Yellow Bird and I sit all alone

You Sit All Alone with Me

You could not guess why I sit all alone with yellow bird. An answer came with this year’s Christmas present, The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth—Founding Father Thomas Jefferson’s creation for his own use, now an item of which Smithsonian Institute is selling copies. They went to a lot trouble to get Jefferson’s homemade Bible copied. Jefferson pasted together the Gospels, leaving out all the supernatural, which was questionable, said Jefferson. Jefferson was deist. He believed in God on the evidence of reason and nature, with rejection of supernatural revelation. The supernatural has become natural, to a large extent. The universe is nothing life we thought it was—“we” being as small minority.

The first thing I noted was how Jefferson’s Bible begins. “And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cesar Augustus, that the world should be taxed.”  Why did Jefferson start with Luke, Chapter 2?  I start with the visit of the Magi, Persian astrologers, the “the wise men,” who predicted the birth of Christ and followed the Star of Bethlehem to his birthplace, In Matthew, Chapter 2.  To Jefferson, obviously, that was supernatural—of questionable importance.  This was not a Christian nation in the beginning.  It was Christians against enigmatic Jefferson.

 I noted how Jefferson’s Bible ended. “There laid Jesus and they rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher, and departed.”  There was not a second coming.  Obviously, that was considered by Jefferson to be supernatural—therefore, of questionable importance.  

In Luke 21, Chapter 25, said Jesus, “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars, and upon earth distress in nations.”  He goes on to say that he would return. He did not say in what form.  In reference to the sun, moon, and stars—and signs—Jesus did say that the kingdom of God would be at hand, in his return.  I noted that Jefferson skips this idea and begins with Luke 21:34.  Obviously, Jefferson considered Jesus’ second coming supernatural, and astrology as well.  I don’t hear Christians talking about signs in the sun, moon, and stars. I’m looked upon as an occultist, a wizard, or a satin worshiper, or into witchcraft; at any rate, a nonconformist nutcake.   People ask me why I want to be a rock in the stream.

Jesus taught that we are our brother’s keeper.  We read in Astrologer’s Handbook, under Aquarius, about Jesus’ second coming—with regard to signs in the sun moon, and stars, “and upon earth distress of nations.” The sign of brotherhood and fraternity, the symbol being the water-bearer, “who spills out to mankind the life-force and spiritual energy,” is this supernatural?  The cutting edge of science does not think so, nor did the ancients.  The rock in the stream is the majority of the America people, afraid of change.   

We are now at the end of the Age of Pisces, say astrologers, in Pisces death throes, so to speak. In Astrologer’s Handbook, under Pisces, we read this: “Pisces is a sensitive sign and those born under it are extremely responsive to the thoughts and feelings of others. They unconsciously absorb the ideas and mental outlook of those around them.  They desperately want to do the right thing, but as a rule they do not have strong willpower.  Therefore, they are easily influenced by external factors.” Really! It does not sound supernatural to me, not with what’s going on in the world. It sounds right on target.

Then we’ve got Pastor Rick Warren, author of The Purpose of Driven Church, one of America’s most popular spiritual authorities. He poses a very big problem to yellow bird and me. We also see a big problem with Jefferson’s Bible.

Jesus distinguishes the kingdom of God from the kingdom of heaven, which Pastor Warren does not. The kingdom of God comes not with outward show, but is chiefly inward and spiritual (Romans 14:17). 

We are unaware that we are all created with the same assets—like drops in the ocean. You cannot separate that which we are from our source, a boundless state. But Pastor Rick says God is in heaven.  Jesus said, “in earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10)….But seek ye first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33).  In Luke 17:20, when religious authorities demanded of Jesus that he tell them when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say Lo here! Or, lo there! for behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”  Why do religious authorities insist on placing God way out there in heaven—a place? That’s a big, big error, Pastor.

Pastor Warren leaves us confused. He says he repeats to himself every day: “I am not God.” He equates the feeling that God is within us—how I feel—as the ego in us. To think that I’m a God-self is being egocentric, maintains Pastor Warren.   Jesus said that God was not in heaven; that God was internal.  Pastor Warren’s trinity of man, mind, and God—in unity with nature, said Jefferson—“all ‘things’ being aspects of the mind,” said quantum physicist and brain doctor Evan Harris Walker—we’ve got these convenient divisions—“but now we see more of the underlying structure, of the engine that drives our struggling souls,” says Walker. So what’s the truth?  All of my dreams came true. Can you say that?  I look within for my answers.

The authorities may force a manmade state of mind—block us from our deepest self—even threaten us, but what happens? Sooner or later, we begin again to build back what we tore down.

As for now, “yellow bird, you sit all alone with me.”

 

 

 

 

 

E-mail me when people leave their comments –

You need to be a member of Command Center to add comments!

Join Command Center