CHRISTMAS, A TIME FOR SUPERSTITION AND WORSHIPPING MYTHS?

    With Christmas just around the corner, we are sure to hear many voices rise up and mock those who celebrate what they call the mythical Jesus. Billboards will appear on major highways and articles a plenty will materialize on the internet telling the world that Jesus never existed. But take heart, for the truth of the matter is, that the new atheist movement shouts loudly but only tells less than half of the story. These individuals speak about education and evidence, but their research is shoddy, and sadly, amateurish at best. The truth is, no real scholar or historian takes them seriously, and their outspoken opinions are in the minority; in fact, they are considered a small fringe group. Remember, he who speaks the loudest is not always the one who is correct.

    Below, is an article that addresses some of the new atheists favorite arguments for those who wish to read it. And with a little research, you can find many more articles written by academics, scholars and historians that dismantle the claims of those who say they have all the facts, but are in actuality, just screaming their personal opinions from the rooftops. Being biased and collecting snippets of information that seem to support your argument is not honest research; it is arrogant and sports the kind of lack of intelligence and closed mindedness that the new atheists claim that all religious and spiritual people are guilty of.

    My advice to all of you on this matter is, don't believe everything you hear just because a few people are shoving it down everyone's throats. And don't believe it just because there are many people who cannot think for themselves, and except what is being shoved down their throats as the truth. Think for yourself, take the time to do your own research, and look at both sides of the story. Because most of the time, such as with the new atheism, you will find information that throws a serious and damaging curveball into the wheel of those trendy and controversial claims and arguments.

  * Please note, this blog and article is in no way a campaign to smear the beliefs of any person or atheistic group. I believe that every human being has a right to their opinion and no one should down them or condemn them for it. This article is only intended to address the arguments of those individuals who make it a point each holiday season, and beyond, to ridicule and judge others with any religious or spiritual beliefs. Many have had their personal faith damaged by the frivolous and boisterous claims of these individuals. This blog and article is to only show a small tip of the iceberg, that there is information and many honest, logical, historical, and scientific facts that greatly dispute these anti-religious claims.

Did Jesus Exist? Searching for Evidence Beyond the Bible (Article)

http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/did-jesus-exist/

THE WILL OF GOD

    We often hear people talk about the will of God. Some always question what it is, while others have no hesitation in telling us what they think it is. There is one thing I have noticed over the years, and that is, that the will of God generally runs contrary to what popular belief and trends are in our world. Most of the time, when I have seen political leaders or the media all pushing society to go in one direction, that direction turns out to be not so good. And it's the same with religious leaders, the things they often tell their followers to do or believe often end up in heartbreak, confusion or a shattered faith. Most of the religious traditions in our world actually tell us that God's will and God's ways are different and higher than those of the world we are currently living in.

    Often, when you see the majority all clamoring about what they think we should all do, or what they think is right, it doesn't turn out to be such good advice in the end. The will of God, is generally in the complete opposite direction. That doesn't mean we need to be rebels and naysayers all the time; it just means we should use good sense, think things through, pray and meditate. Commune with the presence of the Divine in the way that is natural and comfortable for us. During that time, how do we feel? Is there something in our own intuition that is telling us that the majority rule is off the mark? This is the still small voice that many religions speak of. It is the voice of God speaking to us and guiding us on the right path. And again, that right path is many times in the opposite direction than the masses are going. How many times have we seen the mass populace follow the noise and clamour of those in charge, and then regret it later on? Those who speak the loudest or say they know best are not always taking us down the path that leads to peace and prosperity.

    I believe this is why the Buddha told us to question everything. And the Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4:21 to test all things and hold fast to what is good... When at the crossroads, think, observe and pray.

NO MAN IS AN ISLAND... OR IS HE?

     The old saying goes, that no man is an island. But if you think about it, that is not entirely correct. We all have a personal responsibility for ourselves, and we are the rulers of our own lives. Just as there are individual, sovereign countries in our world, each of us is the ruler of our own personal kingdom. That kingdom is our own mind and our own soul. We choose what kind of thoughts we will let in through our borders. We make the decision on what kind of people will be our allies in this life. We make the decisions, they are not made for us. Therefore I say, be an island unto yourself. Don't be like many others, who live their lives at the whims and words of the media. Don't let politicians or hypocritical religious leaders tell you how to act, think, speak or vote. Be yourself, be who you are. If you're not being your authentic self and living to your true full potential, then someone else will do it for you. And then you are not an island or a sovereign nation but rather a vassal state under the control of someone else's rule. The choice is yours, which one will you be?

A WORD ON TERRORISM, THE ATTACK ON PARIS AND POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

   Seldom do I get into the political fray, but the woman in this video certainly did say quite a mouthful... Political correctness and worrying about offending everyone is a mindset that gives the aggressive full license to tread on whomever they wish with little to no consequence. I am in no way supportive of mindless war or the taking of lives for political or monetary gain. I am wholeheartedly against racism and categorizing a whole group of people for the actions of a few. I believe in the freedom of religion and personally feel that there is a beauty and truth in all of the diverse spiritual paths. But when someone comes into your country and starts slaughtering the innocent, like they did in Paris this weekend, we have to learn to stand up and say enough is enough.

    When we see the leaders of other nations on public television chanting with millions of people, death to America and death to Israel and also threatening to shed blood in Europe; we need to answer that demonstration and not just smile at it and turn our backs and wait for them to kick in our front door and kill innocent people in cold blood. The United States, and the rest of the civilized world need to take a stand and stop playing the nonsensical PC games. If we do not, the enemy will triumph and there will come a day when many will regret this foolish path they have chosen.

 Think about it, if someone came to your neighborhood and started beating up all of your neighbors and their families; and then came and stood in your front yard and threatened to beat the life out of you and your children every day, would you chuckle to yourself and say that he really didn't mean it and was a poor misguided individual? Would you be afraid to answer him back because you're afraid that you might offend someone by something you might say? I highly doubt that any sane person would take this route. But yet, we take it on a global scale and somehow feel that the outcome will be different because it's not standing right in our own front yard...YET...

SPIRITUAL FRAUD

    It is a shame in our world, that there are those who try to take advantage of others through fraudulent spirituality. I'm sure that we have all seen the televangelist who tells his viewers to send large amounts of money and they will receive a miracle from God. There are also those who tell dozens of outlandish stories about being caught up to heaven and seeing Jesus, God and many other incredible things. These people tell us that spiritual portals have open during their preaching meetings, and miracles happened statewide wherever they were. I am certainly not saying that visions and spiritual experiences do not happen, because they certainly can. But these individuals take advantage of other people's faith and even naivety as they present themselves as something they are not. One thing I can say for sure, is that if these individuals had the kinds of spiritual experiences that they claim to have had, they would by no means be so materialistic and dishonest.

    There are also the psychics who use carnival tricks to dupe their clients and make it seem like they're highly gifted, but what they're actually doing is tricking the person they are reading for with smoke and mirrors. You can usually tell who these charlatans are because they will always keep you coming back for urgent spiritual advisement; or tell you that they have to perform some expensive ritual for you to ward off evil spirits, bad karma or a curse that someone has placeds over your life. If you ever go for a psychic reading, and hear such nonsense, demand your money back and walk away. Such people are more interested in your money than they are your spiritual welfare.

    When it comes to preachers, psychics, gurus and modern spiritual teachers, it truly is best to take the Buddha's advice and question everything.

GREED, GAIN, CONTROL AND THE CERTAINTY THAT THERE IS NO GOD

    Some men convince themselves that there is no Higher Source in the universe. They tell themselves that there is no life beyond this life, no worlds beyond this world. Hence, the race through this life trying to grab all they can. They manipulate economies, they oppress the poor, they play war games for profit and even enter into such territories as population control through various means. There are those who consider themselves the chosen and the elite and everyone else is beneath them, almost a slave class that work their fingers to the bone for very little pay.

    But what if these people are wrong? What if there is a higher force in the universe? What if there is a life beyond this life, and a world beyond this world? What if there is such a thing as karma or a judgment? What then? Are they really so sure that there is nothing beyond this material world of personal gain? It is my belief that there will be many people who will be in for a great surprise when they close their eyes in this life, and open them in the next.

CONTROL

    When any religious organization, or political party can get an individual to be completely loyal to them and even overlook their many wrong doings; then they know that they have the person right where they want them. Such an organization will then begin to take great liberties with the authority that has been given to them; knowing that many will complain, but none will take action to make them answer for their abuse of power.

     Loyalty to a fault is another name for complete control. And those who can gain it know full well that it gives them license to do almost anything they please. If we look at the state of religion and politics in our world today, we can clearly see the outcome and actions of this kind of blind loyalty. And it will not stop until people learn to think for themselves and not be beholden to a certain party or religious sect based on their name or affiliation. The only thing that you should be completely loyal to is your own thoughts and moral code... and neither should be defined for you by anyone else, no matter what their rank and title is.

MEDITATION AND THE MYSTICAL EXPERIENCE

    As I mentioned yesterday, it is possible to have mystical experiences during meditation. It is also possible to receive personal revelations and psychic insights from the realm of spirit during your time in meditation. Here are a couple of methods that I personally like to use;

     To connect and commune with the angelic realm, I sit quietly for a few seconds and take several deep breaths. I then imagine that I am lighting a candle in my solar plexus area. As the warm glow of that candles light begins to filter out into the room around me, the golden light of the angelic realm begins to shine down from the cosmos and mingles with the light emanating from within myself. The two lights then become one and immerse me in their warm glow. At that time, I simply open myself up to any messages from the angelic realm while resting in the silence and beauty of their presents. If I have a specific question or concern, I will simply ask and then wait quietly for the reply. The reply may come in sentences, words or images. But I have never failed to receive the answer. Even if I do not have a specific question in mind, the thoughts and inspirations that come to me are many times astounding.

    To increase your connection to or receive messages from spirit or deceased loved ones, the method is pretty much the same. Only when you light the candle in your solar plexus, imagine the flame being a blue white light. As the light filters into the room, see the light of spirit coming down from the cosmos and becoming one with your own illumination. As you become enveloped in the light of spirit, simply imagine a door opening above your head in the sky or on the ceiling. Project your consciousness through that door, and then either sit quietly and wait for sensations and inspirations or call upon whatever spirit you wish to communicate with. It is best during this technique to ask only a few questions per session, no more than three. Let spirit do most of the talking through whatever means they communicate with you through.

    These are only two examples of how I use meditation to have mystical experiences or commune with spirit. Feel free to expand on these techniques, or come up with your own. You can use these methods also to commune with God, Saints and ascended masters. There is no limit to what you can do.

MEDITATION

    One of the ways in which you can begin to care for yourself is by starting a meditation practice. A lot of people sigh when they hear that statement, but trust me, meditation is not hard or complicated. You do not have to do it for a long period of time to gain the benefits. If you only have 5 or 10 minutes to meditate, that is just fine. Here is how you do it:

    First, set a timer for the amount of time that you wish to meditate. That way you will not be distracted by thinking about the clock. Secondly, sit in a comfortable position with your back relatively straight and your hands on your lap. Close your eyes, and then you can do one of two things; you can concentrate on your breath as you breathe in and out. Try not to let your thoughts wonder or take off on any tangents, just focus on the breath. Allow your mind to be as clear as possible.

    My favorite way to meditate and clear my mind is to focus on the space around me. I simply become one with the peaceful silence of the universe. I just keep my attention on being in that tranquil space. A lot of people get distracted or bored when it comes to concentrating on the breath, so this is a great alternative.

    The good news is, in meditation, there is no failure. If your thoughts start to wonder, or you start drifting off into some kind of fantasy, that's okay. Just gently bring your attention back to your breath or the silence all around you. That is the whole of the game in meditation, to keep training the mind to focus on that one particular thing and be free from distractions. It takes some practice to get the mind to be quiet and focused for any period of time. And some people, never get it to focus for more than a few seconds at a time. But that's okay, remember, there is no failure in meditation. When you find yourself being distracted, just gently bring your attention back to whatever it is you're focusing on, even if you can only get it to stay there for a few seconds at a time. That is all there is to it...

    It is even possible to receive psychic insights or have mystical experiences while in meditation. But we will talk more about that tomorrow.

REFLECTIONS ON BUDDHISM

    Greetings all, it's been a while. I have been quite busy with my own life pursuits and spiritual studies. But during that time, I have come to realize something. And that is, that Buddhism is one of the only spiritual paths in the world that truly gives us the tools to be responsible for ourselves. It shows us how to achieve peace of mind, health in our bodies and the ability to stay present in our daily life. It helps us to release the troubling past and to conquer our fears. And it makes us look within ourselves for the answers and not to always be dependent upon some outside, mystical agencies. It does not, in any way, take away our belief in God; it merely enables us to use the logic, wisdom and common sense that he gave us. It is a path of personal empowerment, peace and poise. Helping ourselves, being responsible for ourselves; they are things that so many of us do not do. We are always looking for someone or something else to aid us or make us feel fulfilled... but that is a path that leads us deeper into the empty void. We need to change that mindset, Buddhism can help us do just that.