When a man stands before God, he will not be able to say, “I was told by others to do thus” or, “Virtue was not convenient.” for whatever happens in and on earth, does not keep a man’s soul. For a man’s soul is within him to keep. For God desires, what is in our minds, and in our hearts.
It is not good to put stock in religion, since even God says that the only good religion is to care for orphans and widows [*]. Thusly, good is defined by one who will do right.
I put no stock in religion. By the word religion I have seen the lunacy of fanatics of every denomination be called the will of god. I have seen too much religion in the eyes of too many murderers. Holiness is in right action, and courage on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves, and goodness. What god desires is our minds, and our hearts.
I have a favourite movie, which I will watch at every opportunity. I have a DVD of the extended version yet, I will still watch it when it comes on the television, as a reminder of what is the core of who I am.
There is one dialogue in the film where the Marshall of Jerusalem asks the Baron of Ibelin, “what did your father tell you of your duties here?” to which Balian, the Baron of Ibelin answered, “I am to be a good knight.”
The response was symbolic to the nature of men everywhere and will sit fully in this day and age also, “Well I hope that Jerusalem can accommodate such a rarity as a perfect knight.”
I am told all the time that it is inconvenient that I live by my principles. Maintain my integrity. Fight for those who can not fight for themselves, and stand immovably for the foundation of my faith and heart. I have also lived in this manner long before the creation of this movie, which finds itself into my heart, as it as the clearest representation of the nature of my conscience.
I promise you this about my mind and settlement of measure. That I have willingly and consciously chosen a path which is not acceptable to the majority, nor is it palatable to the status quo. However, I remember so many aspects of the spirit of this movie which are such foundational aspects of my character, that to do less, would not give me peace.
So, I will accept less accolades, even to the point of questions to my mental stability or faculties, since none of those can destroy my soul.
My soul is my own to keep, before God. Daily viewed in the mirror as my self measurement.
Because what would a man be if he doesn’t try to make the world a better place, and what land can he nourish if it is not started by the gift of the spirit within his own soul?
I have to admit, one of the greatest detriments to my relationships is a cadence which is echoed by all but one girl to which I’ve been involved. Which is simply this, “you cannot save the whole world.”
I say that if I save myself. Then anyone I touch, will have a seed towards their own salvation, by the gift of God given to me through the Christ who decided each of us was worth the death he gave.
So, yes… it is possible to save the whole world… one person at a time.
So my tag-line is expressed thusly:
Be without fear in the face of your enemies,[*]
Be brave and upright, that God may love thee,[*]
Speak the truth always, even if it leads to your death,[*]
Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong.[*]
That is your oath…
The Kingdom of Heaven is an excellent movie for our times. It shows the evil and bloodlust that comes from religion, and the power of quiet truth, in peace and honour. I will never choose to be the loud religious kind. They yell on the rooftops towards the death of anyone who does not believe as they do.
I want to compare for you two distinctly identical references from the Qaran through the prophet Mahummad and stated by Christ through the Bible…
First the Quar’an
“Allah will say on the Day of Judgment, ‘O son of Adam, I was sick and you did not visit Me.’ He will say, ‘O my Lord, how could I visit You, when you are the Lord of the Worlds.’ Allah will say, ‘Did you not know that My servant so-and-so was sick and you did not visit him? Did you not know that if you had visited him, you would have found Me there?’ Allah will say, ‘O son of Adam, I asked you for food and you fed Me not.’ He shall say, ‘O my Lord, how could I feed you and you are the Lord of the Worlds?’ And Allah will say, ‘Did you not know that My servant so-and-so was in need of food and you did not feed him? Did you not know that if you had fed him, you would have found that to have been for Me?’ ‘O son of Adam, I asked you for water and you did not give Me to drink.’ The man shall say, ‘O my Lord, how could I give You water, when You are the Lord of the Worlds?’ Allah will say, ‘My servant so-and-so asked you for water and you did not give him to drink water. Did you not know that if you had given him to drink, you would have found that to have been for Me.’ (Muslim, Hadith no. 4661)
Now the Bible:
…and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ (Matthew 25:33 – 45)
So then learn this simple thing… if you are a Muslim who hates Christians, or a Christian who hates Muslims! You are equal in claiming fully that you hate God. Since God has commanded you both through your respective teachers.
This is an explanation of my heart, and a metaphor for those whom use Christ or Muhummad as a banner to let blood pour liberally in the sand which is the middle east. To which both Christian and Muslim are equal in their hatred toward the very God they claim to represent. The sons of Abraham. The nations created by God through Isaac, and Ishmael.
This has been the message, if you have ears, you will hear it. If you have eyes you will see it.
See the world as it is… not as you need it to be…
and hopefully you’ll find within yourself that one true kingdom of conscience
append:
For those of you who might be interested, this is a story that some consider a romance. I personally find it a very accurate dipiction of the 1st and 2nd Crusade to control Jerusalem aka “The Kingdom of Heaven” by Christendom, as well as the Muslims, represented by the Sultan Saladin. I can if anyone is interested give the full explative of the Crusades, as it is commonly misunderstood as being instigated by the Britsh, through Richard the LionHeart, but then again, anyone with any familiarity with history realizes that it is british to claim many such things as their initiation and invention which simply are not so. The crusades for Jerusalem were initiated by the Byzantine Emperors also known as the Eastern Roman Empire through the council of Piacenza initiated by Pope Urban II.
If anyone is interested, England as a unified nation, as well as a formally defined Royal house was also created by the french, which were – at the time – known as Normans, whom conquered England in 1066 through Duke William I of Normandy – also known as William the Conqueror. Which is probably why there is and has always been so much hatred toward the french from the English and their representative historical resultants, such as the USA and so forth. After all, they owe their very existence to the Roman Empire and their most hated enemy. The French.
Incidentally, the House of Windsor is the current Royal House of the United Kingdom and each of the other Commonwealth realms. The older part is a branch of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha line (Germany) of the House of Wettin (Saxony [*]), while the newer part is a branch of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg line of the House of Oldenburg.
By virtue of Queen Victoria’s marriage to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, son of Duke Ernst I of the small German duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, her descendants were members of the ducal family of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha with the house name of Wettin. Victoria’s son Edward VII and his son George V reigned as members of this house.
However, high anti-German feeling among the people during World War I prompted the Royal Family to abandon all titles held under the German crown and to change German-sounding titles and house names for English-sounding versions. On 17 July 1917, a royal proclamation by George V provided that all agnatic descendants of Queen Victoria would be members of the House of Windsor with the personal surname of Windsor. The name Windsor has a long association with English royalty through the town of Windsor and Windsor Castle.
Upon hearing that his cousin George V had changed the name of the British royal house to Windsor, German Emperor William II remarked jokingly that he planned to see Shakespeare’s play The Merry Wives of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (the play’s true title, of course, is The Merry Wives of Windsor).
