What does God want today? (Compassion)

In the opinion of Ian Morgan Cron on FOX News

This morning I woke up and asked God the question, “What do you want from me today?”

Since God rarely capitulates to my demand for an instant answer, I didn’t wait for a response. [Atheist Mother Theresa also explained her "communication" with the ultimate Christian deity as one of "mutual silence."] I jumped out of bed and into my day.

It was in the [bathroom] shower that I heard God’s reply. This happens so frequently that I’m beginning to wonder if my bathroom should be designated a religious shrine.

“Be compassionate,” God said. “That’s what I want you to do today.”

As [Buddhist monk and peace activist] Thich Nhat Hanh says, “Compassion is a verb.” Unlike someone who is merely empathic, the compassionate person not only feels the pain of the other but actively does something to alleviate their suffering as well.

Why is compassion in such short supply these days? Radical self-concern, our spiritual nemesis, militates against our practicing it. We are so preoccupied with our own struggles that we become inured to the unseen difficulties others are surely facing. More

• Was Mother Teresa an atheist? (Guardian.co.uk)
• Mother Teresa's crisis of faith (Time Magazine)
• Christopher Hitchens on Mother Teresa's atheism
• Shattering the Myth of Mother Teresa
• Can "Godless Atheists" have Moral Values?

The mystic experience of Oneness (while dancing)

The Bible Undone: "Divinity of Doubt" (video)

Wisdom Quarterly featuring Uprising Radio (KPFK, Pacifica, Los Angeles)

Imagine reading the Bible like an attorney looking for evidence of what it actually says. One of the most famous attorneys of our time did just that. The Christian holy book comes undone on its own terms, that is, without resorting to things Christians could argue are "non-biblical."

(Bugliosi does not limit himself to Christianity, but also makes observations about Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism at minute 32:20. He misspeaks to suggest that the Buddha might have been an agnostic or atheist when in fact he was a non-theist, which means he said whether or not there are gods is not relevant to saving oneself from suffering).

No mention is made of the Gnostic gospels or New Age material. This is not an atheist attack, nor is it one sect of the religion against another. Instead, all of the information comes from bonafide biblical texts themselves (New Testament, Old Testament, Hebrew, English, Protestant, Catholic, and Greek).

Famed attorney discusses what the Bible really says with KPFK's Sonali Kolhatkar.

Conservative prosecutor and Christian agnostic Vincent Bugliosi is best known for successfully prosecuting Charles Manson and writing the best-selling book Helter Skelter, which went on to sell over 7 million copies, becoming the biggest selling true-crime book in publishing history.

He is also the author of Outrage on the acquittal of O.J. Simpson, and more recently The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder. Bugliosi has won 21 out of 21 murder cases and 105 out of 106 felony cases. He spent the past two years working on his new book Divinity of Doubt: The God Question.

On April 12, 2011, Bugliosi spoke with Uprising host Sonali Kolhatkar about his new work, Divinity of Doubt. Atheism? No. Freewill? No. Virgin birth? No (according to the Bible, see video at minute 48:30). Darwin was an agnostic. Einstein believed in some kind of God, not a Judeo-Christian kind, but some kind. Bugliosi outdoes them both by diving deep into the Bible, which comes undone as we have misinterpreted it. Christians frequently say it says one thing when, in fact, it says the opposite.

Uprising Radio