Spirituality

Today, I actually wanna touch on something serious. I turned on my tv and for some reason it was on OWN (I'm pretty sure Rick had been watching Welcome to Sweetie Pie'slol). Anyways, I've never really been one of those Oprah worshipers so I really don't watch much on her network. But today was a rerun on Super Soul Sunday of her interview with Rev. Ed Bacon. I have to say.... This man gets it and what it's all about. The things coming out of his mouth are EXACTLY what I've tried to convey to the uber-RELIGIOUS fanatics that surround me. I always hear from people "my bible says..."..... But I ask, does "your bible" say these things to you because it's what you were told in church it says OR did you really study that meaning on your own and know its meaning fir yourself? For me, I am not a person that puts my "faith" in scripture.....I am not a person that takes comfort in the words to get me thru. That's not to say it can't or shouldn't comfort others. I take comfort in KNOWING that there is a higher power that I can turn to for answers, for unconditional love, and for light. One of the things I've been hearing lately A LOT is "my bible says....God says 'I am the way and the way to me is thru my son' which means if you don't accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you can't go to heaven." To me, as a person who was raised Catholic (and doesn't follow that religious belief system) this is the most asinine statement because I was taught that God loves all his children..... And if God created the heavens, the Earth, beasts, plants, Man.......then why would he give us free will and then force us to believe one thing to be welcomed into heaven?? The response I usually get (a typical church influenced response) is that God did not lead these other religious beliefs to be created....the deceiver did, meaning Satan. WOW! So here I am, watching REVEREND Ed Bacon say that Satan is not just this outside being..... Evil lives within every person, and that "evil" is EGO!! Ego is what keeps a person believing that their way...their churches way....is the ONLY way. And when you think that way, that is actually allowing deceit and evil into your life because you are making someone else feel excluded or ashamed for their beliefs and/or just being who they are. Instead, we need to all respect each others feelings, beliefs and/or knowings. Otherwise, our Ego's are feeding Evil which leads to hatred and violence. This is how we follow Grace. You can take the advice of those around you, but YOU are the ultimate decider of how to move forward in a situation. Your inner voice is there to guide you and you should listen to it. And why? Because that is the "Devine" speaking!! That is your answer from God. So for those that believe Jesus is the only way to God, remember that what Jesus himself said; "The Kingdom of Heaven is within you." So if your belief system is that Jesus is the way, his teaching is that you need to look inside yourself for God... For the Devine. You don't need religion for this, but you can meld your religion and your spirituality. That means taking what you are taught and then figuring out what feels right to you. It means being a good person. It means taking time to live, time to breath, time to love, time to forgive. I'm reminded of a story an old friend shared with me recently.... He was sitting with a group of spiritual leaders and advisors and at one point, someone said to him, "well surely you believe in God." To wit he replied, "well, no, honestly I don't." Of course, being the room full of people it was, everyone was horrified. "How can you say you don't believe in God," he was asked. And his reply was "Believing is for people that don't already Know. I don't Believe in an idea of God.... I KNOW God exists." No one had a rebuttal to this, because what can you say except that he was and is correct. So figure out for yourself what you KNOW is your truth instead of following a Belief. And that is my serious message for the day. :)