Religion in the USA

I have to write this now because after blogging yesterday I found my self on an American blogging site about God.
It is actually a very good site with lots of information on it and I will be putting a link to it. religiousfreaks.com/category/wrath-of-god/

I was very amazed to read articles that show how extreme organised religion had become. Religion it seems has become a multi million-dollar industry in the USA.

I get the impression that the consumer industry have taken the simple teachings of Christ and turned them into a massive moneymaking machine run on fear, anger and peoples vulnerabilities
.
If anyone wants to enlighten themselves and read about what is happening in the USA then log onto this webpage now. religiousfreaks.com/category/wrath-of-god/

If it is true what they say about what happens in America will soon happen here, then I think we all have reasons for concern.

My experience of Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday
I have decided to write about my experiences in the church tonight.

There was indeed a strange air of mystery about the whole event.

I also have to admit that I have not been to a Maundy Thursday Mass for a very long time.

I have also got to say that I have felt a different closeness with God since going back to Church. My relationship with this power that in my mind pervades everything has become stronger.

I actually feel now that going to church is solely my decision. I have never always felt a need to go to Church because I believe that God is everywhere and can be worshipped anywhere.

Now, as well as giving me a sense of community, I feel a closeness with God when I enter the church.

I feel the collective strength and feelings of the hundreds of people who visit all with a single intent, to worship God and that is a powerful experience.

Tonight the church seemed to sparkle with the occasion and there was a strength and oneness in the energy and anticipation that the congregation gave out.

I was fleetingly transported back to the last supper when Jesus gave out the bread and celebrated his last meal with the apostles.

I felt happy that I was celebrating this event and for the first time in a very long time I wanted to receive communion. I felt myself thanking God that I felt so aware.

It is a difficult thing to explain to anyone, how the collective consciousness of people all with the same intent can be so powerful.

I think it is a lot easier to say,’ I do not believe’, because then that comment gets you out of thinking about it any further. It is a much harder thing to say,’ I believe’

Attending Mass is more than just accepting what you are being told. For me it is about knowing that what is happening is real and the truth resonates from somewhere deep within.

I am actually looking forward to the rest of the Easter celebrations.

Love and Compassion

The picture on the right was produced by: www.nanoel.com/Controller
Her art work is fabulous and well worth a look!

I am going to start a new blog today.

The first thing I am going to share with you is a proverb I have just found. It is very simple but thought provoking!

An old man said to his grandson,
”Boy, I have two tigers caged within me. One is love and compassion, the other is fear and anger. “
The young boy asked,
”Which one will win Grandfather?”
The old man replied,
” The one I feed.”

An appropriate quotation to start the day with, because it is Maundy Thursday today.
For people who do not know, it is a celebration of the last supper. Today the priest washes the feet of 12 volunteers as a symbolic gesture of an ancient Jewish tradition.
When you went into anybodies house in the Jewish faith, you would first have your feet washed. I think it was not only a gesture performed out of tradition but also a gesture performed out of love.

I have to admit that it is a long time since I attended a Maundy Thursday service in the Church. I will be able to write more observations about it after I have attended tonight.
As I have mentioned in an earlier blog, my journey back to the Church has been a very windy one. There is a lot of the traditions and rules that I do not agree with, but with our new priest Father Ian, everything is open for discussion.

To get back to the proverb, if more people could hold the principles of love and compassion within their hearts there would be a lot less anger and fear in the world.

I have just found a new site purely by chance and that is where I got the angel from at the top of my blog. I think it deserves a mention. Log onto it at: www.namastecafe.com/indonesia/default.htm