March 6, 2010 - A Most Basic Right!
The Secrets In Plain Sight!
A most basic right. In fact, it is one of your most basic rights!
That's religious freedom. The gentlemen who wrote the first ten
ammendments to the United States Constitution (known as the Bill of
Rights) took special care in the first ammendment. Not only did
they not use language which made it sound like the government was
granting the right of free religion to the peoplem they did more.
They m...
read more
A most basic right. In fact, it is one of your most basic rights!
That's religious freedom. The gentlemen who wrote the first ten
ammendments to the United States Constitution (known as the Bill of
Rights) took special care in the first ammendment. Not only did
they not use language which made it sound like the government was
granting the right of free religion to the peoplem they did more.
They made two specific prohibitions: one against any law concerning
an establishment of religion, and the other prohibiting any
interference with the free exercise of religion. Those who claim
that the "founding fathers" only intended to protect Christianity
have not read much of Thomas Jefferson or Thomas Payne - or a few
others. And the funny thing is that some of the people making such
claims belong to denominations which did not exist at the time the
Constitution was written - so by their own argument, they would not
be protected, either! And so we come to Rav Patrick McCollum, a
Wiccan chaplain who is well known in the field. He applied to the
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and they
refused to look over his qualifications! Why? Because he is not of
one of the five faiths which they select their chaplains from. They
also exclude Hindus and Buddhists. Why? If you've ever visited
California, you will find plenty of Buddhist and Hindus. Is anyone
going to claim that none of them have ever been forced to serve a
sentence? There is much which can be done, and I'm trusting you to
learn what that might be. If it can be done to any one, it can be
done to anyone, so now is the time to make our voices known. And if
all of our voices are heard, people will realize that we will not
back down. After all, we are talking about a right which the
Founding Fathers saw as being beyond government's reach. Blessed
Be!
read less
Download this podcast
Latest Episodes for this Channel
Fri March 05 2010
A most basic right. In fact, it is one of your most basic rights!
That's religious freedom. The gentlemen who wrote the first ten
ammendments to the U...
read more
A most basic right. In fact, it is one of your most basic rights!
That's religious freedom. The gentlemen who wrote the first ten
ammendments to the United States Constitution (known as the Bill of
Rights) took special care in the first ammendment. Not only did
they not use language which made it sound like the government was
granting the right of free religion to the peoplem they did more.
They m...
read more
A most basic right. In fact, it is one of your most basic rights!
That's religious freedom. The gentlemen who wrote the first ten
ammendments to the United States Constitution (known as the Bill of
Rights) took special care in the first ammendment. Not only did
they not use language which made it sound like the government was
granting the right of free religion to the peoplem they did more.
They made two specific prohibitions: one against any law concerning
an establishment of religion, and the other prohibiting any
interference with the free exercise of religion. Those who claim
that the "founding fathers" only intended to protect Christianity
have not read much of Thomas Jefferson or Thomas Payne - or a few
others. And the funny thing is that some of the people making such
claims belong to denominations which did not exist at the time the
Constitution was written - so by their own argument, they would not
be protected, either! And so we come to Rav Patrick McCollum, a
Wiccan chaplain who is well known in the field. He applied to the
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and they
refused to look over his qualifications! Why? Because he is not of
one of the five faiths which they select their chaplains from. They
also exclude Hindus and Buddhists. Why? If you've ever visited
California, you will find plenty of Buddhist and Hindus. Is anyone
going to claim that none of them have ever been forced to serve a
sentence? There is much which can be done, and I'm trusting you to
learn what that might be. If it can be done to any one, it can be
done to anyone, so now is the time to make our voices known. And if
all of our voices are heard, people will realize that we will not
back down. After all, we are talking about a right which the
Founding Fathers saw as being beyond government's reach. Blessed
Be!
read less
Fri February 26 2010
A while back, I spoke of your devotional life, and how that
provided you with a compass for staying on course. So, what else do
you need? In my younge...
read more
A while back, I spoke of your devotional life, and how that
provided you with a compass for staying on course. So, what else do
you need? In my younger days, I learned how to handle a fairly
large boat, and I attended US Power Squadron courses with my
parents. I learned how to navigate a boat on a river. Later, I
learned to fly an airplane, and that included the basics of how to
navigate an airpla...
read more
A while back, I spoke of your devotional life, and how that
provided you with a compass for staying on course. So, what else do
you need? In my younger days, I learned how to handle a fairly
large boat, and I attended US Power Squadron courses with my
parents. I learned how to navigate a boat on a river. Later, I
learned to fly an airplane, and that included the basics of how to
navigate an airplane. And then, in the Air Force, I learned how to
find my way on land, including if I was in a place where someone
might dispute my right to be there. I used a compass in all three
cases, but I also used a map. And so, what is our map for our
spiritual journey? It's something we know, and it's something we
need to get to know. And it does not limit itself to spiritual
matters, either. It applies in other forms of endeavor, perhaps
especially the business world. You can tell the people who don't
have a map - they wander around like they don't know where they're
going - but they probably will claim that they know. In the
business world and in the supposedly-organized world of more
esstablished faiths, it can sometimes be obvious to anyone who
knows what to look for. In spiritual matters, it might not be as
immediately evident - but it is there to be seen. And so, what is
this map, and how can we use it? It's more than a map. It functions
as the base camp for your spiritual expeditions, too! Blessed Be!
read less
Fri February 19 2010
February 20th is Tempest Smith Day. Tempest Kayne Smith died on
February 20, 2001. She was twelve years old. Many spiritual paths
commemorate the life...
read more
February 20th is Tempest Smith Day. Tempest Kayne Smith died on
February 20, 2001. She was twelve years old. Many spiritual paths
commemorate the life of a person on the anniversary of the person's
death. The facrt that some Christian churches commemorate saints'
days on the day of their death does not mean they have anything
anywhere near exclusive. It comes from the Jewish Jahrzeit and
ever-so-m...
read more
February 20th is Tempest Smith Day. Tempest Kayne Smith died on
February 20, 2001. She was twelve years old. Many spiritual paths
commemorate the life of a person on the anniversary of the person's
death. The facrt that some Christian churches commemorate saints'
days on the day of their death does not mean they have anything
anywhere near exclusive. It comes from the Jewish Jahrzeit and
ever-so-many other customs. Tempest Smith died by her own hand, the
victim of incessant bullying, and it appears that most of the
bullying was because she was a Wiccan. I see her as a patron where
two issues are concerned. One is religious freedom. Some people
claim that there is religious freedom in the United States of
America, but there didn't seem to be enough to protect Tempest
Smith. The other issue is that of victims of bullying. There is
much to be said here, and Itry to say it. And next Tempest Smith
Day, bring friends! One day it will be a real event. Blessed Be!
read less
Fri February 12 2010
Friends in the very highest places - you have them, and probably
plenty of them. Every spiritual path has them, and there are many
terms used to descr...
read more
Friends in the very highest places - you have them, and probably
plenty of them. Every spiritual path has them, and there are many
terms used to describe them. My favorite is the pair of terms
"Celestial Masters" and Ascended Masters". The difference is that
we know for sure that Ascended Masters were once people just like
the rest of us. Celestial Masters might not have ever been our kind
of huma...
read more
Friends in the very highest places - you have them, and probably
plenty of them. Every spiritual path has them, and there are many
terms used to describe them. My favorite is the pair of terms
"Celestial Masters" and Ascended Masters". The difference is that
we know for sure that Ascended Masters were once people just like
the rest of us. Celestial Masters might not have ever been our kind
of human. Every tradition has them under one label or another, or
maybe even a combination of labels. If you look at the Christian
saints, for instance, you will find some who "just happen to match"
with Pagan gods and goddesses - they were "adopted" by the
Christians. And, it seems apparent that they care about us. Also,
some of them have reason to share interests and concern with us,
especially Ascended Masters who had a concern during the time when
they were on the same plane as you and I are now. All this leads to
some great possibilities - and some great opportunities for
spiritual exploration. Please note that they don't have to be on
someone else's list to be on your list, any more than someone else
would need to choose which deities you work with. In both cases,
that's your business! And you just might discover some interesting
"folks" waiting to help you. Blessed Be!
read less
Fri February 05 2010
We need to pause and take a look at groups. A group may be in your
future. Perhaps more than one group might be in your future. I help
preside over at...
read more
We need to pause and take a look at groups. A group may be in your
future. Perhaps more than one group might be in your future. I help
preside over at least one such group, and two if you count the
place in cyberspace. And I like to think that they are good groups
which benefit all of their members. I also recall the groups that
I've walked away from, and one group that I ran away from! In the
rig...
read more
We need to pause and take a look at groups. A group may be in your
future. Perhaps more than one group might be in your future. I help
preside over at least one such group, and two if you count the
place in cyberspace. And I like to think that they are good groups
which benefit all of their members. I also recall the groups that
I've walked away from, and one group that I ran away from! In the
right group, you will learn more, and you will learn more quickly
than you ever could learn alone. In the wrong group, you'll learn
the "party line" and little else. In the right group, you can agree
that you disagree within very reasonable limits. In the wrong
group, sometimes even agreeing can get you shunned. In the right
group, you can have friends and confidantes to share life's
burdens. In the wrong group, pseudo-human vipers can gossip your
family, your career and even your life into oblivion. In the right
group, you will find fellowship and affirmation. In the wrong
group, you might be manipulated into saying and doing things which
you regret later. That's one of the reasons for Isaac Bonewits'
"Cult Evaluation Frame" which I will recommend to any and all. And
there are a few more signs to watch out for. It is important to
know what to beware of. And there are some signs which you might be
able to see. Some faith is not supposed to be blind. Sometimes
faith requires your eyes to be open. Blessed Be!
read less
Just Plain Bill Show - Attorney, Marine, Patriot, Citizen... | Blog Talk Radio Feed
Just Plain Bill Show - Attorney, Marine, Patriot, Citizen... | Blog Talk Radio Feed
