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Caroline Hutchinson has been the husky voice on breakfast radio on the Coast for a decade. Always one with a heart for a good cause, she's also the driving passion behind 92.7 Mix FM’s successful Give Me Five for Kids campaign which has raised more than $1 million for sick kids. Might there be just one God?
| Caroline Hutchinson
Is it just me or does everyone suspect there might be just one God?
I’m Catholic and I love God very much. I don’t subscribe to every thing the Catholic Church has to say – but I’ve got my reasons for staying in the fold.
Those reasons are between God and me.
I don’t know if it’s considered blasphemous, but I think I’ve believed in one God all my life; same mountain, different path to the top. Something like that.
It’s only recently when Australians became nervous about Islam that I have tried to make sense of that thought.
Put simply, I suppose I just don’t think God is as interested in rules and divisions as man appears to be.
Religion has been a brutal tyrant in His name, and I consider that the worst sin of all.
Muslim extremists are completely out of step with God and the Quran, in the same way IRA bombers are out of step with God and Catholicism, and the Oklahoma bombers were out of step with God and the Pentecostal churches.
There is a new movement called One World One God, I don’t know much about it and I don’t have any faith that we’ll all eventually sort out our differences, but I like to think someone is trying.
I’m baring my little Christian soul for a reason by the way. A friend of mine has just been appointed the interim head of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils.
Haset Sali is his name and he’s one in a million.
I’m sure he’d hate me to tell you, but I first got to know Haset through his generosity. Every now and then on the air at Mix FM we tell the story of someone doing it tough. Haset is often the first person to donate.
He’s also one of the best known blokes I know, in business, in Alex, at the gym, in politics, even in Shepparton, Victoria, where I used to live, everybody knows Haset.
To be honest, I hope he becomes even more famous. As the author of a new book, “The Holy Quran Simply: A Simple English Translation” and as a high-profile moderate Muslim leader.
I’ve always respected Muslims. Equally, I’ve had doubts and fears about what sort of messages might be hidden in the Quran.
In everything, however, I believe what unites us as humans is a lot more significant than what divides us, so in honour of Haset’s appointment, I thought I’d investigate the obvious similarities between mainstream, warring, religions.
A very small step on the road to peace.
Did you know “Allah” is the Aramaic word Jesus used when praying to God? In Hebrew the word is “Eloh”, meaning the same thing, God.
One Islamic website claims the prophet Moses revealed the Torah, the prophet Jesus revealed the gospel and the prophet Mohammed revealed the Quran.
All three prophets appear in all three books. Even the scarves worn by Muslim women are worn in respect of Mary, mother of Jesus.
Then, there’s Lent and Ramadan, the fact Islam has a Lord’s Prayer, and even the Ten Commandments can be found in the Quran.
In fact, large tracts of the Quran can be found almost word for word in the Bible. I’m not sure about the Torah, but I’m willing to make a bet. I don’t know exactly when the wires got crossed, but I believe with all my heart that at some point we all agreed.
Above all else, and regardless of any horror perpetrated by their followers, all three faiths preach peace.
Obviously, this issue is a lot more important than I could ever give it credit. I’m just very proud of Haset and look forward to leaders like him bridging the gap.
And, on that note, I’m going to leave you with my favourite Haset quote.
He said, “God does not belong to us, nor the Christians, nor does God belong to the Jews. It is we who belong to God.”
God speed my friend.
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Recent Comments
Even the isolated natives found in the jungles of Peru and other countries worship the equivalent of 'God'.
God Bless You, Carolyn.
Her imaginary friend is interfering with her interpretation of reality.
As a responsible adult if god ever starts talking to me I will take myself to hospital.
Hitchhykers Guide to the Galaxy
In this day and age if you still believe in a supreme being then you haven't read enough or you have a bit of a screw loose!
What's wrong with just appreciating the many glories of nature and the universe without having to attach some supernatural voodoo to it?
I am no expert in Buddhism but I do agree with both you and them about there being no supreme being. I'd probably be a Buddhist myself except that their ultimate goal in life is to attain Nirvana, which when you look at is is actually total oblivion. They see life as eternal suffering.
They have to keep coming back to life as various types of creatures until they achieve Enlightenment. Then they can float off into Nirvana and not have to keep coming back to various forms of miserable life again.
I do prefer the No God approach, but I would still like eternal life...as a human, not a cockroach.
And have you noticed it's often mostly the crazies who have the strongest opinions and who (for whatever reason) feel like posting inflammatory comments on newspaper articles? No, they really don't have anything better to do.
It's true Marty that some people post inflammatory comments and I believe that the journos and editors just love them. Some of the journos could even be accused of deliberately lodging inflammatory articles themselves.
Have you noticed how many blog entries there are when the "crazies" come out to play? It's so boring when they are not around. No-one else really bothers.
Let's hear it for the crazies.
Is Sahaja Yoga a religion?
If religion means belief, no. If religion means connection with Reality, the Self or the Divine, whatever your language, then yes. Sahaja Yoga is not an organized religion, but it unites the essence of all religions through direct perception of the subtle, divine reality. Sahaja Yoga is moving spirituality from the realm of dogma into the realm of individual experimentation. It is a practice, a direct experience which is felt on our central nervous system and requires no act of faith to substantiate it.
Anyone who has eyes can see that the sky is blue. Anyone who has their self realization, which is achievable effortlessly through Sahaja Yoga, can feel the cool breeze of the Kundalini (in the Vedic tradition) or Holy Spirit (in the Christian tradition) above their head. Self Realization is a happening that opens a new category of perception to better handle our daily life. Its actualization is at the core of the teachings of Sahaja Yoga. In a way we are given a new sense, connected with the cognitive potential of the limbic area of the brain. We all have a powerful radar up there, waiting to start functioning and improve our navigational skills.
No belief is required before or after this happening. History is alas filled with blind faith and contradictory theories, but the evolution of awareness has taken us to a point where, now, it is possible for those who so desire to know a deeper spiritual truth through direct perception. The conclusions we arrive at through our experience and meditation are our own. No one can take them away from us just as it would be futile for anyone to convince us that the sky is actually green. As Shri Mataji, the founder of Sahaja Yoga emphasizes: we become our own masters.
All major religions of the world were started on the basis of the enlightening teachings of higher masters. Over time, because self realization was not yet available to everyone, their truth was buried under concepts and rituals by the people "in charge". They became rich and powerful. The truth and real essence of the religions faded and became a belief. Sahaja Yoga can for the first time integrate and prove these timeless truths, on our central nervous system, through self realization. It is all, in a sense, scientific, practical and part of a higher plan which has unfolded throughout history to reach its climax in these modern times. It is the next step in the evolution of our awareness.
We may say all this is driven by a mysterious force that we could call Divine love. This step of self improvement is within our collective reach and this is not a business or a money making proposition. We need only have the desire to receive it, and then use it for our benefit and the benefit of the human race.
Thanks for the advice I_Exist, about my getting counselling, but you don't know me well enough to proffer that advice.
They then complained that in this restoration of the church, all of the inside would reflect a masonic lodge setup, not that I have nor would ever attend a masonic lodge for I consider myself a true catholic. I discovered that the new layout of these churches was similar to what I discovered on the internet.
Caloundra catholic church is a classic example of this change where it has been changed to resemble a masonic lodge. I don't understand why we(us catholics) have to mimic the masonic lodge, I was always taught by the brothers that they were a cult that the masonic lodge, come anglican church had broken away from the true church, the catholic church.
Life seem to be like shifting sand these day with all of the changes (generally suttle) to governments , the laws and the local churches changing.
So is it just me or does life seem very superficial and transient these days.