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For me a big yes. As a believer may I greet everyone a very Merry Christmas and peace to all as well.

What a fitting time to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus, who's teachings are all about being good.

I do know that Atheism (disbelief or lack of belief on the existence of God) and Agnosticism (the existence of God is unknown or unknowable) are also part of humanity. I am not here to disrespect the belief or non thereof of everyone but to share mine and why I do.


I do wish that we can all share our opinions on this topic in a civil and mature way. I am lucky I live in a country that protects this right, the right to believe or not believe. In your country, do you have a choice?

Thank you all for reading and or sharing your opinions if you do.


If you have doubts, please read the two books written by1. Dr. Brian Weiss, Many Lives Many Masters; and Dr. Eben Alexander, Proof of heaven. That's if you are in search for knowledge and have an open mind..

NOTE: FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE. EXPLANATION ISN'T NEEDED AND THOSE WHO DON'T BELIEVE, EXPLANATION IS IMPOSSIBLE.

Shockingly true. Finally someone in the Muslim world sees and expresses the truth.



Way to go Yousef Al-Husseini.

The TRUTH hurts but for humanity's sake we must face it and do something about it.

I hope peace will reign for the whole of humanity.

The specific goal of Hirshi, is to remove any excuse that causes these terrorism.



Explain why the millions of non terrorist who stood in support if the killing of Hebdo

Explain the caliphation movement, history indicates it's continuum. There wasn't a single Muslim in the middle East in 600 AD.

Explain the above link that promotes killing of infidels by a preacher. Don't tell me the audience were only terrorists in the making.

Again, there are goid people in every religion, they are not the ones that are persecuted.

Then again, the San Bernardino incident, killed 14 innocent Americans.

Born and raised in the US, he wasn't showing any terrorism inclinations, two years before the incident, he went to Pakistan abd married a terrorist.

The point I'm making, we can't be sure who is good and a terrorist one.

Trump for that reason wants to stop Muslim coming to the US. I can't agree more.

SPECIAL REQUEST FOR A VERY SPECIAL WRITER, BLOGGER AND A FRIEND. LET'S ALL JOIN OUR HANDS TOGETHER IN A MOMENT OF SILENCE AND PRAY.

Thanks all for joining in.

Probably all of us are truly feeling sad today for the passing of a great friend. Simmo.

May I please request all of us to say a prayer for him.

I'm still shocked and as I've been very busy with other things lately I didn't even learn until the blog of Teddy. Thank You Teddy for the info.

I know most of us here that had been for a while knew what happened last year.

Another member on here whom I will not mention her name, broke his heart so he requested my help with another good member to help him in the research of that person. We didn't succeed but him and I had been communicating in our personal mail but never mentioned if he was sick or not. He was absolutely one of the best bloggers on here and I will terribly miss him.

Please join me in a prayer for his soul.

Thank you all so much.

Our dear Simmo wherever you are, we love you.

May you rest in peace.

Introduction to The Fool,

I have not read a book for 6-7 years now for, I decided that all books read up to then was more than enough to be overwhelmed by information included in them.

However, if it was to pick up and choose just one book from all books read that would have been the one lately recommended to a few people when talked about books.

This is my favourite one, Dhammapada.

The only book read by me several times during different periods and stages in my life.

Each time read as if it was the first time read, the meaning of the verses perceiced/seen differently each time.

Each time, a different message received, a lesson to be learned and applied by me.

All a very hard work , all worth it in the end.

Dhammapada is a compilation of ancient, wise stories/sayings said to have come straight from the mouth of Budha.

My favourite one from Dhammapada has been since the first day, the whole book read and continued to be up to now, The Fool.

The Fool, follows below,

Chapter 5, The Fool

60. Long is the night to the sleepless; long is the league to the weary. Long is worldly existence to fools who know not the Sublime Truth.

61. Should a seeker not find a companion who is better or equal, let him resolutely pursue a solitary course; there is no fellowship with the fool.



62. The fool worries, thinking, "I have sons, I have wealth." Indeed, when he himself is not his own, whence are sons, whence is wealth?

63. A fool who knows his foolishness is wise at least to that extent, but a fool who thinks himself wise is a fool indeed.

64. Though all his life a fool associates with a wise man, he no more comprehends the Truth than a spoon tastes the flavor of the soup.

65. Though only for a moment a discerning person associates with a wise man, quickly he comprehends the Truth, just as the tongue tastes the flavor of the soup.

66. Fools of little wit are enemies unto themselves as they move about doing evil deeds, the fruits of which are bitter.

67. Ill done is that action of doing which one repents later, and the fruit of which one, weeping, reaps with tears.

68. Well done is that action of doing which one repents not later, and the fruit of which one, reaps with delight and happiness.

69. So long as an evil deed has not ripened, the fool thinks it as sweet as honey. But when the evil deed ripens, the fool comes to grief.

70. Month after month a fool may eat his food with the tip of a blade of grass, but he still is not worth a sixteenth part of the those who have comprehended the Truth.

71. Truly, an evil deed committed does not immediately bear fruit, like milk that does not turn sour all at once. But smoldering, it follows the fool like fire covered by ashes.

72. To his own ruin the fool gains knowledge, for it cleaves his head and destroys his innate goodness.

73. The fool seeks undeserved reputation, precedence among monks, authority over monasteries, and honor among householders.

74. "Let both laymen and monks think that it was done by me. In every work, great and small, let them follow me" — such is the ambition of the fool; thus his desire and pride increase.

75. One is the quest for worldly gain, and quite another is the path to Nirvana. Clearly understanding this, let not the monk, the disciple of the Buddha, be carried away by worldly acclaim, but develop detachment instead.

The End.


Acknowledgement for The Fool (chapter 5 of Dhammapada): The Buddha Net,

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. - But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Romans 8:2, 9 KJV

"We live like Heaven already, a little bit of Heaven right here and now! What could we have more?--Only more of the same and better!
*
"Heaven is simply going to be an intensification, amplification, magnification and extension of all the thrills and joys and pleasures of this life, the Heaven on Earth that we're now enjoying, only it will be even more Heavenly there, and forever, praise God! !
*
"One reason I like to talk about Heaven, think about Heaven and read about Heaven is because, after all, that's where we're going to spend Eternity, so it's a pretty important place and we ought to be pretty interested, don't you think? It's our Eternal Home, the place Jesus has gone to prepare for us forever, so we certainly ought to be interested in it and want to know what it's like and what we're going to be like when we get there!
*
"The Lord may want to colonise other Worlds with His new perfect children! What's the whole Universe for and all this huge amount of space if He's only interested in colonising one little Planet? What an incubation! What an incubator for other civilizations!--Right here on the New Earth and the Heavenly City!
*
"Heaven's the place where all your heart's desires are fulfilled! Put in your order! I'm sure the Lord will be glad to have anything there for you that you want!
*
"The reason the church doesn't deal with some of these questions about Heaven is they're afraid of the answers! If you could have babies in Heaven, then you could have sex in Heaven!--And that's horrifying to the churches!


Conclusion

Many aspects of Heaven have been presented in these pages. However, some questions remain unanswered. Perhaps the most important is, "How can I know for certain that I am going to Heaven?" Most of us want to go, but when pressed, aren't really sure if we qualify.

The same God who loves us enough to create us, this life, the universe and the Heaven we have just read about has made it very easy for each of us to be assured of a place there. It is best summed up in a very simple, but very important verse from the Bible.

For God so loved the world [each of us], that He gave His only begotten Son , that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

--Jesus, John 3:16, NKJ

God loves each of us in a very special way. He knows that the only way we're going to be truly happy and personally fulfilled is to live with Him forever. To make this possible, He sent His Son, Jesus, to show us how to live and love, and to die for us. Jesus is the bridge between this life and Heaven.

And don't ever think that you are too "bad" to go to Heaven. God knows everything you have ever done or said or even thought, and He still loves you unconditionally. Heaven is full of sinners -- that is, people who have done bad things, but asked God for His forgiveness. All He wants you to do is to tell Him you're sorry and invite Him into your life.

Would you like to know for sure that you're going to Heaven? If you wish, you can sincerely pray this simple prayer:

"Jesus, I want to know You and to live forever in Heaven. I know I've made mistakes and done bad things -- and I'm sorry. I know I don't deserve it, but I accept Your love and ask that I can be with You in Heaven. Please come into my life and help me, and give me peace."

God has promised to answer your prayer, so you now have a home in Heaven! God bless you with a wonderful, fulfilling eternity! See you there!





PowerPointParadise TFI [Posted Video - "The Time Traveler's Wife"]

Matthew 28:8-15

8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell His disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” He said. They came to Him, clasped His feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

The Guards’ Report
11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.





Thank you in advance for reading and commenting

...... ...... ...... ............. .. .... ...........Sri Neem Karoli Baba’s @ Mahasamadhi............ .. ....Neem Karoli baba, a spiritual teacher in search of whom Steve Jobs is said to have come to India, continues to be a revered figure 38 years after his death. One of the recent additions to his band of followers is Hollywood actress Julia Roberts.

About a year ago, Roberts told Elle magazine that she was attracted to Hinduism and converted to the religion after seeing a picture of the baba. Born Lakshmi Narayan Sharma in Akbarpur, Uttar Pradesh, the baba is called 'Maharaj-ji' by his followers. A devotee of the monkey god, Hanuman, he taught that compassion is the highest virtue....... .. ..According to one version, Jobs, who was then 18, and his friend Dan Kottke travelled to the baba's ashram in what is now Uttarakhand but found that the guru had passed away by then.


But other celebrities came into contact with the baba and have gone on to live a life guided by his teachings. Among them is Larry Brilliant, a physician, humanitarian and the former head of Google's philanthropic arm.

Among his lifelong devotees is Ram Dass, an American born as Steve Alpert. Dass is the author of the spiritual book 'Be Here Now' that has sold over a million copies. He, Brilliant and other followers of the baba started the charitable organisation Seva Foundation. Jobs donated $10,000 in 1978 to help launch Seva.

The baba's followers run ashrams in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and New Mexico, United States. In 2008, American gossip website Gawker reported that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was at an ashram of 'Maharj-ji.' He was taken there by Brilliant, who is also said to have taken Google co-founder Larry Page and eBay's Jeff Skoll there..... ...

Darshan Weekend September 25 to 27, 2015

Widen your hearts, your vision, your thoughts, your entire life – make it bigger. Life becomes so much more alive when you live it with a broad mind which doesn’t stop at “this is mine and that is yours”.
When one’s vision widens, differences don’t appear to be even bigger but, on the contrary, one increasingly begins to see how alike we all are and ultimately that we are all the same – in the most positive sense of the word.

'Miracle of Love - Stories about Neem Karoli Baba' by Ram Dass
Published by E.P. Dutton, New York, USA in 1979
Many seekers have come to know Sri Neem Karoli Baba through his devotees Ram Dass, Krishna Das and Bhagavan Das.

I’m not a Christian and therefore not bound by their conventions. I don’t have to turn the other cheek. I criticize the Church from time to time and point my finger at Christians when I think is due but have never attacked their God, nor the God of any other religion.

What I saw yesterday surpassed all levels of decency; I thought we lived in a time of religious tolerance.

People who think that blasphemy is good fun, are sick.



Added after 156 comments
This is not about religion; it is about respect towards others and I'm deeply disappointed with the few people who approved of such behavior. Why does respect fly out the window when we get to religion.

I found the substance of this article worth reading and I am sharing it to everyone who is interested to read and perhaps give an opinion about it.

Note: I am not here to offend anyone, we all believe in something, with or without religion. This is not a favored write because of the religious affiliation of the speaker, rather, I find the truth to be powerful relative to the events happening specially in the USA today. A friend of mine sent it to me and I thought it is a very timely article to ponder on.



Franklin Graham’s Statement at 1st Baptist Church Jacksonville

Details
Written by Super User - Webmaster
Category: News
Published: 22 June 2015

THE TRUMPET
Vol. XXIII - Issue 3 Jul/Sep 2015

News of Interest

Declaration of Independence
Franklin Graham's Statement at First Baptist Church Jacksonville
WHAT'S INSIDE

ITEMS OF NOTE

FRANKLIN GRAHAM’S STATEMENT AT 1ST BAPTIST CHURCH JACKSONVILLE

Time is like a river Get your head out of the sand


Time is like a river. You cannot touch the water twice, because the
flow that has passed will never pass again.

Franklin Graham was speaking at the First Baptist Church in Jacksonville,
Florida a few weeks back when he said America will not come back. He wrote:

The American Dream ended (on November 6th, 2012 ) in Ohio . The second
term of Barack Obama will be the final nail in the coffin for the legacy
of the white Christian males who discovered, explored, pioneered, settled
and developed the greatest Republic in the history of mankind.

A coalition of Blacks, Latinos, Feminists, Gays , Government Workers,
Union Members, Environmental Extremists, The Media, Hollywood ,
uninformed young people, the "forever needy," the chronically unemployed,
illegal aliens and other "fellow travelers" have ended Norman Rockwell 's
America . The Cocker Spaniel is off the front porch... The Pit Bull is in
the back yard. The American Constitution has been replaced with Saul
Alinsky 's "Rules for Radicals" and Chicago shyster, David Axelrod , along
with international Socialist George Soros will be pulling the strings on
their beige puppet to bring us Act 2 of the New World Order.

Our side ran two candidates who couldn't even win their own home states,
and Chris Christie helped Obama over the top with a glowing "post Sandy "
tribute that elevated the "Commander-in-Chief" to Mother Teresa status.
(Aside: with the way the polls were run, he didn't need any help!) People
like me are completely politically irrelevant, and I will never again
comment on or concern myself with the afore mentioned coalition which has
surrendered our culture, our heritage and our traditions without a shot
being fired.

You will never again out-vote these people. It will take individual acts
of defiance and massive displays of civil disobedience to get back the
rights we have allowed them to take away. It will take Zealots, not
moderates & shy not reach-across-the-aisle RINOs to right this ship and
restore our beloved country to its former status.

Those who come after us will have to risk their lives, their fortunes and
their sacred honor to bring back the Republic that this generation has
timidly frittered away

Articles from David Berg and the Family International

After all, if Heaven's going to be Heaven, we'd certainly have to have some of these Heavenly pleasures that we now enjoy! That's why Jesus was able to eat and drink and walk and talk and look just like He had before! Isn't that cool?--And so will you! Of course, you won't have to eat, but you can if you want to! You won't have to lie down and rest, but you can if you want to! You won't have to have sex any more, but you can if you want to! You won't have to walk around any more, but you can if you want to! And you'll even be able to do a lot of other things that you can't do now! You'll be able to fly, appear, disappear, walk through walls, all kinds of things!--Wonderful!

In fact, I'm convinced that Heaven will be an eternal continuation of what you and I who love Jesus already have right here and now in our hearts. We are already enjoying a little foretaste of Heaven with all of the love and sharing and sweetness and light and joy and praise and song and communion with the Lord and each other that we have right now!

We have a little bit of Heaven already--Heavenly hearts, Heavenly homes, Heavenly loved ones, Heavenly work to do for the Lord, bringing the Heaven of his love to others! God's Word tells us that this is just "the earnest of our inheritance" (Eph.1:14), just a little sample, just a little bit of Heaven with His Love and His Spirit and each other and His wonderful work. So if this is just a sample, think of what the real full Heaven will be like!

Jesus said, "I am come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly!" (Jn.10:10.) He wants His children to be happy and to enjoy life to the fullest, even here and now!--"An hundredfold in this life, and in the World to come life eternal!" (Mk.10:30.)--Heaven on Earth and Heaven hereafter! And through His liberating, life-giving "Law of Love", to love Him with all our hearts and our neighbours as ourselves (Mt.22:37-39), we are free to enjoy total love, life and liberty in the Lord--providing that whatever we do is in love.

Therefore, contrary to the so-called "holiness" religions which seem to think and teach that it is sinful to enjoy anything and a sin to be happy and that sainthood consists of suffering, pain, self-torture, self-denial and self-crucifixion, we have found that God loves life and created it for us to love and enjoy too! Of course there are times when, for the Love of God and others, we may have to "deny ourselves" and "lay down our lives for the brethren" (Lk.9:23; 1Jn.3:16) proving that we love Him and others more than ourselves.--But this doesn't mean we're not supposed to love and enjoy the life He's given us!

The simple pleasures and joys of life were created by God for us to enjoy! He even tells us that "ALL THINGS are yours" in Christ Jesus (1Co.3:21), "to the pure, ALL things are pure" (Tit.1:15), and "ALL things are lawful" (1Co.6:12) unto those who are motivated by love, "for against such love, there is no law!" (Ga.5:22,23.)

After all, it was God who created the very nerves which feel good and the very senses which feel pleasant, to look upon things which are pleasant to the eye, to taste things which are delicious, to hear beautiful music, to feel pleasurable sensations of touch, and to even smell the lovely fragrance of a flower or of delicious food cooking.

So although we don't know just exactly what it's going to be like in Heaven, we know it's going to be better than it is today, a beautiful Heavenly Heaven-on-Earth without sin, without wickedness, without trouble, without weariness, pain, sickness or problems. We're going to have wonderful new bodies, new models, and will be able to enjoy this World to the full as we never enjoyed it before!--Well, we've enjoyed it quite a bit, but we'll enjoy it even more than ever!



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