A few minutes ago I posted a newstory on www.radicalrevbates.org about a mega-church in High Point, Texas, pastored by Joel Osteen's brother, that cancelled the funeral service for a gay veteran just 24 hours before it was to begin. The pastor stated that it was not cancelled due to hatred but because of principle. I wondered what principle he was referring to? ... after all, "love one another" is a principle. And as we seek to master this simple principle, we find so many of the false ideas that we have accepted, are antagonistic to the Law of Life, which is a Law of Love. Let's get this clear in our minds:
As God Is Love and Love Is God, I know and accept that as I seek to express more of God, I must seek to express more of Love. Knowing that God's Love is Omnipresent and Omnipotent, I accept and know that there is never any justification in withholding Love from anyone ... including myself. I realize as did Jesus, Krishna, Emerson and Buddha ... that Love is the Law of Life ... it is the One Law for it is the Law of God, Infinite Spirit. I know that Love creates, never destroys ... Love embraces us, never pushes us away ... I know that to Love God means to Love my neighbor as myself ... and so I know that this I must do ... for to not love anyone ... is to not love a part of God ... and not loving God is impossible for me as my consciosness is filled with the Love of God, the Love of Life, the Love for my neighbor ... and the Love for all those who may be against me or anyone ... for Love heals all things un-like God ... and Love is the only thing that can ... and in this I am certain and convinced ... so I release anything unlike Love from my memory knowing that it was merely a false idea entertained by my former unenlightened mind ... and in this moment, I am filled with the Presence of Love and I let this Love shine through me into the world of experience to lift up all God's perfect creations ... now and always. And so it is!
Keep the faith!
Rev. Bates
Rev. Bates developed The Way to a Wonderful Life to provide answers to situations we face on a daily basis relating to social consciousness, financial prosperity, sexuality and religious/spiritual thought. Also, in Spanish: http://revbates-en-espanol.blogspot.com/
3 comments:
Wow as a gay man I at times find it hard to embrace and love someone who seems to demonstrate hatred for me...like Joel's brothers seems to have in this act of demonstrating principle. But anything which promotes separation is an illusion. If I just remember that, it makes it so much easier to love everyone even ones that seen harder to love. Which after all is much more difficult to do than loving someone like a friend or partner.
What a concept a minister with BALLS... by that I'm sure you're referring to him taking a stand and having guts (lets hope so). A minister who practices the principals he preaches and LOVES everyone. That's not something you see at every religious institution and SHOULD! You know it's too bad all ministers don't have BALLS!
This story made me sick. How can someone preach love when doing something so hurtful as to cancel someone memorial service, just because of who they love. I am a minister as well. I find the hijacking of God and Jesus by the hateful minority to be an utter shame.
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