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WHEN WILL RELIGIOUS
INTOLERANCE END

by James Janos

Who is the God of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam? All have roots from the Old Testament and then divide off on different approaches to salvation, communicating, or waiting for a future savior to redeem the lost.

In free masonry who is our God? Our God is the one who created the universe that this earth is part of...a speck of dust when compared to the immensity of the cosmos. As an avid practitioner in amateur astronomy, I have studied every story and text on the creation of the universe and to the latest theories on the end of this magnificent creation of our God.

Who is God? I have tried to understand this for many years, and now at the age of 53 I may finally have a handle on the answer. As a Christian I firmly believe in God as a title for three supernatural beings, being of a spiritual nature, infinite intelligence, and divine control on everything in this universe.

This I believe, because of my finite sources of intellect, my spiritual rearing, and the faith in my belief. My belief came through hearing, hearing by many people of God, and the development of my faith in all of the above. My faith states, I believe in the existence of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And my faith says that to get to the Father I must believe that Jesus the son died to save me from my sinful nature.

This...all being inspired by God the Holy Spirit. I also believe that the God of the Old Testament refers to Jesus Christ...and not God the Father, as many believe. John 1:1-15 pretty much states this in the divinity of the word, and Jesus Christ being one and the same.

Now I have blown all this away by joining the Brotherhood of Freemasonry.... Or have I? Freemasonry teaches that I should pursue the religion of my choosing and support it...this I do. It teaches that I should seek the light...this I do in my spiritual brotherhood with other Christians and my daily existence with the human race at large.

In the book of James it states that faith without works is dead...and that works without faith is dead. In a church or gathering of people in a religious context, this is the creation and strengthening of their faith. In Freemasonry the fellowship of Freemasons is the development of character to do good works among the populace on this planet.

There is no conflict of Christianity or any other monotheistic belief when people are working as a unit to improve the lives of our fellow men and women. How one believes in their relationship to God is their own personal faith and responsibility. It should not be imposed by force on others, nor should intolerance rule because of different faiths.

As a Christian, I will try to spread the Good News, if I am called on to do it, but I will never force anyone to except it against their will...we are creatures of free choice and free will. The Great Architect of the Universe saw to that. Even if our belief is the only true one...people are free to make choices and as a Christian and as a Freemason...this is what I choose.

Nor will I ever condemn or criticize other people of different Christian beliefs. The old saying of clearing the logs out of your yard, before you clear the sticks from your neighbors yard holds true to religious intolerance. My...how our God must ache in the spirit at the, entire, so-called killing in the name of God. TALK ABOUT TAKING HIS NAME IN VAIN.

In the end, what makes anyone any better than the Taliban or Bin Ladden.....Pol Pot...Hitler...Stalin...KKK...Nazi Party...Biggots...Racists... if they practice intolerance.

 

 

 

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