  Spiritual
This week: 10 Things I Hate About You Edited by: Shannon  
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Welcome to the Spiritual Newsletter. I am Shannon and I'm your guest editor this week. |
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: This week's edition is based on personal experience and contains actual examples from the author's life.
No disrespect toward any specific religion or spiritual philosophy is intended or should be inferred.
tol erance: a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.
I had a very regimented fundamentalist upbringing complete with private schools and summer camp. Dad was a deacon, Mom a Sunday School teacher, and everywhere I turned I was inundated with indoctrination. I knew at a very young age that what I was being taught didn't jive with what I believed in my heart to be true. I also knew I wasn't going to find what I was looking for in the church of my youth, so at the age of seventeen I just stopped going altogether. I didn't set foot in another church for almost twenty-five years, much to the chagrin of my family.
Despite our differences, I still hop in my car at least once a year and drive the 700+ miles to visit my family, but these visits have become increasingly uncomfortable and strained. I just happened to be visiting on February 20 when five U.S. soldiers were accused of burning Korans in a fire pit used to dispose of trash. The news reports kept referring to the Korans as "the Muslim holy book," to which a family member said, "Holy book? That book's about as holy as Satan's trident." I thought, What? Did he really just say that? Who talks like that? The following day another family member used a derogatory term when referring to homosexuals and I knew it was time for me to go. What I was hearing didn't jive with what I believe in my heart to be true--that God, whether you call this presence Yahweh, Almighty, Creator, Elohim, Allah, Holy Spirit, Jehovah, Original Consciousness, El Shaddai, or Heavenly Father, loves us all equally and unconditionally. I believe that spirituality is a very personal relationship between an individual and his or her higher power and that all paths lead to God--that individual religious philosophies are like the spokes of a wheel, the hub being God, and I now attend a church which is comprised of Buddhists who worship alongside Christians who worship alongside New Age thinkers. It is a spiritual community where everyone is welcome as they are for who they are ... where every person is literally accepted with open arms the moment they walk through the door. Five years ago I didn't know places like that exist; finding it and its congregation of like-minded people has been the biggest blessing of my life.
Intolerance is a learned behavior; no one is born a hater. We control our own destiny. We have a choice about how we want to conduct ourselves and how we treat others. I choose to embrace everyone regardless of their race, religious preference, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or social status. I believe that every life is a miracle, and when I look at my fellow man (or woman, as the case may be), I see a beloved creation of God staring back at me.
I choose love.
Thank you for reading.
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction. The chain reaction of evil--hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars--must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation." ~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. |
Some of this week's featured selections were chosen for their pertinence to the NL topic while others were thrown in just for fun. Please remember to do the authors the courtesy of reviewing the ones you read. Thank you, and have a great week!
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The following is in response to "Spiritual Newsletter (May 9, 2012)" :
ANN Counselor, Lesbian & Happy  says, "Where do your beautiful ideas come from? You are blessed and, in turn, your newsletter blesses all of us. Tragedy is not easy to write about yet, you found some excellent ones for us to read and review. Thank you so much." Aw, what a beautiful thing to say! And thank you, Ann, for you have blessed ME today.   
embe says, "Dear Shannon,
Thank you for your newsletter, hardship and pain.
Herewith my poem on this subject: "Invalid Item"
God bless you!
embe in appreciation.
Thank you, embe. Your poem is heartbreaking and beautiful. Thank you for sharing your lovely self and your writing with us. 
magicmayflower says, "Thank you. It is hard to tell of real troubles. A tribute to you for spreading love and peace." Thank you, and thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment. 
Steve adding writing to ntbk. says, "As I began reviewing your choices for this newsletter I kept going wow bigger. Every piece was awesome and combined were the finest I've read in one venue. It was a pleasure to read and review this entire newsletter. Keep sharing! Copenator out!" Thank you for your words of support and encouragement, Steve. I appreciate your kindness. 
Jacqueline  says, "Thank you for your spirital newsletter. It has put me back in my place--to think about others rather than worrying about minor things." Thank you, Jacqueline. I'm glad you liked it. 
The following item was submitted by its author:
 Happy Belated Birthday, BIG BAD WOLF is Howling  !
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Spiritual: June 06, 2012 Issue [#5075]
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