There is no truth. There is no proof. There are no concrete answers to anything. People claim "the truth" as if it were the end all be all. There are many sectors of Christianity that believe in totally different things (other than the trinity) - ie: rules and "sins". How can you be so sure you're doing the right thing when the Christian right next to you is calling you a sinner? Your Bible says it's ok. His Bible speaks differently. Why are there so many misconstrued, misinterpreted, misunderstood,
mis-mis-mis-misinformed scriptures? Slavery is okay. Two people of the same gender in a loving relationship is not. Killing children is okay. Divorcing your wife and remarrying someone else years later down the road is not. What about the scriptures about how much of an abomination eating shellfish and shaving off your beard is? Sitting next to a woman who happens to be menstruating is sinful and considered "unclean". How do we know she's menstruating? Some of the Bible's scriptures are absolutely ridiculous. There are scriptures that contradict one another. I have found one scripture that encourages people to stay away from wine, and in another scripture, it suggests drinking a little wine if you have digestive problems. Jesus made wine out of water. Although I still rely on the Bible's teachings, I pray before opening it up so these words don't flare up and give me agita. (Don't mess with my wine.)
My "truth".
Religion starts with "you". It's all about
your personal relationship with God. In fact, the word "religion" itself has a bad connotation in my opinion. "A personal relationship" with your god is a much easier pill to swallow. Look at how all the Christians are divided up - even including Catholics which are technically, Christians. Some believe in praying to the saints and worshiping the Virgin Mary. Some believe that Jesus is the
only one to go through. Catholics believe in wearing crucifixes while Christians only will wear the cross as a symbol. I actually got in trouble for wearing a crucifix in a Trinity Assembly church after converting over from Catholicism. There are many people who believe that there is a purgatory and others not. We can believe there is a hell, but is there? Hell can mean many things. And if you think about it, those who think that we're here to learn something --
-- then what? To evolve? Become better people? Why can't we learn it in heaven - why does it take coming to a third demential realm to figure out what's wrong with us in order to live in peace with our god? And that's the one that always gets me. If God knows the bigger picture and He already knows what's going to happen "as it was already done" --- then why are we doing it over again? When people say (and the bible) "it's already done" -- are they talking about a real event that has taken place before, or are they simply speaking about their concrete faith that it
will happen. For instance, (and this is just me), when I pray, I thank God for taking my pain or problem away, and almost 99% of the time, due to my faith, it either gets much better or it does go away. Is it the power of my mind or is it God? "God has overcome the world" -
-- or has He? I believe He did and will do so -- (see how confusing that is?) So what does it mean when people quote that verse when there is so much evil overcoming the world as we see it - as we are
all witnessing it?
 |
| He's still very much alive... |
To be honest,
I haven't opened up my favorite Bible in a year. I have only used my iPhone Bible app for reference only. My communication with God is much different than it used to be, in fact, it's much more clearer - not because I'm ignoring scripture and "cherry picking" what I want out of it, but because I can hear God on a whole new level and I'm no longer getting mixed signals. Praying doesn't always mean talking. It's
listening to Him, having faith that He's there all around you and then, acknowledging His presence. There are times when I meditate and pray, where even my dog starts looking all over the room making the strangest sounds, cooing at whatever it is she
may be seeing or feeling. And it happens every. single. time. I've even had visits from my own father. I didn't believe it - neither did my therapist. (Yes I went to therapy
right after this episode.) His logical answer points to my mind recalling things he has said in the past but not consciously 'knowing' them in the present moment. Makes sense. But, one day I asked Dad as he was yip-yappin' away in my mind, "Prove it's you." He always does. In fact, my mother requested to ask Dad what her secret pet name was. One day later, he visited me again and gave me the funniest answer. I hesitantly told Mom and she screamed out, "YES!!!" I can't just sit and meditate and get an answer --- it's
whenever and
if I feel him around me. The Bible teaches us not to talk to spirits. I agree with that on certain levels, however I do pray that our conversations are only through Jesus' terms. Is that some sort of religious loophole or am I totally breaking the rules? There are prophets in the Bible -- (not that I claim to be one). I've always been able to sense spirits, but I don't refer to myself as a medium or some sort of ghost whisperer. It just comes to me in a very non-threatening way. Don't worry, I won't be setting up a 900 number anytime soon...although I could use the money. Dad said to me last week, "Ask ya' mudda' what she brought with her inside her purse when she came to visit me in hospice the day I died. Ask her to show you what she brought." The day before this visit was a difficult one for me. I wanted to give up on everything. I was crying to Madelene about how I just wanted to throw in the towel. So, after this request from ~beyond~, I asked Mom, and she said, "Uhh, I don't know..." and then hung up shortly, ending our conversation. I felt like a complete idiot for even inquiring about it. She then called me back not even an hour later and said, "It just fell out of my purse! I did bring it! It's a plaque that your niece gave to him that says, 'Don't quit'!" She held onto the plaque and brought it with her in hopes that he wouldn't leave us that day. I took that as a message for me that day...to not quit.
There are so many near-death experiences that make you wonder, is heaven real?
Colton Burpo, was only 4 years old when he nearly died. He recalls visiting heaven, meeting Jesus in a white robe with a purple sash and even getting to finally meet his two sisters that "died in mommy's tummy". She had never revealed this to him before. There are videos upon videos of people having these near-death experiences and witnessing things we can only imagine. Unexplainable phenomenon-like events that can only be believed by faith alone and by trusting what the person has to say. Was it their brain that conjured all these "secrets" up? What about me - what explains all my messages I have received from my own father? I didn't guess, I didn't research anything ---- it was an impression of his voice. And that, you'll just have to trust me on or simply not believe. I wouldn't openly say this happened if it didn't...but it did and I'm still in awe. Believe me, I still have many questions about how our brains are wired and what can manifest in peculiar ways, but with my faith in God and what I have already seen, experienced as well as heard --- there's something much bigger out there. We're not here just to live life and then just fall back into the earth. It can't be as simple as that
...or can it? What do you believe? What's your "truth"?
For more of Deb's articles, please visit: www.debrapasquella.com or join her on Facebook and Twitter. Check out her cooking blog for some of her famous recipes!
