Heard it on the News Today

It's getting impossible to stay away
From the reality of the world in which we play,
We're connected all the time
Cameras catch every single crime.

Used to be you had to wait to hear
The awful news we've come to fear.
But now that we're all plugged in
Check the iPhone before your day can begin.

So if I heard it on the news
No one can shelter any of our youth.
These kids have to grow up really fast
Hardly any time to learn from the errors of the past.

So all of us have to hear about
The senseless shootings, bullying and endless crime.
Floods, tornados, catastrophes to boggle the mind
Is Armegeddon coming from the flaws of mankind?

If we can't shelter the little one at play
What is it that we're supposed to say?
Yet just yesterday I also saw on TV
A young women telling the world that it doesn't have to be.

She was using the power of her voice
She had been poor and homeless, but had made a choice.
This young women shared a powerful idea
Nothing is impossible if you have love to share.

That message has been around from way before Jesus' day
But it was sure nice that I heard it on the news today.
Just like the Bible said way back when
Eventually we'll all hear the good news again.

Nostradamus, Kabbalah, Revelation too
Doesn't matter if you were born Muslim, Christian, or Jew.
Mankind has a light within that was born out of love
And we all have the freedom to tackle our ego and spiritually rise above.

© Sheryl A. Skutelsky, 2012. All rights reserved

Tolerance

All this war and blame
In each religion's name.
How can man against man fight
If God is all about love and light?

My religion tells it this way
No, mine says you can't be gay
Wait, mine says you're not going to heaven
Well, I'm going to die and get virgins, eleven.

Mohammed is right.
Jesus has the insight.
No, the Torah is older
But the Koran is much bolder.

How does anyone really know?
Have you seen a bush aglow?
Have you or you been to the other side?
I'd like to speak to one who's died.

Who gave us the right to judge one another?
Jesus said to show love to your brother.
The common thread was supposed to be love
But we're bogged down in push and shove.

Tolerance toward each other wouldn't be so hard
If we remembered that we all worship the same God.
We'd be teaching tolerance from the start
If we took each prophet's message straight from thier heart.

Each individual has thier own story
Some were taught to give God the glory.
Other's wonder if God even exists these days
Some let their own ego take all the praise.

Live and let live with love, not hate
Just in case there is a pearly gate.
If we could spend less time judging our fellow man
We'd have more time to see the bigger plan.

Yes, there is some true evil out there
There are some forces that we need to fear.
But if each of us could just see the big picture from above
We'd see how alike we really are when viewed through love.

Tolerance toward each other wouldn't be so hard
If we remembered that we all worship the same God.
We'd be teaching tolerance from the start
If we took each prophet's message straight from their heart.

The religions are all man made
Over time the message could fade.
Based on the prophet's word
Passed down from those alive that heard.

The light and love deep inside
That's what we shouldn't hide.
We're all just energy holding together each atom's glow
It's the individual spirit that we each need to know.

© Sheryl A. Skutelsky, 2012. All rights reserved.

Is My Mom in Heaven?

I've been having a continuing dialogue with my cousin in California. He became a Jew for Jesus many years ago, and one of his main arguments is that you can only find final salvation through Jesus. He bases this on the New Testament passage where Jesus states that he is "the way".

I have to say that I find it hard to believe that only Christians will be finding final salvation with the Lord. What about the millions of good people out there who are Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhists, or even agnostics and atheists? Does my cousin really believe that none of these good people can find heaven?

I know that all true Christians believe the same thing that my cousin is always preaching. However, through my research, I've found many books written on the topic of Christian mysticism. One thing that many scholars agree on is that Jesus, like many of the rabbis or teachers of his time, was most likely a student of Kabbalah. If you look at the New Testament as a work written by a student of Kabbalah, you can see Jesus in a whole new way.

Much of what Jesus taught can easily be traced to the "hidden" lessons that were verbally shared by the Kabbalists of his time. For instance, in stating the he is the way and the light, one could also look at it as his hidden meaning being that the "secrets" that he is teaching is the true way to God or the Light rather than belief in him. When asked if he is the son of God, He answers that the Romans are putting words in his mouth. Jesus continually pointed out that we are all children of the Light.

I have a very open mind toward all religions, but I do have a problem with any religion that states that it is the ONLY way to reach God. It is this very attitude that creates the lack of love in this world. One of Jesus' basic teachings is that we must love one another - saint and sinner alike.

My mother, for instance, was a wonderful, loving individual (May she rest in peace.) Last time I asked my cousin if he was certain that my mother is not in heaven right now, he answered that he was absolutely certain. I commend my cousin on his faith, but until his time comes to reconnect with his relatives after death, I find it very hard to understand his certaintly that my mother is not in heaven.