Groundhog Day on the Screen of Life

FROM CHRISTIAN TO COURSE-TIAN!

I recently heard a wonderful analogy that helps to explain one of the major changes in perspective that occurs in a person from a traditionally Christian background, as they began to entertain the ideas embraced non dualistic thought, such as A Course in Miracles. The analogy itself was borrowed by Kenneth Wapnick, Ph.D, a renowned scholar of the Course, from Plato’s writings over 2500 years ago, using slightly different symbols.

When at the movie theatre, the images on the screen begin to bounce up and down. So, do we go up to the screen and try and fix the images? No, we wouldn’t but we would, instead, go to the projection screen booth and tell them of the problem. We don’t ask them to fix the images on the actual screen, do we? Instead, we leave it up to them, to know how to fix the problem where the problem is.

In believing that it can be fixed at the effect (the screen), we are, in essence asking Him to solve the problem of the bouncing screen, at the screen instead of fixing it truly, and eternally, which can only be done at the source of the problem. And in addition to petitioning this from the wrong place, we are petitioning Him to do just what we think needs to be done! This includes and cannot help but to include our little crinkles in the screen of life, as well as the big rips!

FIXING THE SCREEN AT THE SCREEN

The little things on the screen of life which we pray for change are that our uncle Joe stop being a jerk , instead of joining on the side of Jesus, who would only want Joe to figure out why he is behaving as such a jerk, and thus change his behavior to everyone, due to genuine healing and love. And by the big rips in the projection screen, I mean praying that someone we love who is sick, doesn’t die of cancer, or does not suffer if he does die of cancer.

This means we think we can direct Jesus’ benevolent love and care onto who we choose as being worthy of this.

Wouldn’t God want everyone healed and certainly not need our request for it to be done? After all, would the Father actually think of one of his kids as more worthy than another?

The problem in the movie theatre is not on the screen and neither is the problem we see in our life, ‘in the world’ or in a particular group of people, or any one person! Just as in the case of the person with cancer; the cancer is the effect of the problem and means nothing, but that we have placed the blame upon it, as a ‘problem.’

ASK HIM TO TRULY 'SEE' WHAT THE PROBLEM IS!

Ask only that we see what the problem is and not that He come down here right now and fix it!
In non dualistic thought, the problem can never leave the source, and our problems must then be part of Who we are ~ or a choice we are making. Thus does the Course explain to us, that all problems are in the mind that is viewing the world. In other words, it is in the projection booth!
In non dualistic thinking, which is what A Course In Miracles is, this means that the Holy Spirit, represented by the Christian world as Jesus as well as in the Course, is living in the mind of God’s Son, Who is YOU, and ME and all of us! He is within, not anywhere else, and yet everywhere else.


GROUNDHOG DAY, ALL OVER AGAIN!
This scenario we find ourselves in is not unlike Bill Murray who in Ground hog Day, kept trying to fix the screen, instead of the problem! Until about half way through the movie, when he figured out the problem was in his mind. Then, his ‘deeds’ changed because they were motivated by an awareness of genuine love within. Once he chose love, the ‘projection’ on the movie screen changed.

He found out that love and happiness come from the mind of the one choosing it and the effects …which is the world we see, are the effects of either Spirit, or ego, in our mind. It is in only in the mind that is aware of the choice between what is real and not real, Spirit or ego, that real change occurs, in the mind.

So, like Bill Murray’s character, every day, we need try once more to get to the source of problem, and stop seeing the problem as out there on the screen. Change the channel on the projector from ego to Spirit and feel the peace that ego never knew existed. Then share the love that is who you are.

Diane L. Perretto

Kenneth Wapnick, Ph.D is responsible for the analogy, borrowed from Plato’s original one, of the screen and the projection room. Ken has been a scholar of the Course since its delivery to the world, and has spent 30 years helping others understand what it is saying.

HYPOCRISY MOCKS DEMOCRACY

HYPOCRISY MOCKS DEMOCRACY

This outrageous declaration of a rather predominant right wing Christian spokesperson and televangelist, Pat Robertson, to assassinate Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez is a flawless example of hypocrisy. And I for one am not surprised at all that conservative so-called Christian group leaders have not responded. They most likely, silently agree.
And if it is even considered to have any sort of intelligence behind it, it is just one more nail in the coffin of democracy in our country....with the blatant Neo Nazi attitude of justifying murder, for any reason. Although we claim to be a Christian-founded democracy, it is statements like this from people who claim to be Christian that shows the problem of allowing someone in power, or a spokesperson for our nations’ religious right, to use Christianity as a sword, and calling it ‘righteous’!

Perhaps someone else would, but Jesus, the Prince of Peace would not conquer the American Indians, nor slay the non Christians as we did during the Crusades. He would not hang African Americans from trees till they died as the Christian KKK has done, and he certainly would not assassinate anyone. When will we begin to wake up and see that today's 'Christianity' is not what it Christ intended, at all? And we as a country who claim it as our 'ethical' foundation, are basing ethics on hypocrisy, especially if Christianity continues to think war is righteous, Priests can molest and continue to be a Priest, and we can justify any sort of attack on any other country, as Christian. It is not.

Pastor Robertson’s thoughtless words must sound obviously hypocritical to everyone.... one would think! They have nothing to do with Jesus’ true message which was far removed from violence, not to mention that it strongly advocated forgiveness as a ‘way’ to obtain eternal life in Spirit, and peace, being the result.

Jesus said; “Seek and you shall find,” not “Seek and destroy.” And he stood firmly in his beliefs when he spoke of our brothers, whether we see them as an enemy or not when he implored us to learn to “Turn the other cheek’ not “Turn the missiles to his other cheek.”

If we are so threatened by the 'evil' of everyone else but us (sarcasm), let's be honest. We can protect ourselves without going outside of our country and purposely killing other human beings or threatening revenge and retaliation for similar threats to our own nation’s officials. Ask any survivor of a Nazi camp; the only true freedom is within ourselves, and can’t be given nor can it be taken away. One can find this out by finding a peace within despite terrorist acts without oneself.

But the purity of Christ’s true message, far more outlasting than any government or person on earth does need to be corrected when it is defaced by hypocrites such as Robertson.
So, please, Mr. Robertson, you silly man, either stop calling yourself a Christian, or stop speaking at all!
Diane L. Perretto

Walk a day in your brother's shoes?

It’s been said we can join with a brother when we walk a day in his shoes.

But truth be known, two men cannot walk in the same shoes. So, it must be that things of the body, things of this world that make us separate, we must shed, for joining can only be of the mind.

To join in mind, there is no skin to have a color. There is no face to show an age. There is no body to define the sex, and there are no hands with which he labors, no eyes to see wrongly, no ears to judge words harshly.

As prophets of old have long foretold, joining with our brother requires a releasing of oneself from attachment to the body and its limitations, its judgments and its pain.

We cannot join if two cannot walk in the same shoes. Either the shoes must be kicked off, or we must remain in separate worlds.

Dlp 8-17-05

Who are you?

The truth about us is known in moments too fleeting to grasp, and yet too real to forget.

When you look upon your brother with compassion for deeds too horrid to ‘forgive’, you have felt the light of Who you are and remembered It clearly.

When you have seen the murderer, and his eyes begged of you to give him light, and you responded with light, you have seen Who you are.

When you have looked upon the terror that is running rampant in the world, and realized that it is the effect, and not the cause of fear, you have seen Who you are a part of!

When you have heard of the ‘innocent’ tortured, and felt not sadness, but remembered Jesus words….“Forgive them Father, they know not what they do’, you have believed in a life eternal, and realized the Truth about your own Identity.

When you have laughed at your own seeming sins in joy at the folly of them, and seen the same innocence in every brother you meet, you are free indeed!

And life becomes a treasure of immeasurable love and forgiveness for all.

This alone is salvation. This alone is Who you Are.

Remember?

Profiling is NOT OK

PROFILING IS NOT OK........THIS IS NOT NAZI GERMANY

For the citizens of any country, for all of mankind, we cannot justify the practice of profiling to help stop terrorism. This could only add to hate crimes, and further dissent among citizens, and change the face of America forever.

Let’s be realistic with what the truth of the matter is. Most white, right wing Christians, who live in the south are not in the KKK. However, most KKK members are white, very conservative, right wing Christians and live in the southern U.S. If we were to profile these particular sorts of people, the average white, conservative Christian, we’d be harassing an inordinate amount of people in this country since many of us are white, and Christian, but not killers.

My point is that I would venture to guess that the amount of people in our country or who count themselves citizens of their native country, who have dark skin and wear Muslim clothing that are actual terrorists, are equally as small in number relative to the suggested ‘profile’, as the amount of white conservative Christians that are Klu Klux Klan members.

What I have been really amazed at lately is the suggestion that since most terrorists fit a profile, we should let those who are ‘obvious’ non profile fitting types, go without checking their belongings, as though we insult the ‘good’ citizens of our country. Actually, isn't it possible that profiling allows the terrorists to find ways to beat the system ~ where non-profiling, check everyone, lets nothing get by?

TERRORISTS AND SHOPLIFTERS!

Profiling is done in security positions all over the world, there is no doubt. But, there a logic in this whole concept that really doesn't work in this situation.

Recently, on talk shows and at the water cooler, I have heard avid support from the average person for not checking the baggage of little old ladies and young children, or the average housewife type because they don’t usually blow up subways. But, there is no average terrorist; they can take the form and shape and place and economic status of any person, because they are here; they are citizens, and behind the scenes, before the bomb is blown up, there are many faces of terror.

So, in the case of an international or internal terrorist, unlike simple robbery or car thief cases, there is no geographical or economical common denominator to judge the typical criminal. For instance, in retail theft, it is true that people who steal are usually low income people. As stats show, the cities are places that invite low income people to get a start on life, economically, due to job availability, and the fact that they don't usually own their own car, and can take public transportation. The reasons are many. And many times black or hispanic immigrants fit in this catagory, trying to get ahead with little or no education. So, when security employees monitor their cameras, they look for hispanics and blacks, not because of their skin color which might mean something entirely different in a different area, but because they happen to fit the profile for poor people, who are more apt to commit a crime in a city area. If the same security office were looking for a thief in a Walmart in the hills of Tennessee somewhere, they’d be looking for 12-17 year old female, white girls.

THE FACE OF A TYPICAL TERRORIST

The sort of mind that believes that fear is the way to win over people's bodies/minds/hearts, does not pick and choose who to win over; they will try anyone, anywhere, willing. And those that fall into this sort of mindset themselves, don't have a particular face. Terrorists train all kinds and now that they think we think they don’t train little old ladies, they will certainly seek some out!

The media has been rather silly enough to suggest that we only check the bags of what they have decided is a typical terrorist, and so you can be sure there will be plenty of crazy people of all races, all genders and all ages with nothing better to do than find a ‘purpose’ for their lives, such as being the bringer of terror to people they hate. And like anywhere, there are enough angry, hateful people who are white, black or purple, to do the job....no doubt.

My point is...profiling doesn’t always work and if we choose to single out only the ‘obvious’ skin colors, or clothing, or religious background, we are foolish because most Muslims and dark skinned people have nothing to do with radical terrorist activities just as most right wing conservative Christians have nothing to do with the KKK.

THE 'RIGHTEOUS' JUDGEMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN CRUSADERS, THE INTOLERANCE OF THE KKK AND THE SLAUGHTER OF NATIVE AMERICANS IS NO DIFFERENT AND PERHAPS EVEN MORE DEVASTING TO OUR AMERICAN FOUNDATION OF FREEDOM AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS THAN ANY TERROR ACT YET
Hate crimes have killed or terrified more people than radical Muslim’s EVER did before 911 in our country. The hate was already here; it was just internal and often ignored as such. The Christian Crusades, the KKK, the colonists who killed the Native American people, the Popes who condoned killing in the name of Jesus, have done more to put terror on the map than any Muslim has in our country. We do not need to hate another group; they are all equal in their hate, and in their crime. One is not to be tolerated more than another. One should not be profiled and singled out more than another as well. An most importantly, rather than hate the group who hates, lets try to bridge the gap we have that creates the hate. If we have not been able to do it in our own history, with the aforementioned groups, how will begin with this new hateful group of radicals? To this mindset, they are but another reason to hate; to kill, no different than them, no different than the 'righteous' beliefs of the Christian Crusaders.

ORGANIZED RELIGION DIVIDES US

So, in the end, our new security problems and our own fear of public places is what the need to evangelize religion (and killing those who don’t agree) has done, in the name of ‘love’ and ‘Christ.’ The radical Muslims are no different than the Christian right wing fanatics who blow up abortion clinics, the KKK group members, and the Christian Crusaders who killed thousands, as well as the Nazi’s who killed the Jews. They are coming from the same hateful mindset.

And so, we have no choice now that we allowed our need for separate religious beliefs to cause hate as did all the above mentioned groups, to be imprisoned by fear. In truth, there is no freedom in religion since by its nature, it divides.

One God, one People, will never happen when we decide that some look more capable of terror than another. If one person has to have their bags checked at the airport, ALL people need have their bags checked. If we allow our government to tell us that certain people, don’t appear threatening, but dark skinned Muslim’s do.......Nazi Germany is not far from our new reality.

How many right wing Christian white people do you know blew up an abortion clinic, or killed another person because they were black? And how many dark skinned people who wear Muslim garb do you know that placed a bomb under your seat on the bus? Both are equally unlikely, or likely. Either way, we cannot profile one and not the other.

Diane L. Perretto