How To Choose Your Religion- Flowchart and Quiz

I found this rather funny since it pretty much pokes fun at every major religion. Sometimes we just need to not take ourselves so seriously. And I definitely believe that GOD has a sense of humour, I know I've experienced it.



On a more serious note, many of us on spiritual paths often incorporate different Truths from different faiths into our religious belief system. I have known Jewish Buddhists, and Christians and Jews who believe in karma and re-incarnation. I even knew a Jewish woman who was a Hare Krishna devotee.

And if you don't know where you stand, or you're not sure what path you should follow, take this fun Spiritual Belief System Selector Quiz at SelectSmart.com. Although I was very surprised at what I came up with, it was still interesting.

Read the instructions carefully and have fun. It's just 20 multiple choice questions, and you get the results right there without having to sign up. You might be inspired to try something new.

Recipe For A Disastrous Life- What you cook up in your mind you create

RECIPE FOR A DISASTROUS LIFE

1 cup of Negativity

1 cup of Lack of Faith

3/4 cup of Fear

1/2 cup of Doubt

1/4 cup of Resentment

4 heaping teaspoons of Jealousy

A dash of Regret

In the Bible's 'Book Of Proverbs', Chapter 23, Verse 7, it was written "As A Man Thinketh In His Heart, So Is He". James Allen, back in 1902, wrote a short essay entitled "As A Man Thinketh" which was inspired by that biblical verse. Many other spiritually enlightened individuals have also spoken about how our thoughts create our reality. In other words, if we continuously allow all the negative emotions and thoughts that inevitably arise within our minds on a daily basis to sit there and fester, we will only attract negativity into our lives. There is no way we can prosper, on any level, with negativity clouding our hearts and minds; and there is absolutely no way GOD can work through our lives with that darkness hanging over us.

With our day to day challenges, and particularly in these hard economic times, it can be very difficult to maintain a positive attitude. When we lose our jobs and can't pay our bills, or we have health issues that seem insurmountable, it's of tantamount importance to ramp up the faith factor even more. As hard as it might be to think positively while struggling through the storm of life, we must force ourselves to change the negative thoughts that slam into our minds like a hurricane, into positive ones. But it won't help if we just simply pay lip service by changing a negative to a positive, we must truly believe what we are affirming. Affirmations, of course, are a start, but we must change our whole mindset from one of lack and limitation to one of prosperity. Of course, prosperity means different things to different people; for me, the most important things one can have are shelter, food on the table, the love of friends and family, and good health to enjoy life. The rest is icing on the cake.

We need to remove all negativity in our lives, which means eliminating- fear, doubt, lack of faith, resentment, jealousy, regret, judgement, worry, anger. These things act as major impediments to a fruitful, joyous life.

Thought in the mind hath made us. What we are
By thought we wrought and built. If a man's mind
Hath evil thoughts, pain comes on him as comes
The wheel the ox behind . . . If one endure in purity
of thought joy follows him as his own shadow - sure.

To download Allen's e-booklet for free, click here. Or to read it on-line, click here.

On Unconditional Love- GoD and DoG by Wendy J. Francisco

Unconditional love. Not many of us know what that truly means. We often 'love' others with conditions. We expect them to love us in return and often punish them when they don't. Unconditional love is loving someone without conditions, pre-conditions or obligations, and is not something that comes easily to us humans. Two great examples of unconditional love are GOD and dogs, and Wendy J Francisco has penned a lovely little song about just that. She explains here how she came up with the idea for the song. Someone apparently claimed it was blasphemy to compare God with a dog, but that's really not her point, as she explains and as I understood it.

I think it's just a wonderful example of how important it is to be forgiving and unconditional.

2010 a New Year, a New Decade- May it bring 'real' hope and change, because miracles DO happen!

2009 was a rough year and, admittedly, I will be happy when it's finally over. When I lived in Ecuador (for 2 years during high school), on New Year's eve they had a major block party on one of the major drags. Up and down Amazonas boulevard, live bands played music and effigies representing the old year were burned. I haven't thought about that in a long time, but this year I might do something similar as a symbolic gesture for out with the old, because it really sucked.

The economy has taken its toll on many, including me. Arts funding is usually the first to go in challenging economic times, so many theatres have shut down, the work has dwindled, and it might be time to search for another career. I also battled health problems for the best part of the year, and am only just starting to feel normal again, if that's possible when you have 2 chronic ailments. I have been sick since March, but since the beginning of May (when I finally decided to go to a doctor) I have been trekking to MDs and acupuncturists anywhere from 2 to 4 times a week. Because of lack of work, I did not get enough weeks to qualify for my union health insurance, so I will be paying over $2,000 per quarter in Cobra payments. At least I have that option. But 2010 is a new year and the start of a new decade, and I am ever hopeful- because miracles happen.

On the national level, we saw the election of our first black president, which would have been wonderful had it been the "right" black president. I blogged about what a disaster it would be to vote for Obama, and how a no vote or a vote for a 3rd party candidate was essentially a vote for Obama. People did anyway, and now many regret the decision. I'd like to say I told you so, but what would I gain from that. I just hope people remember, and vote the right way in 2010 and 2012. And though it seems that Obama could lay waste to this precious country in 4 short years, 2010 is a new year and the start of a new decade, and I am ever hopeful that things can change, for the better. And not Obama's vacuous claims of "hope and change." Real hope and change- because miracles happen.

We've seen more violence and more craziness around the world, with an increase in radical Islam (and the ultimate goal of global domination by extremists), but on the other hand we've also seen Muslims against terrorism and shariah become more vocal in their condemnation, both here and abroad. We are also witnessing that there are those in the Middle East who truly want democracy and will fight to achieve that goal, and so we need to pray for the Iranian people who are fighting on their own for freedom. All they want is moral support. Let's give it to them. Maybe more will follow suit, though that's highly unlikely. So, in spite of the mess our sad little world is in, 2010 is a new year and the start of a new decade, and I am ever hopeful that 'good' will win over 'evil'- because the good guys always win, and miracles do happen.

And if you don't believe in miracles watch this




Wishing everyone a blessed, prosperous and Happy New year. May it bring many miracles into all of our lives.

GOD bless this country and all freedom-loving people of the world.

Cross posted at Confessions Of A Closet Republican

When In Doubt Just P.U.S.H.

I received this in an email recently, and loved the message. I have experienced, first hand, the blessings of P.U.S.H. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did:


One night, a man was sleeping in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and God appeared. He told the man He had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. God explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might ...

So, the man pushed against the rock day after day. For years he toiled from sunup to sundown, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might.

Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out and feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain. Since the man was showing discouragement, the adversary (Satan) used this opportunity to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the weary mind (and you know he tries to do it every time).

"You have been pushing against that rock for a long time and it hasn't moved," said Satan. This gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man.

Satan whispered, "Why kill yourself over this? Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort, and that will be good enough."

That's what the weary man planned to do, but decided to make it a matter of prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to God.

"Lord," he said, "I have labored long and hard in Your service, putting all my strength to do that which You have asked, yet after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?"

The Lord responded compassionately, "My child, when I asked you to serve Me, and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all of your strength, which you have done. Never once did I say to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. Now you come to Me with your strength spent thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself! Your arms are strong and muscled, your back shiny and brown. Your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard."

"Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. True, you haven't moved the rock, but your calling was to be obedient; that you have done. Now my child , I will move the rock.

At times, when we hear a word from God we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants. All He really wants is obedience and faith in Him.

When everything seems to go wrong, just ... P.U.S.H.

When the job gets you down, just ... P.U.S.H.

When people don't do as you think they should, just ... P.U.S.H

P = Pray

U = Until

S = Something

H = Happens


Hat Tip: Spiritual World via email