The Native American Ten Commandments

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Native American - Amazing Grace (in cherokee)

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BEAUTIFUL!!

Winona LaDuke - Living By The Creators Law

Watch HERE

Winona LaDuke: One would do well to live in accordance with natural law.

Winona LaDuke speaks on Genetic Engineering, Biodiversity and Decentralization: A view from the Native American perspective.

Watch HERE

Chomsky Speaks About Human Destiny

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QUESTION: When we talk about manufacturing of consent, whose consent is being manufactured?

CHOMSKY: To start with, there are two different groups, we can get into more detail, but at the first level of approximation, there's two targets for propaganda. One is what's sometimes called the political class. There's maybe twenty percent of the population which is relatively educated, more or less articulate, plays some kind of role in decision-making. They're supposed to sort of participate in social life -- either as managers, or cultural managers like teachers and writers and so on. They're supposed to vote, they're supposed to play some role in the way economic and political and cultural life goes on. Now their consent is crucial. So that's one group that has to be deeply indoctrinated. Then there's maybe eighty percent of the population whose main function is to follow orders and not think, and not to pay attention to anything -- and they're the ones who usually pay the costs.

This is a repost.

Hit the Chomsky tag at the bottom of this post for more on Chomsky including:

How Noam Chomsky Helped Save My Spiritual Life

When Religion Becomes Evil: Five Warning Signs- Charles Kimball

Last night I bought four new books. God help me I am an addict. I will soon write more about my love affair with books. One of the books I purchased last night was:

When Religion Becomes Evil: Five Warning Signs- Charles Kimball

Skimming through this book I found it to be very much in line with my own basic thoughts on the subject. Ironically when I got home I discovered DSM's new post here that is also very much in keeping with this topic. Neither he nor I believe that these kinds of synchronicities are entirely random. They are part of a spiritual dialog that is at times guided by the unction of the Holy Spirit it would seem.

Anyhow, the book is definately thought provoking and does indeed tap into a much wider and I dare say, mainstream body of thought on these matters. Current events and trends all point back to this topic on a daily basis.

In the book Kimball lists five warning signs of corruption in religion:

1. Absolute truth claims
2. Blind obedience
3. Establishing the "ideal" time
4. The end justifies any means
5. Declaring holy war

I will offer more thought on this as I read more. The basic thesis does indeed appear to be on the money. Check it out... think about it.

Yesterday another most excellent friend challenged me to predict the next name we would see being batted around as the mortal enemy of mankind. He pointed out that Communist and Terrorist had been used. I reminded him not to forget the term Liberal.

I have been thinking on this dynamic question every since. Based on the trends I see- the backlash against religious intolerance, fundamentalism and a brand of "conservatism" that is not so conservative after all... right now I am leaning towards something like "religio-political fascists" or some permutation thereof. We shall see...

I have pondered also the idea that whomever coins the term for this next great enemy of man and freedom will become at the least an Icon and perhaps a very rich person to boot. I am not motivated by either of those ideas...but the question is extrememly intriguing and has inspired me to don my "geopolitical, geotheological thinking cap".

Diversity Around the Table of the Last Supper

(Excerpt from original posting on Theology of Nuance on October 15, 2006)

Our historical context hides the carnal biases and fools us into giving our hearts to these benign or even noble clubs and causes. Even when we recognize the potential for harm, we often have trouble tempering our desire (lust) for the thing or ideal with which we’ve identified.
Sports fanaticism may become "religion" for which we may spiritually harm our fellow man.

Governmental Political zeal may become "religion" as well, as we condemn those with whom we disagree, and thus harm our ability to reveal Jesus’ love, hope, and healing to these souls still held captive by our Lord’s adversary.

A single issue may become our "religion" and overtake our "faith", as priority and focus.
1. Pro-life
2. Democracy
3. Freedom of Speech
4. Equality
5. Freedom of Religion
6. Right to privacy
7. Right to keep & bear arms
8. Right to Own Property
9. Liberty
10. Right to Pray

All of these and dozens, if not thousands, of other issues are offered to us by the world, or more accurately, the devil, to encourage us as "Ambassadors of Christ" to give up our purpose/focus and instead physically or intellectually fight our fellow man for an issue, instead of Spiritually fighting the adversary (satan) for the captured and lost soul of our fellow man.
["The meaning of life, is to Glorify Jesus…" "But how?" We should consider this question, because it helps us to focus our energy on the same goal that our Heavenly Father has.]

Should the purpose/focus of the Church be diverted by these various issues, which are only symptoms of our fallen world?

What happened when the Apostle Peter lost his focus on Jesus?

What happened to Field Marshal Rommel’s forces when Gen. Patton, in WWII, was able to divert Nazi Germany’s focus to Pas-de-Calais in Northern France?

Did Christ come to make this lost world more moral, just, kind, generous, equal, peaceful, progressive, conservative, environmentally sustainable?

Are we to condemn "Western Powers" for CO2 emissions?

Are we to condemn the world for abortion?

Are we to condemn the USA for the Middle East war?

Should we condemn the USA for not "helping" Israel more?

Are we to condemn the Democrat Party for weakening America’s defense status?

Are we to condemn the Republican Party for bloodthirsty war mongering?

Are we to condemn the Mass Media for distorting the "truth"?

Are we to condemn the Hezbullah for attacking Israel?

Are we to condemn Israel for attacking Hezbollah?

Should we be diverted to condemn immorality in the media, culture, USA, hip hop/rap music, Hollywood, (all of which are a.k.a. the World)?

What purpose did Jesus give for coming into the World?

Was he vague?

Was it for condemnation? Do we condemn?

Or do we serve and save?
Because…
1. Condemnation and salvation are not the same.
2. Condemnation is not a service.
3. Condemnation is not a mission.
4. Condemnation is not noble.
5. Condemnation glorifies satan (the accuser), not Jesus (the Savior).
6. Condemnation is not Jesus' "Great Commission" to His Wife (the Church.) Mt. 28:18-20



God bless,

DSM

p.s. The painting at the top of this post depicts the last supper. Any idea how many divergent politcal views sat around this table? Yet, these men were focused on one thing..., the Kingdom of Heaven. Christ made them all political allies with only one special interest, saving their fellow man's eternal soul. Maybe, this should tell us something, too.

The Prayer Of The 13th Warrior

In the movie "The 13th Warrior" Antonio Banderas' character, an Arab Muslim, delivered a prayer just before an epic battle that has stuck with me every since. Some of the words in that prayer are words that have inspired me to say and do and think some of the things that I have every since I walked out of the theater on the night that I saw that movie. This prayer, although delivered by a Muslim rather than Christian character has become part of me. The words are beautiful and simple and eloquent:

Merciful Father.... I have squandered my days with plans of many things.
This was not among them. But at this moment, I beg only, to live the next few minutes well. For all we ought to have thought and have not thought... All we ought to have said and have not said. All we ought to have done and have not done. I pray thee, God for forgiveness.

Of course if you think about it this prayer also spawns thoughts to the inverse of the lines used; i.e. Father forgive me for the things that I/we have thought that I ought not have thought, for the things I have said, that I ought not have said, for things I have done that I ought not have done.
Also, nowadays I consider myself a pacifist or peacemaker with regards to warfare. What that means to me is not a belief that all violence is always wrong no matter what. It does mean that I judge any given situation with a spiritual discernement and/or, to borrow a term from my friend DSM, a THEOLOGY OF NUANCE. It means that I choose violence as a solution last... not first. It means that I do not hate my enemies, but rather love them and consider my ultimate enemy not my fellow man... but the spiritual forces of darkness in the celestial realm as the Bible teaches. It means that I know that the power to give life is far greater than the power to kill and destroy. It means that I think eternally and act spiritually inasmuch as I am able as a weak and pitiful sinner and carnal man. It means that I leave room for God's plan and God's sovereign right to vengeance before my own. It means that I do not fear death... and am thus not controlled by fear in my actions or reactions... inasmuch as I am able. The Bible says that the spiritual man is able to discern of all things. If a man is in right relationship with all things - he will know what to do in any given situation as led by God. Take care with these words...
do not mistake your own desires or instincts for the true prompting of God. Attaining RIGHT relationship cannot be achieved without the surrender of the deadly sin of pride. One cannot defeat the deadly sin of pride without the ability of self analysis, the willingness to re-evalute oneself's motives and/or positions and the willingness and/or ability to view the self through the eyes of the enemy.

Isaiah 53 Suffering Servant Questions

He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care.
Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows* that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God for his own sins!
Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997 . Tyndale House: Wheaton, Ill.

Was Jesus acquainted with bitterest grief and sorrows before He took up our weaknesses?

It occurs to me that this passage may imply that Christ knew sorrow prior to taking our infirmities upon him.

What might Jesus’ sorrows have been, i.e. His sorrows which were his alone and apart from mankind?

I have always thought that Jesus only knew grief, vicariously through mankind.
But, what if He knew grief in His own right; what if He experienced personally a grief that was unique to Him and His own life, would that make a difference on how I perceive my Lord?
It seems to make a difference to me.
Does it make a difference to you?

It is a curiosity.

God bless,
DSM

SPIRITUAL THIRST- (From THE PURSUIT OF GOD)- A.W. Tozer

...His text was one which I have loved over the years: Psalm 42:1 "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee O God." (JCS) A biographer said of him : "Seeking truth and seeking God were one and the same thing." Perhaps the continued usefulness of this book can be attributed to the writer’s great spiritual discovery that to seek God does not narrow one’s life, but brings it, rather, to the level of the highest possible fulfillment. In this hour of ALL BUT UNIVERSAL darkness one cheering gleam appears: within the fold of conservative Christianity there are to be found increasing number of persons whose religious lives are marked by a growing hunger after God Himself. They are eager for spiritual realities and will not be put off with words, nor will they be content with "correct interpretations" of truth. They are athirst for God, and they will not be satisfied till they have drunk deep at the Fountain of Living Water.

Sound Bible exposition is an imperative must in the Church of the Living God. But exposition may be carried on in such a way as to leave the hearers devoid of any true spiritual nourishment whatever. For it is not mere words that nourish the soul, but God Himself. The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence.

Christian theology teaches that God must first work in man before a man can seek God, God must first have sought the man. Before a sinful man can think a right thought of God, there must have been a work of enlightenment within him. Imperfect as it may seem (to the outward eye. JCS) , it is a real and true work nevertheless, and the secret cause of all desiring and seeking and praying which may follow. The impulse to pursue God originates with God, but the outworking of that impulse is our following hard after Him.

I want to deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after God. The lack of it has brought us to our present low estate. The stiff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire...Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people.

Every age has its own characteristics. Right now we are in an age of religious complexity. The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us. In its stead are programs, methods, organizations and a world of nervous activity activities which occupy time and attention but can never satisfy the longing of the heart. ... all testify that we, in this day, know God only imperfectly, and the peace of God scarcely at all. If we would find God amid all the religious externals, we must first determine to find Him...

The world is perishing for lack of the knowledge of God and the church is famishing for lack of His presence. The cure of most of our religious ills would be to enter into the Presence in spiritual experience, to become suddenly aware that we are in God and God in us. This would lift us out of pitiful narrowness and cause our hearts to be enlarged. This would burn away the impurities from our lives as the bugs and fungi were burned away by the fire when the bush is burned. What a broad world to roam in, what a sea to swim in is this God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We must go beyond the mere idea of God that is so often held, and get to the person of God beyond the creed and theory. We must have reality, instead of going through life trying to love an ideal and be loyal to a creed.

Then I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not only a book which was once spoken, but a book which is now speaking. If you would follow on to know the Lord, come at once to the open Bible expecting it to speak to you.

I would emphasize that our committal, this one great volitional act establishes the heart’s intention to gaze forever upon Him. God takes this intention for our choice and makes what allowances He must for the thousand distractions which beset us in this evil world. He knows that we have set the direction of our hearts toward Jesus, and we can know it too, and comfort ourselves that a habit is forming wich will become, after a while, a sort of spiritual reflex requiring no more conscious effort on our part.

-----------------------------------------

O Lord, I have heard a good word inviting me to look away to Thee and be satisfied. My heart longs to respond, but sin has clouded my vision till I see Thee but dimly. Be pleased to cleanse me in Thine own precious blood, and make me inwardly pure, so that I may with unveiled eyes gaze upon Thee all the days of my earthly pilgrimage. Then shall I be prepared to behold Thee in full splendor in the day when Thou shalt appear to be glorified in your saints and admired in all them that believe. Amen

Are you created…, yet?

The Merton quotes are poignant and I believe that there is deep truth in them. These are similar to CS Lewis’ “Great Divorce” where the people are hurt by walking on the grass of heaven. The blades were like daggers to the feet of those souls from Earth.
It was only when the men and women were willing to give up there mortal lives from Earth, that they became substantial enough to not be injured by the grass of heaven.

I also strive to maintain “myself” as I want to be known to the world. I know my “self” is flawed, but still, the shell protects my heart from the pain that Love must carry.

When were you created? Well, consider this possibility; you have not yet become. God has not yet made you. God’s plan is beyond us and our understanding. His Holy power exceeds our understanding.
He can take a handful of dirt & water and produce a world of life and love.
He can take a dead deity and crush sin, death, satan, and pain for all eternity.
God has not created (past tense) me yet.

He is still touching my hand and filling me with His Holy power, otherwise I would have melted away a long time ago.

God bless,
DSM

Real and False Selves- Thomas Merton Quotes

At the heart of writer and mystic Thomas Merton's spirituality is his distinction between our real and false selves. Our false selves are the identities we cultivate in order to function in society with pride and self posession; our real selves are a deep, religious mystery known only to God. The World cultivates the false self, ignores the real one, and therin lies the great irony of human existence: the more we make of ourselves, the less we actually exist.

excerpted from "The Pocket Thomas Merton" - New Seeds Pocket Classics.

Do you like the revisions?

Scott has asked me to make some revisions to the look of Geotheology.
I value the Greek's contributions to thought and reason, so I thought this look might apply to our "Geo" aims here in Geotheology.

Also, I have reduced the number of posts on the main page. It should load into your PC or Mac browser much more quickly. Also, because it will not consume your computer's memory so voraciously, the computer should be more stable while viewing the main page.

I am not set on any changes. The changes reflect my desires and preferences, which are not what Geotheology viewers may be expecting, so let me know if you would like to go back, and I can reverse the changes. However, the ultimate vote will be Scott, who has given this forum it's life.

What do you think?

God bless,
DSM

Hello World!

This is my initial post to this forum and I will very briefly explain what I have understood my function to be in this venue.

But first, I should say thank you to my best friend from way back.

I am humbled by the offer to contribute here.

Thank you Scott for entrusting me with the care of; what is, or has become your "baby", and therein lies a part my purpose here.

I am to help maintain focus on the One who is our reason for being.

It becomes difficult to remain objective about bringing glory to Christ, when one is serving his passion for life.

I have recently found my life passions exercised from me by the Father.

Therefore, I am facing my pride and loss here with Scott and hopefully I will be able to help Scott with his goal to shine for the Master.

I don't want to go over the top, but the addictive nature of pride pushes humans, carnal spirits or "Ghosts in the Machine", to serve self, even while we serve the Creator.

That's okay, insofar as we never attempt to step down from the cross, which we are told to bear daily.

When servants of the Master become servants of the carnal self, thankfully our Lord has made provisions for us to be painfully humbled.

Scott has seen fit to humble himself before God and man. He has done this by the simple act of opening his blog to my spirit and words, which BTW is imbued with the Divine in an indwelling of Christ's and the Father's Holy Spirit.

If you want to know who I am you may look at my profile, but you would probably do better by asking Scott. He knows me best and he won't pull punches, as you can clearly read in his past posts.

I prefer the compliments of a true friend's criticism, to the flatulent accolades of dishonest salesman.

I too will introduce you to Scott, as I write about our (i.e. mutual disciples of the Christ) purpose and our goal.

He has sought to remove his personal mirror from the profile, and I respect his need to do this, yet, I know him and you should know him too, through a close friend's eyes.

God bless,

DSM

Stranger In a Strange "New" World

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I remember the first time I found this simple, yet hauntingly beautiful clip. I couldn't stop watching it. The melancholy, yet powerful song stirred something deep within me. I have to admit it was a deep, painful longing for a world I had really never known. My eyes misted. I couldn't stop watching it. I went and found the lyrics for it. here they are:

A Perfect Circle - A Stranger Lyrics

Cast the calming apple
Up and over satellites
To draw out the timid wild one
To convince you it's alright
And I listen for the whisper
Of your sweet insanity
while I formulate
Denials of your affect on me

You're a stranger
So what do I care
You vanish today
Not the first time I hear
All the lies

What am I to do with all this silence
Shy away, shy away phantom
Run away terrified child
Won't you move away
you %$@#&*! tornado
I'm better off without you
Tearing my world down

_____________________________________________________

This song is very in tune with my brooding mood at this time.

Its hard to explain. The feeling is a sweet, painful, righteous, longing and sorrow. Feeling it feels... right... as in appropriate... in order. Because in feeling it I know that I cannot but move to the unction of things on my heart. It motivates me. And that feels good and right.