Happy Easter

Tomorrow is Easter. While I write mostly from a Buddhist or Zen perspective, I was raised Lutheran and so offer these thoughts for this holiday.

In Romans Chapter 12, St. Paul writes, "It is by grace you are saved, through faith. It is not of yourselves. It is a gift of God."

What he is saying here is that Jesus died for our sins. We could never keep all of the law, but as God, Jesus was able to do that. Because he made the ultimate sacrifice, none of us has to try and live up to the law of the old testament. If we did, we'd all still be observing Passover, a very different holiday--and to those who are observing I wish you a good holiday as well.

Today in our world, we are often condemned as being un-Christian for a host of offenses, most of which are based in old testament law. Christianity is not about the law, but about Jesus Christ. Our savior was about peace and love. This is a universal religion. All the great spiritual leaders, including Buddha, teach that we are to love everyone and be at peace. If we could recognize that, we'd have a lot more peace in our world.

Not again

I have been watching with fear the rhetoric on Iran. I am hoping that other peace lovers and activists will pick up this link which offers a general petition to sign to state that you do not want the US to attack Iran.

Further, call your congressmen and let them know that you do not favor another war. Let's let the people be heard this time.

Taking time for Fun

My other blog is getting lots of hits now that I write from my kitten's point of view. It's not rocket science or changing the world, but it's fun.

I think we all need to find those silly things that we really like and have fun with it. I enjoy the community of cats that talk about their lives. Some are more interesting than others but you have to appreciate the creativity that goes into some of the posts.

Whatever fun is for each person, we need to remember to get our and get a healthy dose of it. Daily would be good but if we can't do daily fun, then we at least need to schedule some time during the week. Last winter I had a lot going on and while I still had stuff to come back to, I felt so much better after a day off for skiing. Fun clears our mind and lets us be children again. For a moment we let go of our worries and our shoulds and our have tos.. Fun gets us in touch with ourselves and what is important to us. Have fun and the sillier the better!

I don't understand something. I was listening on the radio to someone talking about the whole concept of gay marriage. Some people are for it and others are against it. I don't understand the arguments made by those against it. They say one of the big reasons is that it means that their own heterosexual marriages are less sacred.

I don't understand how what someone else does affects what I do. If I make a vow, does someone else making a similar vow lessen the vow I took? If the other person doesn't keep their vow, how is mine changed? If they do not keep their vow, does this release me from mine?

If I get divorced as a heterosexual, does this lessen the sanctity of every other marriage? If it does not, how does the choice of the sex of my partner lessen the sanctity of any other marriage?

The point I am getting at is that an external measurement based on what other people do has nothing to do with the sanctity of any act. The sanctity is about what is inside ourselves. The argument that someone else making a life choice affecting the sacredness our life choice makes no sense. I guess this is why I don't understand this argument.

I believe that anything we see as sacred is sacred because of the awe and love we feel. If we have true love and compassion we begin to see the world as sacred and that all choices have a place and plan. We learn to accept them. In this way, everything we do is sacred and we honor those things that others do as sacred because we understand the meaning it brings to them. If we have no love or are cut off from that great wisdom and love, we might attempt to create something in our own image and that always falls short.