Of Truth, And Love

Truth and Love are of the same essence, for both in their purest forms are unaltered by external circumstances or events. By this I mean of course true love, as the love for one's children. The love that is between a man and a woman rarely comes into this sphere of existence , as one or both are often times imperfect in their love toward the other, or in a word; selfish. Indeed the word "love" today, is much abused. Truth likewise, is truth no matter what; unaffected by circumstances or events taking place in the life, or in the mind of the contemplator. The two, love and truth are in fact so close in relation, that upon careful examination, you will find that you cannot have one, without the other. This is also the meaning behind God's love, implied according to the definition of truth. As it is written, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."
Now the Tetragrammaton, meaning "the four character word", which is God's name represented by the four Hebrew characters יהוה; contains in itself (among other things) the complete expression of truth and love. Its meaning is can be interpreted thus: two separate things combine (as man and woman), with a double effect; first the destruction of both by denial of themselves for the other, accompanied by the realization that prior to this union, they were each incomplete; secondly, the creation of a third thing (usually a child), which brings about the joy of the creation of life which confirms one's own existence (for one does not truly exist, until one's existence is acknowledged), then thru examination and self development, one becomes aware of his own imperfections, and loves unconditionally. One will also notice that both of these (truth and love) are of no effect, and cannot be obtained nor maintained without action, for action is required for the expression of each. Again, it is written, "If you love me, keep my commandments,"and "Faith without works, is dead," I will leave you to draw your own conclusions from here, as there are countless applications and parallels to be perceived from this formula, which can be applied to one's own life in any number of ways......

Religion?

The word religion has it's origin in the Greek tongue, the word literally means to bind, hold, or restrain. This can be viewed or taken in different context and literal translation, some say it is to bind as in people together, or to restrain lust and vice. These are reasonable translations, depending on the sincerity of the organization or church in question. But, history paints a different picture. Let me say this from the beginning, it is not my intention to debase, degrade, or demonize organized religion, or to attack any church or denomination. Nor is it my intent to insult anyone's beliefs, but rather, I am simply trying to inspire individual thought and investigation. I will not bore you with my own testimony, or give you the details on how I arrived at these conclusions (unless you ask). I do not think it is unreasonable to question yourself and your beliefs, to see if your faith is true. The Lord does not want a bunch of mindless fools professing his good name, and pronouncing their faith in him! Examine yourselves, and the doctrines presented to you by your chosen leaders.
Religion has been used to manipulate the minds of the people for years,... centuries! Not to mention the fact that it divides even people professing the same faith! Constantine the great meshed Christianity with paganism just to be able to employ the "villagers" in the Holy Wars against the Ottoman Empire. So you see, it has also been used for political gain. I therefore, see religion as a tool to restrain, hold down, and surpress spiritual growth. The church has excluded dozens of books from the holy texts! And why? Because they (the writings) didn't coincide with the church's teachings! So, you decide; was the problem contained in the writings, or the church?
As I said, I am not here to judge anything, just to provoke thought. Religion serves many purposes, a sense of well-being, fellowship, community, etc... Some may even need it in order to behave themselves! That's fine, what ever makes you a better person. Most importantly and foremost, it should be a constant learning process. Not just taking what you are told for face value, but investigating for yourself! To have faith is extremely important, but be sure of who, or what it is that your faith lies! Is your faith in the Word, or in the doctrines of men? Do you study, meditate, and pray? If so, and if your heart is true, you will strengthen your faith to the point of knowing indefinitely! Not merely believing! To know is the manifestation of communion between God and man, through Christ. To believe without knowledge, is foolishness! Even a parrot, can be trained to repeat words that it hears, such are many church goers. More to come...