Christopher - God: Re-Writing the Rules

GOD-RE-WRITING-THE-RULES.COM

ISBN: 9781623095857

Dedicated to my daughter and mother who both taught me about love.

Great appreciation to God, those that help us always from the afterlife, as well as those here on Earth that help guide us on our spiritual path.

Gratitude and thanks to my daughter for working with the design of the cover and back cover.

Image Credit: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

The image is called Nestled Within. Planetary nebula NGC 2818 is nested inside the open star cluster NGC 2818A.

Was raised Catholic, and went to Catholic school until 9th grade. By fourth grade I had memorized the Baltimore Catechism. This book is supposed to teach you everything you needed to know to be a good Catholic. It listed all the rules. It was comforting because there were firm answers. Still there was discomfort. I loved my grandmother but she had gotten a divorce, married someone else, divorced him, and then married the first person again. Divorce meant hell. How could she be condemned to hell.this person that I loved so much and had been so loving to me?

As a Catholic if you missed Mass, it was a mortal sin, equal in severity to murder or stealing. A mortal sin is automatic hell when you die if you dont confess the sin to the priest. How can that be?

I married a Lutheran who would not go a Catholic church, so we worshipped at a Lutheran church. Became an elder in the Lutheran church, where people would come to the elders for advice. What I witnessed was not always too Christian.politics, and people who gave the most money basically dictating what the minister would say. When one of the pastors of the church was accused of sleeping with one of the members of the congregation, the fighting between members was intense. Saw the church council and the elders at each other in a power struggle. Looking behind the big dark curtain and seeing the nuts and bolts of what happens in a church can test your faith. After a year of this, I resigned as an elder.

Started going to a mega church that played modern Christian music and that had wonderful sermons. Felt great after the service. The discussions that followed were wonderful. There were things I questioned. For example, the pastor maintained that unless you gave 10% to your local church, in this case his church, your money was cursed. Knew that Jesus likely would not have felt that way, but he maintained the Bible told him this was true. I ignored the comments during the sermon I didnt like and accepted the great parts. Felt he had Christ in his heart and maybe he did, but he also has his pocketbook in mind. A local TV station revealed a pretty rich life style he was living and suggested many of his decisions might be based on personal gain and enjoyment.

I started becoming aware of stories of people that worked for the church, that didnt seem exactly Christian. When I looked at the bigger picture, most activities lead to money or personal enjoyments of the pastor or they were not done. The pastor has been blessed with a true talent of speaking. When you see the truth, the picture is not as beautiful as it is sometimes presented to the congregation. Most people are just happy with the positive upbeat message he usually preached.

When young when I was praying I asked why only Catholics would go to heaven. Had a vision of heaven but had numerous ropes coming to Earth from heaven and the words that there are many paths to heaven and not just one. That was interesting. Felt there was more.

A few years ago I met a lovely lady that taught me meditation. Meditation is a form of prayer to me. It can relax people, make them more intuitive, help their health, but for me it was a way I wanted to connect to God better. When I meditated I asked for truth, casting aside any beliefs where I pre-determined the outcome. I did not say, for example, I want the truth except Buddha or Jesus must be the only way to truth. I just wanted truth. The resulting meditations were extremely interesting.

The meditations did not line up exactly as I was raised or my God path up to that point in my life, but I knew that what I was feeling was truth. Said to myself, it is so much easier to believe what I have always believed but to deny truth, seemed anti-God.

Know so many people that believe strongly that their religion or their denomination is the only true path to God. You may have seen a dogmatic attitude from Catholics, Lutherans, Baptists, and Mormons but also with people who believe in Buddha, or Mohammad. They not only believe their way is the path, they feel a mandate to convert you. What are supposed to be religions of tolerance and love often become religions of exclusivity, intolerance, money making, and control.

People go around this life searching for a purpose in their lives, not only here on Earth but to answer a big question:

What happens after you die?

We are so conditioned to believe what everyone else around us believes.

This book can help you understand the purpose of your life, you are important and your role in this life is far greater that most people realize. It will help explain your relationship with God. You may see people in a whole different light.

Hope that this book helps you press the re-set button on so many rules we think we must live by. By re-thinking the rules it does not mean ignoring morals or doing immoral behavior but seeing the bigger picture and the objectives that our teachers like Jesus, Mohammad, Buddha and others were here to teach us.

What is written in this book, you will find is not unique to me. Others throughout time have expressed the same or like views. The truth lies within all of us. The truth lies within you. If we cast aside our pre-conceived views and open our hearts to God you may find that Gods words and meaning are there for you. If these words I write make sense, you may find that life feels more understandable and calmer. Practice your religion if it provides answers and positive meaning to your life and leads you to God. Would like to encourage and challenge you to ask God for truth and be open to the answers. The answers may not feel comfortable at first, but if you search within you, you may sense that this is truth, and this is far more beautiful, elaborate yet so simple than the rules and regulations we were raised to believe.

Rules and beliefs govern pretty much every aspect of our lives.

Our mothers, fathers, friends, significant people and society dictates what is acceptable and not.

Religion teaches us about Jesus, Mohammad, Buddha, or hundreds of others who have the way and often the only way to the afterlife, and eternal salvation. We are willing to accept all the stories associated with that religion, often times with a necessity to believe exactly what is written or spoken no matter how strange the story may seem. As children we are taught that this is the way it is. If you dont believe you are often destined to damnation or will not be blessed with the great reward of the current life or the afterlife.

It is time to re-write the rules.

There is only one God. God is everything and is part of you, all that surrounds you, and the universe. God is multidimensional, not just three dimensions.

God is like a giant invisible force relating all aspects of the universe together. We are all tied together. The blood of the universe really is love. You are never separated from God, and the universe no matter how you feel. You are part of your parents no matter if you like to acknowledge it or not you have their geneslikewise you are part of God whether you acknowledge it or even believe it. You are tied to the Earth, to the people in your lives, those that have gone before you, and you will be tied to those that come after you.