What a great article and thought provoking discussion! I've been thinking a lot lately about God and spirituality, because I'm also an actor and I've been thinking about writing a solo show about my spiritual journey, but it's hard to find the courage to think about performing it! I grew up with a lot of shame centered around religion. My parents were of different faiths (one Protestant and the other Catholic) and it caused so much turmoil and pain in our family about which faith to raise their kids, that religion was all but abandoned. I hardly went to church growing up, and didn't partake in any of the religious rituals associated with either faith (like communion, etc.) Other kids did in school, and I always felt like something was deeply wrong with me, because I had absolutely no experience of religion. I held that as a secret shame for years and on some level, I felt unworthy. I just went along and said I believed in God, the male figure I had seen a few times in church, but I didn't really have a sense of the divine, in my life. I didn't have enough info as a kid to really make an informed decision about which church I wanted to go to, then I was put off as I got older by those who openly judged me and thought me sinful because I never was a part of either church. I secretly felt a lot of shame around the issues of church because I wasn't a member and never really understood spirituality. As I got older and started to embrace or reclaim my identity as an artist, I started to feel glimmers of what it meant to embrace the divine. Something opened up within me in recent years, and I feel this connection, to something higher. I've been on my own journey to explore spirituality, have it be a part of my world. Still wading through a lot of confusion, but I really like what you said about energy, spirit, looking within, to the Universe and Consciousness. For me, that's what it's all about. Practicing loving kindness and compassion, is important, also. Lately, I've been really drawn to Buddhism, Taoism and things like Reiki, embracing Universal Energy or Life Force. I now actually think of God as energy or spirit, all religions referencing this eternal force, this totality, this Oneness, it's beyond anything we could give a human face or figure to, and it's in every one of us, in every thing. How far I've come from my upstate NY small town roots, where there was only a choice of a few religions that most people practiced and felt were valid. Anyway, I really like the pieces you are writing on these topics, it's good to have an open discussion about these things. My best, -Allison http://www.xomba.com/user/allison_west http://www.triond.com/users/Allison+West http://thecommacafe.blogspot.com

Celanith The Bible indeed was written by men, however it has s urvived eons, millinea of time. Most of the men who wrote it did have a personal relationship with The Creator. With the God family. Most were inspired to write. However as the world expanded and some knowledge was lost and other replaced and mankind having chosen through the sin of Adam and Eve due to disobedience and eating a forbidden fruit and thus becoming aware of both Good and Evil it changed the charater for all time of humanity and of earth. They chose to listen to someone whom had been in a spiritual war with his creator, Lucifer aka Satan aka The Devil. He took one third of the angels with him in rebellion and they became known as demons. God does not hate Satan he hates is behavior, attitude and actions. The book of Job shows him as being among "The sons of God" Job chapter 1;1-7. He is the original prodigal son. Can he repent? Of course he can if he so chooses. Will he time will tell. 2 Peter 3:8 But beloved do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as one day. Vs 9 the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness, but is patient toward us, not willing that ANY should perish but that ALL come to repentace. Even Satan can do this. Not in our time but in God's with God mankind has only technically been on the earth for about six days and Christ return and millinial 1000 year rule will be the 7th day rest. Satan will be put in time out for a time then let lose and then locked up forever and forever with God is as long as he decides. God made time for man we are in a time zone but God is perpetual. Many have been angry with God, he has broad shoulders. He can take it he can even accept dishonor. But he says not to blasphemy His Holy Spirit. That could lead to perpetual death. The earth is older than 6000 years, it existed prior to mankind, ther was a war in heaven among the Gods the spiritual realm how long it was without form and void only the God family knows. He told the animals at creation week to RE_PLENTISH the earth. meaning at some point in time before man it indicates there had been some life prior to the war in heaven. Perhaps a man like creation made by Lucifer and in all probability dinosaurs. So it is okay to dishonor God if you need. He can take it. He understands. It is man who has perverted, twisted, the word and inspired word making hundreds of religions out of a verse, a chapter a book of the bible and not growing or moving beyond what they think. Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor my ways your ways says the Lord. Vs 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. In fact if you talk to him he will listen, Moses and Abraham argued with God and he relented, changed his mind, Jacob wrestled with the Lord and would not let to until he was blessed and is name was changed to Israel. God likes a challenge. He is willing to listen. The written inspired word of the bible had deliberately been changed in intent in meaning t times but mostly it is the same. Mankind thinks they can fool God or change things and sell thier idea to people but God is not mocked. He lets them but in the end he and he alone will judge EACH person for what his life is or was about. Not your sister, parents, brother, neighbor, friend, enemy. But you all alone will answer for what and who you are, what you did and why or didn't do and why. No one else can stake your place. He gives us all a freewill choice and from that we will be judged not by others, but by God and the God family. 99.9% of humanity will repent and will have salvation only a few won't and that is from the beginning of mans creation to the end of the millinial rule of Christ which is not yet but soon will occur. Yes we will have ONE world order government but not as mankind thinks we will but as God has already ordained it to be in his time and place. Under One King called Jesus the Christ. At the end he turns the Kingdom over to his Father.

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Celanith First of all God is not a religion, he is. Mankind made religon. Mankind took words written down sort of like a journal or outline. The whole story of the entire day by day, minute by minute is not there of all who wrote their words and some later put it togather to make the bible. They wrote down the highlights the things that were most important. It is like a road map but you can get lost if you don't have a guide or help. Jesus gave us a helper and comforter called the Holy Spirit. You have to ask for the Holy spirit and ask it help you. Many "Religions" Don't follow even the biblical instructions of the laying on of hands and asking for the Holy Spirit after baptism to become a part of the person newly baptized. Without that helper we cannot understand or grow. We can ask God ourself for it and more and more of it. Our bodies are the Temple of the Holy spirit. The Holy Spirit is PART of the God Family and can dwell in us. The God family is infinite and can be any where and all places. Religion is made by man and man perverts and takes the Bible out of context. They pick something instead of taking it as a whole. The ten commamdments many think were given to Moses. The truth is they were regiven to Moses to teach the Israelite tribes again what they lost while enslaved for 400 years. 1. Thou shalt have no Other Gods before me. ( God wanted the Isrealites to remember he rescued them from slavery and bondage from a nation that worship all sorts of graven images and idols that did nothing ) 2. Thou Shall not make any graven images or likeness of anything in heaven above or the earth below or the waters under the earth nor bow down and serve them. Eygpt served all sorts of idols, bowed to them paid homage to them idols of flies, frogs, and many others. None of them saved Eygpt or Israel. God had a right to be jealous. He save them and he protected them and rescued them. The God family created man Genisis 1:26 Let US make man in OUR image. There is more than one Spiritual being here not one. 3. Thou shalt not take the name of God or your creator in vain. This means more than using the word Damn. It has to do with saying you love him and turning your back on respecting him Israel did that they took what he did and spit on him and made a golden calf after seeing all the miracles he had done to rescure them. The moaned, groaned complained. Said they had no meat yet the took herds of animals with them when they left Eygpt. They were unthankful. 4. Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy. God took ONE day the SEVENTH DAY no the first and set it aside and sanctified and hallowed it and made it HOLY. God not man. He wanted us to keep that one day he especially set aside to spend with him, to feast, laugh, talk, walk, sing and rejoice and play with him. He said it is a sign between him and his people. It is part of the sealing of the Holy spirit. The God family is way more than a trinity. It is vast and he adds to it. His plan is we too if we want will become spiritual sons and daughters. There is NO End to his goverment or realm. It goes into perpetuity. We humans are part of it but not the beginning nor the end. The above are the first 4.Christ summed it up like this Mark 12:29 Part one. is to First of all the commandments is Hear O man, the Lord our God is the Supreme one. Then he goes onto say vs 30 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength. This is the first commandment. This is the first commandmnent, (Christ sums up the First four of the 10 commandments in this one commandment) vs 31. The second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself, there is no greater commandment than these two. This is a summary of the last six of the 10 commandments. The last six of the 10 are as follow; 5. Honor your mother and father that your days may be long on the earth. 6. You shall not murder (kill) 7. You shall not commit adultry (or sexual immorality) 8. You shall not steal 9. You shall not bear false witness ( Lie about others causing them harm) 10. You shall not covet anything belonging to your neighbor, not home, wife, children, servants, livestock or anything else. These were given first to Adam and Eve who broke every one of them. They were given to Noah and Abraham, Issac, Jacob and Joseph and the sons of Israel. They were lost for 400 years of slavery in Eygpt. Jesus Christ and his disciples lived by them and with them. The 10 commandment. Christ came to reveal God the father and to not do away with the 10 commandments laws but to make them great and at the same time fulfill the sacrificial laws of atoning for sin in which for a time the Levites were to be in the priest hood and sacrfice the blood for animals to pray and atone for the sins of the people. This and the laws of "tithing" giving a 10th to the levitical priesthood was done away with at Christ crucifiction NOT the 10 commandments. Christ was NOT crucified on a Friday but just before sunset on what was to be the Jews Passover High annual Sabbath. He said he would be in the tomb three full days and three full nights. He did NOT rise early Sunday morning. He rose at dusk sunset Saturday night. When the Mary's went to the tomb he was ALREADY risen and gone. They went VERY early in the morning shortly after midnight. Sunday is an invention of man and Constintine a Roman Emporer instituted Sunday as the Lord's day to keep and the reason was to appease the other religions of the day who worshipped Baal and Ra and other gods and goddesses, Isis or Ishtaer. Sun/Son worship. Christ did not change the Sabbath ever, he kept his Father's commandments. I John 3:1-2. II John 1:1-11. The world is in enemity against God and his laws, his way, his will his plan. Hell is the grave, Ghenna is not a perpetual punishment of burning torment and is only reserved for the completely rebellious after the live for 1000 years under Christ rule and still refuse to obey. Then comes the judgement of all mankind, the dead and the living. After which comes The KINGDOM of God the father who plans to dwell with man. He will bring his Kingdom back and start where he left off with Adam. Man will not be able to inherit it until he quaifies. he can see it into the Kingdom spiritual realm but cannot enter until he qualifies if after 100 years he does not repent then he is NO more, gone and not remembered. If he does he is changed to spiritual. The bible is not at all what people think and the churches have perverted, twisted, taken things out of context, lied,and totally do not understand at all God and his ultimate plan or purpose and if you don't hve the Holy spirit you cannot understand even the little he is willing for mankind to understand. It is quite laughable how mankind hates God, denies his being, is in rebellion against him, his authority his purpose and will. It is silly. It is foolish and none of us can fight a spirit or a spiritual power beyond our understanding. Defy all you want God is and he will not be mocked by man or mankind. He has every right to be jealous he made us he has every right to ask us to obey him. To worship him and him alone, not his creation or things we make with our hands. He wants us to be happy, comfortable and appriciate his creation but not worship it. Everyone thinks God is dead, non existant, far off. he is always right there all the time the spirit world both good and evil are right there all the time. We sometimes get a glimmer a taste but we really as humans cannot understand it fully and we are foolish to deny or mock the spirit world. For in the end we are nothing and have no control at all of our ultimate destiny.