The Meaning of Christmas 2015 (Christmas)

On this Boxing Day, after the experience of spending Christmas Day with my family, I ponder the meaning of "the spirit of Christmas" at home. Yet what does the spirit of Christmas really mean?

This Christmas is unlike all the Christmases before today: I love it, despite all the gift giving. Because of the magic of giving without any thought of myself, I am free of myself.

Who benefits from that freedom? All of us, who too have freed ourselves from wondering "What's in it for me?"

Instead, embraced by what began the world of today, I shall declare what makes us free:

"Love one another as each of us has learned to love our enemies in forgiveness and with the mercy of God."

For that is what the spirit of Christmas really means to me. What say thee?

Commentary:

Disclaimer: everything I write is my opinion only, and not endorsed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Though I present their plan of salvation, my interpretation of Jesus as son of God differs greatly from theirs to remain true to all peoples of the Book, be they Ahmadi, Baha'i, Christian, Druze, Jew, Mandean, Muslim, or Yazidi

Indeed, Christmas represents God's forgiveness for the trespasses of past sins and mercy to everyone who truly repents of them. This is but my own personal opinion.

Yet the doubt of this sentiment by unbelievers is matched by their unspoken belief in the mercilessness of a cold and cruel world devoid of God, who to them is an imaginary friend.

To me, this imaginary friend is real in my heart, and he has a name: God Almighty. Before we chose to live this mortal life, we once were, are still, and shall remain His children, all of us sons and daughters of God.

For not only do I believe, the spirit of Christmas is captured in the imagination of all believers of God Almighty that one of his sons, the Christ Jesus, is real — not just in my heart, but in the heats of all believers on his name, too.

We know him to be born in Springtime, over 2000 years ago. Even though the celebration of Jesus' birth is a recent innovation assimilated into his worship, the love of God Almighty leads his faithful children to the Savior, born in a manger so long ago.

Although my faith sustains me, the truth that sets me free is this: Jesus as prophet has brought the Comforter that is promised to everyone who is baptized in his name. My belief in this promise sustains my faith in God Almighty. Because of that faith, I am free of the error of unbelief symbolized by one question — 'What's in it for me?"

That error is corrected by my belief in a merciful God — and in the son of God, the Christ Jesus — to become the quest for what is in that faith of the believer who believes in the greatest story ever told: the story of Jesus.

Christmas begins that story. Each light in a Christmas tree represents the light of the soul bequeathed with the Holy Ghost, enlightened with the belief in God Almighty and the faith of a mustard seed which seems so small yet grows quickly, basking in the light of Christ Jesus.

In this light, faith in Jesus and his Atonement, repentance of sins, baptism in his name, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end in the path of perseverance are the five things which are near and dear to my heart as the plan of salvation.

Christmas reminds me of these five things which shape my understanding of God's plan of salvation clearly to me. Christ Jesus' story clarifies how that understanding affirms my belief in God Almighty. As God's dearest child, Jesus is the shining example of perfection. This is why he is referred to as God's Only Begotten, and this metaphor is often taken literally, lest its metaphorical significance distract the doubters from its spiritual truth: the love of God for us all that Jesus died for our sins, and thus atoned for our sins. This is the truth of his Atonement, that I believe on the name of Jesus to follow in his example — to go and sin no more.

When Jesus was baptized in God's name by John the Baptist, he did so to show that he is the Word, and that the Light of the Word is of God Almighty.

Though men will debate of immaculate conception and conflate the term "son of God" into "Son of God," my belief in the Light has revealed to me through the Holy Ghost that the Word which enlightens us reflects upon that Light.

Thus am I freed by the Word to show that the Light of God Almighty shines on us all. Though this be my personal belief, it leads me to remain resolute in my belief in Jesus as son of God Almighty, comforted by the Holy Ghost that is of God, the Father of us all.

For God is One as the Light of the world, and Jesus, the Word that shines that Light on the world — by the subtle power of the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God that enlightens all believers, even myself.

What is Christmas then? It is about the spirit of giving that transcends exchanging gifts and even that of Boxing Day Specials. Many people line up to to get the best deals in town at such sales events.

Though Christmas Day was yesterday, all of this on which I reflect might be forgotten, were I to indulge myself by lining up in a long queue to buy a Boxing Day special. Instead, I sit here crafting this Christmas message, and have no doubt of the import of my message to my followers, both old and new.

Christmas is special, because it teaches us about giving without expectation of getting something in return. Were it possible to be giving 24-7, 365 days a year, men, women and children might perfect themselves daily. Yet this wish to be giving of oneself is perfection. Free agency perfected might realize it as ideal, but reality favours being human; for to be human is to err, and forgiveness, divine — due to God's mercy.

This brings us to the birth of Jesus in a manger on a clear Spring night over two millennia ago.

For me, the birth of Jesus — symbolized by Christmas — defines the moment when God Almighty showed once again, shows even now, and shall show tomorrow how merciful that he truly is. This indeed is the mercy of God in action — compassion and loving-kindness for us all.

That an innocent child of God grew up to become his greatest prophet confirms the mercy of God Almighty and the destiny of that child as our savior Jesus as Messiah. Indeed, Christmas is about the Christ child, the gift of our salvation.

"Behold,a virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel." — Isaiah 7:14

Introducing Dalek God, My Blog About All Things Dalek

Introducing my new blog, Dalek God, which is about my spin on Daleks from the Doctor Who series on the BBC.

Hopefully I won't run into any copyright troubles with the BBC.

God Pouring Out His Love Through Jesus (Religion)

Disclaimer: This article is solely my personal opinion and is not endorsed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

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While listening to the October General Conference on Sunday, I briefly nodded off.

Due to insomnia, I had gotten little rest the night before.

Anyhow, during that brief moment asleep, I saw a man who I realize now was a water-bearer around whom were gathered a crowd.

"I bring water," he said, "to share with everyone freely so that those of you who drink of it may live."

Having said that, he carefully filled a cup with water from a large water bag on his back, and let each person who had assembled before him drink from the cup.

Then I awoke, and realized that the man was Jesus Christ. Through this dream, God was reminding me of the importance of General Conference to each and everyone who listens to, and/or studies the conferences.

Through all the speakers at the General Conference God is conveying his love for us all. Just as the conference speakers share good news about Jesus, so too is Christ Jesus pouring out his love for all mankind through his atonement, and who sacrificed his life so that we may have eternal life. That love is expressed in Mark 22:37-40 when Jesus says:

"...Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

"This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

"On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

For these two commandments confirm that God is pouring out his love for mankind through the Christ Jesus.

What Do the Israeli Military, Jihadi and the West Have In Common?

In light of a recent opinion editorial in the New York Times about the Syrian refugees, I have reflected on the situation now facing the West. With the growing refugee crisis now at the border crossings in Eastern Europe, it is clear to me that millenarianism empowers the Israeli military, jihadists of all stripes, and Western influence in the Middle East.

For their millenarian sentiments bedevil them, leading them to unwittingly abandon a merciful God for the diabolical Anti-Christ, trading peace for warfare with a growing religious tone.

All parties fighting in the Middle East are confident that their warfare will usher in Armageddon, with millenarian Christians and Jews, both of whom are militant Zionists, pitted against radical Muslim fundamentalists (takfiri), who consider everyone else to be apostate.

Each side, be they Zionists or takfiri, sees themselves as God's chosen people and the other side as the Anti-Christ. On one side we have the Zionist army of God, consisting of pro-Israel Christian militants and their Zionist brethren, and on the other side,are the takfiri of Islamic State, al Nasrah Front, al Qaeda and associated militant groups - including Hezbollah and the radical elements of Hamas and ...

Historically, the Zionist militants and the takfiri have been fighting with each other over Palestine since the 1970s, when Israel launched attacks against the UAR, specifically Egypt and Syria, winning the Golan Height (West Bank) and the Gaza strip. At the time the Israeli military even occupied the Sinai peninsula, but later gave it back to Egypt because, being a desert wasteland, was not considered strategic territory by the Israeli government of the time.

Though the takfiri claim historical precedence that goes back to when Palestine was originally conquered by Muslims from 7th Century to 9th CE. In contrast, in recent years, radical Zionists in Israel have tried to rewrite history by denying Palestine ever existed, yet most Arab nations in the Middle East have referred to Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria as the Levant.

Meanwhile, in eastern Europe, the Ukraine has become a conflict between the West (secularism in the form of NATO representing the anti-Christ) and Russia (the Orthodox Church representing the militant Christ of Armageddon), even though this is a proxy war between American government and her NATO allies, and Russian government and her allies. In contrast, the radical Ukrainian militant nationalists adhering the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Protestant evangelical fundamentalism consider themselves representatives of the same militant Christ fighting against the Anti-Christ (the Russian military). Though most Ukrainian nationalists are nominal Christians, adhering mainly to a neo-Nazi form of Christianity in which white power is associated with Christ.

IMHO the mainstream media is burying this story because they don't want to frighten their consumers to death with pointless end of the world stories of Armageddon, thus proving to me the old adage that few people can handle the truth, especially when religion has mixed with politics in the Middle East from the beginning over 2500 years ago. As for the Ukrainian conflict, the New Left and far right (neo-Nazi) organizations are nationalists first. If the far right in the Ukraine radicalize further, then there might be an internal struggle between the secular left and the far right radicals. However, the Ukrainian left and right are united against their common enemy, Russia.

Meanwhile, in Europe, refugees fleeing Syria are a mix of Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims and Christians while a few of the Sunni men in Syria have coalesced into rebel militant groups. This in part is due to the secondary proxy war between Sunni and Shi'ite participants with Iran supporting the Assad regime in Syria and the Gulf States supporting the Sunni rebels.

Last year, the Sunni jihadists formerly known as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and briefly as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, became a de facto nation called Da'esh (Islamic State). Consisting of a Millenarian jihadi force sponsored by the Gulf States (mainly Qatar and Saudi Arabia — due to the strong offensive by Syrian army in western Syria. Then their Western sympathizers came to eastern Syria via Turkey to the border with Iraq to fight on their side, while Western mercenaries went there and allied with the Kurds to fight the Jihadi of Da'esh.

Of course, the Shi'ite refugees from Syria bypassed Iran due to its police state. Their impression that Western Europe is the bastion of freedom fuels their walk to freedom via Turkey into Europe. For the problem with the Syrian refugees is not only the Middle East; it also has to do with European fear of Islam.

How ironic that both the refugees and most of Europe nominally believe in God, be they Christians, Jews or Muslims. Indeed, this is what is common to millenarians regardless of their faith: they worship God.

In response to the refugee crisis, my solution is to propose that the Christian politicians of the West practise two of Christ Jesus' commandments: love your enemy and practice charity towards them.

Any other solution may eventually prove that the West is not yet sympathetic to the plight of the Syrian refugees, especially in Hungary.

YMMV

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References:

Commentary about mainstream media hiding the Millenarian ideology common in the Israeli military: http://mondoweiss.net/2015/09/mainstream-Israeli-colonel

NY Times article mentioning the Israeli colonel's millenarian comment: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/08/06/opinion/thomas-friedman-revelations-in-the-gaza-war.html?referrer

The Catholic definition of millenarianism: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10307a.htm

Timeline of the name Palestine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_name_%22Palestine%22

Islam and Millenarianism: http://science.jrank.org/pages/7870/Islamic-Millenarianism.html

Russia-US talks on Syria do little to stem flow of refugees: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/russia-u-s-talks-on-syria-do-little-to-stem-flow-of-refugees-1.3236891

Quick facts: what you need to know about Syria crisis: http://www.mercycorps.org/articles/turkey-iraq-jordan-lebanon-syria/quick-facts-what-you-need-know-about-syria-crisis

UNHCR factson the crisis in the Syrian Arab Republic: http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49e486a76.html

Robust, coherent Europe response to Refugee crisis still urgently needed: http://www.unhcr.org/55f817399.html

It's Been Awhile (satire)

To all my fans/followers:

My excuse for not regularly posting articles on my blog is this: I have been obsessed with work, mainly because my new boots allow for walking for 5.5 and 6 hours.

It is possible that I've almost walked a thousand miles. Hence my need for prescription medications such as gabapentin (relieves neuropathic pain), flexeril (relaxes the muscles in my shoulder, and recently bupropion (Zyban is said to cure cigarette smoking).

Even the Zyban had the wonderful side effect of causing me to not indulge in bad habits — mainly paying more attention to my technology than to my surroundings.

Within 15 minutes playing attention to my technology, I feel the the signs of a relapse but alcohol or drugs is not my vice. Instead, I madly type on my keyboard and create articles like this one.

Look, I have cut out coffee and tea, alcohol, masturbation, and smoking. Instead of sinning quietly, I catch myself reading the Gospel Library app. Though a few people are not clued in that when I pulled out my smart-phone or tablet, I am not about to surf to porn websites. Instead, I am searching for a quote by Joseph Smith, but came up with this quote from the New Testament:

Little children, let no man deceive you.
He who does rigorousness is righteous,
even as he is righteous. — 1 John 3:7

To masturbate or watch porn or indulge in adultery and prostitution, or commit homosexual acts, is condemned by John when he wrote:

He who commits sin is of the devil,
for the devil sinned from the beginning.
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested,
that he might destroy the works of the devil. — 1 John 3:8

By praying to the Lord and beseeching Jesus Christ instead of indulging in booze, cigarettes, wine, soft and hard drugs, adultery, masturbation, prostitution, coffee and tea, and homosexual acts, I shall eventually be rid of the evil that these things do to me that even comes to affect my family and friends.

Oh dear! I have become no fun anymore to the all sorts of decadent hedonists, those salt of the earth who party and stay up late at night.

All it takes is confessing your sin to someone trustworthy like a bishop, a priest, a reverend, a rabbi, a shaman or even a trusted friend, and earnestly repent. The worst that could happen to you is not taking sacrament next Sunday. In due time, by following the doctrines of your faith, you will discover that worldliness is only fun for the worldly.

Once we are baptized, the best way to renew our covenant with God is to faithfully attend sacrament meetings on Sunday, the Lord's Day. For the baptized are born of God after being dipped in the baptism fount.

Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin, for his seed remains in him and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

For it is better to be a child of God, born of God, than to be a child of the devil. When you practice righteousness, you are of God, and so too are they who love their brothers and sisters.

For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. — I John 3:9-11

Yet the habits that you used to love, you come to detest them, not being satisfied with what you do to get relief. That love is a false love because the more you indulge yourself with a bad habit, the more you are socially isolated from the world.

For desire when indulged leaves a bitter-sweet taste in your mouth; but your love is false because desire is more likely to lead to sin when indulged. As for love, it is best to remove all conditions associated with it so that we may love unconditionally.

So, I have been praying about and meditating upon my life, only to see that Joseph Smith's words are true: each of us are free agents who can choose to do good or to do evil.

Indeed, in the heat of passion, I once blamed others for my trespasses, but no more.

Instead I enjoy giving sacrament to members who, because of illness, cannot attend church. It is also why I enjoy participating in discussions during the Elders Quorum meeting most of all.

Now that I have confessed my sin of avoiding responsibility for my actions, I shall repent and try to be the quiet silence in the aftermath of a storm.


Thanks for reading this blog entry. Please take care of yourselves lest you entertain the devil unaware. ;)

The Folly of Offering a Spiritual Cure for Addiction

Last night at work, I spotted members of the local church holding an addiction seminar at the recreation center.

This church offers the cure of Jesus Christ for addictions.

Sadly they brought pamphlets, which would lead to pollution so I threw the four that I found in the nearest garbage can.

IMHO the cure for addiction is to be of service to other people. Even keeping the earth green is a higher calling. Yet a religious organization that is not eco-friendly is not keeping the earth that God created clean.

That these church members don't get this shows that their cure is merely a substitution of a deadly addiction with godliness and its potential to be abused.

All the paper pollution that these ex-addicts left behind show that they are the road to a spiritual addiction which will blind them to true service to their fellow mankind.

For godly people are sorely tempted to consider themselves better than a sinner who abases himself by praying meekly, "Lord, have mercy on me a sinner."

Satan as Superstition (satire)

Contrary to a few of Christendom's arrogant posture that their faith is based on a new offshoot of Judaism lacking true syncretism, the assimilation of local traditions into Catholicism is nothing more than syncretism in which the early Church absorbed pagan traditions and remade the gods in God's image as angels, demons and Satan.

However, Satan is a tempter who has no real power, except through people aligned with the dark side of human nature.

Ergo, absolute evil and absolute good never existed before mankind thought them up, given that, according to the Bible, God is the sole author of good-and-evil.

Satan is not real. Rather, superstitious fear of the devil is the most diabolical of what man has wrought on innocents.

It has led to witch hunts from the 15th Century up until the 19th Century, and sometimes occurs in the Old World.

In the name of religion, socio-political turmoil, Catholic versus Protestant conflict, functional explanations, class conflict and gender conflict better explain what really happened in those times. Men relied on their prejudices and fears stoked by religious excess to oppress other men, women and children.

Today, few people believe Satan is real, and most of us know he is not a real being. Indeed, he has no physical power in the material realm at all, being merely a metaphor for the potential of great evil, just as God is the metaphor for the potential of great good in us all.

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Reference:

God as sole author of good-and-evil: http://biblehub.com/isaiah/45-7.htm
Satan: the devil mind: http://www.truthcontest.com/entries/the-present-with-religion/satan.html
Witch hunts in the early modern period: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch_trials_in_the_early_modern_period

From Darkness to Light (LDS)

If I had to censor my love for dark humor just to save lives of the suicidal, I'd feel melancholic. So please bear with me.

Keeping that in mind and having saved my soul the LDS way, perhaps suicide might prepare my lost soul for a glory so dark that "Telestial" would only add to the confusion.

Although all Christendom might call it "hell", I'd rather call it a dark glory for the wicked, a murky destination interspersed with flashes of what is mistaken for lightning but is actually the arrival of missionaries sent by God to soothe my suffering in the afterlife.

While this cosmological rationalization of the fate of the suicidal in the afterlife may be considered too deep for my followers to fully comprehend, it is designed counter the idea that the least of the LDS glories is always full of gnashing of teeth.

For my understanding of the least of the three glories of the LDS afterlife is of the fitting end to a miserable life where the term "Telestial" comes to mean "the eventual destination of the unbelievers who enjoyed their descent into the darkest of glories only to endure the home visits of elders who minister to them for all eternity."

After long consideration of such a fate, I find it so ridiculous that my melancholy has left me smiling unexpectedly!

It is not schadenfreude - that joy on realizing that suffering is universal - which inspires my change of mood from melancholy to elation.

Rather, I am thankful to the elders and sister missionaries who I have met and helped guide me towards the Light that outshines mortal understanding.

In gratitude of how the Lord works in mysterious ways, I ask myself how any melancholy withstand Him?

It cannot.

For the unconditional love of God Almighty is such that his mercy brightens the lives of all of us who accept his Only Begotten into their lives.

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References

Telestial Kingdom: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degrees_of_glory#Telestial_kingdom

Karma of The Christ (prayer)

Lord, have mercy on this sinner!
Let it be known to they who have ears:
He that wishes hellfire on unbelievers
The devil tempted, but he alone errs.
He that practices mercy like God,
The Christ he follows faithfully.
Truly then are the merciful of men
The most divine of humanity, not
Unlike the Only Begotten — none
Dare accuse them of wrongdoing.
For it is not up to us to judge
Lest we be judged according to His will.
All that believe in God Almighty,
Be they Christian, Jew or Muslim,
By their acts they be judged by Him,
And those that err shall be shown
Mercy, being offered their last chance.
When that time comes, they who choose
The Millennium shall not know death,
And they who choose to be purged
Will only return to the Godhead
Until their glory is revealed.
If this is heterodox to the doctrines
Of Abrahamic faiths, be they Christian,
Jewish or Muslim, then your doctrine is pure.
If what is written here as prayer is heretical
In the eyes of the devout, be they Muslim,
Jewish or Christian, then your doctrine is corrupt.
Be ye silent, yet pray for my soul,
'Tis because of thy wish that is founded
On false doctrine about "hellfire and brimstone",
And the destruction of evil by its Author.
Indeed, the doctrine that God, the Author
Of good and evil, shall destroy all evil
So that only good remains is an unbalanced one
Created by cult members for the sake of control
Over the followers of such obscene doctrine.
Instead, hellfire cleans away all evil,
Leaving only the immortal soul behind
To be embraced by the Only Begotten,
Made one with God Almighty,
And touched by the Holy Ghost.
What is revealed is the truth
In the name of the Lord!
Amen.

The Many Faces of God (satire)

"God is like three-in-one oil." — Eldridge Cleaver

Unlike trinitarianism, modalism is a complex way of saying that the Godhead has three faces (guises?): God, the Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Consider God to be an actor.

As a deity, He is. As the Christ, he is Messiah and all that implies. Yet as the Holy Spirit, we get into the supernatural since he is also known as the Holy Ghost.

After much thought on this topic, I asked myself: "What is God when he's not acting as a deity or as the Christ or as the Holy Spirit, remote from humanity?" To me the answer is obviously: God is the Absolute.

It serves no purpose for God to exist as a physical being in the physical world when the supernatural world is his domain.

Yet God is on the minds of his believers since it is through belief of his existence that he exists. Outside of that context, and for most people who don't believe in him, he does not exist.

As for his pre-existence, that is a wholly monotheistic supposition and may lead to endless debate on his existence.

If God exists as a belief, then the Buddha exists as fact. For the Buddha's existence is verifiable while God's existence is based on faith in the Bible alone. In contrast, the Buddha's existence is not only based on the sutras but also on historical records.

Though, no one can compare a man known as the Buddha, formerly the prince Siddhartha Gotama, to God, a monotheistic deity, since the Buddha is not a deity.

Yet Amida Buddha is almost a deity, though he exists as a metaphor for the boundless life of compassion and the boundless light of wisdom. In this context "boundless" means "transcending human limitations" and especially, "beyond mere sentience."

Because of the limitations that monotheism places on such philosophy, the discussion of God becomes moot in light of Buddhism. In some ways it is like comparing apples to oranges. For the Buddha is not another face of God. Rather, Buddhism is outside the realm of monotheism.

Even so, there are elements of modalism in the many Buddhas and bodhisattvas in Buddhism. In the example of Amida Buddha, it is said there was a prince named Dharmakara who meditated for a long time and envisioned the Pure Land. After making a series of 48 vows, he fulfilled them all and was reborn in the Pure Land of Bliss as Amida Buddha.

In the case of Amida, the Absolute is the refined essence of Buddha Nature. Indeed, the Pure Land is a reflection of the Absolute. As well, Dharmakara might be considered the incarnate form of the Absolute as a human of high standing (a bodhisattva) who was reborn as Amida Buddha.

Such an interpretation regarding Amida Buddha stretches the truth that Buddhism cannot be seen through the filter of Christian philosophy because the divine is viewed differently within Buddhist philosophy. For the deities of the God Realm are limited beings who live long lives but eventually die.

Indeed, the God Realm is one of the Six Realms of Desire. Thus the gods of Buddhism suffer.

Hence the birth of Siddhartha was the birth of the future Buddha who even the Hindu gods and goddesses would adore because he transcended the cycle of rebirth and became the Buddha.

My interpretation of the Christ story is that the Absolute relieves the sufferings of a Hellenized Jewish people subject to the laws of Judaism by having the deity known as God reborn as a mortal named Jesus, son of Mary and Joseph. This is revealed to her in a vision in which an angel named Gabriel tells her she shall conceive the Messiah through action of the Holy Spirit. After Jesus is born, he exposes Jewish ritualism as a fraud, makes enemies among the Jewish leaders, and is betrayed by one of the twelve of his beloved disciples. Then he is crucified, only to "die" and awaken as the Christ. Later he show himself to his disciples, and ascends to Heaven.

Thus, the story of the Christ is of God begetting the Christ in human form who is born to an unmarried woman named Mary as Jesus with his mortal father Joseph marrying her to legitimize his birth as "Son of Man". After his Crucifixion he arises as the Christ and eventually rises to Heaven. Thus he fulfills prophecy about himself.

In contrast, the Buddha's story begins with the dream by his mother of an elephant entering her womb. She dies shortly after childbirth, and Siddhartha is raised by his aunt. He is born into royalty. His father the King consults soothsayers, one of whom predicts that Siddhartha will either be a great king or a great wise man. Although his father tries to raise him as a prince, he learns all about suffering, abandons his royal status, and becomes the Buddha.

After his Enlightenment, he teaches not only his fellow seekers about the Four Noble Truths of Suffering, but also forms a religious order that challenges the ritualism of early Hinduism. He helps change Indian life in the process, and lives a long life, only to die due to an unspecified illness. After his death, the blooming of flowers on a tree out of season in the midst of the winter monsoons leads to other stories of miracles. However, the evolution of the Buddhist society that follows helps transform Indian society in a positive way.

Thus the story of the Buddha only vaguely echoes the Christ story. The ritual of law in Hebrew society of Jesus' time contrasts with the ritualism in Hindu society where the priestly caste has become intercessor between the people and the Indian gods.

Additionally the Hindu gods and goddesses may be seen as a complex form of modalism. In the case of Hinduism, each and every god and goddess represents the different faces of God but are aspects of the Godhead so complex making a single deity the only god to worship seem restrictive and thus oppressive to freedom of worship. Thus, the gods and goddesses of Hinduism might be considered as a gem with many facets, each one representing the bright and shining qualities of their worshipers in their perfect form.

In this way are the many faces of God revealed as aspects of human qualities of good called virtues. When I compare this to the qualities often ascribed to God, it becomes apparent to me that it is the good of humanity that is reflected in God. Though, it could also be said that it is the good qualities of a patriarchal society is emphasized by God. This is also true of the Hinduism but Buddhism critiques this truth while acknowledging that for that period of time, speculation about God was moot.

Indeed, the legacy of monotheism is a history of warfare by his chosen ones. Great suffering came at the cost of plagues and other miseries, as depicted in the Bible. in contrast, the story of Hinduism is not all peace and love for one's fellow man either.

It is not until the Indian king Ashoka that we see Hinduism being given sway to Buddhism. Ashoka wins a great battle but sees the truth about suffering revealed to him after being advised by a Buddhist monk about his responsibility regarding the war in which he lost friends. In response, he becomes a Buddhist king who spreads the message of Buddhism far and wide.  As a Buddhist, he spread peace throughout India.

It isn't until the modern era that organized religion caused Buddhism to affect Sri Lanka and Burma, although in different ways. This is due to organized religion not Buddhism and it is not restricted to Buddhism either. It is because of organized religion that warfare has been the legacy of monotheism, be it Christian, Judaism or Islam.

Perhaps few people are patient enough to reflect on the deep spiritual meaning of their faith due to their belief in a higher power than themselves. Such humility has lost the respect of many people in the face of the distractions of every day life in the postmodern world. So many people have no time to consider the many faces of God for many reasons, be it a matter of convenience or an overall disbelief in God.

I as a Buddhist know that the belief in God and the associated faith in his existence should be tempered by knowledge. However, the limited knowledge of Christians is focused on the Bible. Thus the faces of God are limited to God, the Son and the Holy Ghost.  In a way, each part of the Trinity are merely the many faces of God, limited and simplified by Christian dogma.

It's simpler to consider three aspects of God than a handful of gods and goddesses of Hinduism, even though the Godhead of both Christianity and Hinduism are roughly the same.

Though the Christian will dispute this, the Hindu might agree.

As a Buddhist, I lean towards a nondual concept of God as the Absolute, the closest of which is the Pure Land of Bliss. In my eyes, Heaven and the Pure Land are similar in that they are ideals of their respective faiths. However, I prefer Buddhism over Christianity mainly because I prefer not to stay ignorant about other faiths.

For knowledge is only dangerous when the little that you know leads you to ignore the consequences of your ignorance.

YMMV

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Originally posted on February 28, 2014 at 02:02 AM

References:

Modalism - Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modalism

The Absolute - Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absolute_(philosophy)

Fear Only God, Not Worldliness Nor Even the Devil (satire)

Worldliness, the enemy of Christendom, is benign, despite the fear of men, women and children who grew up with a love for God and his Only Begotten.

Yet, imagine for a moment that worldliness is not the enemy, but is the mean by which individuals learn that only God is the author of good and evil.

All satan is is the accuser, the adversary, and the poor foolish creation of God who has blackened the light and covered it with selfishness and all the worldly temptations that befall mankind.

Thus, why fear the devil? It is best to only fear God and respect him because we have overcome that fear by His grace and mercy, and our sins forgiven due to his Son's sacrifice.

Indeed, fear only God. All the devil is good for is to laugh at until he retreats. For he who fears God respects him. Let laughter chase the devil away.

Without satan, worldliness is not temptation but inspiration to choose the Christ, rather than commit the unpardonable sin, apostasy and the forgetting of God.

Yet he who chooses poverty over wealth and obscurity over fame walks the meek path, free from all temptation. Though he may covet worldliness, this man knows God is great and his Only Begotten the light that frees all who follow Him.

When we follow the Christ, all worldliness is is temptation to which we cry "Get thee behind me, satan" before we claim what was a part of God's creation which was lost to us and now has found its way back to consecration.

What power does worldliness have that men, women and children choose its treasure, and forget God, only to awaken in old age, miserable and alone? If we covet any part of it, then we might be lost until we repent and return to God through the power of love unconditional that God sent the Christ to us.

No enemy then is worldliness — a meddlesome irritation that distracts us from the path towards perfect.

For His love is free from human conditions and His mercy allows the faithful to follow Him.

To those Christians who say the Word shows us satan is all powerful, what diabolical lies are you peddling? This subtle devil worship that a Christian might practice when he claims "the Devil exists" to instill fear in the hearts of his fellow men is blasphemy.

Only God shall you fear out of respect for his power, and the devil is impotent in the face of laughter of God's people. You can serve only one Master, and He shall return one day. Thus the devil is unreal and unworthy of our fear.

I say this in Jesus' name that only God shall be worshiped, his Only Begotten Son being the Christ who has bound the devil so he only tempts all of us, some more than others. They who say satan is unbound only have a difference of opinion, and the touch of fear mongering so that they may control their flocks.

As with worldliness, the devil is not as big an enemy as our true selves. Why else is Jesus Christ all of Christendom's friend?

The Politics of Homegrown Jihadi (satire)

Radicalized Islam is more political than religious, and thus inspires a cult of homegrown jihadis with nothing to lose except their lives.

God Almighty has no mercy for the evil that men are capable of doing. 

This is not Satan's work; the body count suggests that, despite their religious leaning, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Taleban, and other radicalized religious group including Army of God antiabortion radicals only hide behind the holiness of God himself.

For these men and women who radicalize may speak of God but their use of violence shows their materialist political activism to be a clear and present danger to society

As long as the West continues forcing its Crusade of Democracy on the Middle East, so shall we experience more attacks by lone wolf jihadi at home.

Yes, I am suggesting that the US foreign policy of forcing the Middle East to accept democracy is what is causing the Muslims to radicalize against it.

If you think the two reported incidents in recent months of radical Muslims killing Canadian soldiers had nothing to do with the Islamic State, then you are mistaken.

By trying to force democracy on Syria by tacit support of the rebels there, it became obvious that this was all a laughable cover for intrigue against Russia by the US which culminated in the Ukraine crisis.

However, the European Community is rallying around the supposed underdog, the Ukraine — controlled by a far right government — while Russia is only protecting its Russian citizens, many of whom had dual citizenship. The problem started when the new government wanted to enfranchise only Ukrainians.

In response, the far right elements of the Russian-Ukrainians rebelled, but both sides are right-wing. Very few Ukrainians and Russians are left-wing, who they view as criminals who should never hold power, due to the economic devestation that the Soviet government had caused in the Ukraine, including massive starvation.

However, the Ukrainian crisis is also a proxy war with the US government propagandizing to the Europeans and Russia aiming to protect its citizens.

All in all, both the Syrian and the Ukrainian crises are designed to polarize the world's people. The anti-Russian propaganda is almost as bad as the Russian propaganda but the Ukrainian counter-propaganda is just as bad.

As for Syria, its propaganda gets almost everything right but condones the corruption of top Syrian oligarchs. Likewise, Russia's leader Putin also condones the corruption of top Russian oligarchs with their billions being invested in the European Community.

It is only a matter of time before World War 3 flares up, should cool heads not prevail. However, what you see in each area — be it the Islamic State being carved out of northern Iraq this year, the Syrian crisis declares as of October 2011, and the Ukraine-Russia conflict — is merely the US-led West versus Russia with full support from China.

I guess the Cold War still is in its death throes, and the incident on September 11, 2001 was an aftershock with the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts a few tremors. A decade later, Arab Spring majorly affected Libya and Syria.

It is time America stopped caring about the Middle East so much that it thinks forcing democracy on Afghanistan, Iraq and now Syria will lead to peace. The resultant anarchy is a sure sign that democracy at gunpoint is not working.

Returning to the recent two incidents of homegrown terrorism in Canada, that is just karma for Harper sending 16 jets and 300 personnel to Kuwait. Nobody was surprised in Ottawa.

Remember that Kuwait also has a handful of al Qaeda veterans who were released from Gitmo not too long ago. So it is obvious that these former Jihadis are working for Kuwait, and most likely Canada and America are collaborators in a proxy war between the West and the Red axis (China and Russia).

Although it looks good to bomb northern Iraq in the news, the IS may likely be a puppet of the Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi axis, funded by oil money.

Overall, this makes us all complicit in the Middle Eastern problem every time people in the free world drive their SUVs to fill up at the gas pump. That is why I take the bus, because I have already paid for my portion of the gas to run that bus in advance. ;)

NEWS UPDATE: the Ottawa gunman purported by PM Harper and mainstream media to be a possible terrorist are false and defamatory.

M. Zehaf-Bibeau was not a homegrown terrorist — al-Qaeda, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and the Taleban have a tendency to lie to support their cause. I am sure Osama bin Laden did it after 9-11, which is evidenced by his first video denying involvement, but later changing his tune when he saw the effect it had on the stock market.

It looks like Zehaf-Bibeau did not get help for his addictions and mental health issues in 2011 as he demanded, simply because the homeless and poor are rejected by most drug rehabilitation centres due to their profit mentality e.g. drug rehab for profit.

At the street level, very few major cities in Canada are willing to cough up public money to put addicts requesting treatment into a treatment program, mainly because most homeless addicts in rehab will walk away because they lost the ability to await positive changes, which can take up to three or more years.

If M. Zehaf-Bibeau had entered a treatment centre for the homeless, there is a good chance that he would have gotten kicked out within a week. Therefore, this article has me bleeding heart a-going.

Therefore Ottawa's shooting scare is because their hands are not clean of how they treat the homeless addicts daily. Indeed, karma is a bitch - too bad three people had to die. May they all rest in peace.

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Reference:

• http://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/martin-couture-rouleau-a-homegrown-madman

• http://globalnews.ca/news/1639555/why-didnt-ottawa-gunman-zehaf-bibeau-get-treatment-3-years-ago/

Let God Be My Master (poem)

No longer can I ask what I do
for myself; rather, I ask myself:
"What will God give to me?"

Freedom from life's woes is
sometimes as easy as coming
to believe God is everywhere.

Since God is everywhere,
what then do I have
to fear but fear itself?

By accepting God into my life,
all fear is replaced by faith
in His power to look after me.

Do I still fear? Yes, I fear
and thus respect God,
for He is truly my Master.

By placing my life in God's hands,
that respect and humility nurtures
a growing sense of fearlessness and courage.

It helps me to remember
the prayer of a sinner:
‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

Suppose that all of Christendom
finds me to be unworthy to sup with them
in Heaven when that time comes.

Then the Absolute is my inspiration,
and no-self is the divine principle.
Still, God shall remain my Master.

For what is the Absolute but
Heaven itself? For God is absent there
as is the Buddha after death.

Let God be my Master, the Absolute
my inspiration and the Buddha,
the origin of the Golden Rule:

"Do unto others
what thou wishes
done until thineself."

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Originally posted October 21, 2010 1:26 AM
Updated on December 25, 2013 at 6:54 AM

Authors of Destiny

Nowhere in the Bible does it state that Satan is the author of evil, for this is blasphemy. Rather, God is author of good-and-evil, which is the complement of good and evil.

For man is not only capable of great evil but also great good.

All that the devil can do is accuse or tempt us. We are perfectly capable of making mistakes on our own when temptation leads to desire.

Of course, the devil exists in Christendom. However, the devil never made a person do anything. That's merely an excuse for being wicked until one is damned by ill will.

This is why it's important to attend church regularly, and serve the church selflessly to renew your covenant with God.

That's what repentance is about.

Although God is the author of good-and-evil, people are the authors of their own destiny.

The Mystery of the Soul (testimony)

We thank the Father for this personal revelation by the author.

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In the olden days, it was thought that God helps place the soul in babies after conception from the premortal world. Today we know that the soul is actually passed on by man and wife in marriage during Es-ee-eks e.g. procreation creates a living human being who is also a soul.

There is no ghost in the shell. Or so the secularists have propagandized.

Most of the Bible says the body dies and goes to the grave, and the soul goes to Spirit World.

The secularist's conception of procreation conflicts with the religious idea of a soul leading to the pro life vs pro choice debate.

However, the Bible is silent on the soul as a separate entity save for the implication of eternal life if you choose Jesus as Savior -- which actually is when the Holy Ghost becomes pals with your soul and helps develop you into the spiritual being you become after living a spiritually rich life.

Overall, the soul is fully developed at conception but is awakened spiritually by action of the Holy Ghost on a person's life after baptism.

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In the name of Jesus Christ I believe this to be true.
Amen.

Worshipping God as a Buddhist Mormon

In Article of Faith 11, it is written: "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may."

This article of faith guarantees me the privilege to be a Buddhist Mormon, even though the Christian faithful who are deep in Christology claim that such syncretism is anathema to Christianity.

For myself as a Mormon, my Buddhist roots help me to clear my mind so that I am able to worship God according to the dictates of my own conscience.

Most of my worship consists of reading Mormon literature, and understanding various aspects of the LDS faith.

Additionally, the dictates of my own conscience is greatly influenced by religious pluralism, which helps to inspire a Christology that is further illumined by my Pure Land Buddhist origins.

Amida Buddha of Pure Land is defined as the boundless light of wisdom and the boundless life of compassion.

In Christianity, the light of Christ is akin to the spirit of Christ, and thus is closely identified with the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit). As well, the Christ is referred to as the Word. Thus, the Word symbolizes the spiritual wisdom derived from the truth of Atonement i.e. that Jesus Christ sacrificed his life for the sins of mankind and God's Mercy is a free gift to all Christians whose sins are washed away in baptism.

Thus the Holy Ghost is the agent by which spiritual wisdom is derived by acting on the Christian through prayer and meditation inspired by scripture.

Likewise, compassion is symbolized by God's Mercy for all Christians who repent of their sins by following the articles of their faith.

Thus, much of my Buddhist practice of meditation helps me in my study of the Book of Mormon and related LDS scripture, which is vital to the greater understanding of LDS ideology.

Indeed, I am thankful to God for the privilege of his worship according to the dictates of my own conscience.

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References:

• LDS Articles of Faith: http://www.mormon.org/beliefs/articles-of-faith
  
• Why Mormons Are Buddhist and Vice Versa: http://mormonmatters.org/2008/03/12/why-mormons-are-buddhists-vice-versa/
  

Amida Buddha Versus God: Neither Buddhist nor Christian Yet Both Buddhist and Christian (satire)

Amida Buddha is not a god, and the Pure Land is not a heaven. This is the difference between Buddhism and monotheism.

For a Buddhist can believe in the Primal Vow, and have faith that the Pure Land of Bliss exists, precisely because Amida Buddha was but a mortal who after many eons became a Buddha who awakened and is reborn in his Pure Land.

No one can say the same about God and heaven without sounding like he is babbling about a New Age cult or folk Christianity.

Though one American folk Christianity almost fits the bill: Mormonism when the Christology is overlooked for the esoterism inherent in Latter-Day Saint cosmology (premortal existence and the afterlife).

However, it takes a great leap of faith to see echoes of the Pure Land in the Three Glories of the Mormon Afterlife, namely the Celestial Kingdom, the Terrestrial Kingdom and the Telestial Kingdom.

Since Christianity is exclusive of other religions, the way I overcome the false dilemma of "serving two masters" is to consider LDS to be a materialist Christianity, as evidenced by the angel Moroni, the appearance of God and Jesus to Joseph Smith, and even the statue of Jesus Christ. In contrast, Pure Land Buddhism is a Buddhism that transcends materialism yet is like a diamond of the mind which reflects the spirit of Christianity.

Is not the Holy Ghost an echo of Buddha Nature? Cannot Buddha Nature cut through infinity to embrace the Holy Ghost?

Only those people of the LDS faith who are strict on the Christology would call this syncretism and object to it, due to their lack of insight about Pure Land Buddhism and possible rejection of religious pluralism.

For Christology is religiously exclusive to Christianity, and has rejected the metaphors and symbolism of Buddhism, while subtly accepting the syncretism from neo-Platonism and Roman mystical sources - especially the concept of an immortal soul, which is not what is meant by "immortal life".

Indeed, the immortal life as mentioned in the New Testament refers solely to the the state of being of the soul in the afterlife. For in this reality, the soul is mortal and begins at birth only to end at death until End of Days.

Then it arises and takes on a new body in the afterlife in one of the Three Glories.

In contrast, Pure Land Buddhism rejects the concept of immortality, and posits that each being's life is finite but rejects totally the concept of an immortal soul. For it is consciousness which lives on after death, yet this consciousness is not an immortal soul. The closest analogue in LDS cosmology is "intelligence."

Within context of Buddhism, immortality means the state of being which lasts for a very long but finite time. Even "forever" too is an exceeding long but finite period of time, too. Therefore, an immortal life is still a very long life which has an end in the indefinite future.

Thus, strict Christology is composed of magical thinking about time and is simplistic about premortal life and the afterlife.

Yet LDS Cosmology is merely the wire frame upon which the tenets of other religions may be placed until they fit right for each LDS member, no matter what their religious background is.

Although there is no Amida Buddha in LDS cosmology, the faint echoes of Buddhism do exist. Even so, this is a heterodox view which tries to synthesize LDS cosmology with Pure Land cosmology. Thus, it is neither Buddhist nor Christian yet both Buddhist and Christian. Overall, though, it would still take a leap of faith to view it as such.

"If you have faith, nothing shall be impossible" — Matthew 17:20

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Originally posted on Jun 25, 2013 at 6:51 PM

Unconditional Love

Unconditional love is the unborn love awaiting a person's existence to manifest itself.

To love is to care for, to die for, and to live for other people regardless of being strangers.

To love unconditionally is to love without conditions attached to that Love.

Rather than saying "I love you", I say "I love the world." Instead of saying "I do it for myself," I say "I do it for everyone, including myself."

Thus is the ideal of unconditional love manifested. Anyone can care for their mother and father. Yet he who knows of God knows of His unconditional love for us all.

Such a Love as this was manifested when Jesus Christ died on the cross for all our sins.

It continues today with the rise of secularism as a challenge to God-fearing people to turn the other cheek when the spiritually ignorant atheists cherry pick quotes from the Bible that challenge the Christian worldview of a loving God.

Indeed, what right do the ignorant masses have to misrepresent Christianity? Free speech allows each of us to question the doctrines of both the Protestant and Catholic churches. They do not give each of us the right to harass believers in a vain attempt to prove religion is for weaklings.

For religion is not for the weak willed, because they shall soon find themselves choosing between mannah and God. Rather, religion is for the strong stomach, because there shall be challenges to one's faith in life.

At the root of these challenges is a lack of faith of the atheists. It makes me wonder what they truly have faith in.

What good is a life in which lack of faith is one's guide? Without faith, are they truly free?

However, even the atheists have their beliefs. I know not what they believe in, but have faith that they do believe, for they are human too.

As for faith, just as I have faith that God is merciful, I hope that the unbelievers have faith in whatever they worship, be it Pikachu or Captain Kirk or even science.

Throughout all of this, I also hope that unconditional love, in its myriad forms, is known to both the believer and the unbeliever. Though I do not know how such a Love would manifest among the unbelievers, I know that Love manifests in the form of the Christ for all Christendom.

For I have faith that unconditional love exists, and that it empowers me to act within the limits of my faith in God.

Kyrie Eleison: To serve is the meaning of Priesthood (satire)

After two interviews with my bishop, I now have the choice of picking an elder to ordain me as Priest next Sunday. As of that date I am 23 days a baptized Mormon.

Is it not too early to serve the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint? No, for it is not I who hears God calling me but the bishop who knows that I shall be an usher because, despite lost sleep from the night before, I am trusted due to the mercy, not of him, but of God himself.

Yes, but it is because I answered the questions correctly, but not according to my libertarian views. For libertarian means "a person who shall live for the day, choosing to act conservative when it suits him with regard to private worship while actually holding onto liberal values like a life raft in his secular role in society."

I believe the pejorative term to describe me is "hypocrite" which means "a person who applies the least amount of critical thought to all things in his practice of his faith; he who acts pious on Sunday but is the least pious when it is not the Lord's day; a person who act religious in front of pious people."

Recently I have talked to an apostate who is First Nations, and argued with him about the chastity vow. He claims that most religious people break their vows regularly by claiming that overall, most Christians masturbate (99% men, 90% women). My counterargument is that 75% of Mormons masturbate, overall (80% men and 62% women). I decided not to add that by the time they get baptized (between their 10th to 12th year), the rate might be higher but becomes lower.

A lot of Mormons can save their grief if they have fallen due to masturbation. This is not an act that will lead to Spirit Prison. However, this sin is what the Melchizedek priesthood uses to psychologically blackmail members of the church, and sometimes the lower Aaronic priesthood. It is also what confessing to such a thing may lead to NOT being a Good Member In Standing - pun intended.

Since most masturbation is done in the privacy of the home, it is between you and God, not anyone in the Priesthoods to use to control your behavior and to use in an excommunication due to fapping instead of praying to the Lord. Prayer is the recommended method of substitution, i.e. praying rather than fapping.

It is unimportant to the higher priests to even mention masturbation to them, because it tempts them to commit the higher sin of Lording it over you. Remember the Bible story about the rich man praying to God and the poor may praying also. That is the sin that anyone who controls other people, regardless of whether it is religion or politics, commits and it is less pardonable than breaking the vow of chastity.

For when a rich man is humble, he is no different from a poor man who humbles himself by praying, "Lord, have mercy on me a sinner."

Indeed, a priest ought to make the Sinner's prayer his motto.

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Reference:

Melchizedek - Latter-Day Saint beliefs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melchizedek#Latter-day_Saint_beliefs
The Melchizedek priesthood is the higher priesthood; and the Aaronic is the lower.

Outer Darkness and Inner Light

Here are my thoughts on Outer Darkness, which might seem heretical to the orthodox Mormons, who believe it to be a place rather than also a state of mind. The Inner Light of the soul that God created is incorruptible, even when a human being is cast into Outer Darkness by his apostasy through acts of rebellion (sins).

Outer Darkness consists of the behavioral and mental negativity such as hate-love, happiness-indifference, sadness-indifference, anger-kindness, jealousy-equanimity, lying-sincerity, miserly-generosity, lust-chastity, and other dualities.

God is the author of good-and-evil, which is not a duality but complementary opposites, for indifference is the true evil. Thus all things are neutral in essence until MAN judges some of them good and their true opposites evil.

This is why acting amorally is evil and acting morally is good.

However, neither acting good or evil but indifferently is a greater sin than picking either good or evil. Choosing devil over God is only a sin when you worship the devil and forget Jesus is lord of us all, but acting devilishly in ignorance is forgiven when you repent of it.

In the final analysis though, Outer Darkness is like wearing black: when you shed the darkness through prayers of earnest repentance, your Inner Light shines.