Tag Archives: Quran

On Playing God

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Posted by on in collaborating, distraction issues, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

April 19, 2022- Over the past few years, a philosophy has re-emerged, whereby individuals who are somewhat versed in philosophy and theology have revived the concept of Holy War. Originally this was mentioned in the Quran, as a personal struggle to overcome the desires of the flesh and the ego. It is my understanding that this does not mean a war against other people, per se.

There is, however, an appeal to the ego that brings about the very war against others that the Holy Scriptures disavow. We see this most recently in the call for Holy War against Ukraine, by one Vladimir Mikhailovich Gundyayev, known more formally as Patirarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church. Mr. Gundyayev has a history of active service in Russian intelligence, going back to the KGB, so it is no great surprise that he would take a nationalist stance.

Therein lies the stumbling block, of a good many, if not most, members of the clergy, in any given Faith of long standing. A human being cannot entirely overcome personality, political leanings, emotional baggage or even prejudices. Most clergy are decent people, with a sincere desire to serve. As one moves up in a hierarchy, however, the temptation, the urge, to assume one knows the Mind of God must surely rise along with that advancement. Only the very strongest can resist this urge, to a degree.

Baha’u’llah tells us that: “O Seekers for the Kingdom of God! Man all over the world is seeking for God. All that exists is God; but the Reality of Divinity is holy above all understanding.” God, in toto, is unknowable, so for Vladimir Gundyayev, even in his official capacity as Head of a Church, to claim to know that God wants Russia to win its war, seems to me to be erroneous. It is equally ludicrous for any given creature to claim to know the Will of God, on any matter. All we ever have are relative snippets of guidance.

We are told that playing with fire is dangerous. Playing God is just plain lethal. I hope and pray that Mr. Gundyayev, and all who follow him, have a good, old-fashioned epiphany, very soon.

Random Observations, on A Quiet Sunday

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Posted by on in collaborating, distraction issues, impediments, Personal goals, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual

November 3, 2019-

I see that my recent posts have led quite a few people to delete my site.   All the best, but my writing is, first and foremost, sharing my thoughts, not pandering to yours.  If I have ten followers left, so be it.

People who stand up for themselves very often have to get past the trolls and pundits.  I notice that, in the current presidential campaign.  Anyone who crosses the Establishment is attacked as “weird”.   That will never change their truth.

We had a great day, yesterday, as 65 people observed the Bicentenary of the Birth of al-Bab, at Prescott Senior Center.

I heard a Roman Catholic say, this morning, that all Muslims should be killed.  The Quran mentions Jesus, in a reverent way, countless times-and more often than the New Testament.  Fighting extremism is one thing, blind genocide, quite another.  By the way, anyone interested in mass slaughter, of any population, will have to include me among their victims.  God willing, I’d be standing in front. (Yes, that includes Christians being persecuted by Muslims and Hindus. Wrong is wrong.)

The most important thing facing me, this month, is setting up a safe, comfortable place for my daughter-in-law, who will be here for several weeks in December, while her husband is separated from the Regular Navy.  Happily, he will have six years of Reserve duty, to help them get established in civilian life.

 

 

 

Seeking Light

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Posted by on in Education, Inspiration, Personal goals, Spiritual

January 22, 2017, Prescott-

I spent much of today in spiritual study, first attending a Baha’i group, which is focusing on our Supreme Administrative Body, the Universal House of Justice.  Afterwards, I continued a simultaneous reading of “Apocalypse:  A Spiritual Guide To The Second Coming”, by Dr. Jim Richards and “The Standing Stones Speak”, by Natasha Hoffman and Hamilton Hill.

Many of us are on a spiritual quest, of one sort or another.  My purpose, in reading the two, rather divergent books, is to find the common cord, which Baha’u’llah says exists in any faith that is based on Divine Revelation.  Dr. Richards cautions the reader against taking everything, in conventional religion, at face value.  He offers a good compendium of religious trappings that appeal to one’s ego, or are drawn from darker practices of the past.  Ms. Hoffman and Mr. Hill advise the reader to open spiritual channels and meditate, deeply, on the positive and pure  elements that reveal themselves to the discerning, while being wary of negative forces.

In other words, both the conservative Christian and the spiritualists are warning us away from negative forces, and pointing us towards the forces of light.  This is what I’ve seen, so far, and verifies my learnings from Baha’i Scripture.  It’s important, to me at least, to not be too attached to names and titles, but to look, carefully, at the lives of the Great Spiritual Teachers and to sift out any indication of self-aggrandizement, on the part of the writers.

All I have read, thus far, encourages more comparative study- including a simultaneous study of the New Testament and the Quran, later this Spring, Summer and Autumn.  Baha’u’llah teaches that each individual is to learn spiritual truth for her/himself.