A Christian Case Against Donald Trump by Patrick Kahnke - An Ongoing Discussion

 

These two videos used in place of excerpt....

I believe a Messenger of God wrote this book. Not because he claims to be. Nor because he speaks against our past president, as I have done many times as well. I believe he is a Christian because his words speak of what his background was, how he was drawn into a conservative life, often reading only what conservatives spoke or wrote. And, then, that he made his own realization that his opinion(s) might, or did, disagree with his church members--those who he was called to care for in a ministry. He withdrew from all things that he felt might have been influencing him. Shall we simply define it as...uninformed... or narrow thinking? I know of this kind of life--one of my nephews was also a Rush Limbaugh follower and became immersed in condemning all things that were...different... Hearing him condemn certain people while saying he loves Jesus just didn't make sense to me, no matter how many times I tried to talk of love, not hate. Thankfully, Kahnke understood just how easily it could be and chose a different path.

Let me quickly point out that there are many of such individuals who, once becoming aware of this, have decided to continue in such a life. While others, such as myself, explored, studied and learned about those who were...not...so...conservative...

For a lengthy time, Patrick Kahnke worked within his church to teach and minister to his church family. Then it was 2016 and a man was running to become the president of America! I identified with his reaction. He and I were both shocked that this man could ever be a candidate to lead the United States. And, when he, and I, saw that there were many Christians supporting his candidacy, he became uneasy, confused and ultimately concerned enough to begin writing and speaking out in videos about what he saw happening. The result is two books, the first which I just bought. I want to better understand the WHY of what happened. I want to talk and share about what has happened. And, to do that, I want to be as informed as I can to be to understand and explain, even if only for myself, WHY it has happened...

When I first started listening to Kahnke's videos, I remembered my very first pastor, Reverend Babel. We were a community with a small church congregation. My mother, among her many jobs to earn money as a widowed mother of four, cleaned and handled things like opening the church, turning on the heat, etc. I remember that Reverend Babel and his wife were guests of many Sunday dinners at our home where she always served her famous homemade chicken and noodles... My point is that we felt close enough to our pastor that we saw him as a caring friend. As I listen to Patrick, I see the same warmth, concern, and, yet, understanding and intelligence, that makes a man a pastor you'd be grateful for having had in your life.

You will find that he writes the same way he talks. He takes each issue and begins to teach from the Bible about what it says. But he considers how and if those who are in his congregation, actually know what the scripture means... And, so, he starts talking about it as we would in a discussion, a small circle of individuals who freely start to ask questions...

In the very first chapter, he begins with a principle: Integrity means following the way of Jesus as we seek his kingdom, and rejecting the way of the world and its earthly kingdoms. My first thought? That is not Donald Trump. But what does the author say as he talks about the way of Jesus versus the way of the world? He first speaks of his own reason for writing the book. For Love--For Jesus, for his family and for his country. And, that he wanted to preserve the world for the future. That was how conservatism was once defined. Personally, I have a problem of anybody being classified into some stereotypical manner that forces another to mold conduct to what somebody defines. With Jesus as my friend, I already knew that what I was what what he had created before I was born. Without going into the science of genetics, all I mean by that statement is that each of us has a part of God within us if we allow Him to speak. I've refused to be classified all of my life. LOL Even if one of

the vice-presidential candidates would condemn me for being a childless cat lady... Yeah...like Taylor Swift... What I want to know is where republicans find all these weird men... 

But Kahnke goes on and quickly points out that his words are about worshipping God:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.[2] Over the past several years I’ve offered the best of what I have — my time, my focus, my most rigorous thinking — to this labor that many others have also taken on; this ugly, holy work of exposing and defeating the creeping shadow of Trumpism. That shadow has enveloped large swaths of the American church, and many of God’s people now walk in darkness. They scorn the truth tellers and shun those who expose the lies and deception. Sadly, in doing so, they believe they’re offering a service to God. So for myself, this work has become a twofold act of worship. First, I’m working to tear down a deceptive and destructive version of Christianity that slanders God for profit and power; that dares to weaponize God’s name against people he loves — people he created in his own image. And second, I hope to lift up Jesus so people might see him as far more beautiful and worthy of praise than any earthly political leader.

I don't know about you, folks, but I've felt the very same desire... If I were claiming to be a Christian nationalist, as they seem to now be wanting to be called (according to Marjorie Taylor Green, LOL), then I'd be embarrassed to even speak the name of Jesus... who is worthy of praise and NOT Trump! 

Folks, today, I thought I would be writing my review of this book. Yet, I find there is so much to say... So much important information within the book... Am I being led to forget about a review and write about this book on a more in-depth basis? We'll see... Thinking about it, I'll pull parts of this to go on Amazon and then continue as today... Pray for this book. Pray for this time of testing... God is Watching... Listen to Jesus speaking through His Spirit... Turn away from the MAGA world and open yourself to actually listen... to God Speaking...

 God Bless

Gabby

Linda Prather Brings New Trilogy Seeking Justice...or...Revenge by Female Lead Character!

Dave’s voice was soft, and I think he knew too. Five minutes passed, and I swallowed hard and hit the play button. “Ninety-nine shovels of dirt in the grave… ninety-nine shovels of dirt…”

All she had to do was hear the tune of the song...the words didn't matter even after so long... The tune and what my captor sang, changing the words to tell...his...story... At first, she almost always had a panic attack...after all, he had sung it as he was burying her alive... Still when they were called out for the latest murder scene, it seemed like it was all happening again... 

Kacy buried her feelings as much as possible, but Dave, her long-time partner, knew exactly what was going on...and she knew he would be there, especially, for this latest tragedy against a woman... She could tell herself that, but in time she realized that she had to deal with it for herself. But when her twin brother was murdered, her response went straight to her heart, her love, and the need for...revenge...

“Jesus, Kacy, it’ll be a bugger identifying this one.” Under normal circumstances, my partner, Dave Capello, would have had a point. The body had washed up from the icy depths of the Chicago River near the fork of Eleanor and Loomis, and the call had come in minutes before quitting time. Dave had wanted to ignore it. For once, I wished I’d listened to him.

A blowtorch had been used on the face, and all the fingers were missing. The angles of the arms and legs told me bones had been broken. I didn’t need the ME to tell me the identity. Nor did I need to see the small skull tattoo above his left ankle to verify it. 

Kyle and I had never shared the twin bond in life, but as I stared down at his tortured and mutilated body, I realized a part of me was missing. I’d never considered it a vital part—until now.

Police officers, firemen, and two other detectives from Cook County had responded to the call. Dave and I weren’t needed, and I had a lot to do before the commander took me off the case.

“Let’s go, Dave.” 

“What do you mean? We just got here.” 

I strode toward the Ford sedan parked at the edge of the street, with Dave huffing to keep up. 

"We’re off the case. The victim’s name is Kyle Lang. He’s my twin brother.” 

“Jesus.” Dave said that a lot, and at times, I wondered if it was a habit or a prayer for insight on bad cases. 

Perhaps he simply found it preferable to the trash that often came out of my mouth. Solving this case wouldn’t take a lot of insight. Kyle had been working with Chicago’s drug dealers, thieves, and murderers for over ten years. We’d both known since the day I graduated from the academy that one day, he would wind up on my beat, and I would have to arrest him, shoot him, or bury him. I took comfort from the fact it was the latter. Arresting him would have been hard and shooting him even harder.

~~~

Wow! This first book is awesome! Although I haven't had the chance to read all of Prather's books...yet... I stopped reading another great series to read this latest from one of my favorite authors. When I was into this book, I realized that the main characters, Kacy Lang, was a woman that I hoped to see in a lengthy series... In fact, I almost didn't start writing this review because I had really fallen in love with the next book in the series and didn't want to stop reading until I finished! That book, which I'll be telling you about soon has two main themes about which I have a somewhat avid interest--Christianity and the Native American culture.

Many women may have realized that many writers are creating some really bad-ass women who, although sometimes for revenge, but more so, to provide justice, are often out there doing the work of law officers or, when they've had problems with formal law actions, have gone out on their own... My first love for such a female came from J. D. Robb and the Death Series. So the title Prather shared reminded me of that body of fictional intrigue. I have to say, though, Prather has, perhaps, created a character that exceeds the Robb series,  since I haven't kept up with the Robb series. But, no matter how many writers I find, I never tired of reading about women fighting for justice, wherever and whatever it may be! Even more so in today's world! I may be against violence...but not if it is against criminals...

Sure, according to a few poor reviews on Amazon, it may seem unbelievable...if you have no idea how women are treated by the men of this world... Or maybe, if you do not realize that fiction is an escape into what the reader "wants" to have happen in real life. Yes, we know that justice often doesn't come through the efforts of law officers and the courts. 

In Sins of Edom, the latest novel written by Carl Brookins, he adds a set of professional retired investigators who are asked to help with the investigation of a double murder. In that book, the police were willing to work with them, especially since it was the church officers who requested it. There is an entire cozy amateur investigator world that many, many people, including myself love! So what if they aren't realistic...who cares that an individual who owns a bake shop is out there solving cases... Well, some would disagree and claim it is unrealistic... Again, imagination is such a powerful weapon, especially for women... 

We Want Justice... And if it is personal, as often it is...we are wanting revenge for the loss of a loved one... To me, this happens daily on the news as Black people are murdered on the streets by cops, and children are killed in schools and social event arenas, because of the proliferation and lack of control of guns! Find me one mother who, in lieu of the loss of a child, does not want that murderer...dead! So we seek out those types of books, no matter it couldn't happen in real life... We rejoice in seeing what is possible, even in somebody's imagination...

Seems fair, given that some men think nothing about going to war or even anywhere they want, purely because they like guns and want to kill... Statistically, I think America has more murders...than any other country...that are done outside of the military! I wish I could say that was unbelievable...

I want to talk about the two main characters... What I have seen from reading many different authors, almost all of them are uniquely drawn and presented for the strong emotions of love or hate... Kacy Lane was adopted. This first book doesn't go into much, except that she has no real family connection. Apparently the couple that adopted the twins did it to appear...normal, with a home life and children. Adopting children not wanted, for whatever reason, such as political, is heinous. It should not surprise most readers that she was barely involved with her parents. 

Her brother, he'd become estranged because of his connections with the criminal element--drugs and more... Kacy doesn't control her speech...I've never liked to hear women curse...but today's entertainment world thinks nothing about it. So, I overlook it, especially when the woman is in a male-dominated position and she's viewed not as a woman but as an officer...

But Kacy found that Kyle had many secrets that he had not even attempted to share with his twin...until it was too late... Readers learn about him as Kacy recognizes him as a murdered man for which she will need to be removed from the investigation... But she knows... She will be working the case! And she will not stop until she has revenge...and...justice!

Not many officers would want to have Kacy as a partner, but David, a long-time police officer chose her to become his partner. You'll immediately notice that they are completely in tune with each other. Often this happens between business partners who work closely together, protecting and supporting them. Each has learned the other's problem points and sometimes chips those issues to the point of frustration...but later...thankfulness... 

Dave is clearly a Christian... And it is not because of saying "Jesus" every time he wonders what Kacy is getting into now... The dialogues show it, but more, the way he treats those with whom he interacts, easily shows how good a man he is... Only one negative comment...I'll admit from personal experience, I don't think the author should have had so many different characters in the books call Dave, "Chubby." To me, this is demeaning if used by so many characters...even if the eating locations of the people are a major part where the team interacts. Too much of a good thing...for sensitive me...who has had weight issues all my life...Oh well...

On the other hand, between partners, Dave jabs Kacy quite often with issues she is sensitive about...like not having a husband, no sex...and more... I've had those too...but funny, since I never had a real drive for marriage, those never bothered me...

I woke to the aroma of fresh coffee, opened one eye, and glanced at the bedside clock. Twelve thirty. Groaning, I rolled my legs off the bed, sat up, and cradled my head in my right hand. How the hell do people who drink do it? I had a massive lack-of-sleep hangover, and my head was pounding. I’d barely made it to bed and kicked off my shoes before passing out. 

I groaned again as Dave’s voice carried from the kitchen, singing a nineties rap song. I hate rap. What the hell is he saying anyway? Ego tripping? 

Dave was wearing my pink apron, swiveling his substantial backside, and flipping pancakes when I dragged myself to the kitchen.

His voice rose to a high pitch as he sang off-key. “I’m the life of da party.” 

“For God’s sake, Dave, shut up.” I walked to the counter for a much-needed dose of caffeine. 

“You’re waking the dead.”

He turned, a huge smile crossing the chubby features. “Good morning, beautiful. Breakfast is almost ready.”

Greg Stevens comes in as an officer that is supporting the team who is doing the investigation... We'll watch how he learns from the professional detectives and, soon, is ready to join their team, which he does in the next book. And if you notice, Greg and Kacy are doing some eye contact, even from the beginning... 

The plot twists and intrigue were enough to totally envelope me and keep my attention. It's complex, meaning I'm wagering you won't guess who the killer is...but, like I've often said...that's when I enjoy a suspenseful thriller, or mystery, most of all! 

Dishonorable Death coming next! 

Enjoy!

ATTENTION: Alert: Watch for news on a new bi-partisan bill announced today to provide significant support to upgrading police agencies across the nation! Work to publicize and seek support for this bill. This evolved, partially, out of two police officers in Pennsylvania being killed on a domestic violence call.  Violence is increasing in America...due in part of incitement of violence over the last five years... Stop the Steal of our country by domestic terrorists of all kinds!

Welcome to Dr. John Van Dixhorn, Author of Prisoner of Belief. a Life Story...One That Affected Mine...

“What would it take to change
 your mind about things you think
 are true at this time?” 

Good Morning Dr. Van Dixhorn! Thank you so much for visiting with me here at Book Readers Heaven. First, do you mind if I call you John since we're of the same age range? LOL

Please feel free to call me John in the same way I call you Glenda.

You've already read my review, but like I said when I first contacted you, for some books, I like to go further into the book and discuss important issues you covered. Prisoner of Belief is certainly one of those books! I love the title, but, still, would like to hear how you came to name your book? And also, what led you to write your book?

I define a “prisoner of belief” as someone whose mind is controlled by a dogma that cannot change with new information.  If you ask someone who thinks Evolution sets forth certain truths, “What would it take to change your mind about things you think are true at this time?” They immediately could point to a number of discoveries that could be made that would change things for them.

To the prisoner of belief no new information would change anything.  They are locked into a box and cannot think outside of it.  All their intelligence goes into defending the dogma.  And the more absurd the dogma the more intelligence it takes to defend it. We do not have scores and scores of church councils for nothing.  They were badly needed to defend orthodoxy and nothing more.  There are a few very special theologians I have studied who have said, “It is very possible that God doesn’t exist, but here are the reasons I think he does.”  I do not call these Theist, “prisoners of belief.”

Or, perhaps like me, many had rejected the dogma and just went on from there???

Going public with a book about my psychological journey of discovery was more a personal record of my religious journey, than a desire to get involved with a lot of public discourse.  I felt if I did not define myself around these difficult issues, many people I know would like to define me in ways that were not true - like "John really wasn't an atheist, he was more..." and after I die I have no power over how people would define me.  Isn't this the sad story of Jesus?  He never wrote anything.  We only have a record of how he was defined 50 years after his death, by those who only heard from others and heard what they wanted to hear.  I didn't want this important part of my life to get distorted, by those who would want my truth to be something else than what it was... 


  

Your sub-title also gave me a nudge for a question... Specifically about reclaiming your soul... The first definition I came to in a computer search was "the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal." 

My question then is, why was it important to you to reclaim your soul? And, for clarity, how do you define "soul"?

The Greek word “psyche” from which we get our word “psychology” doesn’t always mean a spiritual element that is immortal.  It is sometimes translated mind or spirit.  I use it as a psychological entity that involves the inner life of emotions, instincts, motivations, desires, integrity etc. that determine what is real rather than false in a person. The human spirit of course dies when the brain dies.  I think that all things have a natural explanation, and that when we can’t come up with a natural explanation we create a supernatural explanation, that involves our imagination or superstition, void of any real evidence.  When we encounter something that appears to lie outside the natural world that is imperfectly understood, we hope eventually to understand it within the natural.  Some things belonging to the natural world will never be understood by the human mind.  I like the word “soul” in describing the most real longings of the human heart.  Now I’m using the word “heart” in the same way I use the word “soul.”  I’m not thinking of the heart as that which is pumping inside our chests.

I admit that the concept of immortality (heaven) has never really made a major impression on me...I wanted the "personal spiritual connection" that came with the Holy Spirit...as the primary goal of being a Christian...

John, if I'm following your line of thinking, then humans have evolved to possess such abilities to "imagine" that we just happened to arrive at the stage where we have such abilities of thinking, without benefit of a superior being ever being involved in our creation?

I think I did a bad job in explaining what I meant by how our instincts create the Gods we do.  If I have insights and don’t deny my instinctual jealousy, desire for power, need to be admired, want to make people feel guilty when they don’t do what I want from them, the need to stand out and be the only one, be disappointed with imperfection, etc. then I realize I’m going to project those traits on a supreme being.  God is all those things and more.

That certainly would help to begin to explain wars based upon religions, prejudice, and many of the crimes that occur daily...

I think the biggest shift from the supernatural to the natural, Glenda, was the development of science – Galileo, Darwin, Einstein, the Curries, are only a few who discovered a much larger world.  The world just got bigger and bigger.  The natural world is so much bigger and wondrous than the supernatural world revealed in holy books – creation and man 6,000 years old vs a world millions of years old – all of life can be put in an ark some 5,000 years ago vs Darwin’s discoveries of just how much life in lived in and under the dirt – the rainbow, why we have different languages, etc. all make the supernatural so simple compared to the complexity of the natural.  We now know that life can evolve from non-life (rocks that create a kind of chemical reaction in certain situations for example).  The more we learn about the things once thought supernatural leaves us with no need of the supernatural.  Things we can’t understand now will be explained in the future naturally.

Not totally comfortable that our world just popped up out of nothing...


Moving on to your Foreword and on into the book, could I ask you to define yourself as the type of spiritual person, if any, that you consider yourself now? This is partly asked based on your statement, "The person who knows his own instinctual heart soon realizes that God did not create us in His image, we created God in our image." I guess the bottom-line question that still burns for me is, "Do you believe in God?"

I believe in the gods of history, like I believe in temples and churches.  I see them everywhere and I see the gods they created everywhere.  All of us are unbelievers when it comes to all the gods throughout history.  Many make one exception that I do not make.

I'm not making light of what you are saying, but I just read a book about Egypt where, at the time, they had a god of crocodiles, for one. I'm not quite sure I can accept that "accepting" that the Egyptians "believed" in that god, would equate to my believing it that god or where he was worshipped... If we were truly having this discussion, I'd be calling for further discussion on this one! LOL...

I love how you express yourself, while standing firm on your statement. It shows the length and breadth of your study in arriving at your present life...

While recognizing that much of what you say here is true, I'm not sure it fits totally ...Accepting that God did not create us in His image, does not then mean that my instinct that there is a God is not correct. In fact, for me, most of my "God experiences" have totally taken me by surprise and could not, in my opinion, have  been generated by my own mind... Do we not have to naturally think of something before it enters our mind?

Moving into the body of the book must first start with the family and religion into which you were born. For some of us, when we read how strict your life was, we would today consider your family fanatics...  Calvinism (also called the Reformed tradition, Reformed Christianity or the Reformed faith) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice of John Calvin and other Reformation-eratheologians" My question then relates to your opinion of your family environment versus the overall membership of the Church during your lifetime. It seemed to me that your strict home life surely led to the specific actions that finally evolved into your life today. Would you be willing to elaborate or hone in to specific issues that finally broke you away from your early beliefs?

Religious culture changes with the time and today we live in a much less authoritarian culture, than the culture of early Calvinism.  Calvin was a brilliant theologian, but also a fanatic in every sense of that word as we look back.  He put to death people who did not keep the Sabbath when he was ruler supreme in Switzerland.  Calvinists burned witches in New England and created Hawthorn’s Scarlet Letter.  The Dutch Calvinists that came to America in the early 1900’s were not that cruel, but were humorless and authoritarian, especially with children.  My parents were not cruel, but the God they presented to me was scary.  I think you bring up an interesting point.  If the psychological need for religion partly comes from our helplessness and the need for strong father, it creates a conflict.  The stronger the father the better the protection and the stronger the father the more he is to be feared when disobeyed.  I think for many the comfort of protection outweighed the fear of disobedience.  I certainly prayed to the strong father and received some comfort of protection, but the fear of punishment was stronger.  So when I realized that God was an illusion, it wasn’t as hard for me to give up the illusion of comfort to be rid of the fear of punishment.  I sometimes wonder if my religious life did not become so oppressive in time, would I have found the courage to confront the truth of it as I did.  It’s not a pleasant thought.  




How hard was it for you to finally accept that the Bible was not the Word of God?

That too turned out to be a conflict in the end.  After immersing myself in the Bible since childhood, I zealously defended it for years.  But when I became a minister I had to preach from the Bible two times each Sunday and teach it every Wed evening for 15 years.  The last few years became difficult.  I was continuing my education and my thinking was maturing.  There are many passages of the Bible that are very distasteful to human sensibilities and I mention many of them in the book.  The Bible began to shrink in terms of what I could preach about.  I found less and less helpful passages that I could bring to my congregation, but what choice did I have as a “prisoner of belief.”  Yes it was very difficult to confront the limitations of the Bible and see it as a very human book by ancient writers with ancient values.  But again, as it became more oppressive to my growing sensibilities it became a relief when I no longer had to treat it as the authoritarian message from an authoritarian God.

For me, I'm sure because of the lesser ties to religion itself, it was not hard for me to see the Bible as a historical book, written for the time...What was hard for me, however, was the "guilt" I've experienced because of the conflict between my intellect and my beliefs... 

You obviously were having trouble within your own family--what made it important enough to break with family and move in a different direction than your early life...

I never broke from my family.  My family broke from me, but they would see it the opposite.  When my critical thinking evolved I came to different conclusions than what was presented to me as the absolute orthodox position.  To question orthodoxy is to be disloyal and a betrayal of your religious team.  I had no problem with members of my family thinking differently than I did.  But to them I was betraying God and my Family and they had to relate to me accordingly.  I notice that Evangelicals among the young today are much less separatist as older evangelicals.  My siblings do not have any mutual friendships with non-evangelicals.  Their entire social life revolves around their church community.  They reach out to unbelievers and non-evangelicals to try and convert them.

Agreed! This is one of the things I've never been willing to accept...When each and every church or temple segregates from others, how, then, can we ever be a world of peace???

May I get a little more personal at this point by bringing up the issue of sex, not only within your own family, but as you began to consider your own sexuality. Your mother's guidance was extremely harsh, even during the years when we were growing up--to consider sex as not a meaningful part of family love which was only to be endured for the sake of having children--you were faced with an almost impossible situation to approach your own teen years, was it not?

The history of Christianity is the history of hating your natural desires.  To be holy is to be non-sexual or un-natural.  Christianity does not celebrate the sexual Mary who brought Jesus into the world, but the Virgin Mary that brought Jesus into the world.  The dogma of the Virgin Birth is something Fundamentalists and Catholics will die for.  Again with the sexual revolution of the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, where sexuality became fun and an essential part of being human, forced the church to loosen up a little.  But saving sex for marriage, not even living together with the partner you intend to marry, is still huge for evangelicals.  But as Mark Twain quipped, “The world has corrected the Bible.  The Church never corrects it; and also never fails to drop in at the tail end of the procession – and take credit for the correction.”

Today evangelicals can celebrate a vital sexual life among married people, but only among married people who don’t get too kinky with each other. That could not be considered in the Victorian period which influenced my parents.  Of course Freud was the psychologist who discovered that this repression, hypocrisy and guilt was making people sick – both mentally and physically.  That’s interesting to me because Freud is thought of as this sexy guy when he was extremely sexually repressed by today’s standards. Living in a modern world with the weight of Victorian oppression and guilt was extremely crippling of my developing true self.  Developing a false self is not a joyous and free life. 

I have long wondered how the church has gotten away with the sexual ideas they've established... Especially when, there has always been sexual corruption of individuals within the church, initially hidden for many, many years by the Catholic Church... and later non-Catholic church leaders... And then brought to light as more and more denounced these actions.

As a single person, not necessarily by choice, many people face a life lacking intimacy, according to the church...or suffer guilt for even considering violating the rules!  Then there is the concept that "suicide bombers will get virgins in heaven for killing themselves and others."! My heart cries for those young people who are seduced by such lies... I once started to accumulate some books about the issue of sexuality in modern times...but was not successful in finding possible references (except for what you just said above, LOL) for justifying dogma-free sexual activity...

Still, the extent of abuse, degradation, and flaunting of sexuality across today's world, in every way appears to me, at least, to be based upon a lack of appropriate and understanding guidance from the church, the family, and all who are involved in making decisions. The explicit nature and the dangers of sex in today's world infuriates me! (By the way, I'll be sharing more on this area during the next week based upon another book...)

  
Given your own personal experiences, would you be willing to share your basic philosophy--your guidance--to teenagers and young adults regarding sexual activities?

Sexuality – Forget the rules, enjoy it.  It’s one of the most physical and emotional pleasures we can experience and it’s free, burns calories and keeps our minds and body stimulated and healthy.  When we lose all sexual interest (and I’m not talking just about intercourse) we become boring.  We are sexual beings and it’s a tragedy that religion and our puritanical roots can still make us feel guilty about it. But we can change that – not all at once of course, because our intellect is no match for early prohibitions that made no sense.

I raised 5 teenagers; 3 daughters and 2 sons.  I talked to them openly and realistically about sex.  I wanted them to be well informed about the psychological and biological realities of sex.  I wanted them to be in total control of how they explored their sexuality and to do this in a safe and healthy environment, both physically and emotionally.

Becoming a Christian and accepting Jesus as your personal savior was your first significant move away from your family's beliefs. From my reading, you seemed to really become more involved at this time and tuned in to the beliefs and gifts of the spirit. Tell me, if you would, how did you ultimately explain to yourself that speaking in tongues was not real, or if that is incorrectly stated, how did your thinking process allow you to ignore something that some call a supernatural event?

Becoming a Born Again Christian was something meaningful to me and somewhat outside the Calvinistic framework.  It was not my parent’s religion as such.  It was mine and appealed to young people.  It was a way of embracing a spirituality that facilitated an individuating process.  I’ll always appreciated it for that, though I find it hard to appreciate my fanaticism that came with it.  All my mental and psychological experiences were still thought of within a

religious framework.  How could it be any different?  When I realized the supernatural was really an activity of my own brain, I was awe struck at the beauty and depth of the natural world.  I still love to speak in tongues.  I do it when playing with my kids and wife and they try to shut me up with little effect.   

OK, I've already mentioned to you that this is a problem for me. I do not turn on tongues, nor did I set out to speak in tongues, nor have I expected them, when they actually occurred. Additionally, in my experience, I have had other experiences that had no explanation... 

For instance, once there were special missionary speakers coming to a local church and a friend invited me to attend. Prior to being invited, I had felt anxious, like something was going to happen... It did, after I had come home, I spoke in tongues and had a visual experience of being in a prison when apparently I was "filling in" for a loved one for a Siberian prisoner. I wrote to the individuals and they totally scoffed it off, setting about to prove that it was purely in my mind... and sexual in nature, which it was not... By the way, I had asked a friend to come be with me that night because I didn't know what to expect--so actually had a witness to the event... Soooooo, if this is really all in my mind and not supernatural, then, why oh why would all of these come to me from outside, as opposed to from my subconscious... I guess I'm disagreeing with you that there is not a supernatural experience that happens to people across the world... seemingly from a supreme being...

I began to speak in tongues after I heard it many times.  At a moment when I was so filled with joy and gratitude I just let myself go – like in a good orgasm.  Forming words were too restrictive.  It was a wonderful way to glorify God, who at the time was responsible for everything good in my life.  Allowing myself to be completely uninhibited and just letting unformed words to pour out of me was freeing and felt spiritual.  I can get in that state anytime, even playfully. 

It sounds it was very different for you, like being taken over by a spirit talking through you.  Of course it all goes on in our own brain and our brain is especially wired for seeing thing and hearing things and feeling things that seem outside the natural.  I have a good friend who is an intelligent mystic and he has all kinds of mystical experiences that cause him to totally disagree with me.  I think mystics are a certain breed who have a hard time realizing how their brain works.  If you are prone toward mystical experiences, it’ll be hard to see it in the natural world, but in cases like you, so what?  Maybe I’m still too ignorant in this area.

Ok, John, I allowed myself a little chuckle on "mystic" and then promptly went to the dictionary..a person who seeks by contemplation and self-surrender to obtain unity with or absorption into the Deity or the absolute, or who believes in the spiritual apprehension of truths that are beyond the intellect. 

For me, I've never questioned "what" it was...although every time it has happened, I've been told to, for instance, provide money to a stranger, or have gone into tongues when I've tried to pray for somebody about whatever was their health problem... Once I even read a book, perhaps something like yours, that threw me into total darkness, aloneness...After it was over, after having shared the experience with a friend who prayed for me, I got the message that the feeling was what people feel who do not believe in God... which, I acknowledge, could have been my own thoughts???

So I've always felt it was merely one of the gifts of the Spirit--The Word of Knowledge-- that had been given from the Holy Spirit..."The Word Of Knowledge, therefore, is knowledge received from the Holy Spirit to enable us to more effectively minister to the needs of people, to know and understand situations, circumstances, strategies of the enemy (kingdoms of darkness), etc. It enables us to knowhow to speak in the above situations with a knowledge that can surprise, baffle, dis-arm, open-up, bring answers, healing and understanding. The Word of Knowledge is one of the nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit which we read of in 1 Corinthians12:1-11. All these gifts are of the Holy Spirit, and are Spirit-inspired. They are supernatural in nature, to help the Spirit-filled believer to bring the presence and reality of the Living Christ into a situation, as well as to bring answers to humanity — both individually and collectively."

Since I do not know the source of these experiences, however, I would not argue with you, John...But I think I know why your friend has disagreed with you on his own experiences...Perhaps you should spend more time with him...discovering...LOL Teasing you a little... Maybe even we'll learn more Farther along... and, yes, the words are in another language on purpose...having fun on this! Perhaps at your and some other expense if you don't know the song, "Father Along..." (check for it on Utube if you want to hear the English.)

I found it interesting that, in studying for your early careers as minister, you were able to research sufficiently that you came to discredit much of what you were being taught. Knowing that few conduct research like you have done, do you think that your book will impact the "average" Christian?

I hope so because I think “Truth” is still a very important value.   The pursuit of it not only makes one more connected with the real and more alive (not always the most fun) but also any real advancement in the quality of human life depends on it.  My book certainly does not contain “the truth” but I hope it shows how satisfying it is for the average person to become a “lover of wisdom.”

As you have mentioned, we do seem to grow wiser as we grow older. You have written your book, but I find little about you anywhere on the Internet... Do you feel that having shared your story is sufficient:

I love how much the internet has given to my life, but my life is about connecting deeply with people.  To do that I need to see the facial expressions that change by the second, to smell the smells,  hear the tones, feel the touch of the skin if nothing more than a handshake, hear the quietness, experience the experience and encourage people to live a less robotic and mechanical life.  I think there is a danger to value efficiency more than slowness and I don’t want to live in a world where slowness disappears.  The man on the street slows down when he starts feeling and thinking.  The man who wants to get away from his inner thoughts quickens his pace.  I want people to hurry and read my book, a book about my slowness.  I want to engage with thinking people, but I don’t want to take the time to do social media.  What a paradox.

Well said. Recently your peer, (a little kidding there) "Dr. Phil" hosted a program about a family whose mother had apparently kidnapped two daughters...Her brother calmly claimed that he had put everything out on social media so everybody could be involved... I thought...What in the world are we coming to that everybody wants to share those most intimate details on the Internet for everybody to know about... Reality shows, to me, are scary and reflect a psychologically infected society... I wish you well in finding those who are willing to think about whether they, too, are prisoners of belief and allow your book to speak to them...

No, John, it makes perfect sense to me, especially given your primary purpose in writing your book... Still, as I said yesterday, if I had the money and ability, I'd see that everybody in the world would have a copy...not kidding... If we humans cannot wise up and question, this world will continue further into the depths of war and depravity--just my opinion, of course...

I agree with you that each of us have been indoctrinated into a belief system long before we could think for ourselves. I remember back in the early 60s I wrote a response to an article for the campus newsletter about confirming and/or finding your own beliefs. For me that has worked fairly well. But, tell me, why did you feel you had to totally separate yourself from religion, if indeed that is what you've done.

I don’t know if totally separating myself from religion captures it for me, Glenda, though you have a right in your perceptions of course.  I would say when I came to the end of the road with religion I just kept going.  For many explorers of what’s real, religion becomes part of the process that wears itself out in time, and one must go on without dragging it along.

An excellent response...

You've struck upon an issue for myself that continues to haunt me...Having a personal savior is, in a worldly term, a security blanket. I never feel alone. The Holy Trinity is there...always... Tell me why you see this as a problem. Consider the groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous who have a Higher Power as part of their programs. Every group of people throughout the ages have "created" a God to worship. To me, that says that we humans see that there is something more powerful than us, that we have an inborn need to recognize that "other."
Intellectually disproving many of the world's religious books, including the Bible, doesn't to me, change that very personal human need... Thoughts?

As a psychologist I want to help people see that the power they often attribute to God is really a power they can access in themselves, but if someone is helped in kicking a destructive addiction through appealing to a higher power, do we really want to argue with that?  I still have all the mystic experiences I had when I was a believer.  But knowing that these are a part of my natural brain and the wonders of the natural world, seems to make them more wondrous for me.  

But there is this trap that religious people fall into that does not serve them well.  All the good things that come into their lives they attribute to God and his blessings and all the bad things they attribute to their lack of faith etc.  (Or the Devil...) They rob themselves of feeling good about what they have accomplished, but take all the responsibility for the bad; not a good psychological outcome for a person. I totally agree! 

But there are no atheists in foxholes they say so in moments of terror it is quite natural to call out for the great protector.  Again, so what?  I think we must respect another’s religion in the same way we respect a child’s belief that her father is the strongest man in the world.  Of course we fear our legitimate helplessness as we fear death.  But once we acknowledge that fear, it becomes less fearful.  We can face those fears and live with them without ruining our lives.

If I had more time to argue, then I would ask about all the violence that has and is still being caused by religion against religion...for me, it is hard to accept that everybody who believes that America is "lost" since we do not believe as others, means that our "religions" MUST be viewed as the main problem in the world... Actually, I would not be arguing with you, but wanted to clarify my thoughts about violence based upon religion...any religion...

I recognize that your experiences has allowed you to see "the difference between knowledge born out of loyalty to a belief system and knowledge gained through self experience and insight. I have no problem with agreeing. Again, there would be a lot less violence world-wide, if all of us did more of this, rather than following the mandates of authoritarian leaders. But, don't you think that your book, itself, can lead to doubts and questions that some people cannot deal with alone?

Of course.  But haven’t you experienced the difference, as I have, between a teacher who insists on thinking for us and a teacher who inspires our own good thinking?  Thinking through our own lives and being grounded in our own earned realities gives us great confidence and psychological power.  We become a voice instead of an echo.  We have a kind of earned wisdom we get to share in any serious conversation.  Most people don’t listen to people who are right, but they listen to people talk about things that have captured their best mindfulness.

Well said...

Your turning to psychology, in your desire to help people, is a perfect alternative for you in my opinion. Your experience and self-reflection now allows you to be more objective in evaluating and helping to respond to the needs of others. I wonder though, most of us are uniquely alone in facing some situations, even if we are in the midst of a family. Is there not somewhere a balance between faith and religion? Can we not acknowledge that man-made rituals and symbols have proven to be not only false, but many times dangerous--leading to wars, suicide bombers, hating anybody different, etc. without "throwing out the baby with the wash water?"

The idea that religion helps raise the morality of a person and society is a great myth.  Parents with little religious convictions want their children to have some sort of religious training for that reason.  What we really mean is that for people to be moral they need policing. Unfortunately that is not a myth.  I think history and empirical research has shown that religion has little to do with morality.  Human morality is a part of our evolution as well as cruelty.  A religious person who has achieved a morality that needs not be policed, will use his religion to motivate great moral sensitivities and action.  The person who is cruel will use his religion to support his cruelty.  It’s not religion, but the person behind the religion. Is there anyone more religious than Isis or the Pope?  Isis uses their religion in a way that make other Muslims cringe.  The present Pope is the only Pope ever to address the dangers of unregulated capitalism and environmental responsibility.  Is it because he is Catholic or the Pope?  I don’t think so.  Catholicism has been around a long time and there have been many Popes that were silent on these issues. It’s because he seems to be a very decent human being, who also happens to be a Catholic and the Pope.  If he were a secularist, he would be concerned with the same things, because that is who he is morally, not what religion banner he does or does not fly.  Of course we all need policing at junctures of our lives, but to achieve a morality that needs little policing will not come from the religious police.  We have it in ourselves to be good and fair to one another. Why not keep working on that reality?      

I thing we agree more than disagree and your book has certainly been of help to me as I move forward in discovering my own reality... I remember a former boss of mine who had rejected his religious background...but he was such a moral man... I just knew that because he was no longer involved with the church did not make him a changed man. Most time, logic works for me when I stop to consider--except, of course, when my emotions overrule...LOL... I admit it! Will I be able to settle my contradictory thoughts on Christianity and religious dogma in particular, the thing is I'm not sure I want to...even if my logic tells me what you have gone through is similar to what my life's inner thoughts have been... What I do acknowledge is that I have some strong feelings that much attributed to religion, no matter which, is ridiculous and many are not strong enough to consider that the religious doctrine is the problem, not their own minds... Myself included in that, though still working on it!

Thank you so much for taking the time to share with me and readers here at Book Readers Heaven...  Let me know how you are doing in light of your book being out...and keep me involved when your insight...changes... Perhaps you might even come to visit here again in the future! Thank you, most of all, for your book and patience in answering my questions about the concept of Belief!


Glenda

Rare Gem Found in a Kindle Wrap - Before the Flood by John Sherman - WWJD in Today's World?

Note: Pictures are selected based upon time period of novel...and for dramatic effect of today's world...and are not meant to be sacrilegious... Nor does it reflect the individuals that are actually selected to sit around this table in the book... This is representative of the Calvin Klein generation--those who choose to wear what is hot, as opposed to not...


They were communicators. All of them. In their own unique way, they could convey their thoughts to the masses. Some, like Vu and Daniel, were painters. Some were musicians. And some, like me, could write. Each one had a unique talent, a special way of connecting with others. Reading this, I finally began to see why Manuel chosen who he had. They were young and passionate and deeply committed to using their talents to spread the messages that Manuel crafted for them. He believed in them all, but in reading his journals, it was clear that he held one in higher regard than the rest...

With the exception of Vu and An, Manuel had saved them all from something— from fear, from shame, from anger, or in my case, from all three. I imagined they felt a sense of gratitude towards him or maybe an obligation. I could see that they all regarded him as holy, as something larger than themselves. A prophet from above sent to prepare them. A messiah sent with a message of warning. They had accepted this and the roles he had asked them to play. They had watched three of their brethren die. Sitting there, they looked ready to do the same. But I could tell that Manuel’s silence bothered them. They wanted instruction, some hint of what he expected them all to do. After they had finished eating, he gave it to them.

~~~

Before the Flood

By John Sherman

No matter what your background is, where you live, or whether you are religious or not, most people are fully aware that predictions about the end times have been around for as long as any of us have lived...and before that. Some call it the Apocalypse. The basic question is whether or not the world we live in will be destroyed, disappear... You may have read at least one or more books about it and certainly have gone through the period of those times when predictions have occurred, the last, I think, was 2012.

And, of course, we are still here... Still, there seems to be a need, a burning desire, even, to know what the future holds for humans... I've enjoyed a number of novels on the topic, but this one, I think, is my favorite so far...and, perhaps, the most realistic??? The setting in San Francisco, well, it seemed like right from today's news...is it?

When she opened the door, her eyes
confirmed what her ears had already discovered—
a small, brown baby boy lying on a green Army
jacket for a bed and wrapped in a Nirvana T-shirt
 for a sheet.
~~~

This book would be considered to be written based upon the Christian Bible. A main character is a journalist, an atheist who was known for routine articles questioning or sarcastic toward Christianity,  and also the son of an Episcopal Priest, so he was early versed in that book. But once he became involved in what happens, he took the time to study all of the world's religions and their "main characters."

Another main character is also a priest of the Episcopal Church, When they first met, she asked him to call her Beth...and then began to interview him, which he thought was quite funny since he was the journalist who was supposed to be doing the interview.

After they had determined that he would be involved, Beth began her story. Basically, any Christian reader will see an immediate parallel to the early life of Jesus. I'm not going to spend much time on that, except to say that, a baby boy was left at the door of Beth's church and when she had picked him up, three boys who looked like gang members said the baby was to be hers. Beth named him Manuel.

From the time he was brought to the first service, people from all races, the homeless and the rich, began to come...sitting by him first and moving outward...

San Francisco - Mission District: Episcopal Church of Saint John the Evangelist (Photo credit: wallyg)

The one in the camo pants stepped forward. Dog tags hung around his neck and shimmered as the early morning sun crept up the street. He stared at Beth holding the baby. Despite the hood, she could make out the dark “Is he yours?” she shouted to the boy. 
He took another step forward and continued to stare at her. The other two boys followed his lead. All three removed their hoods to reveal the same tattoo on the right side of their necks— the simple black outline of a cross, the sight of which made Beth shiver. She studied each of them as if trying to remember their faces for a future line-up. She thought they all looked feral— one white, two Hispanic, all thin, all dirty. Mud caked their faces. The white boy’s hair hung in matted dreads down the side of his face. One of the Latino kids, the one with the blue eyes, wore his hair shaved close to his skull. 
“Take care of him,” he said in heavily accented English. 
Beth stepped off the front porch and into the street. “This is your baby …” she repeated, no longer sure if she were making a statement or asking a question. 
“No madre,” the boy replied, “he’s yours.” He took another step forward, but the others pulled him back.

~~~

All of the miracles of Jesus: turning water into wine, healing...and more began before he was even 10. By that time, A man named Eli had met Manuel and explain to Beth that he had been waiting to meet him. All of those involved with the child had been dreaming of what was to come... Eli was much more capable of teaching Manuel, especially when they realized that he was begin to paint... Eli, also a painter, taught him everything and more... and it wasn't until he was killed that Manuel began to change... Manuel's choice of artistry had been using spray cans...and much of his work soon appeared on the walls in the mission area, but they soon became much darker, threatening of hell's fire, after Eli was killed.

Revelation Chapter 1

In the materialistic world of today where name brands such as Calvin Klein are "must-wear" for young people, together with the latest electronic equipment,  where gods of music and social media seem to rule, etc., it was to the poor--those diseased by drink and drugs or starving--who were those ministered by Manuel. It was when he wanted to minister directly on the street that it happened...

.

Suddenly, Manuel had The Man's--Arius, in this novel--attention... and his followers began to be killed, one by one...

There was only one issue that bothered me somewhat in this book and it is near the end.  But, the overall issue that came across was that Manuel was attacking a world that belonged to someone else. He had left his home and came to invade a world that was being handled quite well and totally responsive to Arius wishes. If you read it, I'll give you my opinion on this scene if requested.

I'm going to say this is almost a thriller, at least it comes across that way because of the later activities. Are you willing to see today's world welcome the end of the world???  Not an easy book to read if you believe in the second coming...

...if not, enjoy a well-written thriller with San Francisco's mission area as the setting...


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