I cannot say I agree with this whole-heartedly, but I do beleive that there is no reason to believe that one is above or better than another due to a difference in religion. I see the animosity especially from many Christians, who should remember these Scriptures before being rude to one of another faith:
"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14-15)
"Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." (Luke 6:36-38)
"For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you." (Matthew 7:2)
Is it not clear? Anyone who fails in these things, will calling himself a Christian save him? Anyone who obeys God in these things, will being unbaptized condemn him? Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." (Matthew 7:21)
The following was e-mailed to me by a friend, who is Wiccan, and she does not know to whom I should give credit.
"Well, it had been yet another bad day in the office, and once again it was
the fault of that new girl, MaryAnne. She is one of those Wiccans, a so
called witch. How can anyone in their right mind make this claim, knowing
that it goes against God and all of the teachings of the bible? She
doesn't even have the common decency to keep her satanic symbol, her
pentagram necklace hidden from the view of the decent, God fearing people in
the office. She has some nerve. I find that I cannot hate her for this
though, for I know that she has been deceived. Satan works his evil in ways
that she cannot see. I've seen that so called Wiccan Rede that she has
tacked to the wall above her computer. On the surface, it looks like a
decent loving belief, but all one must do is look, look closely and see that
by practicing this way, and not embracing Jesus Christ as savior, she is on
the pathway to hell. As I've said, it was a bad day in the office. Three
times in the past few weeks I have been called in to see my supervisor, and
he has told me that I am not allowed to preach to MaryAnne the word of God,
to show her the error of her ways. Today, my supervisor told me that if I
continue to "harass" MaryAnne, he will be forced to terminate me. How can he
say this? He himself is a God fearing man. And, how can he be so tolerant of
the evil that he sees insinuating itself into our workplace?
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And we were back on the pathway. We traveled a bit further along, and then
were in the parlor of a funeral home. A young woman was kneeling before the
casket, resting her head on it and crying. I could see by the similarity,
that this dead man must be her father.
God knelt beside her, and drew His arms about her. "Miss him, that is all
right, but weep not for him, for now he is with Me". She wiped her eyes,
and stood with a sad smile upon her face, and said "Good-bye Daddy. I'll
miss you," and turned and left the room.
And we were back on the pathway. We walked a little ways, and we were in
front of a large lodge of some kind. I could hear music and laughter
spilling out of the windows. I turned to look at God, and was shocked to
see, not the flowing white robe, but Him wearing leather and animal furs,
his hair and beard now the color of wheat, and a sword strapped across His
back. He strode forth, and I saw him approach a figure I had not seen
before. As I looked close, I was shocked to see that it was the same face
that I had just seen dead, but looking young and strong, and dressed in
ancient looking garb, an ax strapped to his waist. God strode up to him
and grabbed him in a great bear hug. "Welcome my son. We've been waiting for
you. Now, go inside and raise a cup or two, and meet with your brother."
And, with a hearty slap on the back, he sent the man inside.
And then we were back on the pathway. We walked a bit further, and then we
were in a mosque. At least I believed so, as I had never been in one before,
but had seen pictures of them. The group of worshippers was not large, but I
could see their rapt faces as they listened to the mullah speak. He was
speaking to them of purity, both of the mind and the body, bringing them
closer to Allah. And as he spoke, God, dressed now in the robes of the
desert, walked among them and briefly laid his hands upon each set of
shoulders. And, from their faces, I could see that these men knew that the
words of the mullah were true, and that their spirits felt touched by God.
And then we were back on the pathway. After we had walked a bit, we found
ourselves in an African village. People with skin as black as night, the
women with their breast shamelessly bared, were dancing in a circle, to the
rhythm of the drums being played by a group of men. Somehow though, I was
not offended by the bared breasts, and the music seemed to seep into my
soul. God was then a mighty lion, and He let forth a mighty roar. The
villagers did not seem to hear, but the drums increased their pounding, and
the dancers danced with a frenzy. And then we were back on the pathway.
We walked a bit more, and were on the top of a cliff. There sat, painted and
covered with feathers, an old Navajo man. As I watched, he seemed to
change into the form of an eagle and take flight, and we were flying with
him, soaring high into the air, seeing the vista spread out below us. And
God, in the form of an eagle Himself, seemed to guide this other eagle thru
the air, over mountains and thru valleys, until he came upon a group of men.
As I watched, the old Navajo man was no longer an eagle, but a young boy
instead, and he sat at the feet of these men, to listen to the words of his
elders.
And then we were back on the pathway. We traveled a bit, and then we were
in a forest clearing. I knew this place. It was known as a place of devil
worship and evil. In the center of the clearing roared a great bonfire, and
kiwi torches outlined a circle of sorts. Inside this circle, in a circle
themselves, stood 7 men and 6 women, dressed in robes of varying colors,
their arms raised to the moon. Was that one woman MaryAnne? I really
couldn't be sure. And God walked among them in the circle, touching each
one. He seemed not to be an older man now, but as he made each of three
turns around the circle, he was first a young girl, bouncing with energy,
then a woman of middle years, with a tender smile for all Her children, and
finally, an old woman, body bent, but holding Her head up with pride. And a
woman stepped forward, and yes, it was MaryAnne, and lifted her head to the
sky. "Great Goddess, Mother of us all, thank you for joining us tonight.
Stay if You will, go if You must. Know in our hearts You will always be
welcome.Blessed be!!"
And we were back on the pathway. As we walked along, ahead in the distance I
saw the most beautiful man. Yes, beautiful, though I would never normally
think of a man this way. With blonde hair, and a golden robe, he seemed to
radiate sunshine. God and this golden man nodded to each other as they
passed, sharing a smile together. "My Lord" I asked, "was that an angel?"
"Well, yes, he is known as that to some. He is also known to some as a god
himself. That was Lucifer" And His words caused me to stumble. I couldn't
believe that we had just passed the ultimate evil. God looked at me, and
He knew my mind. And he chuckled a bit. "Think about it logically My
son. The Lucifer that you know is a fallen angel, cast out of heaven for
challenging Me. If I am the all powerful being, above all others, how could
he do this? How could I allow it?" "But, in the bible...." I stammered.
"The Bible is a wonderful book, as are the Koran and the Torah and many
others, but they are just books, written by the hand of man, not written by
Me. And, it's a bit confusing as well if the truth be known, but that's
not up to Me to fix. These books are wonderful, but only as guidance, for
each man and woman must think for themselves." And, I believed He was right
in this. "Now, come forth, we must journey a little more before you go
back" and He took my hand once again.
As we followed the pathway, we soared thru the stars, listening to the music
of the heavens, we became a little flower and a mighty oak, we became a
babbling brook, and a mighty ocean. We flitted from flower to flower as a
little honey bee, and ran across the plains as a mighty stallion.
And, all too soon the pathway returned us to my home. God held my hand a
moment longer, and smiled into my face. "My son, you prayed tonight for a
true vision of Me. For vision, you must only open your eyes and see what
there is to see. Good night to you". And then He was gone, and I was back
in my bed. A dream I thought, only a dream, that couldn't have been real.
At that time, a bolt of lightning lit up my room thru the window, and
thunder crashed thru the sky, and I thought I heard, from seemingly far
away, "Remember, the Lord works in mysterious ways My son".
This morning as I entered the office, I went to the machine for a cup of
coffee, and standing there, I spied MaryAnne. As I approached her, I could
see her barely cringe, and I could see in her face that she was expecting
yet another onslaught from me and my book. She seemed to cast her eyes
about for a way to escape, but there was none. I walked up to her and
smiled. "I think I owe you a bit of an apology" I said. "I've been a bit
narrow minded of late, and I really had no right to subject you to what I
did. It's not up to me to say how you find your path to your spirit, and I
was wrong to think that was so," MaryAnne just stood there, not knowing
what to say. "So, I just wanted to say that I'm so sorry, and I hope you
will forgive my trespass. God bless you MaryAnne, and...uh.... Blessed Be?"
You know, I always thought that it was just a saying, about peoples jaws
dropping to the floor, but MaryAnne did her best at that moment to prove me
wrong."
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