A tribute to Jesus

A tribute to Jesus on this Christmas;

What does it mean to be religious?

Mike Ghouse

This column is dedicated to Rev. Petra Weldes of the Center for Spiritual Living in Dallas. Some of my conversation with her inspired me to write this tribute to Jesus and what it means to be religious.

Continued: http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2009/12/tribute-to-jesus.html

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Comfort with other forms of prayers

I am compelled to respond to you for I share a similar experience.

Learning about other faiths need not mean infidelity to one’s own, it is rather an enriching experience to know that it is all belief, my belief, your belief and others’ belief in action and each one works for the believer.

I have an odd usage of the word “translator” that I turn on when I am in a place of worship other than what I am brainwashed with. The imaginary gadget filters the crude data into refined essence. Some 15 years ago, I took my five year old daughter and ten years old son to every place of worship, they invariably would ask me “Dad, what are they saying?” and knowing this I prepared my self to translate in a language that they would comprehend. Be it the Synagogue, Mosque, Church or a Temple, the bottom line was same “God is the creator, we have to be grateful to him/her/it, we have to be thankful for the life, that our actions and have consequences….” I had that down well.

One day, at the middle of the Bhajans (hymns chanting) at the Hindu Temple, my daughter popped the question and I had the answer to which she stood up (every one in the temple sits cross legged on the floor) and raise her hands and said it aloud “Gee Dad, it is cool, that God can be worshipped in so many ways”. That was it, which statement now has become a part of my Pluralism teaching.

I do not see God, as it does not exist in form, nor is it compressed in words, but I see her presence in everything, and he is indeed omnipotent. Whether it is a synagogue, Temple, Church, Mosque or any place of worship, I see the same essence of the creator in a variety of words. My translator device kicks in and reads the words Jesus, or Jesus the son of a God into the creator, Krishna gets translated into the same creator, Allah gets translated into the same creator.

There is just one singular cause that caused the existence and we can call it God for convenience. No matter what words you say, or how you bow, lean, kneel or prostrate, you are acknowledging something that is greater than you, and that brings humility and humility removes conflicts and gives birth to conflictlessness while retaining the diversity, which is oneness of nature and One God (not opposed to NO or many Gods, but oneness of our existence).

I was trained to thank the lord in the Islamic format, and I will continue to live with that schema without grading other ways of worshipping. The Christian, Hindu, Jewish or other formats of acknowledging the creator are working formats to the subscriber and the format that I am trained works for me, as other formats feel natural to the other. I see the same essence in all forms of worship. It is the religion bud that I am attuned to.

Mike Ghouse
www.MikeGhouse.nt
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Re: Mind During prayers

Thank you for this beautiful and eloquent insight, Jannah.
When I’m least distracted, I seek the understanding that Jannah describes, plus an intention to be fully in God’s compassionate Spirit and Will.

The first time I visited a Masjid, I just showed up cold. A friendly Muslim explained what would be happening, and assured me I was welcome to join the prayer, or to observe without joining in. I got into the prayer line. (That was what was I there for.)

When prayer started I struggled with lots of scary inner turmoil. Would praying with Muslims repudiate of my relationship with the Holy Spirit? Was I communing with some spirit other than God’s? Was I eschewing a personal relationship with God, and embracing an abstract and impersonal thought construct? Was I compromising or diminishing my devotion to Christ or even my salvation? Was this inner turmoil an affront to God? A warning from God? A sacrilege against the worship taking place around me?

This agitation continued. I kept holding all these questions up, asking for grace, direction and mercy. I felt a touch of Christ spirit (what we Quakers call a “leading”) – like directed insight calling up words and thoughts: “Don’t be troubled. Be at peace. These worries are unnecessary. These are good people. I (God) love(s) them. They love me (God). They are worshiping me (God). Honor their worship.”

David Humanitycheck

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Questions on Pluralism

If you have a question, please leave it in the comment section below

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Muslim Denominations

May you be drenched in peace and every word you utter, and every action you take reflect peace, indeed that is the essence of Islam.

It is tempting to give tit-for-tats, when you do that, you are getting away from the subject and moving on to attacking the person or his belief. Is that what religion teaches? No, it does not.

To be a Muslim is to be a peacemaker, one who seeks to mitigate conflicts and nurtures goodwill for peaceful co-existence. God wants us to live in peace and harmony with his creation; that is indeed the purpose of religion, any religion. Mission statement

The basic requirements to be a Muslim are: i) belief in a creator, ii) belief in accountability for our deeds and secondary requirements are the pledge, and following the will of God, i.e., to work for a world of peace and justice as God wants his creation to be in peace.

God is fully aware of our nature; to be individualistic and has made an allowance for that. Look at the matter, no star is alike, no piece of rock is alike and look at life - no ones DNA is alike. God has intentionally created diversity so that we can use our intelligence to respect the otherness of other. If we can learn to accept and respect the God given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

God does not care if you follow Ismaili, Bohra, Ahmadiyya, Shia or Sunni traditions or of any faith, but he cares if you are good to each other and treated others as you wanted to be treated.

I hope you care about Humanity to drop this, no one will go any where with, so what is the point?

Akbar Ally you are doing a great job and one of your comments is included on the Islamic blogs. I admire what HH Aga Khan is doing on Pluralism, he is one of my mentors and a person I receive knowledge from by reading or listening to his lectures. It is in my profile at: http://www.mikeghouse.net/ProfileMikeGhouse.asp

May we all be enlightened and work for a balanced life.

Mike Ghouse
www.MikeGhouse.net

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Shouldn't there be one religion?

Paula Johnson:

My 15 year old son Joshua wants to know. How can there be a God when there are so many religions? If there was really a God wouldn't there be just one, right religion???

Mike Ghouse:

Everything was intentionally created (came into being or evolved) to be different and unique and every piece of matter is designed to seek its own balance, that is what sustains and gives continuity.

Humans were not designed to auto-balance, we have the element of freedom to find that balance within ourselves and what surrounds us. Each group, community, nation or tribe finds (figures out) its own balance; social, spiritual, economic, physical, biological, cultural or other.

The creator is all about love and has gifted the humans with an ability to think and choose what is good for them, and has reached out each one of us and has delivered a beautiful formula called religion through the spiritual masters to live in peace with oneself and others.

However, to maintain diversity, a guaranteed element for survival, limitation was built into the ability of the masters to deliver that message. Jesus, Moses, Krishna, Buddha, Mohammad or Shamans… and all of them could reach only so many, but together they have reached every one.

Whether one is a theist or an atheist, humans find their own balance. I would rather say “we have created God in our own image and every image works for the follower.”... Read More

Religion and God are supplements to bring peace (balance) to each individual and what surrounds it; life and matter.

As beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, God is in the heart of the believer. Co-existence (Pluralism) is about accepting every which way one appreciates (worship) his creator and lives a full life without fear. No matter what name you call God, the source of all that has happend is same. All faith systems are beautiful and do what they are intended to do, if followed

The Pluralism Balance, a New equilibrium

Exclusive Claims on God worked when societies were exclusive - the whole nation was Catholic, Protestant, Wiccan, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist.... each group found its own balance. (excesess were made against free will by men who donned religious lables) and some times those men shamelessly determined peace will come through violence.

As the societies evolve, exclusive conclaves of groups by faith, race, ethnicity or culture will fade. Greater acceptance.

15 ears ago, when I began the foundation for pluralism, many in the town did not even know how to pronounce the word, some thought it was a religion. The interfaith movement has brought a greater degree of acceptance of the otherness of other. The subscribers to Pluralism and interfaith are creating their own balance. They are comfortable in beleiving that God can be worshipped any way you want, my way works for me as your works for you, what is the problem? God is diversity

Mike Ghouse is a Dallas based Speaker, Writer, Thinker and a Moderator. He is a frequent guest on talk radio and television networks offering pluralistic perspectives on issues of the day including Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, Peace, India and Civic issues. His comments, news analysis and opinions are on the Blogs listed at his personal website www.MikeGhouse.net. Mike is a Dallasite for three decades and Carrollton is his home town. He can be reached at MikeGhouse@gmail.com

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Kudos to the Unitarian Universalist Church

http://pluralismquestions.blogspot.com/2009/05/kudos-to-unitarian-universalist-church.html

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Kudos to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Carrollton! Your leadership in creating a world of co-existence and respect for each one of God's formulas (religions) is appreciated. I hope and pray that other places of worship follow your steps.

This is so good to see!

Indeed Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had also advised his community that learning is the most important thing in life - he had said; if you have to go to China to learn something good, go for it. He even made a suggestion that "if Romans practice and it works for them, you can follow it as well...”

The question is what does one learn going to China? Certainly not about Islam at that time, but definitely one would learn the art of living; how other people live, pray and earn their livelihood.

We have to work for that day, when you hear the beauty and wisdom of every faith included in the sermons in every place of worship. We should be preaching respect, dignity and honoring the otherness of other.

Let individuals in each congregation speak up against any bigotry spewed out by the individual preachers towards others; there shall not be any demeaning of other faiths, peoples or cultures, there shall not be any relegation of others to a lower status, that amounts to loading one with negative sentiments or slowly poisoning the minds and hearts.

A place of worship should not be a place of uploading hate, but rather of forgiveness and embracement just as Jesus did. The place of worship should be uplifting, it should be the sanctuary of conflict mitigation, and it should be the place to nurture good will. That is what God wills; peace and co-existence amongst his creation. That is what brings peace in communities, and that is the purpose of religion, every religion.

If you want a better society, you have to speak out and take the responsibility for creating it, the least you can do is, do your share of the work. Speak up against any bigotry spewed out towards others in your congregation; there shall not be any demeaning of other faiths, peoples or cultures, there shall not be any relegation of others to a lower than us status, that amounts to loading one with negative sentiments or slowly poisoning the minds and hearts.

A place of worship should load one with peaceful thoughts, words and actions.

The place of worship should be uplifting, it should be the sanctuary of mitigation of conflicts, it should be the place to nurture good will. That is what God wills, and that is what brings peace in communities.

Mike Ghouse

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ARROGANCE and SPIRITUALITY

Arrogance and Spirituality are inversely proportional - i.e., greater the arrgoance, lower the spirituality (or religiosity) and higher the spirituality, lower the arrogance. Even claming your faith to be wiser, saner, better, deeper or philosophical is sheer arrogance, they you are not religious any more. To be religious is to care for life and what surrounds one. - Mike Ghouse

People are free and should always have the freedom to choose. The greater security and freedom comes when people around you are minding their own business. When you think your faith is superior, you don't look to others around you as equal partners of the planet earth, but some one who is less than you on the soft side and on the extreme side, destroying the balance including ecological, food and energy through wars, dominance, subjudgations... causing every one, the oppressor and the oppressed to live in tensions. It is all rooted in arrogance. ...

Religions are constantly guiding one to be humble, a few don't get it and create conflicts for their own end, but shamelessly using religion or claiming exclusivity that is not there in the scriptures.

Mike

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Who Owns God?

God is not owned by any,
God belongs to every creation,
God has not signed a deal with any,
God is all about love - the love that brings gratitude,
God is equilibrium in one's life,
God is free from all religions,
God is not a man or a woman,
God is not a being or a thing,
God is just a word infinite,
God is not limitable or definable ,
God is nothing but love,
God is the balance in one's life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WybvhRu9KU

Mike Ghouse

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Is Qur'aan perfect?

Is Qur'aan Perfect?

It is the true and final word of God for the Muslims who believe in it, it is not for the Christians, Hindus, Jews or others who are not familiar with it. However, if one sincerely understands the Qur'aan, he or she will find the essence of Justice, fairness; truth and peace resonate in Qur'aan as they may find it in their own scriptures.

Mike Ghouse is a Speaker, Thinker and a Writer on Pluralism, interfaith, terrorism, peace, Islam, Multiculturism and India. He is a frequent guest on talk radio and local television networks discussing these and the civic issues. His comments, news analysis and columns can be found on the Websites and Blogs listed at his personal website www.MikeGhouse.net. Mike is a Dallasite for nearly three decades and Carrollton is his home town. He can be reached at MikeGhouse@gmail.com

Continued: http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/WorldMuslimCongress/Articles/Is-Quraan-Perfect.asp

What did you want to know?

Please write your question, and we will do our best to find answers

thank you

Mike Ghouse
Pluralist

Things to ponder

Things to Ponder

1. Your questions answered
2. True God and Pluralism
3. Jesus says no man comes to father except through m...
4. My Religion is superior
5. Ask your selves, are you a pluralist?
6. What is Pluralism About Trinity, Mary, Jesus and Christmas