Jonathan H. B. Lobl

Judaism also has teachings about "emanations." It is the foundation for Kabballah. In particular, the Tree of Life. I will not go into a lot of detail. Largly because I get in over my head very quickly. God had to "make room" for Creation. God did this by withdrawing. This withdrawn state was called "Ein Soph." Ein Soph is both unknown and unknowable. The first thing that Ein Soph created, was the sphere which was "nothing." Nothing created the next sphere, which created the next sphere, etc. Each sucseeding sphere was more dense than the sphere which created it. The tenth sphere is the "Presence of God." There is a great deal more. I have to stop here because I barely know what I'm talking about as it is.

I'm not seeing your point. Nature is not peacful. This is true. What does that prove?

If we really want to question everything, we can go back to Decarte. "I think, therefore I am." For the purists -- "Cogito, ergo sum." Past a certain point, it's like a dog chasing it's tail. For all the illusion and paradox, there is an objective external reality. Rejection of reality is embracing madness. This I reject. Yes. Matter is an illusion. Matter is also real. Yes, Space is an illusion. Space is also real. Yes, Time is an illusion. Time is also real. Yes, we are clergy. We can have common sense, anyway.

No. People can be self-less. The example that comes to mind -- firefighters rushing into a burning building, looking for people to rescue. Such work is not about the money. I think the question needs to be expanded. What would you be willing to die for? Under stressful conditions, people often surprise.

I have to agree. Over the years, I have had some jobs I hated. It was about the money. It still is -- at least part of the time.

It is not enough to transcend time and space. In order to function in reality, we also need to know what time it is and where we are.

Albert Einstein discovered something that he termed, "spooky action at a distance." The lesson that I take from this is that Space/Time has illusory properties. That means Unity is real. Duality exists. Let us not get cute. The Universe is real. That means that Unity and Duality coexist. IMO.

I think the question might imply something more cosmic than it is. I have sold out my principles -- for a lot less. In fact, minimum wage. I was collecting signatures, for a temp agency, for a candidate I had no use for. In daily life, it is so easy to sell out. Without even thinking about it.

It is a paradox. Unity and Duality both exist. As for the book, even a broken clock can be right twice a day. Unless it's on military time. Then it can still be right once a day.

An old saying -- "When your're rich, you're handsome and smart and you sing good, too."

Fawzo: But is it true? If God is outside time -- how can God change? God can only "be." There is no "becoming." Unless I misunderstood. (Sorry, I put this in the wrong space.)

Nobody has quoted Jesus yet. "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, if he lose his soul?"

In truth, I don't know. I have limits. They are not always clear. Theory aside, I don't know what I would do if somebody actually waved the money under my face.

But is it a better idea?

Really? Why is "I will be" more accurate than "I Am?" Something outside time can't change. Or did you mean that the translation itself, is more accurate?

Then again -- in Exodus, how does God introduce "himself" to Moses? "I Am that I Am." Or, is that your point?

It is because both good and evil are so abstract and difficult to pin down; that traditional symbolism is used. The symbolism of Light and Darkness. The terms can be misleading, but they are easier -- at least for me -- to wrap my mind around them. There are three "items." 1. Light: . Self explanatory. 2. Shadow: The absence of Light. 3. Darkness: The only example of true darkness that I can think of is a Black Hole. It's gravity will not allow Light to escape. Then again, what is a black hole but ultra dense light?

Thank you. The classic example of something that can not be defined, is "life." We can name the charactereistics associated with life. They are: growth, ingestion, excretion, respiration, reproduction, etc. What life actually is, we can not say. There are plenty of other concepts that we can argue about endlessly, without being able to define what they are: Music, Art, Justice, Virtue, etc. I think that Good and Evil belong on this list.

IMO, to the extent that "good" exists in the abstract, so does "evil." One is not the absence of the other. What they are, I can't say.

"Nothing new under heaven?"

Hello Happy: I have no idea how you managed to distort my words like that -- or why you chose to do so. What ever you game is, you will have to play it without me. I will not be provoked.

I didn't get that interpretation. To my understanding, we (society) have a much better understanding of projection than we used to. If I have the secret fear that I am gay -- or have the potential to become gay -- and I am afraid of this possibility -- then I could take that fear and project it onto gay people. Since I understand this, it follows that I do not have to be afraid of gay people or of gay rights. For similar reasoning, I don't have to be afraid of people in other countries or cultures. The result of this is that I am not inclined to go to war. The language of "inner darkness" might be causing this confusion. The "inner darkness" only means what we are afraid of in our selves. I think that otherwise, it makes good sense.

I think this man has an uphill fight on the point of psychological damage. It is not enough to prove he is damaged. He must prove that there is a specific source of that damage. If I want to say that smoking has damaged my lungs -- and it turns out that I have long term exposure to other things that are toxic to my lungs -- like asbestos -- or gas fumes -- a court case is greatly complicated. If this man has other elements in his life that gave him emotional damage, the church could be off the hook. He has to prove that only the church damaged his emotions. Or demonstrate a percentage of harm. That could be tough. There is also the element of coercion. He had to tithe? The church forced him? He could have quit the church. That makes the payment "voluntary."

I find the Biblical story of the Medium/(Witch) of Endor to be a source of great amusement. Poor King Saul. He had all the spirit mediums killed. Now, he wants a medium to help him contact Samuel's shade. What can he do? All the mediums are dead. By his edict. The king's aide, the man standing by his side, says -- "Uh, Sire, I know where we can find a medium. Think of how this story would be told in modern times. The President has waged a war on drugs. All the dealers are dead or in prison. The drugs have all been destroyed. The land is free of all drugs. The drug war is won. One day, the president is really stressed out. "Oh man" the president says. " I sure could use a toke. But what can I do? All the dealers and drugs are gone. And I did it." His aide, the man right next to him, says -- "Mr President., I know where we can score some weed." The Bible is a great read -- if we can see it clearly.

When doing weddings, it is very important to charge something. You need not charge a lot, but it can't be free. This is for your dealings with the Internal Revenue Service. If your services are free, you have a hobby. If you bring in an income as a working clergy person -- the IRS regards you as a business person. As such -- you have legitimate business expenses. Think of all the money you spend on books about how to do weddings and funerals. The ceremonial robes. Clergy shirts. Candles and incense. All the rest of it. All of it is now a legitimate business expense -- if you have a real income. Even a pathetic income. It just has to be a real income. Do you have to travel to perform the ceremony? Business exense. Do you have to eat while you're on the road? Business expense. Do you need to stay at a hotel? Business expense. Did you become a $10. saint? $20. Doctor of Divinity? Would you like to invest in a chapel or office space? Only an accountant will be able to figure out your savings. (The accountant is also a deductable expense.) The tax code was created for the benefit of business people. I suggest you play the game. Be cheap if you want, but not free.