Bob KezerGod Refined: A Proposal for Peace 2007-06-11T15:57:17ZUser 526http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v526/OrgSpace NewsLogPlaying Our Part: Enacting World Peace“Playing Our Part” addresses how the average person can best participate in the effort toward a non-violent world. The fundamental constructs of fear and love are examined, as well as why we choose either base from which to make our decisions. Relating today’s violence to ancient ways of viewing G... Playing Our Part: Enacting World Peace
How can the average person best participate in the effort for a non-violent world? Many people sense that our planet is at a point of crisis - that humanity will see even worse days in the future, and they wish to help. But often the magnitude and complexities of global problems are overwhelming: the person is left helpless. Needed is greater clarity: examination of cause and effect at our most fundamental level of decisions making.
Our history is one seeped in fear, the source of human emotions. Internalized as hate, anger, criticism, intolerance and judgment it manifests itself as greed, revenge, selfishness, violence, and unbridled competition. Stemming from ancient concepts of a wrathful God, this animal characteristic of our dual selves frames the institutions defining our world. Fear is the predominate base from which most people decide: our world is the result.
The other side of our nature is love – those divine feelings of empathy, compassion, and selflessness that show themselves as mercy, service, patience, forgiveness, and good will. These are the characteristics of a loving God. They exhibit an evolved state – a higher order of being - for the individual and humanity. This is the baseline level of spiritual attainment from which global peace will have its first true chance.
We know growth cannot be rushed, but it is a requirement if we hope to abolish war. As people ascend into their higher selves, their lives improve. No longer is life a struggle: inner peace reigns and relationships blossom. With humanity it is the same: the degree of peace anywhere is a direct result of the ratio of fear to love within the people present. On the global scale, this determines our degree of planetary evolution.
This relationship is best viewed as a balance beam scale like that held by the lady of justice. While some decisions carry greater consequences, every one counts - adding to either one side or the other. Modeling God after ourselves limited the degree to which we could evolve. Those who believe that at death they will face punishment from a stern judge are controlled by fear: for most of them, acting out of unconditional love is almost impossible.
Countering this imbalance requires more people making decisions based in love rather than fear. As with the part, so goes the whole: we each have an obligation to participate. Spiritual progression requires intention: a desire to be a better person. This means releasing our fear and trusting we are members of a universe bound by love. This can only happen for many people if they refine their image of God.
Love is the binding force of all creation: the essence of God. All people with minds capable of doing divine will have a fragment of our Creator within themselves. Only in this way can that finite - us - begin to understand that eternal, infinite, and universal - God. When open to the leading of our divine parent, a process of spiritualization begins. Whether known as our intuition or that quiet voice in our hearts, this contact is real for people of all faiths.
Believing in divine guidance, though, is difficult for many people to accept: our world is littered with the carnage of religious fanatics, all claiming the same. It is essential that we have criteria upon which we can evaluate the degree of divinity in any word, idea, or action. Understanding God as the perfection of eternal truth, divine beauty, and infinite goodness helps: in this way we can scale our actions by God’s attributes.
We are family unified through the spirit indwelling us: we are expected to care for each other. As we would never tell one of our own children to hurt the others, neither does our divine parent want us to kill one another. The highest order of the Golden Rule is not to love others as we love ourselves, but to love them as our Creator would have us do. In this way we transcend fear-based limitations and demonstrate our faith in a loving God.
Eternal life is freely given: it should be received as such – it means we accept God’s will. Then we restart above exactly where we left off down here. Regardless of how bad we were, the tiniest desire for mercy will be answered - our wrongs forgotten. None of us are perfect: we will all require forgiveness. As it is extended to us, so must we reflect it to others - the harm done us, forgotten. This is a choice to be divine: God-like.
If concepts of a wrathful God made in our image have resulted in a world destroyed, then remaking ourselves in the image of a loving Creator may save us. To heal we must eradicate the disease: fear. Doing so affects our decision making process from its most fundamental level. This personal effort to evolve is our first duty, and the greatest contribution we can make in our world’s bid for peace.
storefront ]]>http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v526/__show_article/_a000526-000006.htm2007-06-11T15:57:17Z2007-06-11T16:00:51ZDeciding PeacePeace, whether in our homes or on our planet, is a product of choice - an environment conditioned by those present. It cannot be forced, imposed, or expected to flourish before its time: thinking so confuses the law of cause and effect. Whatever is used to bring about a new social order remains a ...Peace, whether in our homes or on our planet, is a product of choice - an environment conditioned by those present. It cannot be forced, imposed, or expected to flourish before its time: thinking so confuses the law of cause and effect. Whatever is used to bring about a new social order remains a part of us.
The idea of global peace is so big that many people are unsure how to approach the subject. As only one out of almost 6.5 billion, few think they can participate or that their leaders can effect change. But while difficult to discern in the chaos of today’s world, the responsibility for our planet does reside with the individual.
Reducing scale helps: we know the energy in a home reflects the people living there. If everyone has matured to where their lives are dominated by the divine traits of love, such as empathy, patience, compassion, forgiveness, and good will, then peace will prevail. How could it not? Violence is no longer an option.
These people base their decisions in love, not fear. Rather than an endpoint, this maturity becomes our baseline – the minimum level of conduct needed to support our next evolutionary state. Peace flourishing in this environment does not happen from duty, rules, or treaties, but is rather the natural result of a higher order of being.
Should people still grounded in the human constructs of fear, such as hate, anger, revenge, selfishness, and intolerance enter into this family, the energy in the home becomes tainted: no longer is it all love. Violence now becomes possible: as the ratio of fear to love increases, it becomes more probable.
Spiritual or ethical progress requires a willingness to grow: it cannot be forced. Attempting to do so fuels anger, violates free choice of will, and negates the attractiveness of love: the cycle is maintained. Feeding upon itself, fear will eventually consume all who allow it to remain in their minds.
While only love generates more that it takes, it must be extended first. People must experience love - both the giving and the receiving - before they will choose it over fear. This is a dynamic process: one of intention. Those who decide to embrace it will bond together in strength; those who do not will fall apart divided.
Moving forward in crisis, the middle ground will shrink. People based in love will strengthen: their growth, now and later, is endless - they are universal reality. Those remaining embroiled in fear will harden even further, becoming ever more desperate in their attempts to survive: for them, there is no future - they are unreal to the universe.
As each side becomes more defined, those coming of age will better see their options. For them the choice will be to continue the legacy of fear, or to embrace the healing effects of love. While many are engulfed by war, few in truth want it: eventually love will prevail, tipping the scale in our favor and giving peace its first true chance.
But while this is possible, it is not ordained. To abolish war, we must evolve - person by person until our race finds footing at its next level of consciousness. Procrastination retards progress: action must replace intent. This is our world, we each have responsibility, and every decision counts: how do you choose?
Robert A. Kezer God Refined: A Proposal for Peace (ISBN: 978-0-6151-3810-7) available at http://stores.lulu.com/bobkezer. ]]>http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v526/__show_article/_a000526-000005.htm2007-03-05T19:36:54Z2007-03-05T19:36:54ZPraying for PeacePraying for Peace
When called to write a column for his church’s periodical, my friend asked if I had any thoughts on praying in response to terrorism. Applying prayer to our own lives can often be confusing - it becomes much more so when we hope to use it in any meaningful way to affect global...Praying for Peace
When called to write a column for his church’s periodical, my friend asked if I had any thoughts on praying in response to terrorism. Applying prayer to our own lives can often be confusing - it becomes much more so when we hope to use it in any meaningful way to affect global events. Still, many of us wish to participate in this manner: how can we make our efforts more effective?
Faith is the active demonstration of our belief: prayer should reflect this. If we believe in universal laws such as “ask and you shall receive,” or that God provides for our needs before we know of them, then our supplications should be expressions of gratitude rather than requests. We enter the flow rather than attempting to direct its course.
Obvious, though, is that there is more to the process: if the situation were this simple the medical efficacy of prayer would be well documented - it is not. Rather, it seems many people can pray for something over time and it still not happen. Is the problem that prayer does not work, or that we are confused about its purpose?
Our Creator is a divine parent, a portion of whom resides in our minds: we are all family and expected to love one another. While our own children may ask for many things, the wise mother lovingly only gives them what is appropriate for their level of development – and never is preference given to one child over another. With God, it is the same.
If we have prayed to our Creator to bring our world peace – and this has not happened – then it is because we are not ready to live that way. As the freedom that comes with adulthood requires us to mature first, so will the joy of living in a world without war. This growth requires our participation: we must want to transcend our animal origins and assume our spiritual heritage.
Just because someone wishes for peace does not mean they can live peacefully. To do so requires them to put their animosities aside, forgive those who have harmed them, and relinquish every vestige of ego in their desire to serve others. Peace is a result, not the cause, of love-based action.
This is a choice to evolve: a process. Spiritual progression requires intention - never do we advance outside of our own efforts. Peace cannot be given to us, made to happen by force, or occur magically because it has been prophesied: we have to earn it, person by person, one decision at a time.
Prayer plays an important part – not to grant that beyond us, but to help us grow into that higher state of being. Thanking our Creator for guiding our world’s leaders, for comforting those in hardship, and for forgiving people who kill in God’s name helps us to release our ego: we practice selflessness.
This is the key to humanity’s evolution and the ultimate requirement for peace. Our greatest responsibility is to use prayer to express our wholehearted gratitude for guidance in transforming ourselves into better people – those who base decisions out of love, not fear. Working on our own conduct first – becoming souls who radiate the love of God - is our most effective use of communion with Deity, and gives our world its greatest chance for peace.
Robert A. Kezer God Refined: A Proposal for Peace http://stores.lulu.com/bobkezer ]]>http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v526/__show_article/_a000526-000003.htm2007-02-10T21:39:57Z2007-02-10T21:43:51ZGod, science, and spirituality - our personal responsibility for peace.FOR PUBLIC RELEASE MARCH 1, 2007.
EUGENE, OR – JANUARY 17, 2007 – With God Refined: A Proposal for Peace, Robert Kezer answers what may be our most important question: Can the average person make a difference in the world, or are we destined to a future beyond our control - one of increasing wa...Today, many people feel religious strife is tearing us apart. Ancient scriptures contradict logic, history, and science: fanatics rule while reason, character, and education falter. Wisdom, the combination of knowledge and experience, is often overshadowed by dogma, church imposed doctrine considered beyond human debate. Yet, rather than our spirituality destroying us, Kezer says it is what has stopped the carnage from getting worse: this, he offers, is a clue for ending the violence consuming our planet.
In God Refined, we are challenged to accept global change as personal responsibility. Kezer shows how beliefs in hell, karmic justice, and the wrath of God are fear-based ideas retarding humanity’s progress - concepts no longer reasonable for most educated people. Drawing on the Urantia Revelation, he teaches the unified nature of creation, that our relationship with God is personal, and that all religions are considered equal under the umbrella of a single sovereign Creator.
On a planet becoming ever more violent, Kezer offers the tools we need to survive. His approach is simple, direct, and compelling: abolishing war is our responsibility, not that of our leaders. Believing that crisis creates opportunity, he visualizes a new era of global community - one where women enjoy full partnership with men in all decision-making, from the family level to the world stage. Relating humanity’s evolution to individual personal growth, we are presented with a path to a higher order of existence, one from which peace can have its first true chance.
God Refined: A Proposal for Peace is offered in paperback and in a Complimentary E-book edition for those people for whom the cost would impose a hardship.
Please download your free review copy at: [link] http://stores.lulu.com/bobkezer
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Bob returned to college in 2002 pursuing a self-designed program in Peace Studies: he graduated in 2006 with bachelor’s degrees in International and Religious Studies from the University of Oregon. Working to become bilingual so he can also present in Spanish, he writes and speaks on God, religious tolerance, and our tools for abolishing war. Bob has one adult son and lives in Eugene, Oregon.
God Refined: A Proposal for Peace by Robert A. Kezer 2006. First Edition. 6 x 9; 60 pages. ISBN: 978-0-6151-3810-7. Available through bookstores and in paperback ($12.99 + p&h), e-book ($6.98), and complimentary download at store. Publication Date: 1 March 2007. Thank you.
-30- ]]>http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v526/__show_article/_a000526-000002.htm2007-01-17T15:23:39Z2007-01-17T15:26:22ZFree e-book edition of God Refined: A Proposal for PeaceHi folks,
I’m offering everyone a complimentary e-book edition of God Refined: A Proposal for Peace.
If you like it, feel free to pass the offer on to anyone else who might have an interest.
Everybody can download a free copy at:
link
It’s a quick read – hope you enjoy it.
Take ca...Hi folks,
I’m offering everyone a complimentary e-book edition of God Refined: A Proposal for Peace.
If you like it, feel free to pass the offer on to anyone else who might have an interest.
Religions have brought parts of humanity together, but they have also kept the whole divided: we have yet to learn that different forms of worship can reside as equals under the umbrella of a single sovereign Creator.
Ancient scripture based in fear and superstition is expected to take precedence over modern science and the hindsight offered by recorded history. While we have grown in many ways, we still lack our saving grace – knowledge that we are all children of the same loving God.
Drawing on the Urantia Revelation, God Refined describes an expanded view of Deity, one founded in truth, beauty, and goodness. We are offered hope and a path through the chaos consuming today’s world.
Extending theory into practice, Part 4 applies the principles discussed to the Arab-Israeli conflict showing how non-violence can only result from an environment conditioned by love. Our task is to evolve: the goal, a higher order of existence from where peace will have it first true chance. storefront]]>http://www.newciv.org/nl/newslog.php/_v526/__show_article/_a000526-000001.htm2006-12-17T23:05:31Z2007-06-11T16:04:48Z
Today, many people feel religious strife is tearing us apart. Ancient scriptures contradict logic, history, and science: fanatics rule while reason, character, and education falter. Wisdom, the combination of knowledge and experience, is often overshadowed by dogma, church imposed doctrine considered beyond human debate. Yet, rather than our spirituality destroying us, Kezer says it is what has stopped the carnage from getting worse: this, he offers, is a clue for ending the violence consuming our planet.