You be the advocate

 The Roman soldier who speared and pierced Christ's side is being examined at Heaven's Gate if he is worthy to be given entry.  There seems to be no dispute he did not follow the commandment not to kill.  However, he was probably following the accepted routine for crucifixion procedures under Roman law. Besides,had he refrained from doing the coup de grace. he himself could have been subjected to harsh penalties for insubordination or non-compliance of his duties, Moreover, if he did not pierce the side of our Lord, then Jesus might not have died on the cross and may have even survived to marry Mary Magdalene (as surmised by many story tellers).  If you were the assigned guardian and judge at the Gate, what would you have done?

How to eliminate your enemies

   While browsing at the Barnes & Noble's stack of Islamic lore and trivia, I came across this pithy advice from an unnamed Sufi:  Since men's souls are indestructible, you can only eliminate your enemies by making them your friends.
    It is for this reason that I view all wars among nations abhorrent and mere exercises in futility. 

Imperfect Perspectives

  There is only One God. We have, however, many religions with appparently differing perspectives as to what we mean by 'One'...     If we concede that we are all imperfect beings, perhaps we could tolerate and  understand why peoples even of the same faith or religion continue to engage in conflict against each other. What is the difference between the Muslims in Benghazi and those supporting Gaddafi in Tripoli? And what seems to be the insurmountable barrier between the Shi'ites and the Sunnis? Why are there so many Protestant sects with slightly different biblical interpretations from those of the Roman Catholics'?  Most of these 'organized' religions hold the view that you could not be 'saved',unless you are one of their members (not only one converted to their faith but a contributing member as well.) This last mentioned qualification appears to be of paramount importance to Manalo's Iglesia ni Cristo, a sect founded in the late 19th or early 20th century in the Philippines. If my memory serves me right, Iglesia ni Cristo's founder sent his son to school at the Ateneo. I am almost certain that the current leader or head of the Iglesia was exposed to the Scholastic Philosophy teachings of the Jesuits.I do not think he could personally subscribe to the view that only his contributing converts could be 'saved'...  How about our ancestors and all the billions of humans who lived and died before Erdie Manalo and who never even heard of the Iglesia ni Cristo?  I am compelled to go back to my first premise:-    We are all imperfect beings with differing biases, skills, defects, levels of education, conditions of environment, culture, financial status. etc. Thus, we live as best we can with whatever creed or faith we hope could help us survive, despite our naivete and frailties, until we are recalled from this 'battle ground' planet and can finally see the Truth. When the veil of ignorance is pierced, we may then be able to accept the concept of One Triune God. Death is the most travelled road to a clearer undertanding and a better vision or enlightenment, for it releases us from our temporal shackles and imperfect perspectives. Being mere created beings, however, we may never fully understand our Creator's Mind. Of course, I would like to be able to comprehend and appreciate the Image of our Triune God, to have an inkling on the 'raison-d'-etre' for all "the slings and arrows that flesh is heir to". But should my vision or comprehension continue to be beclouded, I shall be satisfied to be able to join my friends and loved ones at that Caravanserai reserved for n.i. (need improvement) students like me. Let me just quote Ms. Ella Wheeler Wilcox to conclude my prolix ponderings:-

                           So many gods, so many creeds,
                           So many paths that wind and wind,
                           While just the art of being kind
                           Is all the sad world needs.
                                                                                     By Skep/vdeperalta


                                                                 

Stardust

     Scientists claim all matter in this universe was formed out of the Big Bang - that huge explosion from an inconceivably dense 'singularity', and that therefore we can correctly state that all our material components, i.e., our blood, our hair, skin, bones, even our brain matter - all came from stardust. That steak and fries we are eating, the coffee we are sipping, the beer we are guzzling, this wonderful, beautiful. yet sometimes harsh, ever-evolving world around us, and (come to think of it) that misguided and/or brainwashed human being who seeks to do us harm--all creatures great and small, friends and enemies alike --we are all of the same origin--stardust!  Isn't it time for us then to appreciate our close bonds with each other, with our neighbor, even with complete strangers?  We need to look into the inmost components of our being and be able to admit that indeed we are part and parcel of Almighty God's creation; hence, instead of killing fellow human beings with IEDs, nuclear weapons, or deadly viruses, we ought to  treat with kindness, respect, perhaps with a bit more understanding and compassion our kin, our brothers from the stars.
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Who is Christ's follower?

   You are supposed to turn the other cheek when somebody strikes you on one side of your face. Honestly, I am unaware of anybody who has that extraordinary courage or lack of common sense to proffer both sides of his physiognomy to abuse or physical injury. In this dog-eat-dog, me-first world, a true Christian must indeed be an uncommon human being whose trust in God is absolutely unwavering and unconditional. Are you that rara-avis?

Thought, Imagination, Insight

   I understand the equation E=MC2 was arrived at by Albert Einstein while imagining what would happen if mass or matter could attain the speed of light. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second, and it seems there is nothing that could travel faster than the subatomic photon particle. Reducing mass evidently reduces the influence or force of gravity, thus light does travel quite fast--yet it has been demonstrated that light still could be slowed or bent by gravity, such as when it passes close to an object having a huge or strong gravitational force.
   Now, I am unaware of any scientist holding the theory that anything could travel faster than the speed of light. But indeed there is, or there are:- Human thought, our imagination, our insights oftentimes outdistance and fly faster than light. In fact, distance is meaningless to us for we can think and imagine beyond the rim of our galaxy, beyond Arcturus, Andromeda, beyond the edge of our universe as fast and as easy as we wish. By way of amending Rene Descartes' proposition:-  I think, and faster than the speed of light, my thoughts instantly reach my Transcendent God!

                                                                     by Skep/vdeperalta

Alternate universes

                              

      It seems most cosmologists now agree there must be alternate or parallel universes, for this could explain why gravity appears to be dissipated or weak.  The gravitational force spreads through a multiverse before reaching us, hence we can easily walk, jump, etc. , instead of becoming immovable and stuck to the surface of our planet.  This theory reminds me of the "many mansions" that God has prepared for us.  I surmise that a Just and All-Knowing God has indeed prepared a place for each of us, i.e., for every non-local subatomic particle that constitutes each and every human being on earth. A Timeless Judge renders swift justice. and the reason God created many 'mansions' is not merely to reward the righteous but more importantly to render unto the less deserving their just deserts. I would like to think that cruel tyrants, dictators, and their ilk need not have to shuffle off their mortal coils before their non-local subatomic particles are sent to their proper places:--"to the vile dust from whence ( they) sprung, unwept , unhonored, and unsung."    Sic semper tyrranis!