All good gifts around us

It has been proposed that if you pray to God for a friend to heal, and the friend only goes into remission, that it is shoddy workmanship and it is time to change Gods.

It has been answered that shoddy workmanship, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

If you feel you deserve life, that you somehow earned it by your actions, then I guess you’d feel it was very wrong when you lost it, even for a little while.

However, if you believe it is a gift that was given to you, and that it will be returned to you later if such unnatural occurrences as war, famine, serial killers, disease, or old age take it from you, then it does not seem so very unfair, after all.

And, if you know it is a gift, because you gave it, and you know that the person has definitely lived long enough that you know who they are, and what will happen to them if they continue to live, and which will be best for them as far as dying now or dying later .. and all that sort of thing … then, it is not shoddy workmanship to take back your gift, or give it in fuller measure, at your discretion.

And, that, dearhearts, is the crux of the issue. Do you deserve life? Have you done something so worthy? Yet, it has been freely given, and all that has been asked is that you cherish that gift, in both yourself and in others who are likewise blessed.

Have you done this?

A cherished gift is reveled in, for as long as it lasts. And, if it is truly treasured, it is remembered long after it has gone. You are that gift, because the breath of life is in you, it is what keeps you from being dust and imbues you with the quality of being a soul.

If you can remember your gifts, long gone, how much more so can the one who created you remember His gifts bestowed, appreciated, appreciative, and treasured? He will remember you, if you will use your gift well and appreciatively, and remember the Giver.

• I would like to add some paradox here:

  “Mankind is made in the image of God…” Does this not mean that this is a controlled experiment anyway?
  “To Err is Human… to forgive Divine…” Does this mean that we even can forgive… for this is a Divine facility… I have proclaimed to be Divine once or twice before… and let me tell you… people do not like it…
  “Let who is without sin cast the first stone (Fig.)” When zealots are the most judmental people going.
  “God will judge the unworthy” but are we not made in his image…? just say’n…
• Can you add “some” paradox? Or, does it always have to be a twinset?

   

  Mmm .. no, it does not mean it’s a controlled experiment. It means it is high art, where form and function follow each other.

   

  Does this mean that we even can forgive? Uhm, you’d have to ask Alexander Pope, as that’s whom the statement comes from. However, it is generally taken to mean that when one forgives, one is closer to God, and as the Holy Scriptures do so that we can, indeed, be closer to God, then, yes, we can forgive. Anyway, you should certainly know if you can forgive or not. I know that I can.

   

  You might be powerful, but, you are not divine. So, of course they don’t like it, as it’s not true.

   

  Jesus was and is a zealot, and, yet, he is the one who said let those without sin cast the first stone. Therefore, as can plainly be seen, being zealous is not the root cause of judgmental natures, but, something more is there – like what one chooses to be zealous over. And, trust me on this, almost everyone is a zealot in regards to something. Even the apathetic are zealous in their desire to remain so. They practice it daily, thrust it on others due to their inability to suppress their love for it, and live their life by the tenets of their faith.

   

  “Made is His image” refers to ability to love, discern, forgive, forget, exert self control, be responsible for one’s actions, and such as that. If we have the ability to love, and yet we only use people, for instance, then we are not worthy.

   

  However, God judges both the righteous and the unrighteous. Judging is not always about condemnation, you know? It is about examining qualities of the individual. You know the story of the thief nailed up beside Jesus? He was judged, Jesus pronounced the judgment. The man was a thief, yet, he was not displeased with the judgment.

  – Arletta
• 
  Xadrikover 1 year ago

  And it goes much much further…

  “Turn the Other Cheek and give him it to strike”
  contradicts with
  “An Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth, a Bullock for a Bullock and a Daughter for a Daughter…”
• An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth … was said to a particular group of people at a particular time, who were expected to live by the word of a particular set of laws, to prepare themselves to receive the Christ into their midst. And, it was about justice. It was about what a person who treated someone badly could be expected to repay in kind.

   

  Turn the other cheek was from the Christ, who had already been received in their midst. Things had progressed. And it was not just said to those particular people, and it was not said as a warning to those who would treat people badly. It was said to the people who are treated badly.

   

  Two entirely different subjects, then. No contradiction, whatsoever. How many times have you heard a parents say to one child something like “Stop hitting your sister!” and to the other child " Do not hit her back. Just stay away from her!" ? I’ve heard it, hundreds of times, myself. No one ever has once, in all those times, accused the parent of contradicting themselves. And, yes, sometimes I have also heard the parent telling the hitter, “Well, that’s what you deserve because you hit her first! Don’t dish it out if you can’t take it.” and, before or after that, telling the other child “If you do the same things as them, you are being just like them, even if you do have a better reason for it.” It is not contradiction. It is justice and love, meted out to two people who are doing two very different things.

   – Arletta
• 
  Xadrikover 1 year ago

  I could go on all day… Have studied the Bible in Two of the Four or Five Languages it has been chinese whispered through…
• 
  raymondoantonioover 1 year ago

  I’LL LIVE THE BEST LIFE I CAN AND WAIT FOR DEATH AND HOPE I GET TO A PLACE WHERE I CAN JAM WITH JIMI AND ASTRAL FLY THROUGH THE MULTIVERSES!! WE CAN SPECULATE AND DEBATE ALL WE LIKE…..BELIEVE WHATEVER YOU WANT TO BELIEVE, BUT DEATH WILL BE THE ONLY CERTAINTY!
• 
  raymondoantonioover 1 year ago

  BUT THEN AGAIN WHAT DO WE REALLY KNOW????
• 
  Xadrikover 1 year ago

  We know more than Plato… He even reckons that!
• 
  Xadrikover 1 year ago

  I am sorry if I have offended anyone with these comments of mine about Jeshuah (I don’t think thereis a correct translation from ancient hebrew… Jesus is the Greek)… I feel it is important to at least listen to other points of view… God (Whoever or whatever it turns out 2b or not 2b and that is the fundamental question) Knows that I have had to hear the fundamentalist points of view of the various churches my entire life… how can 1 be objective without knowing all of the different points of view of the object involved and furthermore, would not god if he/she/ohm being a rational bieng beyond normal comprehension encourage discussion over blind faith…?
• Where did this come from? As in, why do you assume because it is faith, that it must be blind? Or that where it is posted publicly, discussion is demanded not to take place?

   

  Think about it!

   – Arletta
• 
  Xadrikover 1 year ago

  Remember… about 22% of the World is Christian… We in the Western World seem to forget that we form the vast minority and because we were driven into the cold wastelands of Europe way back when and then became spiteful survivalist imperial countries and then conquered most of the others with superior technology and generational spite that we are then correct in our belief systems? come on now… Since there is no way of proving one way or the other who is correct if anyone.. these discussions should probably be seen as a learning experience that does not neccessarily take anyone anywhere new… at the end of such a torrid and unresolvable subject I always say:

  “Let Us Both be Satisfied with Our Opioions..”
• Well, there is a way, to those with an open mind, and a willingness to speak directly to God. However, that is between them and God.

   

  I, however, did not write this as a quiz or a poll. It is not a discussion, it is not a challenge, it is a sharing.

   

  And, quite frankly, if someone has a belief system and they do not believe they are correct in its fundamentals, then, they have problems! It is better to be wrong in your beliefs, but to live honestly by them, than to never settle down to having any understanding at all. Because, people who are wrong, but ,who want to be right, will keep learning and get there, eventually. People who are worried about offending others and see that as more important than learning about God, they will never be right, because they will never learn.

   

  And right is .. meaning more than one thing. People go “Why do you think you are right!” and what they generally actually mean is “How dare you judge me as being wrong?” , but, if you study and you learn, and you draw closer to God, then you are right in, of, and for yourself. It has nothing to do with looking on others in disdain.

   

  If you look on others in disdain, as a life skill, then you are nowhere close to God.

   – Arletta
• 
  Xadrikover 1 year ago

  although when I say that… I can’t mistype “Opinions” :) Have a Great Day All.
• 
  Xadrikover 1 year ago

  We could have a long and involved discussion about the interpretations of the scriptures and their relevance to everyone but I feel that your perspectives are as fixed as mine are… Please have a nice day. I disagree with you entirely on your points but to elaborate on why might cause you to become displeased with me… If you wish for me to do so then I will be more than happy to at a later time when I am not having a more constructive discussion…. Thankyou for taking the time to reply in so much detail. I will argue with you if you would like but neither of us stands any chance of convincing either of us that the other is wrong and that we are correct… Please have a happy day. :)
• I have sought to convince you of nothing, and I believe that arguing over religion is one of the worst wastes of time there ever was.

   

  However, I wasn’t arguing. I was answering questions. What were you doing?

   

  I mean, why did you even read it, much less comment, if you knew you weren’t going to like it, or agree with it? What was your motivation?

   

  What was my motivation? Because you seem to think it was to force my beliefs on you. However, I wrote this piece and posted it. You opened it and read it. Then, you posted many comments, and sent me an apologetic email that led me to go and look for your comments. So, really, who forced whose beliefs on whom? lol

   – Arletta
• 
  Xadrikover 1 year ago

  To answer your first question… I could write a 100 000 Word thesis of Paradox here.
• If you are going to write a 100,000 word thesis on anything, please do it on your own journal or as a post as your own writing. Aside from that, go for it. Though, why you would wish to answer what was obviously a joke with a 100,000 word thesis is beyond me.

   – Arletta
• 
  Xadrikover 1 year ago

  And that is what religious people always say… but is not God Eternal and so does not God’s law remain unchanged despite people… I fail to understand how you can pick and choose the parts of the old testament that you like and see them as valid and completely dismiss the other parts… The Jews follow the Tora (The first 16 Books of the Bible) and that is all… What about the rituals for sacrificing a Bullock on the altar… were those principles ever valid? and if so, how?
• Uhm .. that is not what religious people always say! 1) There are many different religions and not all of them even mention God or His laws at all 2) the majority of persons who claim to be Christian do not even acknowledge the Old Testament, at least not the ones I met; and, so, could hardly be said to agree with someone who does 3) I have never heard any, but a scant few, ever say what I just said to you. In fact, they usually argue the point and tell me I’ll be burning in hell when I say it!

   

  Also, it is very good that you fail to see it, since I do not do it. If you did see it, therefore, you would be hallucinating! I do not dismiss the older books of the Bible, at all. It would be pretty silly to do so, even if I was ever of a mind to, considering that in the newer books it says that all scripture is inspired of God, and beneficial for reproving , setting matters straight, so that the man of God may be equipped for every good work (not a direct quote) and the older books are scripture!

   

  I said, and I will say again, what was said about an eye for an eye was said in regards to how people who treat people badly should be expected to be treated in turn. Whereas the thing about turning the other cheek, was to the people who are being treated badly.

   

  This should be obvious to you, in that no one ever tells the striker to turn the other cheek!

   

  And, as you know, Jesus was the ransom sacrifice. At least ,you should know that, being as studied as you say you are. Ransom – as in, in payment. He gave his life in ransom.

   

  This is like a balloon payment, kind of situation going on, if you look at it in terms of Real Estate.

   

  There were a lot of little payments over time, to hold something until the big payment could be made. Then, the really, really big, concluding payment was made and now a different owner is in possession.

   

  The bullocks, the goats, the doves, etc. they were all the little payments. Jesus was the big payment. So, yes, they were valid, at the time, but, are now unnecessary, due to the big payment already having been made, and the transaction thusly being concluded.

   – Arletta
• 
  Xadrikover 1 year ago

  I am not against Judgement. I am all for it… The Catholic Church… The Roman Catholic Church… the first christian church… used to sell pardons for Nefarious deeds and towards the end of the middle ages they would sell you a pardon for murder in advance of the act itself and proclaim that you would burn in hell if you did not sign over all of your assets to the church on your death-bed. Followers of Coppernicus were burned at the stake for a full 350 years after he died for even suggesting that the Earth spun on its axis and was not indeed the centre of the universe.
• It’s always amazing to me how I hear from people who claim to know everything about the Holy Scriptures, and yet they think Catholics are the first Christian church. Then they go on with proof of how Catholic history is very unlike anything that anyone studying from the Bible should get up to. And, is this proof that the Bible is wrong?

   

  Or, could it be proof that, as the Bible says, there are a whole lot of people who will be claiming to be Christians, and very few who actually obey God?

   

  I, in no way, believe in Catholicism. I don’t know who Cathol was, and I certainly do not worship him, whoever he may have been.

   

  There are some Catholics who are people that try to be very good, and to learn, and to please God, all the same. The sort of people who would never burn anyone at the stake, or steal their jewels. Some are even the type who would never go to war against other Catholics. So, while I do not believe in their religion I do not, as you seem to do, condemn them all as the exact same sort of people.

   

  You make the same mistake many make. You take what various groups of men have done, and you judge the Holy Scriptures by them, rather than the reverse. It is a common practice among those who believe in their own learning, alone, and do not, instead, actively seek the will of God and demand understanding.

   

  We are done. I will not sit here and tear apart people of other religious beliefs, and the Catholics are people of other religious beliefs than mine. That I do not agree with them, does not mean I will be a party to their beliefs being disrespected, and I can see that this is where the conversation is going, so, we are done.

   

  Have a lovely morning.

  – Arletta
• 
  Xadrikover 1 year ago

  What version of the Bible do you have… Ar you aware that King James omitted at least 3 Prophets and inserted two of his own?
• 
  Xadrikover 1 year ago

  Have you done any study of ancient Hebrew… It is a very ambiguos and hard to interpret language where at least three of the characters look almost identical…
• 
  Xadrikover 1 year ago

  There are many points of view and I think you may owe it to yourself to step back from what you must have been taught from when you were quite young and see that there are rational, good-hearted people out here that do not give extra creedence to a story because it is very old… Christianity has been the single most destructive influence in human affairs since its inception… Corrupt clergy have stolen much of what was not theirs for many many years… a tithe was 10% yeah… but it was 10% to the king (Who proclaimed himself King by the right of god) 10% to the Church and 10% to your Lord or Baron and we were left to eat what was left of the turnips as serfs while the clean shaven churchmen did no work and lived an easy life telling us that we would burn in hell if we did not do as they said… Where in the New Testament apart from Revelations to John does it even mention Satan and Hell? John lived long after Jeshuah had “Arisen”…
• “There are many points of view and I think you may owe it to yourself to step back from what you must have been taught from when you were quite young "

   

  See, you are full of assumption and judgment. I cannot respect your position, when you sit with your eyes closed, your ears stopped up, but your mouth wide open.

   

  You assume that because I do love God, because I do believe in something, that I am some mindless, brain washed, zombie person who is only believing what mommy and daddy told her she had to. HHAHAHHAHAH! My mother told me that the Bible was probably written by drug addicts, when I was a child. So, that for your assumptions.

   

  As I said, we are done .. now, just ever so much more so. I’m very tired of hearing the same old bullshite from the allegedly well tutored and open minded people, who have obviously all been taught the exact same things and have never learned to truly think for themselves.

   

  If you were open minded, you could talk to God and learn things more first hand, but, you are not interested in that. You are interested in debate, and in proving others wrong. I am not interested in debate, and I have no need to prove you wrong.

   

  I do have a need to share my thoughts and feelings, from time to time, however; and, when I do, you may read them and comment on them if you like. But, if you only do it to argue, you will be well ignored for your efforts.

   – Arletta
• 
  Xadrikover 1 year ago

  Two of my comments have been removed from here despite being impossible to argue with, which makes this slander by definition.
• 
  Xadrikover 1 year ago

  Actually at least 3…
• You want your comments back? Here they are:
  Xadrik commented on “All good gifts around us”The church had large standing armies for years to wipe out us Celts and Pagans…12 hours ago

  1. Xadrik commented on “All good gifts around us”I feel that if you have resorted, as you have, to personal insults about my ability and learning that we have reached the end of constructive dialog here. Have a happy life.about 12 hours ago

  1. Xadrik commented on “All good gifts around us”Ignorance is only Blissful for the Ignorant about 12 hours ago

  I was doing it to protect my writing, and, to some extent, to protect you. There is a “play nice” policy around here, and some of that is that you do not flame people with comments arguing over or insulting their art. You also don’t go out of your way to insult other people’s religions, races, etc.

   

  You flamed my work, insulted my religion, and then insulted my “race” by acting as if I was not only not of Celtic origin at all, but, as if I was of the people who brutalized and oppressed them, who were the same people, in great part, that brutalized and oppressed my non-Celtic ancestors as well, And, while doing so, you insulted a rather large religious group, and … I am not going to have my work deleted from this site, because you think it’s alright to argue.

   

  This is the last word, by the way. It doesn’t matter how many you say afterward. If they are not “you are right” or “I apologize” sincerely meant, or at least appropriate to the subject at hand, such as praise of, or sincere questions on, the writing, they will be deleted.

   

  Though, if you care to point out any spelling or grammatical errors, and that sort of thing, I would welcome that as well.

   

  In other words, personal tirades are not welcome in my life. Professional or friendly advice is. Comments with a sense of humor are. What has passed here today does not fall into those categories and therefore will cease, if not on your side, then definitely on mine.

   

  Word (the last)

   – Arletta
• 
  Xadrikover 1 year ago

  Ommission is Tantamount to Deceit and I am not impressed…
• 
  Xadrikover 1 year ago

  so… know that God made me this way and forgive me… but please do not give an unbalanced version of the conversation we had because that makes you a liar.
• I wrote you a very nice email, that explained why I deleted those particular comments, and what my viewpoint was on some things you brought up (which actually kind of agrees with some things) and … you decided not to read it, insulted me, and told me you did not want to hear from me again. So …

  Since you do not want to hear from me again, and I do not want to argue with you or listen to your insults, go away!

   

  I mean, this all started because I wrote something and published it here, and you decided to argue with it, as if it was an email directly to you, instead of just someone’s writing.

   

  You are not required to agree. But, for the record, I have never said anything bad about you! If you think I did, then you misread it, and that’s your problem. The only problem I have with you, is that, for some reason, you want to argue with me and that makes your writing and artwork decidedly less enjoyable on a personal level.

   

  Go argue with someone else, who likes it! Please and thank you. From now on, if the posts appear to be argumentative, I will be deleting them I will not be insulted nor will I have you insulting other religious groups or attempting to use them either as a shield or as something that you are accusing me of being myself.

   

  Good day!

   – Arletta
• And by “the posts” above, I mean your comments, or anyone else’s comments for that matter. I am not here to argue or be insulted, and I do not want to know the sort of people who are here to cause argument or to insult others.

   – Arletta
• 
  Xadrikover 1 year ago

  “Would love comments, critiques, editing, or anything fairly pleasant by way of postings about my writing, especially.” … Liar.
• 
  Xadrikover 1 year ago

  If you inadvertently implied the above from what I meant not to infer… then I apologise… But Facts are Facts…
• 
  Betty Smith_Voce10 months ago

  Arletta, On healing… healing is not always what the ‘patient’ desires. Sometimes the gift of healing is unseen and it heals the spirit into peace to accept death; or only remission, as the Soul has already acknowledged its destiny and agreed to it. Thanks for this write.

  Reply | Delete | Report
• Beautifully put. Your welcome, and thank you.

   – Arletta