I wonder how you define freewill, I’m a bit theologically curious. I don’t think God is as non judgmental as you seem to [think], and I think you are giving him a get out of jail free card on some things. And my bias is Christian… V.
Thanks for the comment and question. (Here’s my answer. I’m sure others would have other answers.)
More important than my understanding of freewill and more important than our differences in our beliefs is the question, “What do we do with our beliefs?”
The world will never have “Peace on Earth, and Goodwill towards all men” if we think we all must believe the same way, because that’s not going to happen. But, if we look at the question of what do we do with our beliefs, or to what use do we put our beliefs, or how do our own beliefs serve us?, then as we answer this or these questions, our answers will determine how we treat and relate to God, ourselves, and each other.
If we use our beliefs to strengthen our kindness, our compassion, our understanding, mercy and forgiveness, our support, our encouragement, our willingness to hold the hand of those who need a helping hand, then we will find that the world does indeed gain more “Peace on Earth and Goodwill towards all men.”
But, if we use our beliefs to condemn, to criticize, to judge, or to carry out our own vengeance, or our own bitterness, resentment, or hatred, then we will not achieve that which Christ has come to establish. We can use our beliefs to bury people in guilt and shame. We can use our beliefs to symbolically stone people to death, until they despair and lose all sense of hope for themselves. We can use our beliefs to chain and imprison people in blame. We can use our beliefs in any number of ways to bury people under the weight of the entire world, if we want to choose that.
Regardless of what God chooses to do, to judge or not judge, we can choose, within our own hearts and minds, the beliefs, acts, thoughts and feelings which we want to follow and become who we choose to be. This is how I define freewill – making a choice on our/my own actions, our/my own feelings, our/my own thoughts, and our/my own beliefs, and then following through with them.
This may seem to some people to contradict the fact that we live on a planet that has a system of justice and imprisonment. This is a reality on our planet, but each of us still has the choice within us as to whether we condemn another or hate another within our own heart. Even those that commit crimes, that go through our criminal system, and that are imprisoned – these men and women are loved by someone, and most certainly by Christ, in addition to being the recipients of Infinite Love from our Infinite God, who also offers Infinite Forgiveness, Infinite Understanding, Infinite Mercy to you, me and everyone else.
This means that everyone, no matter what we, of our own freewill have chosen to act out, or think, or believe, — everyone is already worthy enough to be loved — with no exceptions — and no one can stop this love going to another person. We can only stop what comes to ourselves.
When we realize this is for all of us, and let the Infinite Expressions of God come forth for all of us, then we have (to use the common phrase) “accepted the keys to the kingdom” – the keys to that existence where Infinite Forgiveness, Infinite Mercy, Infinite Understanding, Infinite Patience, Infinite Compassion and Infinite Love all exist and are ours both within and without.
But, wait, there’s more. (Sorry, it was too tempting to write that sentence.) We don’t have to wait until we die to accept this, because of our own freewill, we can choose – within our hearts and minds today to act, to think, to relate, to treat others from that place within us where God lives and where we can draw upon Infinite Mercy, Infinite Patience, Infinite Forgiveness, Infinite Understanding and Infinite Love when dealing with each other. This is called, “creating a Heaven on Earth.”
God has given us freewill to make our own choices. These choices of actions, feelings, emotions, thoughts, beliefs and more, – we make these choices every minute of every day. As humans, we are a mixed bag of all of these, including being judgmental and condemning at times. With that, it’s not unheard of our wanting God to follow our lead and be like we are, judging who and what we judge, rather than us follow Christ’s lead – being patient, forgiving and merciful – letting go of judgement.
Thank you, again, for your comments and question. This is how I answer, and I’m sure it is very different than many others’ answer.
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“None of us understands God, as much as God understands God.” (The Rainbow Cards, ©, 2014, Jodie Senkyrik)
“As we pray for others, so are we praying for ourselves.” (The Rainbow Cards, ©, 2003-2015, Jodie Senkyrik)
“To successfully forgive, we must let go of the benefits we believe we get from NOT forgiving.” (The Rainbow Cards, ©, 1999-2015, Jodie Senkyrik)
“Feeling peace is not experiencing God. Helping someone else feel peace is experiencing God.” (The Rainbow Cards, ©, 1999-2015, Jodie Senkyrik)
A Psychic's View of . . . 
This is very beautiful. I will read it several times. I like the part about keys to the kingdom & not being able to block love from anyone but yourself. Thank you for sharing. I have experienced GOD as infinite love…so abundant..beyond our normal daily human comprehension. Yet something accessible that, like you say, anyone can choose at anytime.
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Jodie,
What a profound and insightful post!
I think it is important to point out to people that God, the Buddha and Sages etc. act only from boundless compassion and loving kindness. They have neither partiality nor thoughts of discrimination. In fact, they cannot act in any manner that contradicts loving kindness, impartiality, equanimity and boundless compassion.
While many may read the Bible or other scriptures and feel that there is plenty of fiery condemnation, and if they proceed to use those words to cause contention or abuse others, then they are reading it through their own grainy lens and interpretation, not that of God.
What we need to understand is that Sages and so forth can only feel goodwill towards all beings (be they good, bad, rich, noble, arrogant, hateful, devious, confused, deluded, angry, evil, or indifferent.).
Thus, every word recorded in the scriptures must be read as spoken with a heart of absolute compassion. Just like a loving father’s admonishment or punishment is done out of utmost care and concern, not out of jealousy or hatred.
Therefore, if we appropriate the words of the God and use it to bolster our own egoistic partisan causes, cut others down or further inhumane initiatives, we are doing the same as trading an ounce of gold for an ounce of copper.
The correct way to approach the Bible and other scriptures is to not wield it like a weapon, but to use it to better oneself, to better our own virtues. It is for earnest self reflection, not for outward criticism. It is for teaching, not propaganda or discrimination.
In other words, and as the Ven Master Chin Kung often states: Don’t fill your own head with other people’s faults and business; concern yourself only with rectifying your own faults.
Moreover, as the Venerable Patriach Yin Guang states in his famous teaching:
………”Always feel remorse and be penitent. Even if we are skilled in cultivation, we must be humble and regard our own abilities as inferior. Never should we indulge in superbia.”
“Instead of prying into the affairs or feuds of others, we should focus on ordering our own house. Furthermore, we should see only the merits of others, and not their faults or evils.”
“For humility’s sake, we must consider everyone else to be exalted Bodhisattvas—but ourselves as mere mortals.”
“Those who observe these instructions will definitely achieve rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.”
Namo Amitabha,
Bc
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Thank you for your contribution here.
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