myTakes: Religion & Spirituality
What the bible says is the secret to money and status
The bible teaches there are 2 secrets that make you rich: 1 - You must offer humble, sacrificial, unpaid and careful service to a humanitarian cause and do it for results and not for attention and you must be modest,...
The Abyss is Looking Back.
In scripture, the God of the Hebrews stated that He cannot get humanity to look to Him for our direction and definition, and because we have abandoned relationship with Him, He leaves us to our devices. He says He would...
Why Religion Does Not Always Make You Holy
You have people who say they are religious committing acts of terrorism against outsiders, supporting xenophobic political candidates, trying to exclude their cultural or religious “other” from the public sphere, opposing...
Barefooted: A Catholic White Man's Visit To A Hindu Monastery
Anyone who truly knows me, would very much consider me a "Desiphile". So when I found out that there was a Hindu monastery on Kauai, I could not pass up the opportunity to visit. The monastery, which is located in deep in...
Why your character matters more than your aptitude
I know three people with tested genius IQs that ended up unemployed, broke, or underpaid. All three had character issues and family transgressions and sins. One person was a social coward, too terrified to talk to people...
My Theory on Obesity Among Religious Christians
There is a psychiatrist who said 80% of obese women were molested as children, meaning it happened before their late teenage years. I believe obesity and food addiction is caused by cognitive dissonance, where there is a...
How I understand the notion of One God as a Christian
I do not view the idea of one God as a Christian God or a Muslim God or a Buddhist God or an Orthodox Judaism Tetragrammaton. My idea of one God is much more easy to understand. That there is only one way to live and...
How I wasted my childhood by not knowing God
When I was in middle school I was the smartest kid in my class, not religious at all, and I used to mock people less popular and less intelligent then me and I loved to make people feel dumb. Looking back at these 12 year...
This is my non Jewish Understanding of the 12 / 14 Tribes of Israel.
The 12 / 14 Tribes of Israel No G-d beside justice and charity // Zebulun (Dreams) No image or status or standard worship // Simeon & Levi (Knowledge & Power) Do not take the Lord’s name in vain // Reuben (Responsibility)...
A Dream God gave me about accessing miracles
I had a dream where God said that if I worry about what I can control, that God will worry about what I cannot control. I can think of examples in my own life, I had debt and could not afford too much but diligently...
How I understand the Ten Commandments as a Gentile, or Non Jew
How I understand the 10 Commandments as a Gentile 1 - No other Gods To worship justice and not sensation. Spending money on shelter and food and not wine and vacations and disco jams. 2 - No idols To delight in spiritual...
Why Bible facts are not necessarily your facts
This week, somebody told me they did not believe the story of Genesis because apples came from Asia and not Africa and I pointed out the bible never said it was an apple tree and that the apple tree might be a symbol for...
What the bible teaches about love that your community will not
I used to know a guy that I thought was absolute trash. He flunked out of college, flunked out of his real estate exam, slept with strangers at bars, had anger issues, talked hate all day long and could not understand why...
Why I like being religious
As a Christian, I have many things you can't buy with money or social status I have the promise of good health through the many verses in the bible about healing, many conditional on acts of faith. I have peace, that I'm...
It's the Church's own fault so many people are losing faith in Christianity
My parents are Catholic. Shortly after I was born, they stopped going to church because it was difficult for them. I believed in God then, and when I'd see my grandparents, they'd take me to church with them (they're...
What the bible teaches about female modesty
In Isaiah, it says, the spoil speeds, the prey hastens. If you reverse genders, you could say, riches flee from your life when you chase them too hard, same as lovers or achievements. From what I observe in my own life,...
Why love is not enough to save your life
The bible teaches that love is not enough. It must be combined with dignity, humility, honesty, modesty, patience, obedience, tolerance, delayed gratification, respect, obedience, receptivity, productivity, philanthropy,...
What trusting God means at its highest degree
I believe trusting in God means investing your emotions and thoughts to God and not making assumptions about people. I was offended when a lady that I believed disliked me did not give me a link to a digital zoom event...
Why the bible teaches that knowledge is power
People who follow the bible say you should not judge others, but most believe it’s okay to judge those that judge others, since they invite judgment when they justify their own ability to judge others. I realize one...
What my pastor told me about protection from God
Over ten years ago I was having a private conversation with my pastor and I told him I did not want to listen to my parents because my parents were crazy and aggressive and they might endanger my health or my self...
