The Role of Religion in Human Affairs

For centuries man has tried in vain to convince his fellow man that he held the only key for immortality. He has preached that message from the pulpits, from Sunday morning evangelist broadcasts on television and even resorted to violence and murder to convince sinners to repent and accept their faith as the gospel truth.

If you didn’t believe, you were branded a heretic, condemned to eternal damnation. And in may of the religious pogroms of the Middle Ages, many died even if they embraced the faith forced upon them.

But religion has nothing to do with cramming cherished doctrines down the throat of others. All the world’s major religions teach tolerance and respect for one another. There are no quotations in the Holy books that ever promote violence as the course of action to convince someone to repent under the threat of death.

Many believe that they have the only religion, the one right faith that will get them into paradise. Some are so convinced of it that they will either die for that belief or kill someone who would challenge it. But they fail to realize that no religion is perfect, nor does any one religion have complete truths. Yes, they point to the Bible, at the disciples Christ gathered around him to spread his message of love and peace. This made a church, and thus the one true church that matters.

But they completely miss the point. Christ, according to the Bible, came to die for man’s sins, not to start a new religion. If He had intended to do so, there would be plenty of evidence to prove it. After all, we were taught that God is all powerful, so it stands to reason that He is quite capable of convincing everyone that Christianity is the one and only true belief system.

There are no true religions simply because there are no perfect humans. All of us are imperfect. We believe that which we feel is right, regardless of whether that belief is based on fact or fantasy. That is simple human nature. No religion can be the correct one unless it is lead by God himself and not by self-proclaimed evangelists.

Every religion today is run by men who are imperfect. Human nature, being what it is, is highly motivated to protect both possessions and power. All the great empires in history eventually collapsed under greed and corruption by the elite that held the power and hung on to it at the expense of its citizens. Strong nations did not fall under constant invasions, they collapsed from within as the rot of greed spread from the seats of government on down to the people.

So it is with religion. Whether Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism or any other faith, they will all fail as they are run by men who eventually become enamored with greed and power and become corrupted by it. This is proof enough that there is no one true religion. Like the old empires of old, the faiths of today will fail, though that may change at the second coming of the Christ.

It’s not what particular belief you embrace that is important. It’s whether you believe and follow the tenets espoused by your faith. Unfortunately, while many profess to believe, few live up to what they believe. Many go through the motions as they believe it’s expected of them. They’ll attend Sunday mass, slip a good deal of money into the collection basket when it comes around, but once church attendance is over, they’re back to living life as if the commandments had no sway over them the rest of the week.

True religion is not a on-time event that comes around once a week. It is not intended to be some homework that must be done. But that is the way most people treat their faith. A Christian that relegates his faith to a one-day affair and acts in contravention of the Commandments is no different to the Jew, Hindu or Muslim that acts the same way.

According to the Bible Christ criticized the Pharisees for their love of fine clothes and esteemed position in that day’s religious hierarchy. He found fault in their stubbornness to hold onto their religious power that had corrupted their beliefs and made them mute and insignificant in the eyes of the people who looked up to them for spiritual guidance. Their corruption lead the people to do the same, having no real leaders to demonstrate right from wrong.

Since no religion is the right one, it’s necessary to live by the words written in the Bible, the Koran, the Talmud or other religious texts and take what the religious leaders of the day proclaim as truth with a grain of salt.

We might laugh at the Buddhist monk that sits meditating for hours on his cushion, but you can say that at least he’s not out in society actively trying to stick it to his fellow man while claiming God as his savior. Perhaps we can have more respect for those who pray and meditate far too much as they’re less likely to steal, covet or kill.

If we all showed love, compassion and respect for one another, we would never need religion to remind us of how to live.

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The author is a diabetic and has written two ebooks and a special report on this deadly disease. They can help arm yourself with the knowledge you need to stay healthy and avoid the complications that shorten life. Contact this author of you are looking for ghostwriting or need articles to post on your site. For more on the ebooks, visit:

http://stores.lulu.com/mrmagica

To read more of the author’s work, visit: http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/mrmagica

The author also has a number of articles that can be purchased here:

http://www.constant-content.com/author/20444-mrmagica-details-0.htm

Insuring a Healthy Lifestyle

We live in a toxic environment. Our distant ancestors did not have the technological marvels and ease of life that we enjoy today, but they lived in natural surroundings free of chemicals, preservatives and the pollutants that we all must cope with on a daily basis. While life generally was short, we live far longer but the quality of life has dramatically gone down from what it was a hundred years ago.

Today’s world is a world of disease. The epidemics of cancer, diabetes and heart disease makes us question whether we’re any better off than our ancestors.

Today’s food is filled with toxins. But while it looks good on the store shelves, the nutrient value is so depleted that you would have to eat five times as much food just to get the same amount of the nutrition that existed in the food fifty years ago.

While eating organic is certainly the best method to stay healthy, it’s not a viable alternative to many who live in the city and have little land to grow fresh produce.

And if our food alone is making us sick, we are awash in toxins. We must brave traffic and breathe in the fumes of car exhaust and industrial pollutants. If that wasn’t enough, many have adopted habits that guarantee illness and disease. Breathing in exhaust fumes is bad enough, but so is the 4000 chemicals, of which 60 are carcinogenic that many breathe in from smoking. Much as we don’t realize it, the smoke from cigarettes contain benzene, nicotine, tar and other toxic substances that the body cannot easily eliminate.

Add to this are the chemicals we take in from a plethora of prescription and over-the-counter drugs we use to address illness. But while they may make us feel better, they are only adding to existing health problems, insuring that we must become dependent on yet more drugs to treat the side effects of the drugs already taken.

Of course the problem lies with the fact that no drug effectively addresses the root cause of illness and only treats the symptoms. Approaching health in this fashion will never solve the health problem. It will only add more problems until death becomes the only alternative to a life of chronic pain and suffering.

Many people have simply forgotten about the laws that govern good health. They have forgotten that they and they alone must take control over their health. And if you are sick, there’s a good chance you are breaking those laws that are breaking your health. Take a look at some things you are likely doing that are making your sick:

Total reliance on your doctor. There was a time when the family doctor cared for the health and well-being of his patients. In ancient China, doctors didn’t get paid unless they made their patients well. If their patient got sicker, they didn’t realize an income. Today’s doctor is more concerned about his practice and insuring that he makes money. And he can’t make money unless he has patients to treat. Unfortunately, this means that health care service from your doctor may be on a sub-par level. Most doctors study years in med schools where they learn to treat disease exclusively with drugs. They learn next to nothing about vitamins, minerals and natural herbs that can help cure disease. Thus complete reliance on your doctor may shorten your lifespan.

There is no such thing as a safe drug. Drugs by their nature are invasive. Most of them are made of chemical formulations that are foreign to the body. While the body attempts to rid itself of disease and viruses, adding new chemicals from prescription drugs only complicates matters. The body must fight the initial disease plus it must address those foreign chemicals too. And the result is often side effects, some of which are extremely serious at worst.

The body has the ability to fight a number of diseases and do it efficiently if it is left alone to do its work. Unfortunately, we feel we must interfere with that functioning, feeling that we know far more than Mother Nature does. So we pump ourselves up with antihistamines, aspirin and a host of other medications to get relief fast. Unfortunately, those methods only mask the problem. They may subdue the virus, but not eliminate it. And so, the virus returns again and again to plagues us and naturally we treat it with more powerful drugs. Good health comes from listening to your body and take steps to help it through natural means. That usually means plenty of bed rest, liquids and avoidance of strenuous activity. The body cannot recover if we are constantly on the run.

Man cannot function properly in a sedentary lifestyle. He must be active. Ancient man had to hunt for food. Today’s man is seldom active. He gets out of bed to sit down to breakfast, sit in his car as he drives to work, then sits in a cubicle until lunch when he sits to eat. If he stands it’s to have a smoke or a coffee. Once the workday is done, re reclines in an easy chair with a beer or two to hand. Exercise is a crucial requirement for good health.

Reducing stress. Stress is an important part of life, for without it, we could not achieve anything. Stress comes from dissatisfaction that drives many to find a solution to existing problems. But the body is not meant to exist under constant stress such as the majority live under today. Constant stress puts a great deal of pressure on the mind and the body. There is no real reason why we should feel the need to perform, to live up to some ideal society demands of us. Our Western way of life doesn’t provide an adequate reason why so many should have high blood pressure. After all, who should be more stressed? The poor farmer of some African nation trying to coax drought stricken soil to produce enough food for his starving family or the husband who goes to work in a BMW and lives in a 2400 square foot home with a plasma TV in every room?

The body needs nourishment. And today’s food doesn’t provide it. Put garbage into your body and you will get garbage out. For many years we have grown accustomed to treating the body as a mere vehicle that requires nothing more than a load of fat, sugar and fast carbohydrates. The increased results of diabetes and heart disease is fast approaching epidemic proportions. As if we really care about children who are becoming diabetic at a younger age.

It should be evident that to have vibrant health, changes need to be made and the only way is to take control over your body. Your doctor cannot make you well. There are no miracle pills or easy fixes that will suddenly cure you. Like nature itself, if you begin taking the steps necessary, your body will begin to heal itself. The only question is if you have the discipline to get back on the road to recovery.

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The author has been a diabetic for over 9 years. Like many he experienced the symptoms. He has since tackled the disease by losing weight and normalizing his blood sugar through natural means.  He has recently written an ebook on the right way to diet for diabetics. You can get a copy at: http://stores.lulu.colm/mrmagica

Resolving Your Inner Conflict

We are constantly at war with ourselves.

It’s so easy to see our shortcomings. Our self-esteem deflates when we can’t lose the weight we planned, or can’t seem to balance our finances. We berate ourselves for our lack of discipline. Feeling depressed and troubled many people look to their doctor to help them drawn their sorrows, hoping that an antidepressant or a stress pill will make them feel happy.

Many others look to forget themselves through alcohol, food and drugs.

Others are angry with themselves and find some short joy in trying to put someone else down so they can elevate their stature. They find fault with their spouse, their friend and the society they live in.

Everyone wants happiness, unfortunately, few ever find it. Their inner conflict lead to depression, suicide or through surrounding themselves with material possessions.

But all these methods are self-destructive. They are extreme measures that many resort to to get a sense of achievement and balance.

The stress of daily life today often doesn’t provide the time to just relax and get a sense of who we really are and find the purpose and meaning of life. Many people simply accept that life is nothing but suffering, that somehow they deserve to suffer and that providence expects it from us. We think we must be poor to be holy. We believe we must suffer ridicule and indignation to qualify for eternal life.

Suffering is not the purpose of existence, nor is it the curse of some vengeful deity. It does provide some valuable lessons. Unfortunately, too many suffer far too much than is needed. According to the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, suffering can be alleviated. We need not suffer unduly. It is not our destiny.

But why do we suffer?

Primarily we bring suffering upon ourselves. We live a life that guarantees we suffer and keeps us from attaining the peace and happiness we all crave for. Unfortunately, we live by our baser instincts. Selfishness keeps us from doing good. We want more money, more fame, more possessions and we get them with no regard as to who might suffer.

Is it possible to find inner peace?

Yes, if we can focus our thoughts on what can alleviate suffering.

We must remember that suffering is not exclusive to us alone. Everyone has worries and everyone experiences suffering in their lives. We take our troubles as personal. We don’t see the big picture of our circumstances. We believe we have it tough, but that belief is only an illusion. And if you live in the prosperous nations of the world, your situation is hardly worse that a starving and impoverished child in the poorest of African nations. Your situation doesn’t compare to a starving family that tries to coax drought stricken soil to produce enough food to last them until the next harvest. It’s all a matter of perspective.

Because your situation is not unique, you need to learn to be more thankful. It should be obvious that you don’t need to worry what the future will bring when you have enough right now to see a future. Of course we always look at what we don’t have. That’s human nature. We constantly strive towards something that will make us happy. But even when we do have more of what we want, we’re still not satisfied. Today’s society is too focused on material wealth. Profits and money rules over common sense. Unfortunately, this self-centered focus means that the majority of people are living a lie. They’re living an illusion that can never bring peace of mind or happiness. By being thankful, the doors to peace and happiness can open and the purpose of life revealed.

What most of us don’t consider is that we are not independent from everyone else. True, you have your own personality and characteristics that make you different from everyone around you. But you need to depend on them as much as they need to depend on you. We are all dependent on one another as well as independent. We think that what happens a world away has no bearing on us, but this is not true. Like throwing a stone into a pond, the ripples move outward and you are affected, even if it appears minor.

Consider what it took for you to get the job you have today. There were many teachers that took their time and effort to teach you how to read, write and spell as you were growing up. Your parents spent money to insure your education. You would not have the job you hold today if your employer did not hire you. You would not be married unless your spouse consented to marrying you. The family environment requires that each member performs to their capacity to insure the peace and stability of the family unit. That dependence continues throughout life and on beyond death, for someone must sway the rights and bury your body.

It should be no surprise then to realize that because we are dependent on one another, we must be helpful. You require help and aid as much as the neighbor requires it of you. Greed, vanity and selfishness disrupts the natural functioning of life and creates disharmony and unhappiness. Being helpful is not a chore as it helps increase your self-worth. Peace and stability in families and nations are determined by how much every participant gives of themselves to maintain the greater good. It is this attitude that has made nations throughout history strong and prosperous. It’s only when the people became selfish that those same nations fell and became poor.

The present moment is all anyone has. No one can pin their hopes on a future that may never materialize as they planned. While it is important to set goals for a better future, there are many factors that can derail the best of plans. But too many people are busy trying to live tomorrow when it hasn’t yet arrived. They’re busy wishing or scheming, holding the belief that if they achieve what they want, they will be happy. The future is a mystery, so why focus so much attention to it? This moment, this second is the only reality anyone has. The past is history and the future is uncertain. It’s what you do in present time and how you use it that will determine a better future than if you spend today lounging on the sofa drinking and playing video games. Many people feel unhappy so they use drugs, drink and food to relieve their misery but doing so only perpetuates that misery to tomorrow and beyond. The only recourse to alleviating unhappiness is to get busy doing something productive today.

Inner conflict has many reasons. External factors do play a part, but for the majority of people, they can resolve to be happy. Happiness starts with how a person thinks. To ease the constant battle you experience within yourself, you need only to learn to be appreciative, take matters less seriously, be more helpful and learn to live today only. It’s only then that your problems will ease considerably and you will find more peace.

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The author is a freelance writer having written a number of articles to Helium, Suite 101, eHow, and Constant Content. He writes in several topics, but primarily in the health field where many people are deceived and ignorant about the dangers of standard drugs. If you are looking to purchase articles for your blog or add content to your website, you can find a number of articles at: http://www.constant-content.com/author/20444-mrmagica-details-0.htm You can also read a number of useful articles at: http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/mrmagica

The Lightness of Just Being

Most people don’t know what being alive really means. Life to them means endless headaches and one problem after another. There’s no real purpose to life but to experience pain. Many prefer to subdue the day-to-day suffering through drugs, alcohol and food. Few actually know what it’s like to feel alive and be happy.

So many try to find happiness. But it doesn’t come in a bottle, nor is it found once the first million dollars has been reached. They constantly look for that “something” to make them happy. And so they struggle and spend years to get that “something”. And while they keep searching for happiness, the present moment passes. It slips quietly by as the years pass, until one day they wonder what their life was really all about and where it all went.

The future holds so much promise the younger you are. But those dreams vanish once “living” becomes the aim of life and not it’s enjoyment.

Ask many a retiree; ask many who languish alone in nursery homes and they will grieve because they had no plans mapped out for their futures. Life was lived as it came. They spent the present moment trying to live in the future, always hoping that some day everything would change and they’d really enjoy life then.

Living in the future while occupying in the present moment is a futile and impossible task. Nothing is real in the future. Only the present is what matters and how you handle this present moment determines your level of awareness and fulfillment. Squander every second as it passes and you’ll soon have a lifetime of fond miseries. So many prefer to archive the present to history past, well before anything productive comes from using it.

Of course, today’s lifestyle is frantically lived. Few people ever have the chance to just stop what they’re doing to take a good look of where they’re headed if they continue to rush through the days, weeks and months. They hope for a better future but have no plan that will get them there. Unconsciously they know their present course will not get them where they want to go, but they feel helpless to do anything about it.

But helplessness is learned. Anything the mind can dream up can be achieved if there is the willingness to sacrifice something for it.

And it starts by being thankful in the here and now. Living requires more than just breathing. It means transforming the time you currently occupy and making it into something valuable. Being thankful for what you have today is the first step to insuring a better tomorrow. Thankfulness comes from recognizing that your circumstances are far better than the rest of the world where many must contemplate what to have at their next meal instead of watching a rerun on television.

Thankfulness leads to appreciation. You should appreciate your family, your social circle of friends and every person you meet. Most of all you should appreciate yourself. You are unique with skills, talents and abilities that no one else possesses in the same balance. Selfishness is not appreciation, but it should become selflessness. A selfless attitude means less to worry about. There’s less need to scramble for some ideal you think you must possess to be happy. The future doesn’t become the present that it is for so many. It can wait while you work the present tense for that better future. Of course you must make financial and educational plans to secure a comfortable future for yourself and your family, but you are less likely to worry excessively, or become overwhelmed with fear and anxiety the way other people feel as they ride in their late model cars and wonder how to pay their mortgages.

Appreciation leads to acceptance. It means you become less swayed by media advertising that promotes a false notion of what happiness and contentment means. Happiness can’t be found on buying on credit for that item the advertiser says you must have to be content. Advertising becomes so much empty chatter that does not hypnotize you into reaching for your credit card. You are more aware of what is important to you and not what society says is important. You can accept driving a later model car and working a computer with fewer bells and whistles.

Acceptance leads to joy of the moment. You learn to see beauty in everything that surrounds you. So many miss a beautiful sunset or the delicate shades of color and texture of a flower. Of course they have no time, yet time moves by quickly. They fail to see the effort their spouse puts in to cook a fabulous meal. They fail to see the primitive beauty of the crayon artwork their children bring home from school. Just being in the present moment is an art in itself. A painter captures a scene of wildlife on campus and we can appreciate it as it hangs at the art gallery. Yet, for all the work the painter puts in, he simply cannot recreate an exact replica of the scene along with the smells, the wind and the chirping of birds and insects. We can only appreciate what nature provides by being (there), when that sunset occurs or when the stars light up the night sky.

The lightness of just being is something that everyone should learn to cultivate. Just existing for the present moment and enjoying everything the moment offers. Tomorrow it is gone. Too many fail to live for today and so fail to live at all. They are dead well before the present arrives. What a sad moment it is to see so many live a life of such non-existence.

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The author is a freelance writer having written a number of articles to Helium, Suite 101, eHow, and Constant Content. He writes in several topics, but primarily in the health field where many people are deceived and ignorant about the dangers of standard drugs. If you are looking to purchase articles for your blog or add content to your website, you can find a number of articles at: http://www.constant-content.com/author/20444-mrmagica-details-0.htm You can also read a number of useful articles at: http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/mrmagica

The author, a diabetic, has put together an ebook with useful information. You can secure a copy at: http://stores.lulu.com/mrmagica

Denial of The Spirit Within

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We cannot deny the existence of the spirit that resides within all of us. Whether you want to call this spirit God, Allah, Vishnu or some other title, it exists. It doesn’t require belief.

It’s through that spirit that we are all connected. What happens to one will affect the others. Even the events of the world as they unfold have a ripple effect, like a stone splashed into water, those ripples extend through the lake. We are all linked together by this same spirit.To deny its existence does not make it go away.

The spirit works with us only if we follow the rules that govern the perfect functioning of the universe. There are many people who, despite their claim to belief, deny the spirit by their actions. They may try to live in accordance with their own concepts of greed and disharmony, but that way only leads them down the road to frustration and a feeling of emptyness. They accomplish nothing.

To compensate for their feelings they resort to violence as if they hope to rob others of the potential that they have removed from themselves by denying the spirit and the laws that govern the universe. Others accumulate vast riches, but this too does not fulfil the empty sould that cries out for peace, a sense of meaning.

Too many focus on the matters of this world, on themselves. If hope for a brighter future is all they want, their plates are empty. They yearn for the food at the buffet table. Yet even if they partake, that food does not nourish.

While you must satisfy the requirements of the body to keep it healthy, that is not enough. The body is a physical entity and needs physical substance to keep it alive. Feeding the body does not feed the spirit.

For life to exist there must be satisfaction in both the body and the mind/spirit. Riches and fame have their place and exist only to be used for the enhancement and joy toward others. For then there is a harmonious relationship between the body and mind/spirit. They must work together if we are to see enlightenment.

You cannot focus your attention to one area alone as you will suffer both in health of the body and mind.

To reach spiritual enlightenment does not mean that you must meditate like a monk on a high mountain. Meditation is important as it frees the mind of distractions. But you cannot isolate the spirit without the action that is necessary to reach the state of enlightenment. If you carry with you a spirit of understanding and compassion you will be far ahead of the masses who care only for their own comforts.