Month: June 2018

To Those Who Attack Others For Having A Different Set Of Spiritual Beliefs…

There are several people I know who really struggle to connect with my personal beliefs with God, especially when it comes to prayer, faith, and signs of God’s presence. How do I know this? Because a good number of my blog articles that have dealt with this subject have challenged their own set of beliefs enough to leave me comments that often felt as if my own set of beliefs were under attack. And frankly, it is this very thing that I judge is at the core of why our planet is filled with so much darkness, hate, and negativity right now.

I have said this before and will probably continue to say this over and over again for years to come and that’s my belief that every single individual on this planet is on their own uniquely-tailored spiritual journey. Unfortunately, religion has gotten in the way of that and caused far too many divisions, factions, and separations between people who otherwise might love each other unconditionally.

I often wonder if people forget that it’s human beings who made religion. Take Christ for example. He did everything he could to show how all the religions during his time were filled with a bunch of rules and people who weren’t even following them. He tried to show how none of that mattered and that what truly mattered was just to love and accept each other unconditionally. But one thing he never did say is “Hey, I’m Christ and let’s create a religion called Christianity and once you do, then you can all follow me through another set of rules that will put the rest of the world’s religions and beliefs down as being wrong!”

Just like I’m quite sure Muhammad didn’t say “Hey, let’s create the Muslim religion and tell the rest of the world it’s the only correct one and oh, let’s also kill a bunch of people in my name while we’re at it to cleanse and rid the planet of the people who don’t believe in me!”

And well, I’m also pretty positive that the same is true with Abraham and Moses when it comes to the Jewish religion that was created long after they lived on the earth, or Siddhartha, when it comes to the Buddhist religion that was formed years after he had lived on our planet as well.

Each of these blessed men walked their own uniquely-tailored spiritual journey and did their best to share what they learned on them with others, all in the hopes of just bringing a little enlightenment to the bountiful suffering on this planet. Yet, it’s man who took their testimonies and made them into something else, leading to the creation of one religion after another where division became more the norm than unity on this planet.

Sadly, this still continues to this day…and is precisely what I believe leads one person after another to attack others for their spiritual beliefs, when they’re different from their own.

I wholeheartedly believe that Christ’s, Muhammad’s, Siddhartha’s, Moses’s, Abraham’s, and many other spiritually-enlightened men’s words throughout our planet’s history have been totally warped and taken far out of context from their original intent. And because of it, has led so many to attack each other, rather than just accept that maybe it’s ok to have whatever our spiritual beliefs are.

Look, I have plenty of friends who believe quite the opposite of what I do, from people who practice Wicca in nature, to those who regularly chant the Gohonzon in Nichiren Buddhism, yet I accept them all and see the beauty in it all too.

But, there was a time when I didn’t, where I personally attacked anyone who had a different set of beliefs than I. And why I did this was simply out of fear. Fear of something I didn’t understand. Fear that maybe I didn’t have all the answers. Because isn’t that ultimately man’s greatest weakness, the fear of the unknown?

The fact is, none of us truly know what’s beyond here without a shadow of doubt. And as we suffer in our pains of life, we cling to some sort of dogma in the hopes it helps to overcome that fear of the unknown. And it usually does, that is until someone comes along and proposes something that sheds a new light, one that’s different from our own.

But, the next time this happens, YOU DO HAVE A CHOICE.

You can keep doing what you’re currently doing. Keep attacking each of those new lights that come your way. Keep making every attempt to snuff them out, and know in doing so, it’s coming solely from fear. And also know in doing so, your very actions are only going to engulf our planet in more darkness, hate, and negativity.

OR…

You can embrace each of those new lights that come your way and see if it’s meant to be a part of your own uniquely-tailored spiritual journey. If it is, incorporate it into your life, but if it’s not, simply bless it for others to connect with, and remain open to the next one that comes along. And know in doing so, you’ll be increasing our level of unconditional love and acceptance of each other on this planet.

I truly pray you’ll choose the latter…

Peace, love,light, and joy
Andrew Arthur Dawson

Silly Joke Friday

Silly Joke #1

An Irishman moves to the USA and finally attends his first baseball game.

The first batter approached the batters’ box, took a few swings and then hit a double. Everyone was on their feet screaming, “Run, Run!”

The next batter hit a single and the Irishman listened as the crowd again cheered “Run, Run!”

The Irishman enjoyed the game and began screaming with the fans.

When the next batter came up and four balls went by, the umpire called “Walk!” and the batter started his slow trot to first base.

The Irishman stood up and screamed, “R-R-Run ye bastard, Run!”

The people around him began laughing.

Embarrassed, the Irishman sat back down. A friendly fan noted the man’s embarrassment, leaned over and explained, “He can’t run, he’s got four balls…”

The Irishman then stood up and screamed, “Walk with pride, lad, WALK WITH PRIDE!”

Silly Joke #2

A frog goes into a bank and approaches the teller. He can see from her nameplate that her name is Patricia Whack.

“Miss Whack, I’d like to get a $30,000 loan to take a holiday.”

Patty looks at the frog in disbelief and asks his name. The frog says his name is Kermit Jagger, his dad is Mick Jagger, and that it’s okay, he knows the bank manager.

Patty explains that he will need to secure the loan with some collateral.

The frog says, “Sure. I have this.” The frog then produces a tiny porcelain elephant, about an inch tall, bright pink and perfectly formed.

Very confused, Patty explains that she’ll have to consult with the bank manager and disappears into a back office.

She finds the manager and says, “There’s a frog called Kermit Jagger out there who claims to know you and wants to borrow $30,000, and he wants to use this as collateral.” She then holds up the tiny pink elephant. “I mean, what in the world is this?”

The bank manager looks back at her and says…”It’s a knickknack, Patty Whack. Give the frog a loan. His old man’s a Rolling Stone.”

Silly Joke #3

A husband and wife were at a party chatting with some friends when the subject of marriage counseling came up.

“Oh, we’ll never need that. My husband and I have a great relationship,” the wife explained. “He was a communications major in college, and I majored in theater arts. He communicates really well, and I just act as if I’m listening.”

Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson