I love the positive feel of this site. You are trying so hard to reach out, and you are an encouragement to others.
I am a slight anomaly here. I have a deep faith, but I am not a member of any orthodox Christian church, and my beliefs are not typical of most. But I do appreciate your positivity, and I wish you well with your endevours. May God bless you and show you the way.
This is a pretty poem, with lovely descriptions of the seasons. You capture loneliness and yearning well, and the overall theme is a sad longing for youth and love once more.
I wonder- is the person yearned for gone - as in departed from life, or is it a relationship which did not work? Just curious.
I enjoyed your article, it is very insightful and honest. You rightly point out that, if mankind wants God's blessing and approval, they need to listen to him, and refrain from the things he hates - like violence.
Like you, I have prayed many times, although I have never questioned God's lack of involvement in the world. This is because the Bible clearly tells us that God's kingdom - the solution to all suffering - is not brought about by human endevours, but is set up by God himself - by means of Jesus. The prophet Daniel warned that "He will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms" (nations, governments etc). Imperfect mankind ignores God's wishes, and the Bible warns that "God will bring to ruin those ruining the earth" and that "He is making wars cease to the ends of the earth." But mankind will not accomplish this - "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven." That is the solution, but it is a solution that the proud nations, and our leaders refuse to acknowledge.
I am trusting in God, not my country, or anyone else's country, to bring peace and justice.
Hope you don't mind me sharing this with you.
Well written.
I wish you "The peace of God that excels all thinking."
I found your article very interesting, and honest. You are obviously paying attention - unlike many of the politicians and leaders who pull us along towards self-destruction.
While I feel as strongly as you do about our beautiful planet, and I applaud your action plan, and your rallying call, I do believe that you miss some crucial points on this issue.
You lean towards technology being part of the solution, yet technology - allbeit non-sustainable, is one of the major causes of the poor state of our earth.
You appeal to the masses - particularly the working masses who do not influence things as much as leaders, yet - given the truth about the ways to heal the planet, most people would prefer to carry on with their selfish lifestyles and not make any changes in their lives. For example - it has been scientifically proven that the activity that has the greatest impact on the environment is meat and dairy consumption. Yet, most people either refuse to recognise this, or refuse to adjust their diets accordingly.
Lastly, I suspect that - like me- in your heart, you know that mankind dos not have the collective will, desire, or motivation to save our planet. Fortunately, our future is not dependent on selfish human leaders and corporations. Our creator has put the human race on notice - in a warning recorded by Jesus - in the Bible;
"God will bring to ruin those ruining the earth." (Revelation 11.18).
I enjoyed your article, and I share your passion for the preservation of our beautiful earth. You have obviously done much in-depth research on this subject, and it is good that you are increasing awareness of the issue.
If I may, I have an observation to make? In your article, you don't mention the main cause of plastic pollution in our oceans - as identified in a recent UN environmental report - that of plastic waste from the global fishing industry. It has now been established by oceanographers and scientists that the fishing industry pollutes our oceans and seas at an alarming rate, by it's dispensation of plastic netting and trawling equipment.A recent documentary - "Eating our way to extinction" - narrated by actress Kate Winslett, revealed some astonishing facts which are kept hidden from the public.
"80% of the discarded plastic in the ocean comes from discarded fishing gear - nets, fishing lines - all thrown overboard by fishing boats, adding to the 5 trillion tons of plastic in the ocean." In fact, the documentary went on to state that - "Animal agriculture, and livestock farming is responsible for more greenhouse gasses, and carbon dioxide than ALL the transportation in the world combined."
Confirming this, the United Nations International Climate Panel produced a report on Agriculture's impact on our planet, which concluded that the single biggest cause of environmental degradation is animal agriculture and fishing - accounting for about a third of all pollution.
The following organizations make similar warnings;
“Our own research has shown that the world is set to run out of fresh water within the next 30 years. One of the greatest reasons for our detour down this catastrophic path is the global demand for meat products” - “Tour de Horizon” – Nestle - report published by “Wikileaks”
“I became aware that there was another factor that was going undiscussed, and that is the role of animal agriculture, which I could see was playing some significant role around the planet, but this was the elephant in the room that no-one wanted to talk about” – Jeremy Rifkin – President and Founder – Foundation on Economic Trends.
“If you look at the impact that food choice has on global warming. It's very significant. Eating meat is huge for global climate, and that's something where personal choice is the determining factor, so there's the only case I can think of where individual human choice would have a big effect, would be food” - Peter Wadhams – Ocean Physics Professor – Cambridge University.
“The single greatest cause for deforestation is animal agriculture” - NASA
“Livestock Farming is the leading cause of biodiversity loss” - “Science of the Total Environment” - Florida International University.
“Without addressing what we eat, we simply won't make it” - Dr Marco Springman - “The Future of Food” - Oxford University.
So, although reducing our personal use of plastic is very important, the real solution to saving our earth lies in our choice of food.
“If the entire world were to switch to an exclusively plant-based diet, we would free up over 75% of the worlds arable land” - “Nature.”
“In order to have any chance of keeping temperatures below the 2 degrees threshold set out in the Paris Climate Agreement – in high income countries, we need to drastically reduce our consumption of meat by around 80%” - Peer reviewed study by international team of researchers at Oxford University.
I hope you don't mind me sharing this essential information with you.
I really enjoyed your excellent article. It is full of wisdom, honesty, and faith. You summarize the reality of the situation today, in that so-called "Christians" either water down Jesus' message simply announcing that we need to accept Jesus and be saved, and go to heaven, or that we will be tortured forever if we don't listen. Too many religious people have a faith, but do not live that faith. But - as you so rightly point out - we are not saved by faith alone. James tells us that "Faith without works is dead." And the greatest work we can do is sharing the good news - by word and deed.
You stand out among your faith community, by your honest desire to serve God and his son fully and unselfishly. I love your quote in your title about compassion's real message.
With respect, you should be one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Every person in the 9,000,000 worldwide Christian brotherhood personally preaches the good news in over 2,000 languages, everyday. Their Bible-based journal - "The Watchtower - Announcing Jehovah;s Kingdom" is the most widely distributed publication on earth. And all of this is free, just as the Master - Jesus said it would be. Forgive me if I sound like I am boasting, but Witnesses do this, not by their own strength, but by God's power, with Jesus' full support, following his magnificent example.
Jehovah's Witnesses are also persecuted, and imprisoned in many lands for their faith - just as Jesus said they would be. They do not take part in politics or war, and obey all the laws of the land. You would fit in well with their congregations, and you would be most welcome.
Well done for a superb article. I hope it has the desired effect.
I really enjoyed your article, and learned quite a bit from it too. You have both exceptional knowledge, and a very eloquent way of presenting information. I was very surprised to read that you are a teenager. Your wisdom and compassion are far beyond your young years.
You summarize the lazy, ignorant attitude of most people towards animals, very well. I have found that most people who care about the welfare of animals - large or small - are usually more intelligent and imaginative than most. Albert Einstein - one of the greatest minds in history - was a committed vegetarian himself, and he said that "A civilization will be judged by the way it treats lesser creatures."
I too am an abstainer from animal products (and I will not kill insects - even though I loathe spiders). I like to refer to myself as a "Herbivore."
You may be surprised to learn that - both biology, and the Bible tell us that humans are not naturally carnivores (let me know if you would like more information on this).
Anyway, well done for this excellent article, and welcome to the site. We can always do with another compassionate voice on behalf of all animals.
This is so moving. Your sadness permeates your words. I can identify with some of your expressions of despair. Writing is a good way to channel your grief, and you do it so effectively.
May I share a wonderful hope with you, a promise that keeps me going, even in the face of losing someone?
Jesus promised - "All those in the memorial tombs will come out," and elsewhere in the Bible, it tells us - "Your dead ones will live." I believe this, because I have seen the evidence.
This is a lovely expression of gratitude. Too many people take such beautiful creatures for granted these days. So it is good to read your words, praising our little friends. I too love the songs of birds, they give me joy, and I thank God for them often.
A beautiful testimony to your cherished little friend. It is strange how much it hurts when we lose animal friends. I too have endured - am enduring that sadness. Yet, like you - writing this - I reflect on the joys that they brought to my life, and I am ever grateful that I could share their brief life.
I was curious as to why you break your sentences apart midstream? Is it some writing style I am unaware of? It makes it slightly difficult to concentrate on.
Well written, and welcome to the site. have a good day.
This is a nice expression of gratitude. Your humility is clear from your words of praise. I am sure that our heavenly Father is pleased with your poem. In a world that is increasingly walking away from God, it is good to read something like this.
You share a piece of history that I was not aware of. This sounds like yet another act of brutal deception - done in the name of God. It is especially hard when children are hurt. Your frustration and sadness seep through your words.
Like you, I am saddened when I hear of things like this. But, I do not hold God responsible for the selfish acts of evil men. God's ways are clearly taught in the scriptures. But humans insist on doing their own thing - just as the Bible warned they would. But, take heart, because that is what the kingdom of God was born for - to set all matters straight, and undo all human injustices. Remember the promise - from Jesus? - "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven."
Well written. Welcome to the site, and keep up the good work of exposing evil.
I enjoyed this account. I did not know about Mary but, she sounds like a remarkable woman. You capture her determination, her hope, and her innocence so well, in such a short narrative. I did chuckle at the line about the irony of a black woman not being allowed to serve in Africa - what a crazy world! I am glad that people like Mary became free. Slavery was an evil stain on so-called "civilized" society." Yet, I know that prejudice is still deep-rooted in societies like ours.
Good work, and welcome to the site. Your writing will be very welcome here, and I'm sure will do a lot of good work.
I enjoyed your article. It is well thought out, and you make some powerful points about God and creation. You have obviously done much research. I hope your article helps some people who are having a crisis of faith, because faith is under attack these days. Like you, I have deep faith, and I believe that the Bible is the word of God.
I did have some observations to make on your article - if I may?
You demonstrate several lines of evidence for creation and God's existence. However, you left out one powerful one - that of the internal evidence in the Bible. Not only does the Bible contain many scientific facts which were unknown to scientists for millennia, but it also contains hundreds of prophecies - history written in advance, all of which have come true - in staggering detail, and many of which are actually being fulfilled today. No critic can offer a reasonable explanation for these things - other than the Bible is a book inspired by God.
Regarding your comments about Constantine, although it is true that he did allow Christianity to grow (under his control), his vision before his victory could not have been from Christ, because Jesus condemns all violence. Furthermore, the form of Christianity since Constantine's time is far different to the pure Christianity taught by Jesus.
Finally, you say that "Purgatory is described in the Bible as a halfway point between heaven, and hell." With respect - that is a Catholic teaching. There is no mention of Purgatory in the Bible. It tells us that the dead are not anywhere - except in the grave - awaiting the Resurrection.
I really appreciated this. Your trials and experience are moving and powerful. I am so glad that you have found relief. I love the way you weave into the account God's words, and their meaning to you. Your words convey to the reader that you are humble, courageous, and loyal. Yes, I know that victims of abuse do not consider themselves "courageous." But, as a fellow abuse victim myself, I have learned that, sometimes, we refrain from action due to some kind of warped loyalty to the offender. We refuse the quick way out. This is especially true of you, waiting for God to act on your behalf.
Your story will no doubt give hope to many readers here who are in despair.
Lovely sentiments - from the heart. I enjoyed this, and I wholeheartedly agree with you about being aware of the beauty and joy of life. It is so sad that most people rush through life, seeking instant gratification, and seeking the end of the journey.
Your article is one of the best I have read on this site. You capture the extremes, the frustrations, and the confusion of this disorder so eloquently. I'm sure your words will help others to clarify and identify the condition in themselves (a huge relief for me personally when I finally found out that I suffered from it), and will comfort them that they are not alone.
My experience mirrors yours, in many ways, except one significant one. I realsised, at one point in my life, that we cannot reach a logical conclusion, and therefore a plan of action, if our assumptions are based on faulty foundations. My journey culminated in an education that was to change my life, and significantly change how I deal with Bipolar in my life. I invite you to read my artcile "From the darkness of depression, to the light of hope." I usually refer to my Bipolar as "Depression" because I find that most people are unfamiliar with the former term.
This is very profound and sad. You are right about the state of our earth.
Im not sure if the young generation today would have done any better. It is mainly technology, and animal agriculture which have brought our beautiful earth to near destruction, and young people love both technology, and meat and dairy.
It's a good thing that God is going to intervene soon.
"God will bring to ruin those ruining the earth" - The Bible book of Revelation 11.18.
I read your article with great interest. You make many good points, and your experiences are powerful. You must be a strong person to have endured them. I like the positive way you encourage forgiveness and tolerance - we couls all learn some lessons from your disposition. However, the idea of "Unconditional love" is fraught with dangers, and could abandon many readers to a life of pain and misery.
I wrote an article on abuse. I would value your opinion on it.
This is well written, helpful, and positive. I am sure that it will help those who take the time to read it. Too often, I have witnessed a simple comment cause such animosity and destruction.
Like you, I have a positive way of dealing with such encounters. I use the wisdom in the Bible to guide me. It has such gems as - "As far as it depends upon you, be peacable with all people", and "Do to others as you would have them do to you."
Your words are very moving and powerful. I am sure that there are many readers out there who will identify with the pain and anguish you describe so eloquently. Perhaps this item will help them to identify the perpetrator in their own life. This is a very unjust world.
I was particularly interested in this because I recently wrote an article on WDC about abusive relationships. I would value your opinion of it, if you have time.
I read your article with great imterest, and admiration. You bare your soul, looking for God's wisdom. Your honesty is refreshing and clear. If only all people would examine themselves so humbley.
I hope you don't mind if make a few observations about your sincere expressions. Firstly, I believe you place too much emphasis on the literal name of "Israel." Secondly, your self condemnation is not something God wants you to feel. God's own son - Jesus, said "You must love your neighbour as yourself." Note that we should have a measure of love for ourselves, not vanity, like the superstars or the headline hoggers, but, self-respect, especially if we are trying - even of we are failing.
That child of yours, just like my child (grown now) is keeping you alive with love. I too often feel the urge to end things but, the love I have for those near and dear to me, along with the thought of the pain I would inflict upon them, is enough to stay my hand. God knows what we need!
Your article is an amazing accomplishment, so clearly and profoundly expressed. I hope and pray that you find peace and joy.
Finally, I invite you to read an article from someone who has a perspective outside of the conventional church teachings - but one which is backed up by God's word. I wish you would read my article "Your Future - In Whose Hands."
Take care,
Moomin
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