Spirituality is a weapon; a human heart that has realized its own nature and cultivated his or her heart has a weapon that is at hand wherever he or she goes. What ever life throws at them they are safe; they know how to utilize the force of spiritually cultivated heart. Regardless of the spiritual path one has chosen in this journey, spiritual feelings in a human heart is a weapon it is universal, it is loving, it is compassionate it is kind and all the good morals, that a human being can possess.

Spiritual hearts are like a garden where by you can grow all the beautiful desired morals, spirituality is like water, which is offered to a lost thirsty person who is wondering in endless hot desert. It is like a pot of endless wealth which rids all poverty. It is like a mother who protects all her offspring’s. It is like a magical lamp where you get your souls, most inner desires fulfilled. Spiritual hearts are like a rose which puts out its eternally beautiful scented fragrance. Spirituality is like a lighthouse to bring in lost ships back to the shores of love and compassion.

Spirituality is like a wish fulfilling star. Spirituality is like weapon in your heart to conquer the enemy called doubts. Spirituality is like protecting armor to shield a human from suffering. It is a weapon to slice all kind s of attacks of wrong thoughts. It is like a gardeners hand which pulls out the weeds of arrogance. It is like a life buoy to grab when lost in stormy oceans. Spirituality is a temple of love which by everyone is welcomed and invited. Spirituality doesn’t give much importance of persons outside shell rather the inside where your spirit resides. Spirit which is within you is like a giant that wants to be awakened to swim to the shores of eternal love. Spirituality is like food for our souls, it nourishes all the good qualities we might obtain. Awakened heart is like a fruit on the tree of life. Spirituality is like a musical instrument which plays the tunes of heavenly melodies right here on earth. Spirituality is an axe which cuts the tree called doubt.

Spirituality is a weapon of choice for spiritual hearts all over the world. Spiritually minded hearts know the importance of spirituality. It unites everyone; it binds all living beings in unbreakable chain called love and respect. No doubt we are fortunate to have been given the gift of life, where we get to feel love, where we get to share our souls with others by caring for the welfare of others.

Every human being has the ability also option, to follow the path of spirituality. When we look at our history we come to realize all the spiritual masters of our history reminded us to place importance of spirituality. Time and time again all over the world throughout history there were those who brought forth teachings of highest order. There is no point to judge the path of fellow human friends. Because it doesn’t matter which road we take to climb the mountain of life, on top the view will be the same. And which ever teachings it may be that is brought before mankind, never in any ancient scriptures does it mention to wrong fellow human friends of other faiths or spiritual beliefs, (study carefully and you will realize this fact)

Spiritually cultivated hearts know the oneness of us humans, and they have a weapon at will, to call upon when ever life overwhelms them. Being spiritual is a need for many human beings to give meaning to the universe we find ourselves wondering about. In the kingdom called thinking where reason and logic interact, if they interact enough then this interaction gives birth to wisdom, and the wisdom will know to love and respect eternity.

Spirituality is a weapon; a human heart that has realized its own nature and cultivated his or her heart has a weapon that is at hand wherever he or she goes. What ever life throws at them they are safe; they know how to utilize the force of spiritually cultivated heart. Regardless of the spiritual path one has chosen in this journey, spiritual feelings in a human heart is a weapon it is universal, it is loving, it is compassionate it is kind and all the good morals, that a human being can possess.

Spiritual hearts are like a garden where by you can grow all the beautiful desired morals, spirituality is like water, which is offered to a lost thirsty person who is wondering in endless hot desert. It is like a pot of endless wealth which rids all poverty. It is like a mother who protects all her offspring’s. It is like a magical lamp where you get your souls, most inner desires fulfilled. Spiritual hearts are like a rose which puts out its eternally beautiful scented fragrance. Spirituality is like a lighthouse to bring in lost ships back to the shores of love and compassion.

Spirituality is like a wish fulfilling star. Spirituality is like weapon in your heart to conquer the enemy called doubts. Spirituality is like protecting armor to shield a human from suffering. It is a weapon to slice all kind s of attacks of wrong thoughts. It is like a gardeners hand which pulls out the weeds of arrogance. It is like a life buoy to grab when lost in stormy oceans. Spirituality is a temple of love which by everyone is welcomed and invited. Spirituality doesn’t give much importance of persons outside shell rather the inside where your spirit resides. Spirit which is within you is like a giant that wants to be awakened to swim to the shores of eternal love. Spirituality is like food for our souls, it nourishes all the good qualities we might obtain. Awakened heart is like a fruit on the tree of life. Spirituality is like a musical instrument which plays the tunes of heavenly melodies right here on earth. Spirituality is an axe which cuts the tree called doubt.

Spirituality is a weapon of choice for spiritual hearts all over the world. Spiritually minded hearts know the importance of spirituality. It unites everyone; it binds all living beings in unbreakable chain called love and respect. No doubt we are fortunate to have been given the gift of life, where we get to feel love, where we get to share our souls with others by caring for the welfare of others.

Every human being has the ability also option, to follow the path of spirituality. When we look at our history we come to realize all the spiritual masters of our history reminded us to place importance of spirituality. Time and time again all over the world throughout history there were those who brought forth teachings of highest order. There is no point to judge the path of fellow human friends. Because it doesn’t matter which road we take to climb the mountain of life, on top the view will be the same. And which ever teachings it may be that is brought before mankind, never in any ancient scriptures does it mention to wrong fellow human friends of other faiths or spiritual beliefs, (study carefully and you will realize this fact)

Spiritually cultivated hearts know the oneness of us humans, and they have a weapon at will, to call upon when ever life overwhelms them. Being spiritual is a need for many human beings to give meaning to the universe we find ourselves wondering about. In the kingdom called thinking where reason and logic interact, if they interact enough then this interaction gives birth to wisdom, and the wisdom will know to love and respect eternity.

For The Bible Tells Me So is about how deeply Christian parents respond and relate to their children when the child comes out of the closet and announces his or her sexual preference.  The story is told from the perspective of five normal, real-life adult homosexual children and their families.  The families struggle with love for the child and the competing desire to do the right Christian thing. A literal interpretation of the Bible, for example, would mean the child is bad, wrong and sinful in the eyes of God.  This DVD is important because it asks us to consider whether the Bible provides an excuse to judge and hate homosexuals.  Several Biblical experts and prominent citizens talk about how a literal interpretation of select phrases from the Bible leads to a gross misinterpretation.  As one of the experts says, “There’s nothing wrong with a 5th grade understanding of God as long as you’re in the 5th grade.”



Overview

The movie starts with 1977 video footage of Anita Bryant, the Christian activist and former beauty queen, singer and celebrity endorser of commercial products.  We see the magnificent Anita making anti gay statements.  She is wholesome, righteous, full of her Godly mission, and very sure of herself.  Then a gay guy in a suit calmly walks up to her and throws a cream pie right in her face.  A friend sitting next to Anita reminds her to forgive the pie thrower.  Visibly shaken and sometimes crying, Anita extends the typical Christian version of forgiveness.   “Father,” she says, “I ask him to be forgiven and that we love him and pray for him to be delivered from his deviant lifestyle, Father.”  The chance to witness such a perfect example of the ego-based act of forgiveness is reason enough to see this movie.  Through Anita we come to a new awareness, and it’s this:  ego-based forgiveness is actually a subtle act of attack and hate rather than the love and goodness it pretends to be.  Most of us routinely forgive from an I’m better than you or you’re the bad one posture.

Each child tells about the recognition of self as homosexual, how and when parents were told, and what happened next.  We meet Imogene and Victor Robinson.  Gene, their son, is now the first gay Episcopalian bishop in New Hampshire.  We meet the Brenda and David Poteat who have a lesbian daughter, Tonia.  David says when his children were born he made a prayer to God.  “God, please don’t let my son grow up to be a faggot and my daughter a slut.”  Then with tongue in cheek he tells us that God “didn’t do that.  He reversed it.”  Jane and Dick Gephardt’s lesbian daughter, Chrissy, talks about how she was worried her coming out might spoil her Dad’s campaign for president.  Phil and Randi Reitan’s youngest son, Jake, realized he was gay when he was in middle school.  When he told his parents, Phil said “it hit me so hard I felt like I had just had a death.”  And lastly we meet Mary Lou Wallner.  Her lesbian daughter, Anna, committed suicide after being rejected and troubled by her mother’s reaction to her coming out. 

All five stories are emotionally moving, but it’s Mary Lou’s story that makes you cry, and her story stays with you long after the movie is over.  Anna told her mother about her homosexuality when she was away in college.  Mary Lou wrote a letter back to her saying, “I will never accept you…what you’re doing is spiritually and morally wrong…and I will always hate this in you.”   At the time, Mary Lou’s opinion was strongly shaped by the church she was attending.  According to the church, homosexuality wasn’t just a sin; it was the sin of sins.  After her daughter’s death, Mary Lou began independently researching homosexuality.  She discovered that gay people are 3-7 times more likely to commit suicide.  They feel excluded.  They feel like God doesn’t want them.  They feel like there’s no place for them in the church.  “Now instead of taking the Bible literally, I have to take it in the context of the day in which it was written.  I believe differently than the way I was raised.”  Mary Lou still attends church, but it’s not the same church. 

Relevance

We know that love does not attack, and we know that love does not separate.  Therefore, if words from any source are interpreted in a way that justifies judgment and condemnation of our brothers and sisters, then our interpretation of those words must be mistaken.  The Bible has 6 or 7 verses that speak directly to homosexual conduct.  Picking out these highly selective passages draws attention away from the whole message of love and focuses on a minor flaw in the message.  It’s like looking at a tiny freckle and saying the freckle is what’s most important and most relevant about a whole person.  The word abomination, for example, is used in the Bible and is frequently quoted as God’s opinion about homosexual activity.  “If a man lies with another man, it’s an abomination.”  Yet modern day Biblical experts tell us that abomination needs to be re-interpreted within the context of the time in which it was used.  Our current interpretation of abomination means extreme disgust, hatred and loathing, but during Biblical times abomination referred to a violation of a ritual requirement, such as the ritual requirement of marriage.  The Bible also says that it’s an abomination to eat shrimp.  It’s an abomination to co-mingle crops.  It’s an abomination to weave linen and wool together.  All of these other literal interpretations of the word abomination have been deselected from our attention, forgotten and ignored. 

Desmond Tutu, the South African winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and a featured guest in the movie, said, “I can’t imagine that God would punish you because you’re black, not white.  I can’t imagine that God would punish you because you’re a woman, not a man.  And I can’t imagine that God would punish you because you’re a homosexual, not a heterosexual.”



Conclusion

This movie won many well-deserved independent film/documentary awards.  From the pie-in-the-face Anita Bryant moment to the heartbreaking story of Anna Wallner’s suicide, it grabs your attention and holds it.  It’s a compelling, authentic account of what it’s like to be a Christian homosexual in this millennium.  But even more importantly, For the Bible Tells Me So asks viewers to quit playing with homosexuality as a reason to block the love that is our truth.  Do yourself a favor and see it. 

DVD Title: For the Bible Tells Me So

Produced and Directed By:  Daniel Karslake

Distributor:  First Run Features

Copyright: 2007

 

It does not take a great effort (or any effort at all actually) to grow in spiritual awareness. Just be aware, that’s all. Spiritual awareness is simply about being mindful of spiritual Truths. You don’t have to go around obsessing about these Truths to be aware of them. Nor is there really any need to constantly immerse yourself in deep thought in order to break through and “see the (spiritual) light.” Spiritual awareness is not something that you can gain by force. You cannot compel yourself to become more spiritually aware, you merely have to be open to what is already within you.

Are you aware that the sky is blue? Or that sugar tastes sweet? These truths, in general, are universally elementary. Realizing them does not take any degree of deep thought or obsessive contemplation. They are just things that you are aware of. You don’t have to go around constantly reminding yourself that the sky is blue or that sugar tastes sweet. Why? Because these are truths which you don’t bother to doubt or question. You just accept them. And your acceptance is what informs your awareness. Whether the awareness is a spiritual awareness or the common sense awareness of the sky being blue, it’s all the same. Your acceptance is what causes you to be aware, just as it is your doubt which causes you to be unaware. You cannot perceive what you do not believe. This is a spiritual law.

Your personal reality is a reflection of your beliefs. Your life experience is an expression of the ideas you have chosen to accept as true. Therefore, your reality is different from his reality because each of you (unique expressions of the One God) accepts a different array of ideas as true. Spiritual awareness is about transcending the darkness of your personal reality (a manifestation of your beliefs) into the light of The One Truthful Reality which is common to All. How do you transcend the darkness? The answer is simple – by accepting the light. Every time you let go of a false belief, you grow in spiritual awareness. You accept Truth by letting go of fallacy. Acceptance is about letting go, surrendering, completely giving yourself over to something. You want to grow in spiritual awareness? Simply be accepting of spiritual Truths. But how do you identify a spiritual Truth from a personal “truth?”

Spiritual Truths (with a capital T) evoke good feelings. These Truths stand alone, unadorned by justification or underlying desires. A Spiritual Truth is never a reason for anything. A spiritual Truth simply Is, and that is all. For instance, I am powerful is a spiritual Truth. I am worthy is a spiritual Truth. However, I am powerful because I am rich is not a spiritual Truth. I am worthy because I am giving is not a spiritual Truth. These are not spiritual Truths because they rely on reason to substantiate them. These may, however, be examples of personal “truths.” I say personal because these ideas and experiences are not common to All; but nevertheless may qualify as a “truth” (with a lower case t) in the sense that these ideas and understandings may be true to your experience because you have chosen to accept them as true. Personal truths are not synonymous with spiritual Truths, they are synonymous with delusions. Growing in spiritual awareness means letting go of these delusions.

Every time you let go of a delusion you grow in spiritual awareness. Every time you accept an idea which not only feels good, but is not adorned by any justification, you grow in spiritual awareness.

Spiritual awareness begins and ends within. This means it takes your being able to recognize spiritual Truths within yourself in order for these Truths to be apparent to you in the world around you. All of the universe is but a reflection of You, some aspect of You (as Spirit). But if you are unable to recognize yourself as Spirit, you will likewise not recognize yourself reflected in All that surrounds you. You are perfecting your knowledge of Self in spiritual awareness. As you come to more and more see your Self in others (not just people, but things, places, phenomena… literally everything) you become more spiritually aware. It doesn’t take effort. It simply takes an open mind and an open heart to accelerate your spiritual awareness. You can be mindful of spiritual Truths without spending untold hours dwelling on them, just as it you can be mindful that sugar tastes sweet without obsessively reminding yourself of this fact. If you are truly accepting of a spiritual Truth you will be mindful of It regardless of whether or not you are directly thinking about It. The only effort expended in developing spiritual awareness is the effort it takes to convince yourself to be accepting of the Truths you have thus far rejected. If you truly want to believe you will. Like planting a seed, the real work in raising it up will not be done by your hand it will just be done. Have faith. You cannot help but to grow in spiritual awareness.