Sannhetseeker

I’ve always believed in God. From my earliest memories, I’ve never doubted the existence of the Divine. Now granted, my idea of “God” is different from most. And it has been that way since I can remember. Being asked to stand in the corner, or asked to leave, during Sunday school because of the questions I asked gives a hint of my take on things. But can my beliefs, can anyone’s beliefs, be a result of one’s brain being hardwired to believe because it is beneficial for survival? That it's been... Sign in to see full entry.

Yeshua taught that we should love our neighbors as ourselves. He taught that we should turn the other cheek if struck by someone. He taught that if our brother sins against us we forgive him, even if it happens 70 x 7 times. He was pretty clear on the matter of forgiveness. And yet, even with these statements from the Christ, there are many who view this approach as unacceptable. At what point, some ask, does one stop being a victim and stand up for oneself? I suggest that when it comes to... Sign in to see full entry.

Johnny considers himself a good Christian. He goes to church every Sunday and is heavily involved in church activities, prays often, and tries to live like a “good Christian”, helping neighbors when they need it and volunteering at a local homeless shelter. He believes that as a “good Christian”, he will go to Heaven when he dies. Johnny is also proud of his understanding of current events. His indignation surrounding the war in Iraq and his feelings about Muslims is shared by many of his... Sign in to see full entry.

Yeshua had two rules, and only two rules, that he was concerned with: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. While the first is important, it is the second one on which I want to focus. The concept of loving one’s neighbor as oneself, at its core, is the concept of goodness. If we are good to ourselves, then we should be just as good to our neighbors. And in being vessels of goodness, it means that we are not evil, nor do we do evil to another. While this is the simple message of the... Sign in to see full entry.

I believe in peace. Saying this is easy. Adhering to it is not. Because truly believing in peace, being peace, means that every thought one has must foster peace. It means that every action one takes must foster peace. Cesar Chavez understood this. He said, “Non-violence is not inaction. It is not discussion. It is not for the timid or weak. Non-violence is hard work. It is the willingness to sacrifice. It is the patience to win.” I can attest to this. I have been working toward not arguing for... Sign in to see full entry.

“This is the message that we heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is Light and in him is no darkness at all.” This verse from the Gospel of John (1 Jn 1:5) seems very clear. God is Light. But what exactly does that mean? If we look at the characteristics of light, one of the first things we notice is that light removes darkness. While darkness may overtake, it can never conquer. Light always overcomes. Light reveals what can’t be seen in darkness. Light illuminates reality. Light brings... Sign in to see full entry.

(With apologies to 12-step program participants everywhere) Hi. My name is Sannhet, and I’m an arguer. It’s been seven months since my last argument, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’ve come close to launching an attack a couple of different times. The key here is that I’ve come close, but that ultimately I didn’t argue. It’s very hard not to some times, but I just remember what I’ve learned, and try to live one day at a time. As my sponsor says, arguing is just my ego having a temper tantrum.... Sign in to see full entry.

A new visitor to my blog left a comment that inspired me to write this post. This visitor didn't necessarily agree with my assessment that we must hate nothing and love everything. The visitor pointed out that it is important that we hate evil. While I am grateful for this comment and I understand the reasoning, unfortunately hating of any kind, just breeds more hate. Hate is an ego thing. Love is a God thing. Hate is based in fear and fear is totally, 100 percent a result of one’s ego dealing... Sign in to see full entry.

“Love the sinner. Hate the sin.” We’ve all heard this statement made by those wishing to bolster their particular stand on an issue. If it is homosexuality, then we love the homosexual, but hate homosexuality. If it is abortion, we love the woman having the abortion, but hate the act of abortion. Unfortunately, loving the sinner but hating the sin is an impossibility. One cannot have hate in one’s heart and still love. Loving while hating is conditional love. And conditional love is not the love... Sign in to see full entry.

Forgiving. It’s a very simple word, with a very simple meaning. To forgive is “cease to feel resentment”, according to Merriam Webster. Resentment means a feeling of anger or ill-will toward another. So forgiving means to stop feeling anger or ill-will toward another. My definition of forgiving is just a bit different. The word itself gives us its meaning. Breaking it down into its syllables, we have “for” and “giving”. The word “for” is a function word that indicates “purpose”. The word... Sign in to see full entry.