Home
>
Spirituality
>
Love vs. Fear - Volume 18

Love vs. Fear - Volume 18

Breaking with tradition, today's article comes from the 9-23-04 edition of Sojomail. Sojomail is produced by Sojourners; an evangelical journal, and calls itself a 'weekly email-zine of spirituality, politics and culture.' I personally object to their use of the term spirituality, because they are decidedly Christian oriented. For them to replace the word 'spirituality' with the word 'Christianity' would be a lot more accurate. I do feel that the good people at Sojourners do have very wonderful intentions. I just wish they didn't feel the need to route all their efforts through Christianity, to the exclusion of billions of the earth's inhabitants.

I'm also uncomfortable with the four core beliefs of evangelicals. Here they are; 1) The Bible is without error (that alone is enough to stop me), 2) Salvation comes through faith in Jesus and not good deeds (so cancel all those good deeds you had in mind), 3) Individuals must accept Jesus as adults (is there a cut-off age for that, is it 18 or 21 or what...?) and 4) All Christians must evangelize. To evangelize means to 1) Preach the gospel and 2) Convert to Christianity.

Christianity says that you HAVE to claim Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior in order to get in to heaven. Where does that leave all the Buddhists and Muslims and all the other non-Christians of the world? Spirituality says that EVERYone goes to heaven. Spirituality says that God loves unconditionally. That means that God loves everybody; not just Christians! Spirituality is all-inclusive, whereas Christianity, and most other major religions are exclusive. Either you belong to our club, or you're out. No heaven for you!

Anyway, the article in Sojomail is entitled; "Jimmy Swaggart tells congregation he'd kill gays." Isn't that nice!? Here we have a self proclaimed Christian 'man of God' telling a global audience that "If one ever looks at me like that I'm going to kill him and tell God he died." To which he receives laughter and applause from his audience. This is not a movie, this really happened, on Sunday; 9-19-04! I honestly can't believe this! How could a man who claims to be a 'man of God' preach something so un-Godly!? Mr. Swaggart quotes the biblical passage where God says that homosexuality is an 'abomination.' There's just one, of the MANY proofs that the Bible is WITH error! Any passage in the Bible that contradicts the truth that God is unconditionally loving, is false. Those ideas came from some man or men with the agenda to control us through fear.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again; there are a lot of 'homo-phobes' out there. Many people see gay peoples' differences as justification for hating them. This hatred is based in fear; "I don't understand them, therefore I don't like them, and I'm gonna kill them." A more Godly response would be; "I see their differences, and I may not understand them, but I will embrace them anyway, as they are also God's beloved creatures, as am I."

We've got two role models to choose from today, folks; God & Jimmy Swaggart. Take your pick...

PEACE!

John Ford - Life Coach
(512) 657-1584
http://www.happinessforsale.net

Your questions and/or comments are welcome and encouraged! Please feel free to pass this on, in its entirety, to everyone you wish. If you would like to subscribe or unsubscribe, please let me know at http://www.happinessforsale.net. Also, please know that your email address will never be bought, sold, traded, folded, spindled or mutilated, for any reason, by anyone. Thank you.

About The Author

John Ford

I live in Austin, Texas; where I have lived over half of my life. I am a graduate of Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Accounting & Marketing.

I have always been interested in personal development, and have studied many books and tape programs over the years. I have read over 50 books on the subject in the last 3 years alone. I also have the CDs to many of the books I've studied, which I am constantly rotating through the CD player of my vehicle whenever I am driving. I have applied many of the concepts I've learned, to my own life and business, and have developed a "real world" knowledge of what works and what doesn't.

I began the rewarding and fulfilling career of being a full time Life Coach after 20 years of being a certified public accountant for a wide variety of numerous businesses. I knew in my gut the first time I heard about the coaching profession, that I had always been a coach in my heart and that this was my new career. I enrolled in coach training programs and learned what I needed to know to get started, but my education continues constantly. Self development is an ongoing, life-long process.

I am PASSIONATE about Life Coaching because it enables me to serve mankind in the most useful way that I can spend the days of my life. Not only do I greatly enrich the lives of my clients, but I get to benefit as well. As I coach my clients to greater happiness in every area of their lives, I also get to receive the gift of having provided that service! Nothing else in my life has ever given me greater fulfillment and satisfaction, than helping others dramatically improve their lives.

http://www.happinessforsale.net

bathroom cleaning service Mundelein ...

In The News:

Paralyzed woman Audrey Crews controls a computer with a brain chip from Elon Musk's Neuralink, demonstrating breakthrough brain-computer interface technology.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Meta removed over 600,000 predatory accounts from Instagram and Facebook while launching enhanced safety protections for teenage users on both platforms.

Facebook crypto scams trick users with fake celebrity endorsements and legitimate-looking cryptocurrency exchange ads that install malware on victims' devices.

Create private chat rooms using the iPhone Notes app collaboration feature with instant messaging capabilities and full control over conversation privacy.

Lyft rolled out safety upgrades with a new Safety Hub, driver blocking capability and a favorite driver option to give riders more control over their experience.

New research shows Americans increasingly trust AI for wellness guidance over social media, with 63% finding artificial intelligence reliable for health.

Luxury fashion brand Dior experienced a January 2025 data breach affecting customer personal information, and notifications were sent months after the discovery.

The commercial Unitree H1 humanoid robot weighs 104 pounds with 365 pound-feet torque per joint and demonstrates dangerous potential when software glitches occur.

Americans average 10-plus hours online daily, according to recent survey, splitting time between streaming shows on TV and browsing websites on multiple devices.

Boost your smartphone privacy instantly with these security tweaks for iPhone and Android that limit ad tracking, hide notifications and prevent unauthorized access.

Platforms like Hoax Tech and JS Click Cloaker help cybercriminals bypass detection systems using machine learning to selectively display scam content to victims.

A new battery recycling technique transforms old lithium-ion batteries into high-performance components that retain 88% capacity after 500 cycles with minimal waste.

Google's Android operating system can warn users about earthquakes before the shaking even begins – and there are ways to do it on your iPhone, too.

Meta's new gesture control wristband might just be the most seamless way to control a computer yet. And no, it doesn't require surgery, a camera, or even a touchscreen. All it needs is your wrist.

Long-haul trucks are now being upgraded with a surprising twist, thanks to California-based startup Revoy. Their electric boost doesn't replace diesel but works alongside it to cut emissions and fuel costs without major disruption.

PayPal and Venmo just rolled out something big: AI-powered scam alerts for Friends and Family payments.

As data centers multiply across the United States, energy demand is increasing at a rapid pace. This has not escaped the notice of large investment firms from Wall Street.

The Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit organization that maintains the Unicode Standard to ensure emojis work across devices, has announced Unicode 17.0, which includes nine new emojis slated for release this fall, in September 2025.

OpenAI is one of the world's leading AI research labs. Founded in 2015, it's behind some of today's most talked-about tools, including GPT, DALL·E, and ChatGPT.

Ever catch your dog staring at the screen during movie night and wonder if they're actually watching? Turns out, they might be. A new scientific study from Auburn University found that many dogs really do engage with television, and not all pups react the same way.

Stop the scammers from making contact in the first place. They're getting your parents' contact information and much more personal data besides, from somewhere.

The Walker S2 robot from UBTech autonomously exchanges its batteries in just three minutes, allowing continuous operation in car factories operated by BYD, Nio and Zeekr.

The FX Super One electric MPV from Faraday Future offers flexible seating, zero-gravity recliners and an AI system that creates a personal connection between driver and vehicle.

Practical solutions for reducing unwanted charity mail, political texts and email spam by opting out of shared lists, replying "STOP" and using data removal services.