Much of our history has been created and tainted by actions of those who use religious beliefs inappropriately for personal gains and the interests of themselves and others of their cultures and times. This includes sinners from all the religions and beliefs spawned in our shared history on earth.


But there's also more basic truths in our shared history that includes prophets and sages and wise observers who have provided solid spiritual ideas about God and principles and purposes of life.


I have seen and experienced how belief in God and ideals of God are adopted and applied with very positive and sometimes amazing results throughout the world today and by all religions, as it has throughout our shared history.


So I believe that what’s fair and desirable is that every individual be free to worship God in their own way, without interference, and followers must respect another’s right to do the same. To do otherwise is to assume to know God's mind and purpose.


Hence to condemn people to hell, or assume there is only one way into Heaven, is to me arrogance. There is also no certainty Jesus ever said this. Christianity developed over centuries, and was substantially completed by the Council of Nicea which spawned the Nicene Creed, which is the Christian affirmation of faith. Since then (325AD), more than 20 Ecumenical, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Councils have added pronouncements of faith and doctrine. There was an age of Reformation via Martin Luther and other great teachers that officially began in 1517 when Martin Luther published The Ninety-Five Theses.


All of this affected modern day Christian doctrine and belief, including "born again Christianity" but it was ALL promulgated, by a long chain of fallible humans enmeshed in their times and events.


So to me, condemning those who question or those who are born into other religions to Hell because they have not accepted Jesus as their personal saviour is the same as saying "I know God's mind in this matter", even though it was largely a product of the minds of men.


I wholeheartedly believe everyone should spend less time emphasizing how different we are from other believers, and more time thinking about God, and appreciate how different religions have enriched us and how close our core beliefs are. We should embrace these commonalities because they are truly worthy lessons to live by.


Firstly, our prophets agreed we should respect one another’s life and property and family and ways and beliefs and generally treat others as we ourselves want to be treated.


In addition our prophets also taught and encouraged self discipline, self sufficiency, self improvement, charitable giving and compassion, humility, truthfulness, to not steal or to harm or kill others.


And Aristotle taught the golden mean, which finds its way through life by understanding the extremities and looking to walk a reasonable path with temperance, justice, courage and wisdom


In addition I’ve come to believe and learn and understand and respect that all that is good in religion is due to its ideals and is about God, and all that is bad about religion is due to the character flaws and selfish actions of individual followers that rest in other arenas of human behaviour, where religion is a piece of a larger strategy.


So I also believe that killing or badly harming, lying or stealing in the name of God or religion should be reviled as the ultimate hypocrisy and morally repugnant.


And I’ll pass on believing our universe and our reality will continue to search for the undeniable truth of questions posed by the reality of the lives of our prophets.


Until then I believe we’ll keep asking. Its our dilemma as thinking, enquiring minds and flowers in God’s gardens.




If writing ever becomes work I think I'm going to have to stop