East Bye West, Finally...

Hello Readers and welcome back! It has been a very long time since I lost wrote... It has seemed if when I did have an idea to write about I couldn’t get it out for some reason, but lately it has been just that I am so freaking busy with good ideas... I think the writers block is finally gone... I guess this will be the answer... Namaste!

I really like the title of this post because I am speaking of so many things with so little words. East Bye West, Finally interesting title right? East Bye West means to me that my Western view of religion I can say finally is gone, It was due to Eastern religion that this happened, but I still have unique views in religion that I do not think anyone else does, as well as other meanings it [that part of the post title] has to me. I still study Western Religious Thought and have a subjective view with all of it, but have found my own beliefs. The Western View of religion is so ingrained in many U.S. born citizens, because our parents were raised us this way, that it is really hard to lose it even when you know true reality, what is really occurring all arounds us and in the other Realms (at least to a certain extent). For example, I am finally saying thank goodness instead of thank God. That was a hard habit to break, and I still slip sometimes. I believe I have been traversing the Samsara for millions of years but also think I am really going to jump when this existence ends if I continue my path as I have for the last 2+ years. I was once. Some may think this is crazy, but I believe it to be true. When I asked YHVH for a sign I never saw enlightenment being that sign... Think about that...

Now lets get back to what I was originally talking about, that being the reason I like this tile so much. I think I have explained the first part well enough and went off topic well enough [lol]. Now to the last word, finally... This also holds multiple meaning for me. I am so glad that my religious thought process has finally changed, that I know true reality, that I found the philosophy/religion that I was always searching for so desperately, and that I found the Teacher(s)... the Buddhas [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharmakaya], as well as other meanings. It has seemed like a long transition and really it hasn’t been considering the situation. I broke a 23 year view that I will always be surrounded by in less than 3 years so I think that is pretty good. It is a less usual transition than vice versa really. Mostly what I had always heard [given this info comes during my 23 year Judeo-Christian period. I have not researched this since my “enlightenment” 2+ years ago.] that people that were born with Eastern religion being ingrained in them transitioning to Western Religion was way more frequent than what happened to me. However, you have to find the religion that is best for you, as I have mentioned on this blog so may times before. The bottom line it is what makes you the best person you can be and that others benefit from it as well.

No matter what religion you are I think ascension is possible. My father was not a Buddhist, and I know he was either reincarnated as a Human or higher even though he was not a Buddhist and knew nothing about it. He is definitely not a Poodle, lol. I believe this because of his generosity and his care for people. He may have not have been perfect, but there are no humans that are, however, people benefited from what he did and he went through so much suffering in stride, in hindsight, it is only logical that he ascended to another realm, or at a minimum came back as a Human and will endure a lot less suffering than he did when he was my father. 

My mother was a white witch in her very young years then converted to Christianity and embodied the values of Christ which is a good thing no mater how you look at it, for decades. Then over a decade ago she converted to Messianic Judaism, which I think was a step back because the personal benefit and the numbers of people that were made better by her religious belief were decreased dramtic. She was a great Christian, too pushy but that was the only religious practice flaw during that time period. I wish she would see that. Her search for truth derailed what is most important, which is helping others in one way, shape, or form. Though, I still think ascension will happen because I think her Karmic merit is very high even now.

Well, I think that was a really good post and I hope that you walkaway with something that creates some type of good constructive thought. Believing in something that is bigger than you.

-automachi

The Logical Spiritualist, the first...

Pray The Gay Away

Hello Readers and welcome back. I have had writer’s block the last few weeks... I have wrote several paragraphs on several occasions... but truthfully I have been so worn down and torn down I just could not write. I am searching for a topic as I am writing this preface. So lets see how this goes... Enjoy!

One topic I have never hit on in this blog is homosexuality, actually I have never brought it up in verbal or in written communication, ever. This is the first time I have ever brought it up without it already coming into conversation prior from someone else. I am 100% sure about that now that I have given it heavy thought, wow that is crazy. As many of you know, if you have read any other posts, I followed Judeo-Christianity Faiths for 23 years (first 13 years as a Spirit-Filled Christian, then the last 10 years as a Spirit-Filled Messianic Jew (as a gentile)) so you may be able to guess about how I felt about homosexuality then. I hated it... I hated them (the people themselves) too... I looked at them as demon possessed people who could be “set free”. With all the prejudices that these Faiths gave me I think this was probably was the prejudice in particular that had the most hate behind it. I would call them very inappropriate names behind their back in company of people with equal Faiths and all would laugh, it was always socially acceptable. This should not be acceptable in today’s times. Yes, nearly all religions, big and small, looks poorly at homosexuality in ever way possible but most scriptures from all major religions are at least 1000 to 1200 years ago... Yes, there are Faiths that are not that old (e.g. LDS, The Bahá'í Faith, etc.) that I still respect but just follow my reasoning... A millennium ago these base scriptures were written at the latest (thinking of Mohammed as the latest, obviously there were some prior by other Faith patriarchs) and that kind lifestyle was not understood like today and was hidden yet and was probably just as common then, especially given ancient Roman/Greek literature, it was just hidden then... Only until recently has being gay became socially acceptable, and there is still a significant amount of population that does not think it is acceptable. It is probably a 50/50 split in the U.S. The LGBT Community has worked very very hard to get what they have with a change of a lot of people’s perspectives amongst other huge strides for their community.

In hindsight, I cringe at that the way I used to view gay people, however, with my “enlightenment” in the end of 2010 my perspective changed, greatly. Just as I now accept everyone’s religion no matter how strange it may be to me I too now respect the gay community. I look at everyone as an equal, regardless of anything, and they should have equal rights in their countries. In the past I voted for bills making it illegal for gay people to wed in my state in the past, that will change as well (Another bill has not came up since late 2010 but there will be). I truly do not think it is a choice, demon, whatever, or all of the above. I truly think they are born that way. I have read studies that point to that is how some are just wired essentially. I knew a gay person in the past and they did not want to be but they were, and still are, or at least a decade ago when I heard about him last.

For those of you that think you can “Pray the Gay Away” are incorrect, in my opinion, and you are entitled to your own, but I will say I saw many people pray out the gay for 23 years and it never went away, hidden at best in one case in 23 years. You can pray for brain rewiring but I think you would have better luck convincing me that that we do not have a moon or that I am a picture frame. I met one person within the now infamous 23 years that said he was no longer gay that I mentioned briefly above. I think he convinced himself he was straight because if it walks, talks, and still acts like a penguin it is highly unlikely he has became a eagle due to prayer. Seriously though, I think he did it because he cared for a woman who was very religious, and his future father in-law, a pastor, who “Prayed The Gay Away”, married his daughter to this gay man who had submitted to their wants ignoring his apparently, though it did take several years of prayer before he said he was not gay anymore. They have children too, which he uses as proof if you talk to him about it but if you would met him in the street you would have to convince anyone that this man was straight, even with the children I was not fooled. At this time in my life I wanted to believe him, as he would proof that it was a demon, but I have watched his eyes, not sure why but I did, and they were always glued to guys and in no manner I have ever a straight man do for any reason. The man needs to be himself and not live a lie for any reason. He is an African-American too and within that community their is still a huge gay stigma based on what I have seen and read so that could be yet another factor that caused him to live a lie. I just know I have to be myself a straight, crazy, religious, software engineer in test, who loves to blog about my religious path since shortly after my “Enlightenment.”

Some advice coming from a straight male in my 30s to religious parents. If you have a son or daughter that comes out to you be accepting no matter whatever your personal beliefs are, religiously or otherwise. If you push them away or dare to go to the “Pray The Gay Away” route your child will do 1 of 2 things, 999,999 out of 1,000,000 times, 1, they will resent you and your relationship will cease to exist at all or will be extremely strained at the very best, or 2, they will do something stupid and everyone will lose them, ending in tragedy. So make your choice wisely because it is important, to a lot of people not just you.

Just a reminder. My favorite quote that I conjured up, “Stay open-minded it gives you room to move around.” 

Oh, and be tolerant to others because others are tolerant to you.

-automachi

The Logical Spiritualist