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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Greetings all,</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Harrison, you quoted Winston (in bold) and then
wrote:</FONT></DIV>
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<H1><FONT size=2>As for the writer of Ecclesiastes, good on him/her; but as
we all know one can find support for anything in the bible, including in the
old testament some of the worst "terrorist" acts perpetrated on mankind
(viz: the flood). Perhaps the New Testament would be less supportive
of a time to kill .</FONT></H1></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><BR>I'm not so sure. How about "I do not bring peace, but a sword"
Serious commitment and radical encounter always raise the stakes. It is never
comfortable. </FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>This conversation seems to me to cause more
confusion than clarity. While I agree with Michael that confusion can
sometimes be helpful in moving dialogue forward, this particular confusion does
not seem helpful because (in my opinion) it misinterprets the message
of perhaps the greatest peacemaker who ever lived.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In one of his books (I can't remember which one),
Thich Naht Hanh was interpreting the Buddha's life and message. Early in
the text, he talks about how the many writings and interpretations of the
Buddha's life could be confusing, and that sometimes it appeared his messages
were in direct opposition to each other. (Similar to the very mixed
messages inherent in "turn the other cheek" vs. "I do not bring peace, but a
sword" from the Christian teachings.) Thich Naht Hanh said these many
writings and interpretations and misinterpretations were to be expected because
of the years that had passed and the many people the ideas had passed
through. He said his way of finding the truth of the Buddha's teaching was
to look at the teaching as a whole. When encountering a teaching that did
not resonate with the teaching as a whole, to consider the possibility that a
mistake had been made. From the perspective of Thich Naht Hanh, we must
deeply understand the teaching of a master, and once we do, we will know when
something does not resonate with that teaching, and we can reject it as a
mistake, an error.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I think the same applies here. Christ taught
and lived the brotherhood of man. Compassion and forgiveness are the
hallmarks of his life. The statement "I do not bring peace, but a sword,"
is completely out of resonance with his life and teachings. In my opinion,
those words do not accurately reflect the teachings of Christ.
</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Some on this list have mentioned that A Course
In Miracles is a primary teaching for them. It is also a primary teaching
for me. In that text, the statement "I do not bring peace, but a sword,"
is specifically rejected as a statement Christ ever made. (I don't have
the text here with me today, but I can find the passage, if any would like
it.)</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>For those of us who seek peace as a path, it is
important to not undermine the teachings that have come to us.
</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>As I was reading the e-mails this weekend (thank
you all), I found myself coming back to myself. After all the grief,
trauma, and confusion, I found myself returning to the rules of being I had come
to after other traumas in my life:</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>~ In each moment, give kindness and love
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>~ In each moment, receive kindness and love
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>~ Trust all is as it should be</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>~ Know I and all are eternally safe and
loved</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>In these hard times, this is what that means to
me:</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>~ I offer loving kindness to all I am aware
of. (I offer loving kindness to my friends and family, to all of you, to
George W. Bush, to Osama bin Laden, to all the victims of September 11 and their
families, to the clerk at the grocery store, to the others who are flitting
about the building I am in.....)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>~ I offer loving acceptance to all. (I define
my own path without judging others for theirs. Just as I am not angered at
an infant who cannot yet walk, or at myself for not comprehending Einstein's
thought, I am not angered at others for their place on the path they are now
walking.)</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>~ I offer participation when called. (I sense
when it is my time to listen, and when it is my time to speak or do. I
take responsibility for fully and actively engaging in both.)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>~ I see that these guidelines will help me live by
the Golden Rule, as these are thoughts, words, and deeds that I most desire from
others.</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I speak these commitments as personal aspirations,
not fully realized truths. I share them because I know it is possible to
find strength and stamina in the words and commitment of another. For
whatever good it might bring, I offer these thoughts to you.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Julie</FONT></DIV>
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