Religious – Page 9 – One Lifetime Blog

October 26, 2010

Right and Wrong, The Conflict within us all.

The conflicts we suffer within us are there to serve us by giving us eventual direction in life. Morality versus Self Gratification is usually the main conflict that stirs within our inner selves. To know what is right and wrong comes with penalties, Every selfish and inhumane action we have tends to carry a heavy cost with it. But in turn the selfless and compassionate actions too carry a reward if not sometimes a price. Though I would rather pay the price for doing what is right than for what is wrong, usually my selfishness gets in the way at times. The internal conflicts within us are basically the battle between right and wrong.

Being human sometimes it is very hard to decipher what is right or wrong because there are so many fine lines between the two. Usually as a rule is if it causes harm to another person then it is considered wrong, If it benefits the other person or everyone then it is considered good and or right. Though there are some situations that these rules would not and could not be applied and that is when I myself just try to find the least hurtful and or damaging choice. I try to live by the ideal that if you make others happy along with helping them to the best of your ability while avoiding doing any kind of harm then you have chosen the right path. This includes ones own self, Respect is not to be a one way street and neither is compassion.

I guess the inner conflicts within us all will continue as long as we struggle to balance the needs and wants of the self with the needs and wants of others. Right and wrong, Good and evil are concepts mankind embraced in order to find a means in which to better society and help the progression of civilization.

The creator (GOD) gave us the code of conduct known as the ten commandments to help guide mankind to a better way of life and he also sent Jesus Christ as a teacher and savior. Jesus came to not only fulfill the law but to teach mankind forgiveness, compassion and the true spirit of love. He showed all of us by example his compassion towards the sick and the sinners he came across in his time here on earth, He taught us to forgive and to turn the other cheek along with to love one another.

To be selfish and without compassion is to allow yourself to be surrounded by those whom have little regard for you or your survival. As the old saying goes “Birds of the same feather flock together”. So you will become surrounded by others who are much like yourself and you will be treated like that which you treat others. I also belive that if you do someone harm eventualy through a chain reaction the harm will come full circle back to you. This of course works with compassion and selfless acts,they also will come around in full circle eventually. This is the concept of karma and the only problem with Karma is sometimes its instant and sometimes it takes a lifetime, but eventually what comes around does go around. So I guess there is wisdom in the old saying " Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’".

Well enough of my Ramblings for today
May peace fill your heart and compassion be your guide.
Raymond Barbier

Roya R. Rad, MA, PsyD: The Psychology of Forgiveness, Compassion and Acceptance (huffingtonpost.com)
Don’t Get Distracted By People Who Miss The Point (pastorpaulvbsblog.blogspot.com)
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: A Time of Forgiveness (huffingtonpost.com)
Americans are victims of own choices (fullcomment.nationalpost.com)
Surprised By God (pastorpaulvbsblog.blogspot.com)
Charter For Compassion (namaste-land.blogspot.com)
Dr. Manoj Jain: Compassion can move us to break cycle of violence (commercialappeal.com)

September 22, 2010January 25, 2013

Modern Times and Religious Ideals

In modern times the way organized religion operates is not much different then the ways it has in the past. Each religion claims to be the one and only path to God and or heaven. When we get arrogant enough to proclaim we are right and that all others are wrong we open the door for problems such as terrorism, racism, sexism and even religious persecution. Being a Christian in faith I can only comment on my own faith and the status of the organized religion of Christianity. Seems some of the Christian churches of today preach that if it isn’t Christianity then its an enemy of the church and of God. I have seen T.V. evangelists preach fear of other religions and even try to oppose the freedom of other religions to exist in the United States. There are allot of churches and religious leaders who are tolerant if not even accepting of other religions out there also and i commend those who show tolerance and acceptance for that is what being Christian is supposed to be.

Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek, forgive others, love your enemies and to be humble before God. I do not see enough churches promoting that message or even trying to following it. Jesus lived a life in which he healed the sick and he showed compassion to all in his travels. I feel until mankind in a whole can learn to love each other and to have a compassionate heart we will never know the love god has to give us all. A heart that is hard as stone gives no love nor can it receive the love given to it. An unforgiving heart will never know forgiveness for others or itself. God has given man many great gifts and abilities yet we waste some and abuse others with little care or appreciation. Freewill is one of the greatest of gifts he has given man and yet we seem to forget it was a gift. The gift of life and then the gift of salvation are the top two gifts and even those are sometimes taken for granted if not forgotten by some.

We need to remember where the gifts come from and to cherish them always humbly and truly. Though we have dominion over this world we live in we are still the servants of the one who gave it all to us and should remember this always. We should always walk with love and compassion in our hearts and be guided by the wisdom God grants us. We should never interfere in the freewill of others for that is their god given gift and therefore no man has the right to interfere. The only right we have in the freewill of others is to offer them advice and or other paths to follow, ultimately it is solely up to them to choose their own path in life.

Well enough of my Religious Ramblings for now
Peace to all

R. Barbier

Why is the religious extremism still so strong in the United States? (beinghuman.blogs.fi)
Religion a matter of private conscience, not public policy (mysanantonio.com)
7 Books for the Spiritually Starved (thedailybeast.com)
Christianity Shot in the Foot (new.exchristian.net)

August 24, 2010January 25, 2013

Prayer, Faith and His Will or Ours

I used to wonder why that sometimes it seemed GOD sometimes wouldn’t answer my prayers. I figured out he was answering them it was that some prayers he answered no to and others he answered in ways I didn’t understand at the time. Then there were many prayers that were unanswered due to my lack of faith in him. God loves all of us regardless if we believe in him or not, Just like a father he loves his children both the good and bad. He helps all of us both by answering our prayers and by brining us experiences in our life to enrich us or teach us.

A friend of mine once stated like many others had done, If god exists and loves us then why would he allow famine, war and disease on earth. It is man who brings war and allows famine to be in this world. Mankind’s will is what spawns the majority of our sufferings. The problem is Man chooses his own will over that of God’s which pretty much says Man thinks he is the master instead of God. There are many who put God’s will before their own, yet its a very small amount of people compared to who that don’t. We are yet his children and even though we ignore his advice and will, He will still help us in times of need. But due to ignoring his advice and will we will have much more problems to face in our life.

If a father tells his son, Son do not drink alcohol it will eventually consume you and your life and the son ignores the warning usually that son will have a very high chance of alcoholism and possibly the related health issues related to drinking. If the son heeds the fathers advice he avoids all the pitfalls of drinking. This is similar to what god has done, he has warned us in the bible of the pitfalls of both sin and putting our own will above his and most of us chose to ignore it. Though we will have to face many of the negative aspects of our choice to not follow God’s will he still loves us.

Have faith in him and pray for his will to be done on earth as in heaven, Repent and ask for strength to resist the temptations of life.

God Bless

Ray Barbier

July 31, 2010January 25, 2013

How You Use The Gifts

Sometimes we seem to overlook the many blessings God has given us and we focus on the curses we brought upon our own selves. So many great gifts he has given to us every thing from life itself down to the power of freewill. We seem to get so caught up in the things we do not have and that which we want we forget how fortunate we are to have the things God has given us. Even things we like to give mankind and our own selves credit for is his works and his power that brought them to be within our life. Without God initially giving us life nothing would be possible at all. He gave mankind the ability to learn and to adapt to almost any situation that arises. He gave each one of us our own unique abilities and special qualities to help ourselves and those around us.

Anything and everything mankind does is the result of Gods power and will manifested in the physical world. Yes, Even the evil things we do springs from the gifts he gave us. The gift of freewill is the gift that allows us to take all other gifts given to us and use them for the good of mankind and the world or for evil. The choice of how you use the gifts and abilities he granted each one of us is what freewill is all about. But along with freewill comes responsibility and the results of the choices made.

Because of freewill we will be responsible for our actions and decisions we make in this lifetime god has granted us. To be honest there is not one of us that is righteous enough to enter the kingdom of heaven. The grace and the great gift of Jesus Christ is the saving grace for mankind. His blood washes our sins, But only the sins we truly regret and repent for.

So the next time you feel down, depressed or just alone in the world think of all the gifts God has already given you and know there are many more awaiting you both here on earth and in heaven. Myself I rejoice in every morning I get to see and every night that comes afterward. Life may not be perfect and surely isn’t always a rose garden but it has its roses along with the thorns. I find a few thorns always makes me appreciate the roses of my life even more. One good thing is in life things always change if you wait long enough, So even the worst moments in life will pass if you keep faith and hope by your side.

Enough Rambling For Now
Peace.
R. Barbier