From: God and Goddess
To: Our Children of Earth
Re: Idiotic Religious Rivalries   

Dear Children (and believe us, that's all of you),
We consider ourselves pretty patient folks. For 
instance, look at the Grand Canyon. It took
millions of years to get it right. And about
evolution? Boy, nothing is slower than designing that
whole Darwinian thing to take place, cell by cell,
gene by gene. We've been patient through your
fashions, civilizations, wars and schemes, and the
countless ways you take Us for granted until you get
yourselves into big trouble again and again.

We want to let you know about some of the
things that are starting to tick Us off.

First of all, your religious rivalries are
driving Us up a wall. Enough already!! Let's get one
thing straight: These are YOUR religions, not Ours.
We're the whole enchilada; We're beyond them all.
Every one of your religions claims there is only one
of Us (which by the way, is absolutely true. We just
have many names.). But in the very next breath, each
religion claims it's Our favourite one. And, each
claims it's scriptures were written personally by Us,
and that all the other scriptures are man-made. Oy
vey! How do we even begin to put a stop to such
complicated nonsense?

Okay, listen up now. We're your Father and
Mother, and We don't play favourites among Our
children.

Also, We hate to break it to you, but We
don't write. Our longhand is awful, and We've always
been more of doers anyway. So ALL of your books,
including those Bibles, were written by men and women.

They were inspired, remarkable people, but they also
made mistakes here and there. We made sure of that so
that you would never trust a written word more than
your own living heart. You see, one human being to Us,
even a bum on the street, is worth more than all the
Holy Books in the world. That's just the kind of folks
we are. Our spirit is not an historical thing. It's
alive right here, right now, as fresh as your next
breath. Holy books and religious rites are sacred and
powerful, but not more so than the least of you. They
were only meant to steer you in the right direction,
not to keep you arguing with each other, and certainly
not to keep you from trusting your own personal connection
with Us.

Which brings Us to Our next point about
your nonsense. You act like We need you and your
religions to "stick up" for Us or "win souls" for Our
sake.ÊPlease, don't do Us any favours. We can stand
quite well on Our own, thank you. We don't need you to
defend Us, and We don't need constant credit. We just
want you to be good to each other.

And another thing, We don't get all worked
up over money or politics, so stop dragging Our names
into your dramas. For example, We swear to Us *smile*,
that We never threatened Oral Roberts. We never rode
in any of Rajneesh's Rolls Royces. We never told Pat
Robertson to run for President, and We've never, EVER
had a conversation with Jim Baker, Jerry Falwell, or
Jimmy Swaggart!! Of course, come Judgement Day, We
certainly intend to...*Grin*

The thing is, We want you to stop thinking of religion
as some sort of loyalty pledge to Us. The true purpose
of your religions is so that YOU can become more aware
of Us, not the other way around.

Believe Us, We know you already. We know what's in
each of your hearts, and We love you with no strings
attached.

Lighten up and enjoy Us. That's what
religion is best for. What you seem to forget is how
mysterious We are. You look at the petty differences
in your scriptures and say, "Well, if THIS is the
truth, then THAT can't be." But instead of trying to
figure out Our Paradoxes and Unfathomable Nature,
which by the way, you NEVER will, why not open your
hearts to the simple common threads in all religions.
You now what We're talking about. Love and Respect
everyone. Be kind, even when life is scary or
confusing.

Take courage and be of good cheer, for We are always 
with you. Learn how to be quiet, so you can hear Our
still, small voice. (We don't like to shout).

Leave the world a better place by living your life
with dignity and gracefulness, for you are Our own
children. Hold back nothing from life, for the parts
of you that can die surely will, and the parts that
can't, won't. Simple stuff. Why do you keep making it
so complicated? It's like you're always looking for an
excuse to be upset. And We're very tired of being your
main excuse. Do you think We care whether you call
Us...Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah, Diana, Wakantonka,
Brahma, Cerridwen, Father, Mother, God, Goddess, or
even the Void of Nirvana? Do you think We care which
of Our special children you feel closest to, Jesus,
Mary, Buddha, Krishna, Gerald, Muhammad, or any of the
others? You can call Us and Our special ones any name
you choose, if only you would go about Our business of
loving one another as We love you. How can you keep
neglecting something so simple?

We're not telling you to abandon your religions. Enjoy
your religions, honor them, learn from them, just as 
you should enjoy, honour and learn from your parents.

But do you walk around telling everyone that
your parents are better than theirs? Your religion,
like your parents, may always have the most special
place in your hearts, We don't mind that at all.

And We don't want you to combine all the
Great Traditions in One Big Mess. Each religion is
unique for a reason. Each has a unique style so that
people can find the best path for themselves.

Know that Our Special Children, the ones that
your religions revolve around, all live in the same
place, Our Heart, and they get along perfectly, We
assure you. The clergy must stop creating a myth of
sibling rivalry where there is none. Our Blessed
Children of Earth, the world has grown too small for
your pervasive religious bigotries and confusion. The
whole planet is connected by air travel, satellite
dishes, telephones, fax machines, rock concerts,
diseases, and mutual needs and concerns.

Get with the program!! If you really want
to help, then commit yourselves to figuring out how to
feed your hungry, clothe your naked, protect your
abused, and shelter your poor. And just as
importantly, make your own everyday life a shining
example of kindness and good humour. We've given you
all the resources you need, if only you abandon your
fear of each other and begin living, loving and
laughing together.

We're not really ticked off. We just
wanted to grab your attention because We hate to see
you suffer. You have free will to choose your own
paths, and We just want you to be happy. 

In Perfect Love and Perfect Trust,
Us

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