False Prophets

From the looks of things, I don’t believe all religious leaders take a vow of poverty as many churches have become big business. I heard Republican candidate Ron Paul say Americans used to get medical assistance from churches. Now, I believe there are many poor congregations with pastors that live well, have nice homes and drive nice cars. The Pope is an excellent example of this situation. The only religious leader I’ve heard of that hasn’t become rich at the expense of his congregation is Pastor Joel Osteen of the Lakewood Church. He and his wife take no salary from the ministry; they take in and give away about $80 million a year to causes around the world. I’m not sure if living better than your congregation indicates pride or greed. But I’m pretty sure that the bottom line of any religion is to do away with evil. If it’s not then I believe that it’s a religion fostered by evil. I also believe that true religions with a faith in God would teach their flocks tolerance and hold them accountable for their behavior. Years ago men danced with men and men played the roles of women in plays. Today people despise the Gays that take up the roles of the past. I do wonder what church those young adults attended and what they were thinking when they beat up a transgender person in a McDonalds’ restaurant earlier this year; the same question goes for all of those who watched and did nothing. Many Americans are obese, commit adultery and are not jailed for other offenses that violate the Commandments and there doesn’t seem to be a huge religious rebellion against these people. Perhaps the lack of rebellion is because our religious leaders are just as guilty. Pastor Rick Warren of the Saddleback Church said - never follow a leader who always preaches against the sins of others and never publicly confesses his own. On October 15, 2011 for the first time that I can remember, a Bishop from Kansas City, Missouri, was charged with waiting 5 months to tell police about child pornography being on a priest’s computer; the Catholic diocese has pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge. On November 23 ABC News reported that federal prosecutors charged 7 Amish men with hate crimes after cutting men and women’s hair over a dispute in Amish theology; the group’s leader (Mullet) had members sleep for days at a time in a chicken coop and counseled the clan’s married women to cleanse themselves of the devil with acts of sexual intimacy; law enforcement says the Amish community was living in fear. A Kentucky Baptist Church banned an interracial couple from attending services and on December 3 it was said that Georgia mega-church Bishop Eddie Long’s wife is moving forward with divorce because of his improper sexual relations.

We all know it’s easier to be bad than to be good and perhaps our society and laws are making it too easy to fall. But we must believe that all of the false leaders and their followers have chosen to go along with Lucifer and oppose the people who like Lucifer decide not to be God’s disciple. Mostly, we as individuals must stop the continued use of religion to justify our prejudices. Martin Luther King said - Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. We must remember it is God’s job to give mercy on our lives (see Commandment #2). Our job is not to judge but to be reasonable supporters of God. We must stop losing sight of God because someone has chosen not to do as God asks and blames God, not the individual(s), for an immoral incident. We should NOT be thinking ‘how could God let this happen’ when someone’s choice is to work for evil. Perhaps we should be saying ‘damn the devil and his followers’ instead. I believe life is a test and each of us has to decide whether or not the journey will be toward the greater good or not. The so called faithful need to stop aiding evil by supporting the livelihood of the true criminals; those that break the Commandments. Tom Shadyac on the Oprah show said – you have to have the courage to ask questions; be authentic (not a follower or joiner). He said it is scientifically proven that the entire human race is connected; we’re all hardwired to cooperate – not be competitive and if you don’t do what your heart wants you to do, it can destroy you.

Most religions, I think, believe in some form of reincarnation, return of souls/spirits. There are lots of documented cases to show spirits don’t always leave the earth and psychics talking about past lives. If we don’t change our thinking and hold people accountable for their actions the number of evil doers will continue to grow. It seems those are the ones that stay or keep coming back in large numbers.

People need to change if they want God’s love or compassion. And, I believe without change that God will be disappointed to discover that his/her faith in people is more than people’s faith in God. I urge everyone to look to themselves for guidance unless the result they wish to achieve is friends in hell when the time comes.