Posted on October 14th, 2009 by Joseph
In summary, we must understand that these three foundational relationships are sacred. They must be honored. To do so is not easy. In the economy and culture in which we live, great attention and diligence are required to remain healthy, be kind, and not harm our environment. There are many among us who do not [...]
Filed under: Earth and Life, environmental crisis, global remedies, overpopulation, prosperity, quality of life, religion, sustainability | No Comments »
Posted on July 19th, 2009 by Joseph
Posted on July 11th, 2009 by Joseph
Many of us are familiar with the Ten Commandments that appear in Exodus, the second book of the Bible, written some thirty-three hundred years ago. What do these commandments say? The first four have to do with a god and the Sabbath. The remaining six are about behavior. We are told to honor our parents [...]
Filed under: Earth and Life, environmental crisis, global remedies, overpopulation, prosperity, quality of life, religion, sustainability | 2 Comments »
Posted on July 4th, 2009 by Joseph
In his book, Religions of the World, Houston Smith writes of the two issues on which most religions agree. They all advise adherence to some version of the Golden Rule and avoidance of self-centeredness. Generally, we do neither one. Self-centered and shameless, we too often do to others and our environment whatever we can get [...]
Filed under: Earth and Life, environmental crisis, global remedies, overpopulation, quality of life, religion, sustainability | No Comments »
Posted on June 29th, 2009 by Joseph
Philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer observed that all truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident. Such a truth has emerged in our lifetime. It informs us that we exist as a tiny fragment of an immensely larger interlocking whole in which all of the [...]
Filed under: Earth and Life, global remedies, quality of life, religion, sustainability | No Comments »
Posted on June 24th, 2009 by Joseph
Many of us say we do not like organized religion but that we are “spiritual.” There is something about the word that feels right to us. But what does spiritual really mean? Our world has taken enormous liberties with this word. Religious groups engage in “holy wars” (now there’s a play on words…a classic oxymoron) [...]
Filed under: global remedies, quality of life, religion | 2 Comments »
Posted on June 14th, 2009 by Joseph
The study of religion, costly in time and funds, was a liberating and rewarding experience. It cleared my mind of the false religious dogma that as a child I was programmed-literally brainwashed (by the church)-to believe, just as children are today. That clearance was the second most valuable benefit I derived from my divinity school [...]
Filed under: Earth and Life, quality of life, religion, sustainability | No Comments »
Posted on June 1st, 2009 by Joseph
When I was a child, my family attended church regularly. I served countless masses as an altar boy. It was my nature at a very young age, as it has been all my life, to be observant and contemplative. I observed the restrained and reverential behavior of people in church. They crossed themselves with “holy” [...]
Filed under: Earth and Life, global remedies, quality of life, religion, sustainability | No Comments »
Posted on May 25th, 2009 by Joseph
We advance technologically with relative ease but not so socially, politically, or intellectually. There continues to be enormous inequities and extraordinary amounts of violence in our world. We war with each other in every way conceivable. We destroy our environment and deplete our resources. Why is that?
Filed under: Earth and Life, environmental crisis, global remedies, overpopulation, quality of life, religion, sustainability | No Comments »
Posted on May 19th, 2009 by Joseph
We’ve worshipped everything from the sun, to the moon, to Egyptian pharaohs and Roman emperors. Then we created mythological gods in our own image. Through our history, we’ve worshipped the many gods of countless polytheistic religions. About four thousand years ago, in the Middle East, someone came up with the idea that there is just [...]
Filed under: religion | 2 Comments »
