April - Prayers For Peace

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Atwater Vitki Priceless Being

Atwater Vitki

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Dear Friends,

During the month of April, my ULC organization, (the Church of Universal Humanism), is going to add into our daily prayers a call for peace around the world. We are not focused on any one particular act of violence, war or hatred of one against the other, but all violence and hatred period.

The mantra we are adding to our individual prayers is this:

" Our (Father, Creator, G_d, All Father, Collective Conscious, etc - your nomenclature or deity inserted here) may mankind know Peace. May each individual find it in their heart to promote the Good that is within every living thing. May we each seek the Light over Darkness and justice over injustice. May Peace find its way onto this world in every manner. Amen"

Will you join me in this mantra or prayer? Will you add peace into your daily excercise of meditation, praying or expression to your belief?

My thanks are with each of you,

:paladin:

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Fawzo Legendary Being

Fawzo

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Good idea but I think that I will twist it a bit and pray that I may be more peaceful each day and through my peaceful interactions with others that peace will spread throughout the world. Especially at work and home.

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Atwater Vitki Priceless Being

Atwater Vitki

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Blessings be Rev Ed and Fawzo, thank you!

Like I said Fawzo, Peace in general, everywhere and anywhere. How cool to identify that peace with Self and in your life is where you see the greatest good being done. This is exactly what I mean by one person at a time and directed where they see need. Within this sort of context twist it any ol' way ya see fit! :thumbu:

Blessings of Peace,

:paladin:

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Fawzo Legendary Being

Fawzo

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If one has faith in the Biblical God though it seems couterproductive to wish for peace on earth as this is not yet his will.

He desires anything but peace and the evidence for this can be found in the story of the Tower of Babel and also in Yeshua's controversial statement Matthew 10:34 - "I come not to bring peace, but to bring a sword..."

As evidenced by the story of the tower of Babel, if one is gullible enough to believe it, God gets a wee bit nervous when we are all pulling together in unison.

If peace were to occur on earth it would ruin His big armageddon party. He would have to stop his order for colored ponies, noise makers and light show.

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BrDevon Exalted Being

BrDevon

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If one has faith in the Biblical God though it seems couterproductive to wish for peace on earth as this is not yet his will.

He desires anything but peace and the evidence for this can be found in the story of the Tower of Babel and also in Yeshua's controversial statement Matthew 10:34 - "I come not to bring peace, but to bring a sword..."

As evidenced by the story of the tower of Babel, if one is gullible enough to believe it, God gets a wee bit nervous when we are all pulling together in unison.

If peace were to occur on earth it would ruin His big armageddon party. He would have to stop his order for colored ponies, noise makers and light show.

Or we as a creation could finally have gotten swift, and he can rejoice that he can come back to a peaceful world.

(I dream big dreams, and try to be the example I wish for the world.)

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Fawzo Legendary Being

Fawzo

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Or we as a creation could finally have gotten swift, and he can rejoice that he can come back to a peaceful world.

(I dream big dreams, and try to be the example I wish for the world.)

If he truely desired noting but peace and bliss then why create a physical world in the first place. Surely since he knew before the foundations of the world that Yesua was to be the propitiation for all sin he knew all hell was going to break lose before he blinked everything into creation.

That is why it is my personal belief that if God is responsible for all we see than non-peace and suffering must have been a major factor in His plans. Unless He's like a brand new parent learning as He goes.

I'm elated that you have big dreams and are doing your best to be the change you want to see. The most beautiful gardens all started with that first flower.

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Atwater Vitki Priceless Being

Atwater Vitki

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Perhaps peace is impossible, but it is truly and honestly what I feel my life's purpose is, as given to me by (Odhinn, God, The Collective Conscious, Alla, etc.etc).....the Supreme Energy That IS.

My first 30 years on this planet were those of hatred, viloence, mistrust, anger, intolerance, belittling, evil, dark and a maelstorm of inequalities and inequities. But for me to "get it" I had to learn the hard way. Even after I was given my "sign" as it were, that I was on the wrong path, it still took me 6-8 years to begin to change, 20 years of implimenting change and merely the last few years of acting out my change. But I know in my heart I am doing the Will, or perhaps 'Order' of the Cosmos by banging my symbal for Peace.

Perhaps it is the seemingly impossible nature of this concept that has me so convinced of my path. I, as David was (I'm sure) against Goliath, so peeing my pants scared :unsure: it won't work, that I aggressively act out my intolerance for anything but Peace. Sometimes I actually feel like I'm spanking each and every "child of God" into acceptance of this premise, that they WILL learn Peace is the answer, that peace is an expression of the Godlike love we are expected to show for one another. That peace in our heart, mind and soul is being one with the Collective, Universe, Source, God or whatever one wishes to label God's Love.

Thanks to those who choose to help in this effort, peace to EVERYONE, regardless of their moral or ethical position. But in any regard, whether it works or not, I at least know that for a month there will be many,many, many people considering peace as an alternative to chaos and mayhem. Blessings to all in whatever capacity they may choose to express this.

:paladin:

(I guess I'm just a flower planting itself in a patch of weeds, thistles and poison!) :lol:

Edited by RevAl
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Atwater Vitki Priceless Being

Atwater Vitki

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and I forgot to mention...

Armeggedon is the result and end times of the world IF we don't change:

Mat 10:31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Mat 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

Mat 10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Mat 10:34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

Mat 10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.

Mat 10:36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

Mat 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Mat 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Mat 10:40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

Mat 10:41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.

Mat 10:42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

In context, Christ coming back as a sword, simply means there are no words to be minced, no further attempts at getting anyone to "get it" done, end of play, it's over. And at that time of the return, at that precise moment, you are either WITH ME or AGAINST ME. There's no time to say "oops I screwed up, I guess I do believe now" as it will be too late. Everyone has right up until a second before his return to repent and ask forgiveness, once those clouds part...well y'all get it.

So I am declaring my "prayer for peace" as my mantra, as my statement to Odhinn, God, Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Shiva...etc.etc..that I do get it and I am WITH Y'ALL, regardless of what label man has attempted to affix to your energy. I know he'll have a sword and I'm pretty dang sure he knows how to use it!

Peace,

:paladin:

Edited by RevAl
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chi Revered Friend

chi

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he'll have a sword and I'm pretty dang sure he knows how to use it!

Peace,

:paladin:

I would not hold a sword to promote peace :rolleyes:

A Prayer For The World

By Rabbi Harold S. Kushner

Let the rain come and wash away the ancient grudges,

the bitter hatreds held and nurtured over generations.

Let the rain wash away the memory of the hurt, the neglect.

Then let the sun come out and fill the sky with rainbows.

Let the warmth of the sun heal us wherever we are broken.

Let it burn away the fog so that we can see each other clearly

So we can see beyond. labels, beyond accents, gender or skin color

Let the warmth and brightness of the sun melt our selfishness.

So we can share the joys and feel the sorrows of our neighbors

And let the light of the sun be so strong that we will see all people as our neighbors.

Let the earth, nourished by rain, bring forth flowers to surround us with beauty.

And let the mountains teach our hearts to reach upward to heaven.

Amen.

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Atwater Vitki Priceless Being

Atwater Vitki

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:!: Update :!:

As it is now Monday, April 13th, 2009, it's almost half way through the month! I'd just like to let everyone know that things do take strange and eloquent turns in life. :thumbu:

One of the "friends" my daughter forwarded the e-mail letter to, which I began March 30th asking for this "Prayers for Peace Vigil", included members of her Baptist church and from that e-mail a forward was made to another Baptist Church. From there one member sent it to close friends at her work (it looks like by addy's) and then this message was delivered to a Unitarian group in Arizona. Well, I could write out the whole list, but as not to bore everyone, this request for a Peace Prayer Vigil has made its way all over the USA, to Canada, Mexico, Denmark, Germany and Thailand. Many more countries, I'm hopeful, but those are the places I can track with replies being sent back to me.

I just find it absolutely wonderful that in about two weeks a request for a prayer for peace has done just what I'd hoped for...stretched nearly around the globe. Without having exact details and numbers at minimum there are thousands (if not tens of thousands) who have joined, even if only for one day, this vigil. I am silently overwhelmed and sit here in shock that this little prayer, started on my meditation mat, in Nowhere, California has rung its bell so far and to so many people. Thank you each and every believer in the concept of Peace being something we CAN have among humanity!

I am awed! So Peace can be achieved, we just need to get all the nay sayers out of the way! Oh yeah, I'm certain someone will have to say "Oh, ten thousand?! What about the other 6 billion?" Well, nay sayer, it started and I'm sure if I kept it up for a year, maybe two, it might need three...it could conceivably reach into the billions. The point of the whole execise was "every journey starts with but a single step" and in this case "Every prayer for peace starts with but a single person".

As for the concept of one "religion" being "better" than another, let's just start with one simple philosophy...ANY religion is merely hope in the beliefs of the individual. Hope that there will be a better tomorrow. Hope that "G_d" of any name will bring suffering and violence to an end. Hope that their children will live in a better world. Hope that starvation, homelessness and dis-ease will end. Hope that we shall truly have eternal Life.

So regardless of what you, personally believe, why would you be so callous as to take away another's HOPE :quest: Sometimes that may be all that individual has left.

Wassail!

:paladin:

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Atwater Vitki Priceless Being

Atwater Vitki

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20 April 2009 Update:

I am touched in heart and mind by this little experiment in asking for prayers of Peace during April. It has literally gone around the world through one person telling others and the numbers of responses continues to grow. I wish I had a message counter to post to show the hundreds of personal e-mails I've gotten and the addy lists of those sent out by others.

A total stranger to me sent an e-mail with an attached response that showed five mailings of fifty e-mail addy's each. Another response I got showed thirty four "Send to:" in his original mailing and numerous replies I've gotten have contained dozens of addy's in the "Send to" or "CC:"

It all started here (and of course my personal invitation sent via e-mail) and I can only estimate the total number of "Forwards" that have gone on from there. I am considering starting a web-site for this but then there are already several. So in the meantime, again, thanks to all here for their support,

PEACE!

:paladin:

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Atwater Vitki Priceless Being

Atwater Vitki

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Thanks for the support emal and Fawzo, at months end there were over 3,500 fwd's and emails recieved from what I could count up, that in itself is pretty amazing. I am so Blessed to have such a wonderful and heartwarming response.

Unfortunately, things in my personal life have taken quite a big spin. I'm not going to be able to spend much time at the computer to track things, but hopefully the Prayer Request has taken on a life of its own.

I've had a pretty big set-back both emotionally and physically this past week and find it difficult to participate in much at all. Hopefully things will turn around. I truly do miss the near daily contact here and joining in on the fun in the forums. I will continue to Pray for Peace in all of our lives, and for that matter wouldn't mind a few back my way. I just can't say much at this time as things are so up in the air and I'm not sure even what tomorrow will bring. As soon as I know something definite I'll let everyone know. I really do miss the forums.

Blessings of Love and Light, Peace and Healing to All,

Reverend Al,

Atwater, CA

:paladin:

Edited by RevAl
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Atwater Vitki Priceless Being

Atwater Vitki

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Thank you Friends (and even enemies if there are such things)!!

As I stated on May 7th, things in my life have taken a very horrific turn. I am still dealing with the passing of my Father, Eddy, in January - aged 86, and naturally my mother's life, after 65 years of marriage, has really taken a downward spiral. My wife and I have had compounded set backs in our revenue flow and her health, children and nieces, cousin's and life long friends have either passed or worse, have allowed drugs to fully corrupt their lives or in one case felonious activities have finally caught up to him. We even lost another of our 'furry kids' as our little dynamo Gizmo has passed. So as a result our daily lives have gone from quite uneventful to hectic and demanding.

By your support, and that of many strangers around the world, we stopped keeping track of the extended "Prayer for Peace Vigil" at roughly 7,000 responses or forwards that we are aware of. A good friend (one of our few) has taken on the responsibility of continuing this Vigil into July and beyond.

My wife and I both are emotionally drained and even though we continue to Celebrate Life and the Good that is inheirant to our Spirit, little seems to come from it. We do not, in any shape or form, request sympathy or even acknowledgement of our personal set backs yet we do find it nearly impossible to endure contributing to other's causes. I'm sure the time will come when we get back in the "swing of things" here and elsewhere, but for now I must say "Later" and I'll be back when Life takes it's turn as I know it will one day.

May your lives be Blessed with all that is virtuous and honorable. May you accept our sincerest gratitude for your friendship and prayers. May all that is Uplifting and Spiritually gratifying continue to Bless you. :cool:

Reverend Al (RevAl) and Kay,

Church of Universal Humanism

Atwater, CA

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