LOVE GOD AND BE KIND
All the great spiritual teachings that have been handed down to us can be distilled into the words Love God and be kind.
Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Hillel, the great teacher of the Talmud when asked by a man to tell him everything he needed to know about the Talmud in the length of time he could stand on one foot replied, “Don’t do to another what you wouldn’t want another to do to you, the rest is just commentary.” The essence of all spiritual teachings is to enable us to love God and be kind. The deepest thinking theologians and the most enlightened masters can do no more than love God and be kind, nor can priests and monks in monasteries throughout the world do more than love God and be kind.
Ritual and tradition do not determine the righteousness of man. The Koran states, “Righteousness does not consist of whether you face East or West.” Nor does it depend on which day is considered the Sabbath, for East and West and one day or another day are relativities based on the movement of the Sun. Every moment in time is holy. Every place in God’s universe is holy. Every person is holy. We are a holy people standing in a holy place, at a holy time. Now. Right now. The only difference between the next person and ourselves is how we manifest our holiness—how we manifest our kindness.
To those who love God and exhibit kindness all things shall be made known and all power given. Fear and anxiety do not rest in the mind of the man who loves God; nor does envy reside in the heart of he who is kind. The man who loves God and acts kindly also gives generously to others for he knows that he has everything. Spiritual scriptures advise us to live life abundantly in the sense that when we love God and act kindly we have complete abundance. Giving to others is merely sharing the infinite abundance that God has bestowed upon us. God speaking through the prophet Jeremiah said, “I have given you everything.” St. Paul said, “There is no single thing that you have not received.” The Koran states, “All is from God.” The Bhagavad-Gita, The Tao, and the teachings of the Buddha all state that God has given us everything. Having received everything from God it is only natural that we should love him and in turn be kind to others.
This understanding varies greatly from Western thought which calls for earning as much money as possible and keeping as much as we can. We teach our children to go to school, get an education, find a job, make some money, and be somebody. We teach them to amass money and put it somewhere where it will work—where the money will make more money. Yet those whose lives depend on making money to make money do not seem to exhibit happiness. A look at the photos of stock traders after a sharp decline in world markets whether on Wall Street, Germany, Japan or in other trading locals throughout the world will show them looking shaken, demoralized, stunned, and filled with anxiety. Are they without food, clothing, or shelter? No. They have lost some vaporous commodity called wealth measured by a man made gauge called money. They worship a god called mammon and their lives bounce from euphoria to depression, from exaltation to angst. If only they would love God and be kind.
A society that worships the accumulation of material things cannot be kind. Consequently it abuses and institutionalizes its own. America has 2.4 million men in living in cages (in prison), it has 3.6 million senior citizens living in poverty, and a half million children living in foster care. 24 million children go to bed at night in a home without a father in it. Children are placed in day care centers as soon as they can walk, and the rate at which parents abandon their children by dropping them off at hospitals has reached unprecedented levels. Why can’t we care for our fellow man, our aged, and our children? We’re too busy accumulating material things and fighting to hang on to them. We have torn down the natural patriarchal structure designed for the propagation and preservation of the species and supplanted it with a societal structure designed for self-indulgence. Family has been destroyed in our quest to obtain wealth. We are not God focused and have become unkind not only to others, but also to ourselves.
Our lack of kindness extends to the environment as well. Nature does not make waste. All of nature gets recycled. Only man makes waste. The materialistic development of the earth has created waste heretofore undreamt of. We have made waste of plastics, highly refined metals, and the byproducts of power generating plants. Our waste is engulfing us. The generation of this waste is not done by kindness; it is done by an ignorance of environmental balance coupled with the desire to acquire material things. The pollution caused by petrochemicals dumped in the air, on the land, and in our waterways is further evidence of our ignorance of the environment and lack of kindness to the earth that sustains our life. A person who loves God will love all creation and will not abuse it. Western thought has caused the desecration of the earth.
Western thought has developed a system of education whether from pre-kindergarten to the most prestigious universities, that focuses on the world that man—especially Western man—made and ignores the world that God made. If we love God we will study and live in the world that God made. Western thought loves the works of its own hand and ignores the works of the hand of God. Western thought does not teach to love God and be kind. It motivates people to be self-indulgent and selfish.
There is no need to be angry or resentful of the abuse that Western thought has rent upon this earth. The universe always operates in accordance with the divine order. Just as the body rejects toxins, the earth rejects pollutants, and the spirit rejects that which is not beneficial to the growth of the soul. All that is not in harmony with the spirit and nature will pass. It always does. Those who worship wealth and the material world look toward the outside. Those who do not have material wealth—either by design or circumstance—look within. The kingdom of God is within and endures, whereas the material world passes. So it is those who are meek—those who have learned to love God and be kind—who shall survive and inherit the earth.
To express anger and hatred towards our fellow man is to not understand the nature of the functioning of the universe, nor does it indicate a love of God. All inappropriate action (which we tend to call evil or sin) results from ignorance. If we knew better we would do better. We can only do that which we understand. The ignorance of Western thought is that it does not understand the universal principle of gender from which all activity originates. It is imbalanced, has a feminine materialistic orientation and lacks the masculine attributes necessary for survival and growth; consequently it is imploding. This society will pass and a more enlightened society will spring up that will also have its lessons to learn but will bring us closer to loving God and being kind.
Loving God and being kind cannot be done passively. We speak of “acts of kindness” and “acts of love.” Men’s Action to Rebuild Society calls for action. It calls for rebuilding society. It projects its kindness by presenting the natural patriarchal structure and way of life in a readily understandable manner so that humankind will become empowered and live more harmoniously.
If you believe that family is the fundamental unit of all life (patriarchy is family) and want to express your kindness by supporting efforts to create a family renaissance you can do this by contributing your time, talents, and treasure to Men’s Action. Your acts of kindness will help enable it to increase its outreach to humankind. Whatever your decision, always remember to Love God and Be Kind.
Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Hillel, the great teacher of the Talmud when asked by a man to tell him everything he needed to know about the Talmud in the length of time he could stand on one foot replied, “Don’t do to another what you wouldn’t want another to do to you, the rest is just commentary.” The essence of all spiritual teachings is to enable us to love God and be kind. The deepest thinking theologians and the most enlightened masters can do no more than love God and be kind, nor can priests and monks in monasteries throughout the world do more than love God and be kind.
Ritual and tradition do not determine the righteousness of man. The Koran states, “Righteousness does not consist of whether you face East or West.” Nor does it depend on which day is considered the Sabbath, for East and West and one day or another day are relativities based on the movement of the Sun. Every moment in time is holy. Every place in God’s universe is holy. Every person is holy. We are a holy people standing in a holy place, at a holy time. Now. Right now. The only difference between the next person and ourselves is how we manifest our holiness—how we manifest our kindness.
To those who love God and exhibit kindness all things shall be made known and all power given. Fear and anxiety do not rest in the mind of the man who loves God; nor does envy reside in the heart of he who is kind. The man who loves God and acts kindly also gives generously to others for he knows that he has everything. Spiritual scriptures advise us to live life abundantly in the sense that when we love God and act kindly we have complete abundance. Giving to others is merely sharing the infinite abundance that God has bestowed upon us. God speaking through the prophet Jeremiah said, “I have given you everything.” St. Paul said, “There is no single thing that you have not received.” The Koran states, “All is from God.” The Bhagavad-Gita, The Tao, and the teachings of the Buddha all state that God has given us everything. Having received everything from God it is only natural that we should love him and in turn be kind to others.
This understanding varies greatly from Western thought which calls for earning as much money as possible and keeping as much as we can. We teach our children to go to school, get an education, find a job, make some money, and be somebody. We teach them to amass money and put it somewhere where it will work—where the money will make more money. Yet those whose lives depend on making money to make money do not seem to exhibit happiness. A look at the photos of stock traders after a sharp decline in world markets whether on Wall Street, Germany, Japan or in other trading locals throughout the world will show them looking shaken, demoralized, stunned, and filled with anxiety. Are they without food, clothing, or shelter? No. They have lost some vaporous commodity called wealth measured by a man made gauge called money. They worship a god called mammon and their lives bounce from euphoria to depression, from exaltation to angst. If only they would love God and be kind.
A society that worships the accumulation of material things cannot be kind. Consequently it abuses and institutionalizes its own. America has 2.4 million men in living in cages (in prison), it has 3.6 million senior citizens living in poverty, and a half million children living in foster care. 24 million children go to bed at night in a home without a father in it. Children are placed in day care centers as soon as they can walk, and the rate at which parents abandon their children by dropping them off at hospitals has reached unprecedented levels. Why can’t we care for our fellow man, our aged, and our children? We’re too busy accumulating material things and fighting to hang on to them. We have torn down the natural patriarchal structure designed for the propagation and preservation of the species and supplanted it with a societal structure designed for self-indulgence. Family has been destroyed in our quest to obtain wealth. We are not God focused and have become unkind not only to others, but also to ourselves.
Our lack of kindness extends to the environment as well. Nature does not make waste. All of nature gets recycled. Only man makes waste. The materialistic development of the earth has created waste heretofore undreamt of. We have made waste of plastics, highly refined metals, and the byproducts of power generating plants. Our waste is engulfing us. The generation of this waste is not done by kindness; it is done by an ignorance of environmental balance coupled with the desire to acquire material things. The pollution caused by petrochemicals dumped in the air, on the land, and in our waterways is further evidence of our ignorance of the environment and lack of kindness to the earth that sustains our life. A person who loves God will love all creation and will not abuse it. Western thought has caused the desecration of the earth.
Western thought has developed a system of education whether from pre-kindergarten to the most prestigious universities, that focuses on the world that man—especially Western man—made and ignores the world that God made. If we love God we will study and live in the world that God made. Western thought loves the works of its own hand and ignores the works of the hand of God. Western thought does not teach to love God and be kind. It motivates people to be self-indulgent and selfish.
There is no need to be angry or resentful of the abuse that Western thought has rent upon this earth. The universe always operates in accordance with the divine order. Just as the body rejects toxins, the earth rejects pollutants, and the spirit rejects that which is not beneficial to the growth of the soul. All that is not in harmony with the spirit and nature will pass. It always does. Those who worship wealth and the material world look toward the outside. Those who do not have material wealth—either by design or circumstance—look within. The kingdom of God is within and endures, whereas the material world passes. So it is those who are meek—those who have learned to love God and be kind—who shall survive and inherit the earth.
To express anger and hatred towards our fellow man is to not understand the nature of the functioning of the universe, nor does it indicate a love of God. All inappropriate action (which we tend to call evil or sin) results from ignorance. If we knew better we would do better. We can only do that which we understand. The ignorance of Western thought is that it does not understand the universal principle of gender from which all activity originates. It is imbalanced, has a feminine materialistic orientation and lacks the masculine attributes necessary for survival and growth; consequently it is imploding. This society will pass and a more enlightened society will spring up that will also have its lessons to learn but will bring us closer to loving God and being kind.
Loving God and being kind cannot be done passively. We speak of “acts of kindness” and “acts of love.” Men’s Action to Rebuild Society calls for action. It calls for rebuilding society. It projects its kindness by presenting the natural patriarchal structure and way of life in a readily understandable manner so that humankind will become empowered and live more harmoniously.
If you believe that family is the fundamental unit of all life (patriarchy is family) and want to express your kindness by supporting efforts to create a family renaissance you can do this by contributing your time, talents, and treasure to Men’s Action. Your acts of kindness will help enable it to increase its outreach to humankind. Whatever your decision, always remember to Love God and Be Kind.
posted by Elder George at
5:21 PM
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