Every Knee and Every Tongue [313/365]

Spoiler Alert: Spiritual Content Below. Godly guidance advised.

When people ask me how religious I am as a Christian, I tell them that I am not religious, but spiritual.
How could that be different in today's world?
It doesn't matter where you live today, with most 'progressive' governments driving their nations towards a more secular and multicultural society, professing your faith can be a very touchy thing.
In India, minority faiths like Christianity, Islam and Buddhism are drowned by the overwhelming Hindu population. In the US, the names- Jesus or Christ is prohibited as the government has been leaning towards making the country more acceptable to people of all faiths.
While secularism is fine, what I find disturbing is the current trend of people to pick and choose beliefs from many different religions to suit themselves.

A Muslim family keeping the statue of a 'Sleeping Buddha' at their home, because 'it gives them peace'. A Christian family that keeps 'Feng-sheu' plants and idols because they want to have the best karma. An Hindu family that keeps the statue of Mother Mary because they believe she answers their prayers too. Most Christians believe doing good to people around you is enough to reserve your place in heaven. While most religions compel you to do good, I don't think that will be enough.

While we are governed by rules and confused by laws when we are alive, what happens when a person dies?
The Holy Bible says, Every knee shall bow and every tongue (human and beast) confess that the Lord is God (Philippians 2:10). It didn't say many thousand Christians will bow and millions of followers will confess, but every knee and every tongue. Isn't that an humbling and awe-inspiring statement! I know I've always had goosebumps watching hundreds of animals bowing to Simba in the movie 'The Lion King'.
Try picturing every person that you know or have ever heard of, every person and creature who was ever born will stand in the front of the Lord in one great gathering of humanity and will all bow and confess of the one Lord. A gathering that will have the likes of Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Madonna, Pope John Paul and even Kasab. All of their knees will bend and every tongue will confess of the creator of heaven and earth and everything in between.

When people of other faiths read about the promises in the Bible, they scoff. I won't blame them. The path to the top could be different. Some take a meandering path, some a more cobbled path and some a road that is narrow yet less steep. 

In the fleeting transitory life that we live, ask yourself if you the combo meal of a religion is really satisfying your inner spiritual need?

Encore [312/365]

Okay, I admit. I am really happy and sad at the same time.
I am glad that the Americans chose to think with their heads and not with their emotions to choose a leader not because he had the wrong shade but because he made more sense. And while I am celebrating his win, I am also quietly wondering when our democratic process will reach puberty.

Poised as we are on the cusp of another election, I am anxious to see who will sling the least mud. Not who will fight honestly but who will duck the shots better. I know I won't be able to avoid the political propaganda that is headed our way but I also hope Jesus comes before we have to endure another term of corrupt, dishonest, semi-literate, unscrupulous and unimaginative politicians.

Recently I got an email forward. It sounded like one of those 'forward this mail to 20 people and AOL will pay 20 cents...' kind of mail but I read.
It sounded too good to be true but at the same time, I believe change is possible.
Here goes:

Warren Buffet is asking everyone to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people.

In three days, most people in the U.S. will have the message.  This is one idea that really should be passed around. We're ALL in this mess together ... it's up to us to fix it ... for our kids! Read and pass on to 20 of your friends... Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best quotes about the debt ceiling ... "I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just pass a law that says that any time there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election." The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months and 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971 - before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc. Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took one (1) year or less to become the law of the land all because of public pressure. Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise. In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around. Congressional Reform Act of 2012 1. No Tenure/No Pension A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're out of office. 2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose. 3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do. 4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%. 5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people. 6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people. 7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective 12/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women. Congress made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work. If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Don't you think it's time? THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS! If you agree, pass it on.

In India, we like to believe that politicians in the West are righteous, and not corrupt.
The difference is they have seemingly limitless creativity and are intelligent enough to cover their tracks. While our politicians use government agencies to get back at their political rivals, politicians in the US use their clout and business networks to do the dirty work.

Reading about American political scandals, I realized we might actually be joined at the hip in more ways than one.

What we need is to learn from the Americans and let our votes count.
We need Change too.