What God wants of me

Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

If you read the Kings You will see a pattern as you read the deeds from one king to the next. Israel forgets about God under one king then when the next king comes and the Book of the Law is found. They had forgotten the law that was given to them by Moses, the "Ten Commandments." They were not evil, no they abide by the laws of those derived from the law given to them not by Moses but by the kings. They had the rituals down pat, the symbols themselves but instead of a guide became a stumbling block. The law is useless unless one observes the first two. God identifies himself as the only god or at least the supreme god. However he never commands them to worship Him. He does however in the second warns them not to bow down before a graven image. But put also commands them not to make images of Him. God said, "Do not try to define me or put me in a box.". The next eight are ways to live in peace with our neighbors. Without the the first two the rest become an empty ritual .

Since God is love all the laws are based on love. Jesus said that all the laws are based on love. First God gives us that which is and commands us to spread it around. Following the laws chapter and verse becomes a the way of life. It is that love that is missing from the ritual. The Hebrew people had the rituals down right, they gave sacrifices and used the right incense . They did not kill nor steal. Not at least where it can be seen. Some sacrificed their kids trying please God. They danced around a sent platitudes of praise to God asking God for mercy, believing that God would visit them if praised in the correct manner. Society found easy to over looking the the first and second, create a ritual. The logical conclusion then that devout observer of the law those one might call fanatical. Making sure others kept the laws made by man under pain of death.

God did not want the sacrifices that they made in their lives just to please a God of Love, that loves us already. He just wants us to be humble. Be human be who you are what God created us to do. We can love God with all the love given to them. They had the letter of the law but had missed more important things like mercy, justice and understanding. The the law not to kill was changed to murder to justify the fact sometimes they sanction killing. We see it today it is OK to kill, in war, state executions , abortion doctors, other religions. The law without love is hollow but with love we do not kill because it is God's domain. Love therefore constrains us to obey the law not out of fear but out of a decision to do the right thing for the right reason, do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before God.

John McCain: The Manchurian Candidate

John McCain: The Manchurian Candidate

Testimonials

Testimonials

election08

Everybody is looking at the map, blue states red states who will win. The biggest problem with the map is that it is out dated. It does not take into account America's discuss with the Republican party and anyone connected to it. It is kind of scary if you think about it. We have seen what happens when one party dominates both the executive branch and the legislative branch not to mention the Supreme Court. Republicans believed that since Congress's approval rating is almost as low as the Presidents that it meant that the 2004 Democrats wins were a fluke. Some even thought the disapproval rating was aimed at Democrats because they did not stop the war in Iraq and now that the surge was working the issue of Iraq was mute. We though a lot of things until we saw the dominoes falling. Illinois, Indiana and Mississippi seats in Congress that Republicans have lost. Even though they spent millions of dollars in Mississippi tying the Democrat candidate to Senator Obama they still lost. The RNC has finally seen the hand writing on the wall. Those who hope to stay in office had better distance themselves from Bush. So instead of presenting a presidential candidate that was the same as Bush only better they made a 180 and began to emphasize his differences from the present administration. So instead of making him conservative enough for Republicans now they want to look liberal enough for Democrats. He came out for such Democrats issues as, global warming, health care, lobbying, ethic reforms, veterans care and human dignity all of which he has continually voted against. He claims to be different from Bush on such issues as Iraq, immigration, homeland security and the economy but again his voting record does not show that. In act he has always voted for everything asked for by Bush. The new image was exposed as just an image not by Democrats but by McCain himself when he publicly agreed with Bush's statements in Israel comparing Senator Obama to those who tried to appease Hitler.
I participate in three political forums online, one politically very much to the right, one moderate and the other more or less evenly mixed. I tried to find a liberal one but could not find one way way to the left. I am a conservative and all three forums have a liberal voice but nothing I would call that far to the left. I would not participate in a communist sponsored forum anymore than I would a racist one. The three I have chosen offer a wide representation of though. Three months ago when I called President Bush a traitor I got the raspberry salute on all three. The ultra conservative group of course gave me the most. I got hate mail when I suggested that McCain made anti American tapes for North Vietnam. Even the middle of the road participants rebuked for saying such things about a war hero. But yesterday when I posted the following statement on all three bulletin boards I even got four thumbs on the, get this, most anti Obama anti anything Democrat die hard Republicans.

John McCain by his own admission cracked under the pressure of torture and made anti American statements for the North Vietnamese. Do you really want a man at the helm of the Ship of State who cracks under pressure.

I also participate in a veterans only group who are 86% for Senator Obama. We will not forget that McCain broke his code of honor and made anti American statements giving fuel to the communist cause. It is called giving aid and comfort to the enemy and it is a court martial offence. Like most Americans I forgive him, it must have been terrible but I can not forgot that he choose dishonor over pain when he swore to a code of death before dishonor.

Al Jazeera English - News - Guantanamo Eclipses Other Us Abuses

Al Jazeera English - News - Guantanamo Eclipses Other Us Abuses

Election 2008

I have been writing a philosophy blog and did not want to take a position on this election year because it is more a satirical look at government and religion in general. Just because you are paranoid dose not mean that no one is after you. I can neither embrace nor deny the conspiracy theory that claims that the corporations are trying to form a one world government. Both the Clinton and Bush administrations talked about a new world order. It could be that they called Obama inexperienced because he is not in on it? I do not believe that there is anyone in the government who is responsible for 911 but I do believe politicians us tragedies to gain power. GWB used 911 as a pretext for invading Iraq moving the emphasis of the war on terror away from where those who attacked us are hiding and training others. What has this to do with this election? Everything. The greatest question we face is whether or not we will continue the failed policies of the traitor George W Bush? I make no secret of my destine for him though I have been called called a traitor and a coward for talking about the Commander in Chief. To those I say I fought for freedom and democracy. By right of the first amendment I can say anything I want hold any political position I choose. Even the 17% who still follow the would be dictator GWB have that right. In ninth grade civics class I learned "The American Creed". Though I do not agree with what you believe I will defend with my life your right to believe it. He has violated the constitution he swore to up hold, the Geneva Convention of which we are signers, the UN Charter of which we are coauthors and all the laws of human decency. George W. Bush is a war criminal on the par with of Saddam Hussein. If the Democrats had the majority of congress the Republicans held during the Clinton Dynasty he would have been impeached. Making "Shotgun Cheney" president to the worlds chagrin, president. I could go on but any intelligent person can see the results of his policies. By his own words, "The Constitution is just a damn piece of paper. "
In the beginning when I heard of Obama, long before the Clintons played the race card and the fear card he was inspiring a new generation of voters living in San Francisco. I spoke to a lot I mean an awful lot of young people voting for the first time charged up for him, asking donations of five or ten dollars for his campaign. Still I saw him as just another politician saying what the country wants to hear, capitalizing on the 06 mandate by the majority of the country, those who Bush says opinions do not matter, and run as an anti war candidate. Then when he had that sweep after the Iowa primary I took another look at him. I noticed that Democrat registration is up everywhere is a primary. I began to look him up on the net. He has had an impressive life. I read his first book where he talked openly about things Bush would classify as none of your business. He, I began to see is a man of integrity and American values, not the values of the Bush Dynasty, but those Yankee values that makes me proud to have served my country. I saw a man who wanted to be president not because of personal Ambition to make America better. Those who think there is no room for improvement have never read or understood the Constitution of the United States of America. Obama is a man who defines himself not by his race but by the character of his own convictions. I can say this for John McCain and I respect him for it, he denounced efforts to brand Obama as as racist or a Muslim. The Clinton camp has yet to do that, no in fact they have played up the slander that began with a white supremacist website............

Stop and smell the Urine

Roy has no politics that might account for his nonviolent attitude. He has no allegiance to any particular party or ideology. In fact what he cares about most is getting food and loving. He has always been fed three times a day. Because the food is there he has no fear of starving. He can be swayed by a dog biscuit. He has never been treated violently. So all those things that we worry so much about is nothing to a lovable brown lab. We though are in the middle of an election year. Three of America's finest politicians are running for the highest office in the land arguably the most powerful in the western world. There are some who say there is no difference I disagree. The last administration has shown us what happens we let one party have the advantage. More of the people's needs are taken care when we have a balance of power like in the Clinton years. Everybody I have talked to who are voting for HRC points to that era giving her the credit. I say if she takes credit for Bill's successes she must share the blame for his blunders. NAFTA has some potential but Bill gave away the whole farm or should I say manufacturing industry. We need to renegotiate a better deal for the American people. Now Democrats are saying they are against NAFTA and the Republicans are cautioning us not to abandon it.