"el momento de la verdad"

"The moment of TRUTH" – see blog entry below

gimme, gimme, gimme…The Truth!

Whether it is Iran or the Vatican, a synogogue or an evangelical telecast, the thing that most 'representatives of religious orgs' don't really seem to grasp is that in the "internet/knowledge shared openly" world…..

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It is what you say and do NOW that is really defining who and what you are…

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What you, or someone in your religious tradition, did or said in the past belongs to that age.

Let your truth be clear and present in this moment. Let your lovingness illuminate this second. For truth is not a thought nor a belief system concept…

Truth is the reality in which we exist.

the 'signs' of the times

It would appear that, to date, no evidence concerning the sacrificing of the present Pope's 'moral authority' is more clear and damning than that of the Priest,reported directly to Cardinal Ratzinger, for his lifelong  sex abuse of deaf boys. Reports that were made even by Archbishops!

"But it is only one of thousands of cases forwarded over decades by bishops to the Vatican office called the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, led from 1981 to 2005 by Cardinal Ratzinger"(Laurie Godstein, NYT, see link below), who counselled secrecy on threat of excommunication

 

Recommended reading:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/world/europe/25vatican.html?pagewanted=1&hp

 

Now there are many, many beautiful believers who may feel that a justifiable prosecution of 'church officials' for their part in conspiring to pervert the course of justice (both spiritual and temporal) is an attack upon their faith. I implore such believers not to confuse their faith in God with a 'potential belief' in an institution.

uberrimae fidei

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I believe this is a latin terminology, most generally used in law, which simply means 'utmost good faith'.

The Catholic Church appears now to be learning what this actually means. It is learning the lesson the hard way: dramatically falling attendances, disastrously declining income, failure to enrol for the priesthood at anything like an adequate standard, in short – the Church is in a deepening crisis. The moral authority of the Papacy has been sacrificed upon the altar of 'protected abuse'. I cannot see a time when this authority will be regained. The axe has been laid to the root of this tree.

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But lets not be sectarian about this, other major religious institutions are also falling foul of the increased knowledge and 'self-determination' aspirations of the world population.

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Judaism has become severely incapacitated by the less than reasonable behaviour of the Jewish State, Israel. The saying 'do unto others as you wish they would do to you' has been replaced by 'do unto others as was done to us'. The parallels between the politics of the Jewish State and the Nazis of World War 2 have become a despicable irony.

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Iran's government does Islam no favours with it's reprehensible behaviour utilising religion as it's shield. Sharia law is generally perceived as being barbaric and not human. Nor do it's extremes speak to many people (with a choice to listen or ignore) of anything resembling a 'higher aspiration of the human spirit'. The Jihad movement's attempts to hijack Islam seem to be failing, yet there appears to be an undercurrent of progress and modernisation within Muslim populations that Islam has not yet grasped or seems incapable of responding to effectively. Alarmingly,for Islam, too many modern concepts of 'goodness' reveal the dysfunction of out-dated traditions.

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Utmost faith; blind, unquestioning addiction to the institution is irrevocably being eroded by that other word in the title – good.

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Mankind is progressing more rapidly in it's understandings and applicable definitions of 'good' than the religions. The moral high standards of the world society are applying judgements, theoretical and practical, to the behaviour of the high-powered and formerly unquestionably influential tenets of the religions.

If these religions are to survive the 21st century, they have to embrace a much larger definition of the word 'good'.

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As for me, I have faith in the utmost good which is erupting from the mass of humanity. I happen to believe that the One God is responsible for it. In that I have utmost good faith.

knockout words

“Impossible is not a fact; it’s an opinion,”

"If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it - then I can achieve it."
— Muhammad Ali (The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey)

good words stir the heart…….

Happiness keeps you Sweet, 
Trials keep you Strong,
Sorrows keep you Human,
Failures keep you Humble,
Success keeps you Glowing ,
But Only Friends Keep You Going!

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Someone has sent me an email with a lovely story in it about a little girl whose dog died….maybe I will put it on this blog. Anyway, on the email were also the above words…I don't know who wrote them, but maybe the words themselves are more important than the source.

happy holi :)

little lights in the darkness

as previously reported in this blog (Jan 17th) a very respected Islamic scholar has thoroughly researched and clearly shown that:

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Jihadist terrorism is simply that….and is unislamic and criminal…

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.True muslims know this, but it is time to make their voices heard –loudly – if they seek to save Islam from self-destruction.

to a deeply treasured friend in his hour of need

Often in life it is when the darkness of despair engulfs us, when hopelessness tsunami-like would sweep us away,it is in that moment when the smallest,dimmest light of truth starts to shine in our hearts.

Whatever else, to yourself be true and that small,dim light will start to shine brighter.Follow the light.

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gg

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we are what we think

I've learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances.

Martha Washington

In Memoriam: Bertha

Loves knows no barriers, accepts no limitations. Love understands the infiniteness of it's nature and even when all else crumbles around us,Love remains constant.

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Often in life we feel we may have lost someone, but this is only a reflection of our wait for fullest comprehension. After a while we begin to feel, to sense, that the person we thought we had lost is still present with us. When the time is right the shining treasures of our life interactions start to glisten in the darkness of our sadness. Before too long the shining is so powerful that our hearts are magnificently illuminated and we glimpse an understanding that love has no end. 

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I know I shall not see again

that smile upon life's well worn face

instead the joy of YOU remains

within the heart's most secret place:

just now and then

when rainbows bend

or frostflakes glisten in the wind

I sense again your smile of caring

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.                                                               copyright  gg

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Thank YOU, thank YOU,Thank YOU…for treasures of lovingness that shall never,never fade…

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Charlie's an angel – episode 4

7 year old Charlie (see reports below) continues upwards with his fund-raising efforts to help people in Haiti – it all started with a bike ride to raise £500

£242,723 

         $385,000  

            SeK  2,812,000

But sometimes it's not just about the money.Often such a loving spark lights a fire of lovingness,as you can see from these donation comments at Charlie's Just Giving webpage:

easy judgements….

A group of men came along the street; heavily armed soldiers leading a condemned man to the gallows.

"That man is no good," said a disciple to Nasrudin. "I once gave him a silver coin in order to help him start his life afresh, and he did nothing important."

"He may be no good, but perhaps he is now on his way to the gallows because of you," argued the master. "Perhaps he used the alms in order to buy a dagger, which he then used in committing his crime-because instead of helping him with love and care, you chose to give him alms in order to release yourself from your obligation."

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an excerpt from Warrior of the Light

by Paulo Coelho

When you think you have everything…

Bill and Melinda Gates announced plans Friday to invest $10 billion in the fight against a number of illnesses including AIDS and said the record donation could save nearly nine million lives.

(via)

…………..you realise that you have nothing until you share

(ps. I LOVE Windows 7)

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Oh, and don't forget little 7 year old Charlie…who has now raised £230,000 to help in Haiti. From the 'largest' to the 'smallest' the message of sharing and caring is the same.

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In Memoriam:a dying religion

Iran has executed two men arrested during the period of widespread unrest that erupted after June's disputed presidential election, reports say.

They had been convicted of being "enemies of God", members of armed groups and trying to topple the Islamic establishment, Isna news agency said.

(via)

So the question is – is this a political or religious execution? Either way it is an indication of what happens if you resist Islam.  I wonder how that squares with the words of the Prophet

"Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error" Qur'an 2:256

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I was not aware that an all-powerful, ever-present,all-loving God could have enemies. Why, even Abe Lincoln declared "the best way to 'kill' your enemy is to make friends with them".

Oh, Islam, what wrongs are done in your name and without protest from those who truly love Islam

Angel Charlie - £202,000

that's around $328,000 as at 13-06 CET

Angel Charlie – it just keeps getting higher

Well, 7 year old Charlie has now topped £166,000 (including Gift Aid) and it's still coming in!  (that's around $270,00).

Charlie is reaching people in Thailand, USA, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, in fact…all over the place his willing heart is touching others.

If children are the future….what a wonderful world this is going to be

$2 Billion and counting

As at 02-45 CET  today, 26th Jan, CNN is reporting almost $2 billion raised for the Haiti Earthquake appeal worldwide – and it's still pouring in.This,remember, for a tragedy that occurred 13 days ago!

Very detailed information of progress and fundings can be seen at  reliefweb.int

The amounts above represent the figures so far for both private and government donations/pledges.

Sometimes some people get cynical or discouraged about the state of the world………………but when we witness actions such as these, there can be little doubt about the kind-heartedness that is deep in the human spirit.

Charlie's an angel :)

Charlie said he had hoped to raise £500

A seven-year-old boy from west London has raised more than £65,000   £69,000 (+17K in Gift Aid) for the Haiti earthquake relief effort by organising a charity cycle ride.

Charlie Simpson, from Fulham, cycled five miles (8km) around South Park near his home to raise funds for Unicef's earthquake appeal.

The fundraising total outstripped his initial £500 goal, after he put an appeal on the JustGiving website.

Unicef thanked him "on behalf of the many children in Haiti".

 (via)

Haiti Hour

One of the things I love and admire about my chosen country of residence, Sweden, is a profound sense of fairness in the society – and an almost touchable sense of 'helping those less fortunate'.

Today in Sweden countless numbers gave an hour of their pay to help Haiti.

Some newspapers charged 1 krone extra  - and donated 2 kroner each paper to Haiti.

This in addition to all the monies that are flowing in to aid agencies, Unicef, Bankgiro and Postgiro donations.

You only have to look at Sweden's record of assisting refugees and re-settling them in Sweden to see just how amazingly generous Swedish people are.

I know this is also happening all around the world, in many countries. People are putting their money where their mouth is……and sharing what they have with others less fortunate.

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