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A LETTER TO ALL OF US
Letter to
All of Us
From: GOD
To: My Children on Earth
Re: Idiotic Religions
My Dear
Children (and believe me, that's all of you), I consider
myself a pretty patient guy. I mean, look at the Grand
Canyon. It took millions of years to get it right. And
about evolution? Boy, nothing is slower than designing
that whole Darwinian thing to take place, cell by cell,
and gene by gene. I've been patient through your
fashions, civilizations, wars and schemes, and the
countless ways you take Me for granted until you get
yourselves into big trouble again and again.
But on this
occasion of My Son's birthday, I want to let you know
about some of the things that are starting to tick me
off. First of all, your religious rivalries are driving
Me up a wall. Enough already! Let's get one thing
straight. These are YOUR religions, not Mine. I'm the
whole enchilada; I'm beyond them all. Every one of your
religions claims there's only one of Me (which by the
way, is absolutely true). But in the very next breath,
each religion claims it's My favourite one. And each
claims its bible was written personally by Me, and that
all the other bible's are man-made. Oh Me. How do I even
begin to put a stop to such complicated nonsense?
Okay, listen
up now. I'm your Father AND Mother, and I don't play
favourites among My children. Also, I hate to break it
to you, but I don't write. My longhand is awful, and
I've always been more of a doer anyway. So ALL of your
books, including those bible's, were written by men and
women. There were inspired, remarkable people, but they
also made mistakes here and there. I made sure of that,
so that you would never trust a written word more than
your own living heart.
You see, one
human being to me -- even a bum on the street -- is
worth more than all the Holy Books in the world. That's
just the kind of guy I am. My Spirit is not a historical
thing, it's alive right here, right now, as fresh as
your next breath.
Holy books
and religious rites are sacred and powerful, but not
more so than the least of you. They were only meant to
steer you in the right direction, not to keep you
arguing with each other, and certainly not to keep you
from trusting your own personal connection with Me.
Which brings
Me to My next point about your nonsense. You act like I
need you and your religions to stick up for Me or win
souls; for My sake. Please, don't do Me any favours. I
can stand quite well on my own, thank you. I don't need
you to defend Me, and I don't need constant credit. I
just want you to be good to each other.
And another
thing: I don't get all worked up over money or politics,
so stop dragging My name into your dramas. For example,
I never threatened Oral Roberts. I never rode in any of
Rajneesh's Rolls Royces. I never told Pat Robertson to
run for president, and I've never EVER had a
conversation with Jim Baker, Jerry Falwell, or Jimmy
Swaggart! Of course, come Judgement Day, I certainly
intend to...
The thing
is, I want you to stop thinking of religion as some sort
of loyalty pledge to Me. The true purpose of your
religions is so that YOU can become more aware of ME,
not the other way around. Believe Me, I know you
already. I know what's in each of your hearts, and I
love you with no strings attached. Lighten up and enjoy
Me. That's what religion is best for.
What you
seem to forget is how mysterious I am. You look at the
petty differences in your Scriptures and say, Well, if
THIS is the truth, then THAT can't be But instead of
trying to figure out My Paradoxes and Unfathomable
Nature--which by the way, you NEVER will--why not open
your hearts to the simple common threads in every
religion?
You know
what I'm talking about: Love and respect everyone. Be
kind. Even when life is scary or confusing, take courage
and be of good cheer, for I am always with you. Learn
how to be quiet, so you can hear My still, small voice
(I don't like to shout). Leave the world a better place
by living your life with dignity and gracefulness, for
you are My Own Child. Hold back nothing from life, for
the parts of you that can die surely will, and the parts
that can't, won't. So don't worry, be happy (I stole
that last line from Bobby McFerrin, but who do you think
gave it to him in the first place?)
Simple
stuff. Why do you keep making it so complicated? It's
like you're always looking for an excuse to be upset.
And I'm very tired of being your main excuse. Do you
think I care whether you call me Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah,
Wakantonka, Brahma, Father, Mother or even the Void of
Nirvana? Do you think I care which of My special
children you feel closest to--Jesus, Mary, Buddha,
Krishna, Mohammed or any of the others? You can call Me
and My Special Ones any name you choose, if only you
would go about My business of loving one another as I
love you. How can you keep neglecting something so
simple?
I'm not
telling you to abandon your religions. Enjoy your
religions, honour them, learn from them, just as you
should enjoy, honour, and learn from your parents. But
do you walk around telling everyone that your parents
are better than theirs? Your religion, like your
parents, may always have the most special place in your
heart; I don't mind that at all. And I don't want you to
combine all the Great Traditions in One Big Mess. Each
religion is unique for a reason. Each has a unique style
so that people can find the best path for themselves.
But My Special Children--the ones that your religions
revolve around--all live in the same place (My heart)
and they get along perfectly, I assure you. The clergy
must stop creating a myth of sibling rivalry where there
is none.
My blessed
children of Earth, the world has grown too small for
your pervasive religious bigotries and confusion. The
whole planet is connected by air travel, satellite
dishes, telephones, fax machines, rock concerts,
diseases, and mutual needs and concerns. Get with the
program! If you really want to help Me celebrate the
birthday of My Son Jesus, then commit yourselves to
figuring out how to feed your hungry, clothe your naked,
protect your abused, and shelter your poor. And just as
importantly, make your own everyday life a shining
example of kindness and good humour. I've given you all
the resources you need, if only you abandon your fear of
each other and begin living, loving, and laughing
together.
Finally, My
Children everywhere, remember whose birth is honoured on
December 25th, and the fearlessness with which He chose
to live and die. As I love Him, so do I love each one of
you. I'm not really ticked off, I just wanted to grab
your attention because I hate to see you suffer. But I
gave you free will, so what can I do now other than to
try to influence you through reason, persuasion, and a
little old-fashioned guilt and manipulation? After all,
I AM the original Jewish Mother. I just want you to be
happy, and I'll sit in the Dark.
I really Am,
with you always. Always. Trust in Me.
Your One and
Only,
God
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