Thoughts From Arizona
Rim Country Book II Contents

Which God?
The term God is used a lot by everyone from politicians, priests,
ministers, rabbis, as well as us regular folks.

Religions: Bane Or Balm?
Religions were one of the first inventions of humans. Even before
humans could speak, some form of religion must have existed.

Religions: Manmade Or Divine?
All religions are manmade; to assume anything else is to exceed the bounds of logic. Most religions claim to have…

Are Priests Above The Law?
Do priest deserve special consideration under the law? Should we overlook their illegal actions? Does the Vatican consider…

On Abortion
Some are trying to use our democracy to return the women of the United States to the Victorian era. This is all being done…

On Oneness
Before we were born into our body, this container, that part of us which is eternal, our soul, our spirit, or whatever term…

Religious Freedom
It seems that a majority of Americans think they know who or what God is. God is that deity described in the Bible.

Religious Displays
Ousted Chief Justice Roy Moore of Alabama believes the display of the Ten Commandments monument in publicly owned…

An Easter Question
Why is the birth of Jesus given an exact date but his death and resurrection are symbolic dates? History tells us that Jesus…

What Is Consciousness?
What is consciousness is a question that surely has teased mankind for eons or at least from the time we realized we were conscious.

On Faith
Faith is required in our daily activities. Faith assumes the Sun will rise tomorrow, or that the driver next to you will not…

On Beliefs
Our beliefs are the lenses through which we view all events. Some beliefs are like a wide-angle lens that shows us a large area…

Creativity
Most of our teachings, whether they be physiological, religious, or scientific teach us more about our limitations than our abilities.

On Reasoning
Reasoning is that facility that allows the use of logic to infer or deduce a conclusion. Reasoning is that ability to extend what is…

On Rituals
Rituals are outward expressions of a hoped-for mental transformation. Rituals prepare the mind and help concentration.

On Karma
Karma is nothing more than a law that results from the use of freewill. If we did not have freewill there would be no need…

On Magic
We have gotten used to thinking of magic as someone pulling a rabbit out of a hat or an illusionist sawing someone in half.

On Control
Most of us seek to control our lives and our destinies. We become frustrated when we feel some one or some thing is…

On Abuse
We normally think of abuse as something done to a person without their permission. But if a person agrees to that abuse…

On Masters
Most of us have heard the punch line: "It’s easy to walk on water if you know where the rocks are." Masters know where…

On Marriage
Marriage isn’t about individual rights; it isn’t really about love or compatibility. Marriage is about the rights and survival…

Value Of Obsession
I have been told, as I’m sure you have, not to obsess over something. Granted, at the time, that something was using a lot…

On Memories 7
Memories let us evaluate the past while pointing to our future. Memories are more than just memory. Memories are past…

What If
What if your major beliefs were proven to be wrong? What if the beliefs you have held and accumulated over a lifetime were…

On Morality
Morality is what we do when no one but ourselves and our Higher Power knows. Morality does not require a belief in…

On Profiling
Profiling is part of everyday life; we all do it but we call it by different names. Profiling is another name for discrimination.

On Treason
We don’t hear much about treason anymore. We are so determined to talk about our freedoms that we seldom think about…

On Tolerance
I try my best to be tolerant of other people’s ignorance, especially of their religious beliefs. While I may disagree with their faith…

On Protesters
Protesters are really beginning to annoy me. Not so much because they protest, but because they almost never offer an…

Allies As Friends
The Iraqi war has proven that not all allies are friends or have America’s view and definition of terrorism. The world appears…

Which I?
I am composed of parts. Parts that usually appear to be at odds with each other. Part of me wants peace, a part wants war…

Search For Love
The search for love is really a search for the oneness of ourselves. We mistakenly think the other half of our true self is a…

Search For Purpose
We all search for a purpose. We look for that something that is worth our devotion, our effort, and our belief.

Cost Of Exploration
Recent events (Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster February 1, 2003) have again reminded us that the cost of exploration is…

Campaign Ads
Most of us claim to dislike negative campaign ads, but what we consider negative or positive depends at whom the ad…

Tenure On Trial
The words and actions of Ward Churchill of the University of Colorado have reminded all of us that free speech is not…

Letter To A Friend
Your questions of the other evening started me thinking. So in answer to your questions, I decided to write (type) down my…

Gore And Dean
Ex-Vice President Al Gore has pushed the traditional endorsement time forward by enthusiastically endorsing…

Bush Or Kerry Most elections are rife with negative campaign ads but this 2004 presidential election seems to be setting a new, low standard.

Saddam’s Trial
Now that Saddam has been captured, suggestions for where he should be tried and by whom are sprouting. Where were these…

Harry Potter Movie
A new Harry Potter movie is about to debut; I can hardly wait to read all of the Letters To The Editor demonizing the movie…

Islam At The Crossroads
Muslims must decide who speaks for Islam. Who defines Islam? Is Islam defined by Osama bin Laden and his ilk or by some…

Removing A Bully
The whole world is guilty of doing too little while thousands upon thousands of Iraqi people were tortured and murdered…

Iraq: A Lose - Lose Situation?
The Iraqi war of liberation is over but the battle for a civil government and Iraqi personal freedom is just beginning.

Declining Privacy
The decline of privacy is not new but it is increasing. Back when all data was kept on IBM punch cards or in file folders…

Spell Checker Dependency
Most of us are dependent on our spell checker, or as I call it SCD (spell checker dependency). We rely on our spell checkers…

Belief And Tolerance
Is belief alone enough to condemn those who disagree with you? Is belief enough to kill those who refuse to accept your beliefs?

Leaving Iraq
Some Senators are pushing for a timeline for withdrawing our troops from Iraq. Their motto appears to be…

On Voting
First we must ask ourselves, "What is voting?" Is it merely the expression of an opinion or preference as a dictionary would…

Freedom And Its Protection
We speak and think of ourselves as free men. Yet, at the same time, we know there are limits, called laws, to our freedom.

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