Now If That Isn't an Irony!

All through my Christian life—for 55 years—so many Christians emphasized that the only way for all humans to have peace is for humans to accept Jesus as their Savior, to become a Christian.

Then they will change, peace will come in their lives, and they will act in peace, and eventually—at least by the time Jesus returns—peace will come to all of the world.

Here’s one famous phrase—“The Prince of Peace is the only one who can change it [stop war, stop hatred, stop injustice, etc.] by changing one heart at a time.”

BUT the EXACT opposite has happened. For generations.

In every generation, the vast majority of those ‘changed-one-heart-at-a-time,’ born-again-devout Christians are the very humans who are most pro-war, even strongly supporting the slaughter of civilians, and often emphasizing nationalism!

They even now are claiming that everyone ought to put “America First”!

Arrest a 12-year-old disabled girl at the hospital where she just had surgery because she isn't a native citizen, even though she has lived in the U.S. since she was 3 months old.

Send her to a border station internment place by herself.

Forcibly separate thousands of children, including over 100 under 5, from their refugee parents, and move them to facilities far away from their parents in other states!

Utter selfishness, injustice, and no peace.

Now if that isn’t an irony.




Instead,

Seek the Light of justice, reconciliation, compassion, human rights, equality, and so much more.

Act today for those who are impoverished, those who are suffering, those who are oppressed.

Daniel Wilcox

Thompson Square: Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not Lyrics

conundruming

conundruming

not dumbing, not plumbed down,
not dumbwaiving for godot,
no snare

but God inspired;
no theological
smart aleck dolt,
no horrific tulips
of the poisonous
calvin’s sort

no foreordained inscrutables
no despairing dilemmas

but
instead that everlasting jolt
of infinite compassion

fearless locutions from the heart,
--not verbal or literal executes--

but
generous movements
of comfort and actions for the lost,

the needy, the hurt,
all those who suffer,
and even those who surfeit;

all inclusive, all in one,

walking with the sun on the water
of the moment

Selah


-Daniel Wilcox


In the Light,

Daniel Wilcox

Reflections on the Transgender Conflict

The transgender conflict is currently breaking hearts and confusing minds,
another tragic case of how an important concern can be twisted by politicians
and the media until all that is left is smog, and no one is helped.

Suggestions:

#1 Keep politics, the media, non-medical people, and others out of the transgender subject. Leave this concern with the individual!

It would seem that if an individual's gender was wrongly assigned at birth, that this is a private matter, the business of no one but the individual.

If a person's gender doesn't match his/her body, and so she/he has transitioned, who is going to know when she/he visits the restroom stall of her/his gender identity?

No one!

#2 Inform ourselves on the topic by reading scholarly articles, books, and by talking with a transgender individual IF she/he brings up the concern.

I am gradually learning about the concern, despite the media, politicians, social rumor, propaganda, and so much popular drivel.

Get our learning from scholarship, not from popular leaders.

I've read one good scholarly book on sexuality related to gender, same sexuality, etc. That's not nearly enough I realize. So I continue to learn and to seek to understand.

Personally, I don't know anyone who is transgender, at least no one who has identified thus. Hopefully, I will be able to discuss this with such an individual soon.

#3 Live in empathy, compassion, social concern, equality, and justice for all humans.

And keep seeking for what is true, what is just, what is right,

and what is good in the Light,

Daniel Wilcox

Rescuing Ex-Muslims: Leaving Islam

https://youtu.be/O1lnxUXWGgE


"Around the world, people who leave the faith of Islam face state persecution, imprisonment, torture, and even execution, as well as violence, death threats, and ostracization from their own communities."

In many Muslim families the father or older brother or relative will even kill a family member who rejects the faith.

I'm a theist and against atheism, but this insightful video is a heart-breaker showing the evil of religion, particularly Islam.

--

Syrian Woman

Let us open our hearts and wallets to help those persecuted and impoverished, those escaping from the horror of war and religious persecution.

Please write your U.S. Senators and Representatives to support the acceptance of Syrian refugees and other refugees escaping from the Muslim slaughter in the Middle East.

President Obama's commitment to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees deserves praise, but that isn't near enough. Germany has accepted almost 1 million refugees!

Please urge the U.S. Government to admit at least 250,000 refugees (anyone who will agree to support human rights and freedom of religion for everyone, even for those who reject Islam).

For those desperate refugees (who are strict Muslims, who oppose human rights and oppose the freedom of apostasy), even they need help, so seek to send basic aid to them in the Muslim countries where they are stranded and in need.

Reach out to all in the Light,

Daniel Wilcox

Part #3: What Is Purity of the Heart?

Mind and Heart continuing:

After rejecting the wrong—
pornography, propaganda, emotional pollution,
obscenity, and other destructive actions,
what is the first positive step
into purity of the heart?

#1 Love what is transcendent, first.

What is finite—needs to be an also-ran,
coming in very secondary.

Everything that pollutes the heart comes from imagining,
choosing, and acting as if some finite thing
is most importance. As Plato emphasized
so long ago, and many thinkers since, love the Good.

#2 Realize that seeking the Good, the True, the Just
the Beautiful, the Loving is the first step
into each
moment,
each minute,
each hour,
each day,
each month,
each year,
each lifetime,
not one goal among many other concerns.

Purity of heart
is the true path to everything else.

#3 As good as career, projects, achievements, and success are,
choose in the present now to put humans first.

That’s called humanism, altruism, benevolence,
friendship, empathy, compassion, and so forth.

#4 Remember, that commitment in marriage is continual
choosing,
continual action,
and continual promise.

Feelings come and go.
Circumstances come and go.
Understandings come and go.
Distractions come and go.

But purity of the heart is coupled to covenant.

This is when two lovers
are one in caring and sharing in the midst of their
many differences, disagreements, and mistakes.


To be continued--



In the Light,


Daniel Wilcox

Purity of the Mind and Heart

From Purex laundry soap to Pure Silk, ads emphasize the importance and beauty of purity.

But with so much negative emphasis of late on the destructive “purity culture”
of Fundamentalist Christians and Muslims
—especially where girls and women are shamed, persecuted, abused, even executed
simply for what they wear or don’t wear,
how they choose to express themselves, and so forth,
one hesitates to use the word “purity” because it’s
often now misunderstood.

But no other word really suffices.

Purity in its denotative meaning is essential for humanity. Think of purity in water.
Even the slightest infestation of bacteria or dangerous chemicals in drinking water can cause severe illness, even death quickly.

That’s why when backpacking in the Sierras
and the Grand Canyon, we always used water purification tablets.

Nobody wants pollution in water, air, or food, except the crazy or the greedy. Think of the many cases
of food poisoning in the news in the last 3 months including 80 students in New England.
That's why there are high standards in food preparation and store products.

Also, ever hear of pure gold?
Who wants gold if it’s mostly scattered in amidst other minerals which will make it hard to extract?

So what is Purity of the Mind?

Purity of the Heart?

Probably, first, it’s easiest and quickest to show what it ‘ain’t’ (to quote Huck).

#1 Think of the illusions and delusions of the mind.

Many Americans are convinced that the earth is only
a few thousand years old and that evolution is false!

Yet there is plenty of hard evidence and scientific
conclusions which show that evolution
is a fact and that the earth is billions of years old.

When we humans stop seeking what is true, but stay only
with what we learned in the past, and with what is
accepted by our culture and society, we will harm others
and ourselves eventually.


#2 Consider many of the salacious ads that appear on the Internet
(and on TV, Cable, etc.) every time we search for an article, product,
movie, idea, or to look up an old friend.
Ironically, even when I was looking for images of purity,
a few morally sick graphics came up on Google.

Even when anyone stops at a philosophical or ethical site
to read about goodness and justice,
there will be ads not only for food, health, and travel, but often also--

“20 Stars Who Clearly Aren’t Wearing Underwear”

“See What Short Skirt Kim Wore”

--ad nauseum...

#3 Who the hell cares?
(Sorry for that unpure expletive; it's intentional to emphasize the spiritual sheol
so many humans obsess in.)

#4 Unethical advertisers do. They create these clearly salacious, prurient, lewd
(whatever term you want to call it) ads to hook young adults (or not so young)
into clicking and viewing each ad which may give them a voyeuristic jolt,
and then get them to buy some product.


That is NOT purity of the heart or mind—
not for the immoral advertiser,
the idiotic sponsor,
or the morally foolish individuals who click on them.

Yet millions of humans do all the time.

#5 And the Internet--which was supposed to help bring people together,
to enrich their intellectual and emotional lives--
is instead used to make billions of dollars through pornography.

Why have we as a human species so twisted our sexuality, gotten so licentious and prurient
that we use brilliant technology to con humans into descending into a subhuman level.

Well, no, not "subhuman"; as Mark Twain wrote, that's besmirching animals.
Rather salacious ads and pornography and immoral media are anti-humanistic.

Whew...

#6 Another example could be given of impurity of the mind by studying the speeches and statements of the presidential debates
and related comments.

Contrary to what all we literature teachers taught students about the danger and destruction of propaganda
(via Animal Farm by George Orwell), the current media focus has been one endless bag of informal fallacies and ad hominem.

--ad hominem,

you uneducated blob;-)



To be continued

Got rid of a little of the muck...

next the good--

In the Pure Light,

Daniel Wilcox