Empowerment and Control

Welcome to Practicing Truth. Unfortunately, you're going to have to deal with my voice; I'm still a bit under the weather.

But first, let me credit the music. Control by Zoe Wees. Thank you for stopping by. I hope you take what I say as food for thought. Have a fabulous day!

You are in control of the decisions you make at every moment in time. Deciding what will and will not happen and who will and will not be in your life. No matter the relationship, the situation, or the amount of someone else's influence, yours is the final word.

Now, don't mishear me. I'm not saying that you control everything that happens in your life. You don't. But you are in control of the decisions you make. And it's the decisions you make that determine the quality of your life.

So, why doesn't it seem that way? Why does it seem that you mainly cater to someone else's needs and desires? That you tend to someone else's life more than you tend to your own? Think about their needs before your own?

Well, let's examine that. But first, I want to clarify that I'm not talking about a parent's responsibility for their child. I'm talking about the responsibilities we take on when we enter relationships. And I also want you to understand that I'm speaking from a Western societal perspective. Where the rights of men and women are, at least in theory, equal. Along with the opportunity to create the life one desires.

So, why doesn't it seem that we control our lives? That the needs of others seem to burden us more than our own?

Primarily, and many of you might disagree, it is because our parents, primary caregivers, social systems, and religious institutions have taught most of us we must cede control of our lives to that other than ourselves. To the needs of our society. The deity we believe in. The religion that worships that deity, and many others.

So, first, our parents or primary caregivers teach us what their parents or primary caregivers taught them. What they believe. Then they take us to the places that inculcated their beliefs and allow them to indoctrinate us with what will become ours.

Places that caution us to not be selfish and to first consider the needs of others. Rarely explaining that to be selfish is not wrong, but to be concerned with one's self-interest. That it's the conceited love of self that we must avoid.

Places that teach us to fall to our knees when we need help. That we are not in control. Their god is! We're just along for the ride. And over time, we accept what they're saying; and, later, teach it to our children as well.

But we don't have to ask God for anything! God has already provided everything we will ever need, including the ability to control ourselves!

Empowerment and control of your life begin with recognizing that no matter the stimuli, the final decision to do or not do is yours. And that regardless of the consequences, you never relinquish the power to say yes or no.

However, to become empowered, you must first know who you are. What you stand for. And to know that, you must establish principles. Solid principles that you live by. No matter what.

Empowerment is knowing the truth. Therefore, you must seek and accept the truth no matter where you find it. No matter its bearer. No matter its bearer's agenda. The truth is the truth, regardless of who says it. Consequently, then, when the truth is contrary to what others have taught you, the truth must win!

When you know who you are and have established the principles you live by, you can more easily determine the type of people you want to allow to share your life. People who complement and positively add to your life. People who hold many of the same values. Who act in your best interest and help strengthen you. This is empowerment. This is within your control. They are based on the decisions you make. And you are always in control of those.

Thanks for listening.

© 2023 Beyond The Rituals. All Rights Reserved.

Relationships, Why Won’t The Stars Align?

Good morning. And good, whatever it might be, wherever you are. Welcome to Practicing Truth.

Before I get started, let me credit the music. Someone Like You, by Danielle Ponder. Thank you for stopping by.

I hope you take what I say as food for thought. Have a fabulous day!

Some dream of that special someone and wait much of their lives for them to come along and sweep them off their feet. Someone to love, trust, and share with. Someone who will love them in the way they want to be loved. But then, after they've found that person, they soon find themselves unsatisfied. Everything not what they wanted or thought it was going to be. So the relationship slowly unravels, and no matter the compromise on both sides, the result and the dream pale in comparison.

So, what happened? Why didn't things work out? In fact, why do things always seem to not work out?

You ask, is it me? Are my expectations too high? Unrealistic? Possibly. But most conclude that it was the other person. They misrepresented themselves. Lied. And over time, some become cynical. There's no one for me. No one I can trust. No one to love me like I want to be loved. All, and fill in the blank here, are the same!

But they're not. Some are bad, some are good, some are indifferent, and some are better suited than others. However, none are perfect! And neither are we.

Angels don't custom-make relationships in heaven. Specially designing one person to complement another. We build relationships. Here, on Earth. And though many think relationships begin with attraction and love, they actually start, with personal growth and development. Maturity. Understanding one's self. And recognizing one's own needs in the needs of another.

They continue with vetting, patience, not ignoring warning signs, and paying attention to detail. Attraction and love are but aspects of the foundation of a relationship. To be built upon. Neither together nor alone can either sustain the long-term challenges a relationship might encounter.

To survive, relationships require more than attraction. More than love. They require trust, devotion, teamwork, and a willingness to allow compromises wherein each maintains their dignity. They require the removal of pedestals and a concerted effort to achieve equality, regardless of income or position.

Long-term relationships are like a block of clay. Unformed. And then, over time, with a positive vision and concerted effort transformed into the reality we dreamed it would be.

Thanks for listening.

© 2023 Beyond The Rituals. All Rights Reserved.

Be The Baker!

Welcome to Practicing Truth!

Newsflash! If you’re not taking your life seriously, more than likely, neither is anyone else. That’s not to say there aren’t those who want to control your life. There are. Therefore, you must protect it. The Game of Life is a board game. Your life, however, is not a game. It’s serious business. You only get one. So be careful what you do with it.

No matter the trauma you’ve endured, if you’re still here, you’ve survived it. However, don’t misunderstand. I’m not telling you to get over it. I’m saying you’ve come through it. Address it. Get counseling or whatever you need to learn to cope with its aftermath. But don’t continue to re-live it!

Live responsibly. Know what you want. Set definite goals and do what they require of you to achieve them. Address your weaknesses. Don’t procrastinate!

The decisions you make determine the quality of your life. Quality decisions, quality life. Poor decisions… well, you get the picture. When it comes down to it, our lives are what they are because of the choices we’ve made. It’s not so much that we made bad choices but that we could have made better choices!

Therefore, weigh each decision carefully. Do any research required. Then, once you’re well-informed, take action!

I want to say, “You’ve got this!” But I don’t run a sugar-coating factory. So, if you haven’t done what’s required, you don’t! And until you do what is required, you won’t!

The Philosophy of the Divine Law holds that God has already provided everything we will ever need to build a positive and prosperous life. Regardless of our character, religion, philosophy, or beliefs. And asserts that what God has provided is available to us all. The pious, the atheist, and the indifferent. There are no “Chosen People.” No one singled out for an extra helping of God’s favor. If we lack, it is because, through action or inaction, we’ve created our lack.

Everything within the abundance God has provided has requirements we must satisfy before attaining them. Some require individual effort; others do not. While it takes personal effort to learn a skill or earn a degree, someone else might pay our bills, provide us with shelter, or in other ways, subsidize our lives. But one of the primary principles of this reality is that someone’s labor has to pay for the bread we receive. Even if it’s the baker!

So, to ensure you get what you want in life, do that which is required. My advice? Be the baker!

Thanks for listening.

© 2023 Beyond The Rituals. All Rights Reserved.

Who’s Going To Save Me?

(Music Credit: You’ll Alway Be My Baby by Mariah Carey)

You’re wounded, but you linger on

Everyone you know says you’ve got this.

 But you’ve got to be strong. You go along just to get along,

but you’re thinking, they all must be crazy!

How the hell am I gonna be strong?

Spending the rest of my life alone?

But you smile, and they move on… 

And you wonder who’s, who’s gonna save me?

Life’s a bitch, with your strong face on

No one’s the wiser that you cry all night long

They shower you with hugs and praises, but

You’re thinking, they all must be crazy!

I’m just shuffling along.

Why the hell do they think I’m strong?

But you smile, and they move on… 

And you wonder, who’s going to save me?

Then one day, the light comes on

And you realize you really are strong

You’re thanking those who helped you

with the words, they’ve been saying all along

and they’re thinking, you must be crazy!

And now you’re moving on

Comfortable facing life alone      

Thinking no matter what or who in life shakes me

I’m the one who’s going to save me!

Thanks, for listening.

© 2023 Beyond the Rituals

The State of the Dream

One of the social rules most parents teach their children early in life is to share. Share your toys, share your snacks, share the crayons, and the swing at the playground. At a very young age, most children learn that sharing is how people show they care about each other.

But then, as we age into our teen years and adulthood, something changes. We stop sharing with others as much as we did before. Instead, sharing becomes something we mostly do with the people we know and love. Friends, coworkers, family.

We become more tribal, and some endeavor to deny the rights, they enjoy, to others. Whether based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and any other labels they don’t like.

You don’t have to dig deep into the laws of most countries to find legislation that either favors one group over another or attempts to rectify past wrongs the group in power has done to a minority. In America, civil rights legislation is a glaring example of people’s unwillingness to share.

Today, many celebrate the birth of a man who spent the latter part of his life fighting for equal rights for all. The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Whose “I Have a Dream” speech still reverberates in the hearts and minds of those who yearn to live free of legal discrimination. Not only in America, but around the world.

I ask you. Almost sixty years later, what is the state of Martin Luther King Jr’s dream in America today? The day we celebrate his birthday. Is it a reality, or is it still a dream?

We have integrated schools. Integrated lunch counters. But are we an integrated people sharing equally in America’s rights and freedoms?

Whether you agreed with his politics or his methods, have we achieved the core message he outlined at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., on that fateful August day in 1963? Which was, if our republic is to survive, we must share it. And ensure freedom, equality, and justice for all.

Just something to reflect on. Thanks for listening.

© 2023 Beyond The Rituals. All Rights Reserved.

The Do-Over

When did the truth lose its stature in American society?

Unfortunately, I can't seem to put my finger on exactly when. All I can say is it's been a while.

Committed a crime? Accuse the police, FBI, or whichever agency conducted the search of your property of planting evidence.

Lost your bid for election or reelection? Simple, accuse anyone involved in running the election of rigging it.

No worries, your support base will back your accusations with all the fervor they can muster. No matter how outlandish your claims are.

Why? Because in America, the truth no longer matters. Power does.

Remaining in power, holding on to power, or being near power is all that matters.

Fairness? Equal justice under the law? Ideals of a bygone era.

Accommodating lies? All the rage!

Power corrupts. Even the Christian church has stumbled. Trading their morals and ethics for an extra helping of unneeded rights and a Supreme Court majority of conservative justices.

And like hamsters on wheels, running hard and long to nowhere, most Americans, distracted by clicking "Like" on endless cat videos and TikTok shorts, plod aimlessly along in the mire created by the media's never-ending cash cows of reality shows and faux journalism masquerading as news. Oblivious to the many dangers threatening the republic.

Lost in the din and confusion of disinformation, misinformation, and conspiracy theories, are the voices of reason, honor, integrity, and truth!

It would do us well to remember the admonitions of the robot in the sixties series "Lost In Space." Warning. Warning. Danger, America, danger!

That so many of its citizens would destroy America out of misguided fidelity to a philanderer, adulterer, and proven habitual liar is a phenomenon that will forever fuel scholarly debate. That the truth, no matter how plentiful, could not sway them is a mystery that will generate psychological studies for generations.

What's ironic is they are the people who adopted the slogan "Make America Great Again." Yet, they are trying to dismantle America's system of government and its long-held, if not always followed, mores and ideals. Hoping to replace them with laws and policies based on archaic religious principles that will give them an unfair advantage and keep them in power.

Because many have lost trust in the "American way." Disappointed by politicians who favor their party over the country; Supreme Court rulings that have upended the idea and stability of settled law; and the inability of the federal government to prosecute high-level officials who have broken the law. Most think there's nothing they can do to stop them.

Most Americans don't realize that what is happening is not new. Instead, it is the culmination of the do-over some in America have wanted since Robert E. Lee surrendered the last major Confederate army to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865. Given a voice by the president they overwhelmingly helped to elect in 2016, they would rather destroy America than share it with others.

We'd like to know your thoughts on the matter. Take a moment. Let us know what you think in the comments section.

© 2022 Beyond The Rituals. All Rights Reserved.

The Truth Is Not Enough

When I was a child, I loved Greek Mythology. The stories about the gods, goddesses, titans, and heroes fueled my imagination and entertained me for hours. I can’t remember how or where I got it, but when I was around nine or ten, I had a book about the Greek hero Theseus I took everywhere. It was my prized possession!

But, unfortunately, I left it on my school’s playground after playing with some of my friends, and by the time I remembered it and went back to get it, someone had taken it. I never saw it again. I was sad about it, and for a long time, even longed for it. It was like losing a very close friend.

However, although I thoroughly enjoyed every story. And had often imagined that I was Theseus; I never believed the stories were real. That they had actually happened. They were always stories. This is the reason I don’t understand why people think religious mythology happened. That two people populated the world, that a serpent and an ass talked, and a man lost his strength because someone cut his hair, among many other myths. I find it difficult to believe people who claim to believe these things don’t know better.

So, what’s going on? Why do people accept mythology, superstition, and mysticism instead of seeking and accepting the truth? What is it about religious beliefs that people are afraid to challenge them? Even when facts have proven them wrong.

Some would find it offensive if I told them I don’t thank God for waking me up every morning. Because the truth is, God doesn’t. My brain’s reticular activating system does.

And if I explained that even for a god, waking eight billion people at all times of the day and waking all the animals, birds, spiders, reptiles, and other creatures that sleep, day in and day out, would be highly inefficient; many would bend themselves into pretzels trying to explain why, for their god, it wouldn’t be. They would fall on their swords to defend their beliefs. No matter how absurd.

Religious indoctrination has affected some to where the truth is not enough. In their minds, there has to be something more. Even when there isn’t. And sometimes, in searching for the more they need, people become susceptible to lies, misinformation, conspiracy theories, and pseudo-religious mumbo jumbo.

Alienating themselves from family and friends, they meet others with like minds and join groups with beliefs ranging from the plausible to the bizarre. And some, infused with nationalist-styled patriotism and convinced that their group is all that stands between losing America and saving it, vote and give financial support to politicians and political parties that influence the passage of legislation that furthers their agendas. Legislation that affects us all.

Overturning Roe vs. Wade; striking down a Maine law that blocked taxpayer dollars from funding religious school tuition, and their support of a former high school football coach who lost his job for praying at the 50-yard line after games, are but the tip, of the Supreme Court’s abandonment of the Establishment Clause, iceberg.

The obvious question, then, is now that the Supreme Court has unabashedly revealed itself to be pro-Christian, specifically, pro-white nationalist Christian, where does that leave the rest of America?

The short answer is, if the rest of America does not soon recognize that our system of “checks and balances” is an illusion. And take action before America First, Christian dominionists, and other white nationalist Christian groups can implement agendas that will forever change America’s balance of power; and, in effect, the rights and freedoms of every American citizen. We will lose our Republic.

And though many of you might think I’m an alarmist or hysterical, I am neither. What I am is blunt. What I am offering is the truth. However, I’ll leave it to you to decide whether the truth is enough.

We’d like to know your thoughts on the matter. Take a moment. And let us know what you think in the comments section.

© 2022 Beyond The Rituals. All Rights Reserved.

Purposely Looking Away

Very few will admit that someone has been smart enough to fool them. That they had been gullible and believed what most would have recognized as a scam. Especially when they had gone all-in and bought the deluxe package. Better to live with the loss than with the shame and ridicule of others.

The dynamic changes, however, when the con is a cause and fools millions of others. Among like-minded believers swept up in patriotism and the belief that theirs is a righteous crusade sanctioned by God; feeding on the group's energy and every word of its leader, one doesn't feel gullible, but invincible. And to recognize and admit that one is the victim of a con, is almost impossible!

Such a person was Jason Van Tatenhove, a former spokesperson for the Oath Keepers. A group, he described in his testimony to the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack, as a violent militia and a threat to democracy. Addressing the group's vision for America, Van Tatenhove said:

"I think we saw a glimpse of the vision of what the Oath Keepers is on January 6. It doesn't necessarily include the rule of law. It includes violence. It includes trying to get their way through lies, through deceit, through intimidation, and through the perpetration of violence."

Van Tatenhove added that groups like the Oath Keepers thrive on using lies, rhetoric, and propaganda to sway people. And those who may not know any better can get swept up in the moment. Admitting that at some point, the group had swept him up as well.

However, Van Tatenhove is a rarity. Offended by the Oath Keepers' denial of the Holocaust, he left the group in 2018. But for many in the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys, and other radical right-wing groups, the long trudge into darkness, fueled by denial and deceit, continues.

With the seven public hearings it has aired, the House Committee has exposed the rally in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, for what it really was. An orchestrated, violent attack to mask an attempted coup to keep Donald Trump, the losing candidate, in office. But most of Trump's supporters haven't seen the January 6 hearings. Instead, they've either turned their televisions off, tuned into something they find entertaining, or are watching channels that continue to feed their beliefs.

Because to accept what the committee has proven, they would have to admit that people they genuinely trust lied to them. Their closest friends, their pastors, and political leaders. Even more troublesome, it would force them to acknowledge that Donald Trump is a liar. That he is not the patriot, he claims. And that, by supporting him, neither are they!

So, they're lost! Stuck in the mire or sinking in the quicksand of a swamp designed by Republicans in the House and Senate and conservative members of the Supreme court. Supported by White nationalists, right-wing conservative groups, and White Evangelical Christianity.

They are not watching because to feel better about themselves, they have no choice but to defend Donald Trump. Defending Donald Trump is defending themselves! To hide their guilt and shame, they are purposely looking away. The best interest of the country, be damned!

We’d like to know your thoughts on the matter. Take a moment. And let us know what you think in the comments section.

© Beyond The Rituals. All Rights Reserved.

The Big Lie

Former President Donald Trump's Attorney General, William P. Barr, told the committee investigating the January 6 attack that Trump became "delusional" and began pushing false claims of widespread election fraud that many, including Barr, told him were groundless.

In the recorded deposition, Mr. Barr stated that fraud claims against Dominion Voting Machines and other conspiracy theories the former president embraced were "complete nonsense" and "crazy stuff."

"He's become detached from reality if he believes this stuff," Barr said. Barr also stated that Mr. Trump never gave any "indication of interest in what the actual facts were."

Barr eventually resigned over what he said was Trump's "disservice" to the country. Pangs of conscience? Hmm… I wonder. And if so, why didn't Barr tell the public about what Trump was doing?

Before his resignation as U.S. Attorney General, Barr appeared to be one of the former president's most ardent supporters. And even after leaving office. During his book tour, Barr stated that if Trump was the Republican candidate, he would vote for him again. Which would probably not be the disposition of someone bothered by Trump's "disservice" to the country.

A person concerned about what's best for the country puts the country before their party. But, unfortunately, the GOP, White Nationalists, and eighty percent of voting-age White Evangelical Christians place their party's power designs over the country's best interests. Qualified, unqualified, liar, or thief. All that matters is someone's electability and potential to keep the Republicans in power.

That the Democratic Party stole the 2020 Presidential Election is a lie. A big lie! It's the type of lie that's plausible enough to allow its perpetrators' supporters to suspect it's a lie, but in good conscience, pretend it’s not!

Well, the pretense is over. The January 6 Panel has stripped away the big lie’s ridiculous disguise and exposed its blatant falsity to the harsh light of the truth!

Anyone who has watched these hearings and continues to support Donald Trump and his big lie is not a patriot. They’re either mentally incompetent, a fool, or both!

"The time has come, the walrus said, to talk of many things. Of shoes, ships, and sealing wax. Of Cabbages and Kings."

And in which prison will Donald Trump serve his time, and whether most parties celebrating his conviction will be serving ribs or wings?

We'd like to know your thoughts on the matter. Take a moment. And let us know what you think, in the comments section.

Georgia On My Mind

At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, the political future of the United States might just lie in the hands of Georgia's voters. Whether our republic rises and someday fulfills the lofty ideals set by its founders to ensure equality and justice for all, or descends into the chaos of racial division, injustice, and partisan politics, may well depend on whether Georgia voters elect a qualified candidate, or vote along party lines and elect a glaringly unqualified contender, who lacks political experience.

The qualified candidate, incumbent Raphael Warnock, elected in 2021, is Georgia's junior United States senator. The first Black Democrat elected to the Senate by a former state of the Confederacy, and the first to represent the State of Georgia. Warnock's reelection would help cement the Democrat's hold on the Senate. And with another state pickup, possibly release Joe Biden's agenda from the clutches of Virginia Senator Joe Manchin.

Conversely, the unqualified contender, former football star, business executive, and Trump ally, Herschel Walker, might help the Republicans regain the Senate. Where Walker, a political novice with no discernible policy positions, would be as malleable as clay in the hands of Mitch McConnell. Add Donald Trump's influence to the mix, and Voilà, the United States, would soon circle the proverbial drain. Hyperbole? Hardly.

Georgia. Oh, Georgia. Please come through. If peace, we will find, the road leads back to you!

Why we continually put our republic in the hands of those who are not concerned with its best interest will be the subject of greater minds than mine for decades to come. My focus, however, is the fact that we do and how it affects us.

Through carefully crafted media campaigns, the suggestion that we should vote for Washington outsiders, and non-politicians, has led us to elect many highly idealistic people with questionable, if not destructive, agendas. Think Tea Party, Marjory Taylor Greene, and Donald Trump, among others.

The resulting combination of political inexperience, limited knowledge of foreign policy, and kitchen table solutions to complex issues, has eroded the world's perception of the United States as a global leader.

Instead, our foreign and domestic policy primarily focuses on issues that placate the GOP base to keep Republicans in power. For example, restricting immigration, expelling the adult children of undocumented workers brought to the United States as minors, limiting the rights of the LGBTQ community, banning abortion, and endlessly creating and passing more laws extending religious freedom.

Voting against the best interests of us all, in the belief that favoritism and divisive policies will somehow return us to a time when life in America was better, is a fool's notion. And only serves those who use it to con people whose fear has made them unwilling to share this nation with its other citizens.

However, let me be clear. Although partisan politics, a focus on remaining in power, and the ideas and agendas of inexperienced politicians have divided us and might, inevitably, lead to our social destruction, it was how we voted or that we didn't vote that put them there!

Elections have consequences!

It might serve us well to remember that.

We'd like to know your thoughts on the matter. Take a moment. And let us know what you think, in the comments section.

Thoughts and Prayers…

After most, if not all, of the mass shootings and other acts of violence against America's citizens. Religious leaders, governors, members of Congress, and other state and federal representatives typically convey to the victims' families that they are in their "thoughts and prayers."

Although I understand the sentiment, thoughts, and prayers are not the answer. We are!

To change our situation, we can start by electing and supporting representatives who concern themselves not just with their party affiliation, but with what is in the best interest of all of America's citizens. Those astute enough to recognize that it is not more access to guns that is vital to a civilized society, but well-designed laws to ensure responsible gun ownership.

Night after night, Fox News talking heads spoon-feed their listeners (primarily white, male, Republican, Evangelical Christians) their dose of the party line: LGBTQ marginalization with an extra sprinkling of Transgender discrimination, Critical Race Theory hostility, anti-abortion rhetoric, stolen election lies, QAnon conspiracies, and the dose du jour, the "great replacement" conspiracy theory.

Add congressional representatives who introduce and pass legislation to promote those concepts and use Fox News to pat themselves on the back and pander to their base voters, Republican-controlled statehouses that pass laws to make gun ownership easier and abortion access more difficult. And a Supreme Court recently stacked to support it all. You'll end up with a divided country on the brink of disaster. Today, that's America!

Wonder why people are so angry? They are angry because it benefits the political war chests of power-seeking politicians, bolsters the celebrity status and pockets of social media influencers, and pours billions of advertising dollars into Fox and other right-wing news sites to keep them angry!

Many of the people who claim to be angry don't know why. Yet, would never accept that the media, radical religious leaders, and their political representatives have manipulated them to believe they are. As a result, most, when pressed, find it difficult to elaborate on the issues they claim they're angry about!

Instead, they simply regurgitate the party line, tell you how blind or stupid you are for not understanding, say they will pray for you, and continue to support policies that erode our rights and put our safety at risk.

On May 14, 2022, a white, 18-year-old gunman carried out a racist attack at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing ten people. Thoughts and prayers.

The next day, across the country, a Chinese immigrant killed one and wounded five at a Taiwanese church in Laguna Woods, California. Thoughts and prayers.

On May 24, 2022, ten days after the Buffalo shooting, another 18-year-old gunman shot his grandmother and killed nineteen children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Again. Thoughts and prayers!

Sandy Hook. Thoughts and prayers.

Parkland. Thoughts and prayers.

The list is so long that one wonders: Are our thoughts and prayers vaults filled beyond capacity? Have we become desensitized to the violence?

A positive first step in the right direction is House of Representatives 8. (HR 8). Current federal law does not require unlicensed gun sellers operating online, or at gun shows to conduct background checks before selling someone a firearm. HR 8 would close that loophole.

HR 8 establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties (i.e., unlicensed individuals). The bill passed in the House of Representatives when 8 Republicans joined 232 Democrats in voting for it in February 2019. However, it languished in the Senate.

 Specifically, the bill prohibits a firearm transfer between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check. However, the prohibition does not apply to certain firearm transfers, such as a gift between spouses in good faith.

HR8 also passed with bi-partisan support when the House reintroduced it in March 2021. But again, it has yet to find its way to a Senate vote.

Why? Because Senate Republicans are afraid of their base and want to hold on to power!

But is the right to own a firearm more important than our safety? Than our children's safety?

Now we have something to be angry about!

Angry enough to contact our representatives and demand they pass HR 8!

Angry enough to vote them out of office if they don't!

But are we? Are we angry enough?

Well, at least think about it!

And while you ponder, I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

Be safe out there!

We'd like to know your thoughts on the matter. Take a moment. And let us know what you think, in the comments section.

Are We Insane?

Have you ever given thought to how life would be if far-right Christians got their way and created a theocracy in America? Our republic ruled by their interpretation of the Bible? If you have never read the Bible, you might think, what could be wrong with that? A government, run by the "good book," might be the solution we've been searching for. Okay, fair enough.

However, if you have read the Bible, actually read it, and not just highlighted certain verses on Sundays in church, you should immediately realize that a Bible-based theocracy would make life in America the most oppressive imaginable. And not even Christians, except those in power, would be exempt from its tyranny.

Electing and reelecting Moral Majority, Tea Party, Christian Nationalists, and other right-wing extremists, and yes, they are extremists; as America has done over the last thirty years, has not only divided us, but has eroded our civility and significantly diminished our quality of life. From the Office of the President to the offices of our local city mayors, partisanship and party politics have divided our federal, state, and local governments, and given us ineffective leadership. Yet, despite that, we repeatedly reelect or elect the same or similar representatives!

Election cycle after election cycle, our habit of reelecting the same or similar people and expecting different results, has pushed our republic precariously closer to its social destruction. Are we insane?

In his last book, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, published in 1995, Carl Sagan, astronomer, planetary scientist, cosmologist, astrobiologist, author, and all-around smart guy, predicted an America much like America today:

"I have a foreboding of an America in my children's or grandchildren's time—when the United States is a service and information economy; when nearly all the key manufacturing industries have slipped away to other countries; when awesome technological powers are in the hands of a very few, and no one representing the public interest can even grasp the issues; when the people have lost the ability to set their own agendas or knowledgeably question those in authority; when, clutching our crystals and nervously consulting our horoscopes, our critical faculties in decline, unable to distinguish between what feels good and what's true, we slide, almost without noticing, back into superstition and darkness."

And by dividing us with disinformation, misinformation, conspiracy theories, fear, and injustice, it is into superstition and darkness that those intent on creating a Bible-based theocracy in America are trying to lead us. And many, indoctrinated and conditioned through faith to accept a theocratic understanding of the Bible, manipulated to satisfy a Christian nationalist agenda, blindly follow.

What will it take for us to regain our democratic values? The rights they entail, our sense of justice and fair play, and yes, our sanity?

Perhaps we should examine those countries that are theocracies. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Israel, and others. Is what they have what we want for ourselves?

Maybe you're thinking, well, those countries aren't Christian. So an American theocracy, being Christian, might be better. And I can understand why, as an American, you might think that way. However, because religious beliefs are subjective, I wholeheartedly encourage you to think again!

The truth about God is no one knows the truth about God. Therefore, all beliefs about God are concepts and nothing more than pure speculation. This means that whatever we believe about God is open to interpretation. God, then, can be whatever we want God to be. The same is true for a Christian theocracy. Whatever those in control want it to be, it will be. And it doesn't have to be based on any version of the Bible that we might be familiar with. Theocracies are not about God; they are about control!

Am I worried? Yes. The recent Supreme Court leak about the overturning of Roe vs. Wade certainly has given me cause for concern.

But despite the alleged leanings of an out-of-touch court, I doubt that most Americans would welcome a theocracy. However, that we might end up that way, because of our complacency, is another matter.

As for me, other than the sun becoming a red giant and burning up the Earth in my lifetime, when I consider the prospect of America becoming a theocracy, there is nothing else I find less desirable. But I would feel much more confident that it wouldn't happen if I was sure most Americans felt the same way, and were ready and willing to take a stand to prevent it!

We'd like to know your thoughts on the matter. Take a moment. And let us know what you think, in the comments section.

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Us

The United States of America is a multi-race, multi-ethnic, multi-culture country. Diverse in its people, beliefs, and lifestyles. A robust stew. Not a melting pot. Its flavor, not defined by only one of its ingredients, but by them all!

Because some refuse to believe that, it bears repeating. So, I’m going to write it again!

The United States of America is a multi-race, multi-ethnic, multi-culture country. Diverse in its people, beliefs, and lifestyles. A robust stew. Not a melting pot. Its flavor, not defined by only one of its ingredients, but by them all!

For far too long, we have allowed the ambitions of power-hungry politicians, party politics, right and left-wing extremists, religion, and slanted media platforms to manipulate and divide us and foster the belief that our differences make us enemies. Then use our anger to allow them to justify their attempts to discriminate against and disenfranchise the groups they target. All under the same mantra: We are losing our country!

Since January 1, 2022, to date, there have been close to 200 mass shootings in America. The senseless killing of American citizens. By American citizens! Men, women, children. Fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends.

And for what? To protect our tribe? To instill our fears in others? And because of what? Not electing political representatives who first ask, what is best for America instead of what is best for my party and me? The influx of social influencers propagating misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories? Or is it highly paid media voices sitting safely in their studios, promoting so-called news stories that encourage listeners to believe that they are being replaced with the ceaseless flood of immigrants pouring through America’s porous borders? Which is it? All of them? Some of them? Or is it us? Yes, us!

We don’t have to believe the big lie, the misinformation, and the disinformation. We don’t have to buy into conspiracy theories. But because many blame others for their shortcomings and what they lack, instead of themselves, many do!

The Christian Nationalist narrative on persecution, for example, is a red herring. If not an outright lie! There is not one government agency in the United States persecuting Christians. Nationalists or otherwise. Instead, Christian Nationalists and other Christian organizations have successfully lobbied their congressional representatives to enact more and more legislation to ensure and enhance their ever-growing bevy of “religious rights.” Which has given them a perpetually expanding cache of outdated laws. Allowing them to discriminate against minorities, disenfranchise members of the LGBTQ community, and marginalize other groups that don’t believe as they do.

In America today, it has become profitable for politicians to be obstructionists in any form or manner. From climate change deniers to big-lie repeaters to conspiracy theorists. The more outlandish their claims, the greater their opportunity for fame.

To harass and disenfranchise certain groups, ban books, prevent the open discussion of racial injustice, and block legislation intended to aid and assist the poor and the middle class have become lucrative checkpoints on the road to being elected or reelected. And who elects or reelects them? Us! And after we do, who forgets who they work for? Us!

So, if we want a better republic, a better America, and genuine change, we’ve got to fix some things. America’s infrastructure, the weaknesses in our system of government, supplementing the salaries of America’s workers to ensure a living income, protecting the rights of all, and much more. Okay, so it’s a lot of things. But first, we should start by fixing the main thing; the primary reason we are not making positive forward progress and living as a united people. Us!

© 2022 Beyond The Rituals. All Rights Reserved.

Acting Against Our Own Best Interests

How to support creating a theocracy and lose your rights:

• Persist in ignoring the “Religious Freedom” legislation that gives Christian nationalist organizations the right to discriminate against and disenfranchise the LBGTQ community and other groups.

• Keep believing the Capitol attack on January 6, 2020, was nothing more than “Legitimate political discourse.”

• Convince yourself that Roe vs. Wade is no longer needed.

• Continue to elect and reelect Republican Party candidates and incumbents.

You’ll get the government you deserve.

For myriad reasons, people consistently act against their own best interests. From dropping out of school, to who we marry, to making investments without proper research, to who we elect to public office, we sometimes counter our past success with decisions that ensure our future failure. Although studies on this matter are voluminous and numerous, researchers have not reached a consensus that satisfactorily explains the behavior.

Personally, I think that beneath our facade of responsible decision-making, we’re all a bit nuts!

But hey, that’s just me. Still, what else explains why people voted for Donald Trump and reelected the senators who acquitted him?

Today, what has the left side of America’s politics up in arms is the strong possibility that the Supreme Court will overturn Roe vs. Wade. The 1973 Landmark ruling that America has held as the law of the land for fifty years. Though most legal scholars think Roe vs. Wade should be “settled law,” it seems that the court is on the cusp of making another boneheaded decision that will probably cause more harm than good. (Think Dred Scott decision, Plessy vs. Ferguson, and Hanging Chads)

Before the 1973 ruling on Roe vs. Wade, many women seeking an abortion, which was illegal, died because of poorly performed procedures, unsanitary conditions that promoted sepsis, and various other complications.

How many? No one really knows. The statistics on how many women died from illegal abortions pre-Roe vs. Wade are mostly guesswork.

However, Erica Sackin of Planned Parenthood addressed the lack of accurate and provable data on the matter with the following statement:

“While stigma, fear, and poor tracking mean we can never know the exact number who suffered before Roe v Wade was decided, what we do know is that even one woman’s death from abortion before it was legal is one too many. Abortion is health care, and it is one of the safest medical procedures there is — there is no reason anyone’s health or life should be endangered by politicians hell-bent on keeping people from accessing this basic health care. Yet far too many politicians seem determined to take us back to the days before Roe was decided — where abortion was virtually inaccessible, and all those who could become pregnant paid the price.”

Well, there it is. With women’s health, the primary concern, the question now is, what will the American people do? Have a collective moment of acting against our own best interests, accept the end of Roe vs. Wade, and return to the situation before 1973? Or show our displeasure and demand that Congress write abortion protections into federal law?

We'd like to know your thoughts on the matter. Take a moment. And let us know what you think in the comments section.

© 2022 Beyond The Rituals. All Rights Reserved.

The Truth and Reality of God

Herein lies knowledge: God is innate to creation. Inherent within all that exists. Although not personal, God is an individual experience. Though we cannot share the truth, depth, or understanding about how we experience God from one to another, for those who experience God and acknowledge and accept Him, God's existence is undeniable. And proving God's existence is wholly unnecessary. We gain knowledge of God, not through religion, but through accepting the truth of the reality in which we live. Religion is the antithesis of God. It purports knowledge of God that it does not possess. And resorts to mythology, superstition, and fear, to keep its adherents in bondage.
Herein lies the truth: That we are born, we live, and we die is beyond speculation. We have done nothing to prepare ourselves to be here. And yet we are here. Fully able to function in the reality in which we exist. That it was God who created us. That there is an eternal afterlife when we die, that we live again through reincarnation, and that we need a savior, are all beliefs; and have no factual basis. However, that we are responsible for ourselves and accountable to each other is a fact of everyday life. Firmly rooted in the second principle of The Divine Law: Respect and treat others as we would ourselves. And is the foundation upon which we must build, if we are to live at peace with each other in this reality. The penance for not understanding and accepting this truth is not an afterlife spent in the unquenchable fires of an eternal hell. But the war-torn, strife-driven, corrupt uncertainty of life in the reality in which we will live, every day!
 Herein lies understanding: God's word is not bound in sacred holy books only a few can decipher. It is inherent within each of us through God's Divine Essence. Therefore, God has chosen none for special favor. Not one. A god that would favor one of its creations over another is a god created by man. God has revealed the truth of this reality to us all!
Many religions teach that we should fear God. But the fear of God is not of God, but of religion itself. The Divine Law holds that we experience God, not through fear, but through the realization and profound understanding that God's Divine Essence intrinsically connects us one to another, and all else God has created. We are of God, and God is of us. Our responsibility is to acknowledge and accept God. Without indoctrination, without mythology, and without fear.
Herein lies salvation: We have allowed religion to divide us and create the mythology that the divisions that exist between us are of God. But our divisions are of our own making and design. Through indoctrination and fear, religion has led us to believe that our salvation lies in the hands of their gods. And have convinced us that their pastors, priests, rabbis, and imams are the shepherds God has chosen to lead and guide us to what God desires of us. And many, like sheep, blindly follow them.
However, contrary to the concepts and teachings of some religions, the Divine Law teaches that salvation is not forgiveness and acceptance through the divine mercy of a god. Instead, it is the protection we provide to each other and our planet's ecology from ourselves.
The Philosophy of the Divine Law defines salvation as the prevention of humanity's social destruction and the deterrence of our planet's ecological devastation by human means. And holds that God has already provided humankind with the guidance essential to save itself and live in peace.
The responsibility to create better lives for ourselves lies in our own hands. We decide what and what not to believe. We choose what to embrace and what to ignore. The truth of our reality rests upon the understanding that God is inherent within all creation. And through Divine Essence, guides each of us towards the most favorable outcome, for ourselves, other people, and our current environment.
To save ourselves, we do not have to worship a god, follow a religion, perform rituals, or believe in mythology. Instead, we have but consciously to use and consistently practice what God has already provided us: the ability to love and respect each other, seek and accept the truth, and live our lives positively and responsibly.
The wise understand that salvation is not God's grace, or a gift, but a provision. And recognize that achieving salvation does not require a faith-based contract, or complete surrender of one's self to appease a god. But a conscious and sustained effort by humankind to do what is necessary, to save itself!

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