until my seminary training at Garrett Theological Seminary, a Methodist seminary on the campus of Northwestern University. It was at Garrett that I found a whole new perspective in my understanding of the Bible.
I discovered a Bible with material collected and written over more than 1,000 years. Each piece of the collection was written by someone, written at a particular time, written for a particular audience, written for a particular purpose, and written in a variety of literary forms. The particular writings that were finally included in the book that we now call Holy found their way into the collection through bitter battles between dissenting factions, not through careful deliberations of praying giants of the Faith. ...
|
|
|
Posted by Blue1moon on Saturday, April 17 @ 20:50:47 EDT (123 reads)
(Read More... | 5158 bytes more | Comments? | Opinion | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Opinion: The Corruption of Jesus from Nazareth |
By Howard Bess
We call Chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the Matthew Gospel the Sermon on the Mount. It is without question our finest summary of the teachings of Jesus, the teacher from Nazareth. While the gospels about Jesus are filled with the stories he told and the stories about what he did, the Sermon on the Mount is something different. The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of his aphorisms or short sayings. Aphorisms are simple, straightforward, to-the-point and very memorable. Under the critical analysis of our best Bible scholars, the Sermon on the Mount stands as authentic Jesus material.
I have concluded that if people want to follow Jesus, they need to read and digest the Sermon on the Mount before they proceed with the adventure.
Near the end of Chapter 5, the great challenge of Jesus is laid down. “You have heard the saying, ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’; but I say to you do not resist one who is evil. If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other side. And if someone sues you and takes your coat, let him have your cloak as well. You have also heard it said, ‘love your neighbor and hate your enemy’; but I say to you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” In this short passage, Jesus used a series of aphorisms. He flatly rejected some and embraced others with great conviction. ...
|
|
|
Posted by Blue1moon on Saturday, April 10 @ 21:33:50 EDT (122 reads)
(Read More... | 5110 bytes more | Comments? | Opinion | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| The News: Is Vatican Guilty in Child-Sex Scandal? |
By Robert Parry
Often the worst scandals are ones that have become engrained as business as usual within an organization or a society, not entirely accepted but tolerated by the Old Boys Network in command, like racial segregation, anti-Semitism, bias against women – or in the case of the Vatican, pedophilia.
No one’s suggesting that child rape is to the Catholic Church hierarchy what the casting couch is to a Hollywood producer – one of the job’s expected side benefits – but it is troubling that the chief reaction to new revelations about the sexual abuse of boys by Catholic priests was to rally in defense of Pope Benedict XVI.
If the Vatican truly took the under-age rape charges as seriously as it should – and they have been spilling out now for several decades – there would have been a full-scale investigation and a purging of Church officials who had any role in tolerating or covering up these crimes. In the vernacular, many heads would roll, including those of senior Vatican leaders.
Yet, one of the leaders implicated in the cover-up is Pope Benedict, both when he was German Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger and later when he served as chief of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. ...
|
|
|
Posted by Blue1moon on Monday, April 05 @ 16:46:02 EDT (119 reads)
(Read More... | 11547 bytes more | Comments? | The News | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| History/Culture: In Pursuit Of The Way Things Ought To Be |
By Howard Bess
The cover of the book is black except for three letters four inches in height. SIN.
The book was a birthday gift to me. In other words, the book found me. I did not find the book. The author is Notre Dame Old Testament professor, Gary Anderson. In very small letters on the front cover are the words “a history.”
In the book Anderson looks at the images and words that are used in the Old Testament to describe sin. He does a very careful job of putting the sin images and words into their historical context. For me it is a reminder that our understanding of sin is ever changing. It is the task of the clergyperson to find new words and images to communicate a reality. Things are not the way they ought to be. It is the minister’s job constantly to analyze and critique society and to point people to a better path.
Old Testament and New Testament agree on one thing. There is such a thing as the way things ought to be. ...
|
|
|
Posted by Blue1moon on Saturday, March 06 @ 21:47:36 EST (132 reads)
(Read More... | 5472 bytes more | Comments? | History/Culture | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| History/Culture: Tell Me: What Is Maya? |
by: Mary Sojourner, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed
The masses are taught the ideal of a moral life, but the individual is taught the inner life.
- Moebirman
"But what," my new friend says, "if it is all maya? It is all illusion. Then why bother to challenge anything? What if all of it - the dying orphan in Haiti, the people who can't afford to keep their water turned on here in Central Oregon, my fury at injustice - what if all of it is just maya?"
I see real pain in her face. If she faces what I say next, then she may have to feel a weight on her spirit that could seem unbearable.
We have nothing to lose here. "Ask the Haitian orphan," I say. "Ask the thirsty. Ask your fury."
I shut up. I want to say more, but I don't. ...
|
|
|
Posted by Blue1moon on Wednesday, February 17 @ 18:48:36 EST (164 reads)
(Read More... | 4146 bytes more | Comments? | History/Culture | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Politics: First, Help Your Neighbor Get Food! |
By Howard Bess
In chapter 25 of the Matthew gospel, Jesus is reported as saying “I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was in prison and you visited me.” Those who were listening asked him when they had done such deeds. Jesus responded “When you did it to the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me.”
Bread for the World, the leading Christian organization in advocating the feeding of the hungry, gives us these facts. An estimated 1.02 billion people in the world are going hungry. Each year 3 million under-five children die because they are undernourished. Far more children suffer from undernourishment than die from it. For infants and young children, the effects of chronic undernourishment in early years of life are irreversible.
In the United States 11.7 million children live in households where people have to skip meals to make ends meet. This means one in ten households in America is living with hunger or in risk of hunger. ...
|
|
|
Posted by Blue1moon on Saturday, January 09 @ 20:54:12 EST (159 reads)
(Read More... | 5718 bytes more | Comments? | Politics | Score: 0)
|
|
|
| Holidays: The Myth of the Three Wise Men |
By the Rev. Howard Bess
Since January 6 marks Epiphany, the first day of an extended season in the Christian Church calendar that takes traditional Christian believers all the way to the Lenten season. It is the season that celebrates the Christian gospel as light to a dark world.
The meaning of the word is “a light shining over.” Epiphany takes us to the star, which in Christian tradition, traveled through the sky and fixed itself over the stable in Bethlehem where Jesus was born of a virgin mother. It is the star that led wise men from the East to the infant Jesus … to worship the new born child and to bring him gifts appropriate for a king.
Any attempt to read the story of the wise men as history brings complete frustration. Following a star to an address in Bethlehem is a bit outside of human experience. The story of the wise men is found only in the Matthew gospel. ...
|
|
|
Posted by Blue1moon on Wednesday, January 06 @ 19:12:33 EST (152 reads)
(Read More... | 4909 bytes more | Comments? | Holidays | Score: 0)
|
|
| |
| Survey | |
| Please Visit | |
| Shop AlienLove | |
| The Fine Print | |
| Stone Tarot | |
| File Photo | |
| Things To Do | |
| The Forums | |
| Old Articles | |
| Wednesday, December 23 | | · | The Light Enters The World--My Christmas Day Homily |
| Saturday, November 07 | | · | The Soul….Life’s Elusive Side |
| Tuesday, October 27 | | · | Genesis Gets the Crumb Treatment |
| Saturday, October 17 | | · | Ancient Material In A Modern World |
| Wednesday, September 02 | | · | What Would Jesus Really Do? |
| Friday, July 31 | | · | Christians Largely Mum on Torture |
| Saturday, May 09 | | · | Searching For Roots of Compassion |
| Wednesday, March 11 | | · | Reaching Out to Conservative Christians: A Time for Healing Old Wounds |
| Thursday, March 05 | | · | The Primacy of Stewardship |
| Thursday, February 26 | | · | Sacred Demise: By Carolyn Baker |
| Tuesday, February 10 | | · | Dealing With Issues That Plague Us |
| Tuesday, January 13 | | · | The Glasses |
| Wednesday, December 24 | | · | The Light Enters The World--My Christmas Day Homily |
| Wednesday, December 10 | | · | A Crisis of Conscience: Conscientious Objection, Law and Morality |
| Monday, November 24 | | · | ACLU Secures Religious Freedom For Muslim Prisoners - Wyoming State Penitentiary |
| Tuesday, November 18 | | · | Finding Gnosis |
| Tuesday, September 30 | | · | A View On These Times |
| Wednesday, September 03 | | · | New Moon Ritual |
| Friday, July 18 | | · | Happiness |
| Tuesday, June 24 | | · | Thomas Merton |
Older Articles
| |
|
|
Welcome
AlienLove Forums