From: God and Goddess or by
whatever name(s) you so choose

To: Our Children of Earth
Re: Idiotic Religious Rivalries

Dear Children (and believe us, this includes all of you), We consider ourselves very patient folks.
We wanted to talk for a moment or two with you about the religions you all go around selling one another. And we wanted you know that we take exception to some of the things we see going on with spirituality and religious institutions.

As our first example, let us look at the Grand Canyon. It took millions of years to get it right. And about evolution? Boy, nothing is slower than designing that whole Darwinian thing to take place, cell by cell, gene by gene. We have been patient through your fashions, civilizations, wars and schemes, and the countless ways you take us for granted until you get yourselves into big trouble repeatedly. We want to let you know about some of the things that are starting to tick us off.

First, your religious rivalries are driving us up a wall. Enough already! Let us get one thing straight: These are YOUR religions, not ours. We are the whole enchilada; we are beyond them all. Every one of your religions claims there is only one of Us (which by the way, is absolutely true. We just have many names.). However, in the next breath, each religion claims it is our favorite one. In addition, each claims we wrote its scriptures personally, and that all the other scriptures are man-made. Oy vey! How do we even begin to put a stop to such complicated nonsense?

Okay, listen up now. We are your Father and Mother, and we do not play favorites among our children. In addition, we hate to break it to you, but we do not write. Our longhand is awful, and we have always been more of doers anyway. Men and women wrote so ALL of your books, including those Bibles. They were inspired, remarkable people, but they also made mistakes here and there. We made sure of that so that you would never trust a written word more than your own living heart. You see, one human being to us, even a bum on the street, is worth more than all the Holy Books in the world. That's just the kind of folks we are. Our spirit is not an historical thing. It is alive right here, right now, as fresh as your next breath. Holy books and religious rites are sacred and powerful, but not more so than the least of you. They were only meant to steer you in the right direction, not to keep you arguing with each other, and certainly not to keep you from trusting your own personal connection with us.

This brings us to our next point about your nonsense. You act as if we need you and your religions to "stick up" for us or "win souls" for our sake. Please, do not do us any favors. We can stand quite well on our own, thank you. We do not need you to defend us, and we do not need constant credit. We just want you to be good to each other.

One more thing is that we are not all worked up over money or politics, so stop dragging our names into your dramas. For example, we swear to us , that we never threatened Oral Roberts. We never rode in any of Rajneesh's Rolls Royce collection. We never told Pat Robertson to run for President, and we have never, EVER had a conversation with Jim Baker, Jerry Falwell, or Jimmy Swaggart! Of course, come Judgment Day, We certainly intend to...

We would very much like you to stop thinking of religion as some sort of loyalty pledge to us. The true purpose of your religions is so that YOU can become more aware of us, not the other way around. Believe Us, We know you already. We know what is in each of your hearts, and we love you with no strings attached. Lighten up and enjoy us. This is what religion is really designed to do for you and us. What you seem to forget is how mysterious we are. You look at the petty differences in your scriptures and say, "Well, if THIS is the truth, then THAT can't be." Instead of trying to figure out Our Paradoxes and Unfathomable Nature, which by the way, you NEVER will, why not open your hearts to the simple common threads in all religions. You now what we are talking about: Love and Respect everyone. Be kind, even when life is scary or confusing.

Take courage and be of good cheer, for we are always with you. Learn how to be quiet, so you can hear our still, small voice. (We do not like to shout). Leave the world a better place by living your life with dignity and gracefulness, for you are our own children. Hold back nothing from life, for the parts of you that can die surely will, and the parts that cannot, will not.

This is a simple set of ideas. Why do you keep making it so complicated? It is as if you are always looking for an excuse to be upset. Moreover, we are very tired of being your main excuse. Do you think we care whether you call us...Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah, Diana, Wakantonka, Brahma, Cerridwen, Father, Mother, God, Goddess, or even the Void of Nirvana? Do you think we care which of our special children you feel closest to, Jesus, Mary, Buddha, Krishna, Gerald, Muhammad, or any of the others? You can call our special ones and us any name you choose, if only you would go about our business of loving one another as we love you. How can you keep neglecting something so simple?

We are not telling you to abandon your religions. Enjoy your religions, honor them, and learn from them, just as you should enjoy, honor and learn from your parents. Do you walk around telling everyone that your parents are better than theirs are? Your religion, like your parents, may always have the most special place in your hearts; we do not mind that at all.

In addition, we do not want you to combine all the Great Traditions in One Big Mess. Each religion is unique for a reason. Each has a unique style so that people can find the best path for themselves.

Know that Our Special Children, the ones that your religions revolve around, all live in the same place, Our Heart, and they get along perfectly, we assure you. The clergy must stop creating a myth of sibling rivalry where there is none. Our Blessed Children of Earth, the world has grown too small for your pervasive religious bigotries and confusion. Air travel, satellite dishes, telephones, fax machines, rock concerts, diseases, mutual needs and concerns connect the whole planet.

Get with the program! If you really want to help, then commit yourselves to figuring out how to feed your hungry, clothe your naked, protect your abused, and shelter your poor. Moreover, just as importantly, make your own everyday life a shining example of kindness and good humor. We have given you all the resources you need, if only you abandon your fear of each other and begin living, loving and laughing together.

We are not really ticked off. We just wanted to grab your attention because we hate to see you suffer. You have free will to choose your own paths, and we just want you to be happy.

In Perfect Love and Perfect Trust,
Us