Sabbath Messages > Sabbath Message: March 5, 2005
Good Sabbath
March 5, 2005
A little late, but here at last. I've been reading a new book: "Banking on Baghdad; Inside Iraqi's 7,000-year History of War, Profit, and Conflict", by Edwin Blackman. I got chance to spend some time with the author and enjoyed it tremendously. It is the continuing tale of Mesopotamia and its conquerors and those it has conquered. It is a blood-soaked history of every kind of mayhem possible, with slaughter of children, women and anything living, including cats and dogs, by the armies of religious fanatics who believed in their various gods of slaughter, making religion into every strata of sick-men's egomania, using any excuse and ruse to spew hatred and revenge into a region that now takes hundreds of our own young.
I wonder whether any one in this administration every read a word of its history, for it would never have permitted trapping ourselves into the fiction of conquest and order in a region which never had any order except "kill them". As I read this history, I am convinced that our armies are filled with youngsters of unusual kindness, though they must kill or be killed; They are unique in the annals of this tortured place.
Confucius said that history never repeats itself, but men, always; the continuing saga of this place is the proof of that. Vanity never learns as it gains popularity enough to win elections of power. We now join the nations and self-deluding earthlings who have been ambushed by delusions of power and technology.
"Do not make a mockery of justice, for it is one of the three pillars of the world. Why? It is taught that "0n three things the world stands: on justice, on truth, and on peace. Know then if you pervert justice, you shake the world, for justice is one of its pillars."
"Every judge who judges truthfully, even for a single hour, is credited as though he had become a partner with God in the creation of the world"
For we, ourselves, can continue to create our world--a better world--if we emulate a God of justice, truth and kindness. That God makes us better; it is the devil who consorts with evil, the father of evil, who lures us into the vanity of power which is always our downfall no matter how powerful we believe we are.
I also just read a story about the new Bishop-elect James Mathes. who was trained in mathematics before going to seminary, and now is the leader of San Diego's Episcopalian church. A young 45, in a church that has been fractured over openly gay bishop, he wants to create "safe places to have conversations about subjects that divide them."
Religion doesn't seem to learn from its mistakes as it stifles dissent; itpretends to learn from its teachings but appears never to have read what it teaches. It is propelled backwards in history by narrowing its visions, as opposed to broadening them, for the betterment and progress of its adherents.As Confucius said, men never learn from history as they keep repeating their errors.
I also participated in a series of workshops having to do with improving our community and environment, through an effort of interchange of opinions, building towards solutions of problems which , many times, appear impossible. This is a fine organization, Civic Solutions, which is dedicated to cooperate towards making the seeming impossible, possible. But anything is possible as we discover wisdom. The Hubbell Telescope allowed us to gaze 10 billion years into our beginnings, thereby teaching us that discovery is the only thing that overcomes ignorance, no matter how smart we may feel that we are. As we live our lives, we discover truths that appeared fanciful, facts that appeared distortions, and a closeness to God that came only through the tolerance of truth-that most beautiful reality.
Take a chance this Sabbath, and walk with truth, that wonderful companion of love.
sandy
