WHAT IS TRUTH? – Don Hanley’s blog #80

When I was about six years old, I was told everything in the Bible, and somehow i expanded that to all adults and whatever they told me. I believed everything they said or wrote was true. The first biblical creation story was about the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, and everything in the Bible was true. I was in college before I learned there were two creation stories. Wait a minute; they cannot both be true, so why was I only told about the Adam and Eve story?

Now I believe it was because it was ‘sexier’ (that is, a more exciting and interesting story). I told a friend who was what I called a ‘bible thumper’ – one who believes that every word in that good book is the absolute truth dictated by God Himself – and she said she didn’t think there were two stories. I asked her to read the first three chapters of the bible to see. Later, I asked her if she found the second story. She nodded but never said a word or ever brought it up again. And I believe most of us prefer to continue to believe what we were told by our beloved early teachers, like parents, grandparents, and other trusted and loved ‘teachers,’ rather than change our minds.

Truth (I believe) means that written or spoken words reflect reality as we see it and/or understand it. Truth is not the reality but reflects reality in words – written or spoken. Most Christians believe that the Bible is a book that reflects reality, and if he or she is a ‘true believer,’ all Bible words are actually part of reality. So, God created the world and everything in it in six days, and then He rested on Sunday. Some believers claimed that the word ‘day’ could also mean an era or any length of time, not just 24 hours. Anyway, I wanted to ask John and Mary what Jesus had to say about ‘the truth.’

I joined Mary, John, and Joshua that evening in Mary’s flower garden. After we exchanged pleasantries, I asked John what he thought about biblical truth. At that time, biblical truth meant only the Old Testament because the book we call the New Testament had not yet been written. John was probably the most literate of the apostles—at least until Paul was accepted into that august group.

He said, “The sacred writers or oracles as most of the pages were passed down through the ages orally as few could read and, of course, the majority still cannot. Anyway, the truth to be conveyed was what they believed Yahweh intended to convey. For example, there are two creation stories, and the basic message is that we are to believe that Yahweh is the one and only God and He created everything and everyone. The most interesting story is the most delightful about Adam and Eve. Of course, it doesn’t make sense that everyone was descended from one couple. And I think the prevailing belief, over the years, is that Yahweh is a benevolent God, and if we are estranged from Him, it is our fault, not His, because he is always positive and wishes us to be good and positive too.”

I responded, “It seems quite unfair to believe that all the good things that happen in our world are the work of God, and all the bad or evil things that are done are caused by us creatures. Did Jesus ever talk about this? And what would Jesus say about his followers saying that some of his words were the ABSOLUTE TRUTH? And–we must believe them to be with him in heaven?” I waited for their responses.

John rubbed his chin, and Mary looked thoughtful. John finally said, “I am sure that Jesus DID NOT want anything he said to be considered the ABSOLUTE truth and more than thoughtful guidelines. I suppose some ideas come across as true and seem to be true, and now, I‘m trying to remember if Jesus ever talked about it. I believe in Yahweh's goodness and can’t imagine Him creating evil. Right now, I can’t remember ever discussing this with him.” John turned to me and added, "You know Don, you bring up ideas that I don't think we ever even talk about around here. You should have been with us when we visited the Greek philosophers. Now they did talk about a lot of these things and, now that I mention them, I remember Jesus saying that he thought that they should spend more of their time figuring out how to live in a more peaceful and caring world. I guess he wasn't interested in  philosophy.

Mary, still looking thoughtful, added, “The only thing I can remember Jesus saying about the deepest beliefs was that it was all a great mystery, and the clearest things he ever said that I heard are what he said from that horrible cross; "Yahweh, why have you forsaken me?’" And then, Father, “Into your hands I commend my spirit.” I guess he and we will have to live with the mystery of all this. I’m satisfied with the truth that there is one true God, and he is our loving Father. If we love Him and one another, we will be with Him for an eternity. And I don’t know what eternity is – only that it is blissful and wonderful. I like that TRUTH. And I hope you do also.” 

I loved what Mary said, and I took a deep breath and disappeared. Now . . . 

 Keep your mind and heart open, and do not merely ponder the written or spoken words but stay connected to your family and friends.

A CHRISTIAN LOVES HIM/HERSELF AND OTHERS - Don Hanley's blog #52

While I was back in the 21^st century, I had other dreams besides the wonderful ones in Nazareth. In one, I was visiting my old (1964) parish in Kansas. In that dream, I was standing with a group of Catholic adults, and, for some reason, one portly middle-aged fellow asked me if I was a Catholic. I replied, “In my own way.” He promptly asked, “What the hell does that mean?”

“I believe I follow Jesus’s message to love others as I should love myself. So, you tell me what kind of Catholic you are. You come across to me as a mean-spirited kind of one.” He got a rather mean look and said, “Oh, I do, do I? Let me show you what it means.” He drew his right arm back and started to swing, and a fellow behind him grabbed his swinging arm, and another man grabbed his left arm. They both looked at him as he glared at me. One of them said, “We’re sorry about that, sir. George here is always looking for some trouble.” I woke up and shook my head, wondering what the dream was trying to teach me. The following night, I was glad to be back in Nazareth with my favorite kind of loving people and sitting in Mary’s flower garden.

“You look a bit worried, my old and young friend. Now, tell us about it. John is getting bored trying to get Paul here to understand what my Jesus was all about.”

“Well, Mary…” I glanced over at Paul before continuing, “… back in my century; a fellow got angry because I told him I was just the kind of Christian who worked on loving others as I hoped I loved myself. I then asked him whether that was true for him, too.” He answered me by saying he would show me how he answered smart alecks and started to hit me with his fist. Fortunately for me, two other fellows stopped him.

Mary asked if those who stopped him were violent in any way, and when I said no. Then, she said they were being more Christian than the guy. I agreed, and she turned to Paul and said, “Now, Paul, that is an example of what I was trying to say; Jesus taught that how we live and conduct ourselves is more important than just saying what we believe. Don’s angry man is not a Christian if that is the way he habitually treats others. Jesus insisted that those who follow him must be non-violent – even if it costs them their lives. Of course, that is what he lived and why he was crucified.” She shuddered as she said this.

She continued, “Now, Paul, it is very important that you tell others who want to follow Jesus that it means that they must love others, not just mouth words that they believe might please Jesus and Yahweh, who is sitting on a throne somewhere in the heavenly sky.” She turned back to me and added, “And Don, I have thought greatly about what you said the last time we were together. You said that millions of men soldiers killed millions more and called themselves ‘Christians’. Something has gone wrong, very wrong, over the years, even centuries, for them to even dare to say they are ‘Christians’.”

I agree with you, Mary, and fortunately there are many Christians who are very like Joshua and Ruth and know how to love and radiate that love to others. Unfortunately, they were often outnumbered by those devoted to rigidly just follow the laws and rules that they believed Jesus espoused.”

John added,  “That is so sad. Jesus wanted us, his followers. to help one another survive, and not only survive, but to discover and enjoy living together in peace and harmony..

I felt more than a little ashamed when I said, "When I was a priest, I often got in trouble with a few church authorities for espousing this kind of thinking.”

I smiled when Mary said, “Well, they were wrong, and they need to get off their thrones or whatever they are sitting on, go out into the desert, and think about it. Or maybe they need to find a good woman who can love and have a baby or two with her.” She smiled with satisfaction.

This time, I was smiling when I disappeared. Now . . .

Keep opening your mind and heart to studying the menus, and BE love.

GOD, NOR JESUS, Micro-Manages Our Lives or Our World - Don Hanley's blog #46+

In my ‘walk-around’ world, not the dream world I visit with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her friends in Nazareth, I am quite concerned and even worried about the so-called followers of Jesus and other so-called religious people. I hope to bring up my concerns to the wonderful folks in Nazareth and perhaps get some ideas from them.

And this evening, my vivid dreams landed me in Mary’s flower garden with John, Luke, and Ruth. John was getting used to fetching a chair so I could use ‘my’ chair. Mary, as usual, greeted me warmly and said, “Well, my old and young friend, you look a bit worried. What is it that makes you so heavy-hearted?”

“I’m so glad you asked, and I want to get some ideas from all of you about what to tell the so-called Christians in my time about how to help themselves and others.

Here’s the situation: Several million Christians believe that they must follow their religious leaders who believe that God, our Father, demands that we do exactly as they, the leaders, believe that we must do exactly what Jesus dictates, or we will be punished by God now and in our lives after death. One of the dictates is that we must not interfere with a zygote, fetus, or embryo that a pregnant woman is carrying, and some even believe that a woman must not use any means to prevent her from becoming pregnant in the first place. They even quote the bible and Jesus on this. I personally do not believe that Jesus wants us to bring more children into the world than we can care for. Now, what are your opinions on this?

They all looked puzzled, concerned, serious, and bewildered. Mary looked at her three friends and back at me, saying, “First, Don, that is a completely strange question. Here in our time, most women, more often must work hard to become pregnant and then keep a baby healthy enough to reach adulthood. Joseph and I wanted to have more than one child, but even having some fun trying, I never became pregnant after Jesus. How many times did your mother become pregnant? And how many lived to become adults, Don?

“My mom had twelve pregnancies and ten children. I was number nine, and two died in childhood, so eight lived to be adults.”

All four looked aghast at me, and Mary put a hand over her mouth, shook her head, and said, “Oh my goodness. How did she do that, and how did your family afford food and a home for all of you?

“Not well, we became quite poor and barely survived as everyone had to work as soon as they were old enough to do something useful. Both of our parents’ health failed by the time the three youngest children came along.” I never knew whether mom and dad knew how babies were conceived. Some priests and ministers say God blessed our family, and others say God cursed us. So?

John seemed as stunned as Mary and said, “Was that common when you were born, and is it still common for people to have that many children?”  Before I could answer, he added, “A rabbi told me that some couples have eight or more pregnancies in hopes that two or three will live to become adults. So, survival now is far more important than prevention. Again, I’ll stress that Jesus repeatedly said that we must love one another, and that meant doing what was life-giving for all concerned. I don’t believe he thought that Yahweh was, in any way, a puppeteer creating and managing our lives. And Jesus did not dictate absolute 'shoulds' Yahweh wanted to be live-giving co-creators. So, please inform your fellow Christians to love one another, be life-giving, and work to choose positive, loving leaders.”

Ruth added, “I hope too that many of your leaders are women because we have a better built-in ability to love and to bring love to others.” Mary clapped and nodded. And I started to respond,,, and left again. Please watch a very good documentary on Prime - BAD FAITH

Think of what kind of world we need and how to be loving in it. Don’t eat the menu; enjoy the banquet.

Why I’m So Interested in Jesus – Don Hanley’s blog #40

I had impatiently waited three weeks to join Mary and John again in my dreams. I was pleased that they were patiently waiting for me. i wanted to show them a 21st. century book or books, so I brought the three novels and my memoir with me into the dream. They are in English but I hope my translating angel would translate the titles into Aramaic for them. I wondered what the translator would do with my naughty word in the title of my memoir - FINDING FLOWERS IN A LITTLE PILE OF SHIT. I put the books under my chair and planned to leave them there when I vanished. 

John was ready with a question for me. “Well, Don, you have been asking Mary and me questions about Jesus; now, please tell us a bit about yourself. What have you been doing for, what is it, 90 years?
And why are you so interested in Jesus and what he was thinking and doing two thousand years ago? That is an awful long time. I thought that if we went back 90 years from now, here in Galilee, we’d be in a time before the Romans barged into our land. So, tell us a bit about what in the world you have been doing all these years. That has made you so curious about our Jesus.”

I wasn’t expecting this query, so I started quite slowly, “Well, John, that is a very interesting question. Jesus is now recognized as the object of worship by more than a billion people living in the 21st Century. And . . . ”

Mary, rather urgently, put up her hand to stop me, “Wait a minute, Don. You must be talking about someone other than my son and John’s friend who the Romans executed. Jesus was a wonderful boy and a man who radiated kindness and love, and some say he was very enlightened and gave people hope. He loved people and loved to teach, but he would never want to be worshiped by anyone, ever.” She looked and sounded angry. “So, tell me, was this the same Jesus you and I have discussed all these times? And was he born in Nazareth?”

“Yes, but the New Testament writers, and some historians perhaps, and most claim to know him, say he was born in Bethlehem.”

John interrupted me and said, “You do know, Mary, that there are many stories that say that it was prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, so to establish the idea that Jesus was the Messiah, they found stories that put him being born there. I don’t think the current writers, including me, think that to be true, but even now, many do think Jesus was, and is, the Messiah. He told us and everyone who walked with him that he was not the Messiah. So, Don, do your best to correct that in your 21^st Century. Okay?”

I wasn’t sure what to tell John and Mary, but I knew that I could do little to correct our 21^st Century thinking, so I just said, “I’ll do what I can, but I want you to know that so-called Christians – that is the name those who say they believe in Jesus call themselves – have gone to war over this question and many other similar questions. It seems that every group seems to think that their version of who Jesus was and what he taught is the ABSOLUTE truth, and if you do not believe their truth, you will go to hell. I do not like that, nor do I believe it.”

Mary looked as distraught as she did the day I mentioned the crucifixion. I waited in silence, as did John. After several minutes, Mary, in a soft but very firm voice, said, “Don, if we are talking about the same person, and I‘m beginning to believe that we are, I am very sure that Jesus, my Son, has been very misunderstood. Even as a boy, he said that to worship someone was to put that person on some kind of pedestal and admire them and then ignore who they really are.

“Well, Mary and John, that is why I’m so interested in Jesus. I was once, 60 years ago, ordained a Catholic priest.” Seeing the questioning looks on their faces, I added that Catholics are the largest denomination or group of Christians who worship Jesus, and they believe that if anyone wants to be saved, they must be baptized, that is, go through a ritual that makes them officially a Catholic. I like many of the things they are doing, but not all, and I do not believe I am doomed if I do not believe everything they say that I must. 

I want to learn, from people like you what Jesus was really like and what he really taught. I guess that many Christians believe was, and is the Messiah but the Catholics do not use that word, but do believe that he is the Chosen one whom we must believe in, in order to get to heaven. And many who claim to follow Jesus believes that praying to him may be helpful to them and that they may receive spiritual and even material benefits - like wealth - if they are faithful to him. Still many believe that if only they keep all of his rules and tell the world that they believe in him, then they, individually, will go to heaven where they will bind bliss. And, before I could finish explaining my position, I vanished . . .  Please–

Continue opening and nurturing your heart, studying the menus, and feasting at the beautiful banquet you were born into.

Now Two Ghost Boys – Don Hanley’s blog #35

Every evening before I crawl into bed, I hope to have a vivid dream of Mary and her flowers. And this night, I do have one!

I’m standing in Mary’s flower garden and see her talking with a rather handsome fellow dressed in the dusty white robe common for both men and women in Galilee. Mary looks at me and says, “Oh, Don, so good to see you. I thought maybe you had forgotten me.”

She looked over at the fellow sitting in My chair. And I thought how presumptuous of me to call the chair mine, but I guess he did not see me for some reason, as Mary said, “Oh John, I guess you don’t see my other guest, Don, of the 21st Century. John, would you please take a chair out of my house and let him sit in that chair?”

Oh, so this is the apostle, John. I think there are three “Johns” in the New Testament. I hope he is the gospel writer and letters  that are written under his name. I want to talk to him about them. John went into the house and brought back a kitchen chair. I guess he saw me now, for he said, “Ah, you are the ghost fellow that Mary tells me you visit with her and tell outlandish historical stories about her and her son, Jesus.”

“I would like to believe they are outlandish stories, but they are true stories that I personally have heard. One in particular is that Jesus was, and is, the one and only Son of the true God. Mary tells me that Jesus never saw himself that way. There is a complete book, or I should say, a set of books believers call the New Testament of Sacred Scriptures or Bible. You, John, have one book, The Gospel of John, about Jesus. You say that Jesus is the Light of the World, and many things seem to support the idea that Jesus was and is one with God the Father. Did the printers or publishers get it wrong?”

Mary had put a hand over her mouth, and John looked a bit puzzled and, after a short pause, said, “What do you mean ‘printer’ and ‘publisher’? And you speak Aramaic very well. Do people in your time speak Aramaic?”

I chuckled and relaxed as I began to see how our language differences make understanding each other difficult, even if whatever angel translates my English into Aramaic and John and Mary’s Aramaic into English. Wanting to make contact, I said, “My country is called ‘the United States of America,’ and the language most of us speak is called English. I have no idea who or how my words are getting translated into Aramaic and yours into English, but I am very glad it is happening. Oh, and I enjoy the way you describe Jesus’s message of light, love, and hope, but I don’t personally believe Jesus is the one and only son of God. I believe He wants us to live our lives in such a way so that we are, or at least act like we are, all sons and daughters of God.” John smiled and nodded, and I continued, “On printers and publishers, I guess you would just say those who passed on your stories and that maybe, at times, they added some ideas or words to the stories when they told it, and those whom they told it to, do the same. Could that be true?” He nodded.

Mary took her hand away from her mouth and exhaled a sigh of relief.  I think Mary was afraid that I might offend John, so she said, “John, I’m sure Don would very much like to hear about your experiences with the adult Jesus – especially his journey to the East.  And I would like to hear more about that myself. You did accompany him there, did you not?”

“Yes, Mary, I did, but first, I want to answer Don’s question about whether Jesus was the only Son of Yahweh.” I was relieved that John seemed relaxed as he said, “Don, first, you need to remove the ‘only’ from what you say. Jesus also told us that we, too, are Sons of God." He looked over at Mary and added, "and daughters of God. I agree with what you just said about living like we are reflecting the power or force of God our Father – just as Jesus did when he was here with us physically. In telling my stories and experiences with Jesus, I should follow the ancient Jewish spiritual storytellers and enhance, and sometimes even exaggerate, what I say so that people will hear it and remember what I say. Jesus does not want us to be like him but to realize , deep down, that we too have the power and ability to be lovingly kind, enchanted, enlightened, and as connected with others as he is. He does not want us to mimic him but to be in touch with our true selves. And on my storytelling, I think if you were to tell the story of your dreams about meeting and talking with Mary, wouldn’t you tell it so that it would be exciting and memorable?“ I nodded and John continued, "I hope I will have time to tell you that Jesus thought that every person, even children, are having many free-floating thoughts about the universe and he thought that our Jewish religion put too much emphasis on just learning and repeating what Moses and other teachers believed, rather than learning  how to be with all creation." 

I was very interested in what he was saying but my dream ended and I disappeared, so...

Keep in touch with and nurture your heart, glance at the menu, and enjoy the banquet.

Now I'm a Ghost – Don Hanley’s blog #34

I’m glad that I’m back to dreaming about talking with Mary, and just as I sat down in my usual chair in her flower garden, she said:

“Well, Don, I am glad you returned to visit me. Now, I want to tell you that I, too, had a dream. In that dream, I visited with my son’s youngest companion, John.  I told him about you and your visits in my dream, and he was very interested. He asked me to ask you as clearly as possible, what you wanted to know about Jesus – my son and his friends. So, Don, tell me, as best you can, what you want to know.” She chuckled a little and added, “And you know what he called you?”

I shook my head, and she went on, “Ghost boy. Isn’t that funny?”

“It is funny as you tell it, Mary. If it were anyone else, it would be insulting.” She smiled and shook her head. I went on, “I guess my basic question is this: From what I have read and studied in what we call the New Testament in the Bible, Jesus wanted everyone to know that the God of us all, or Yahweh, has created us with the power or force to be lovingly kind, understanding, and connected to all creatures in the universe, especially other humans. And, now, in my home century of 2024 AD – we used to believe that stood for Anno Domine or Year of Our Lord – and Christians of all denominations have hated and even killed millions of other Believers and non-Christians. Did Jesus say or teach anything to justify that kind of behavior?” I did my best to look at Mary in a way that was beseeching her not to be offended by my question.

The serenity in  her countenance indicated that she was not offended but was, maybe, as puzzled as I was. After several minutes, she said, “I remember Jesus telling Joseph and me that Moses included in his 10 Commandments, ‘Thou shalt not kill.’ But that our fellow Jews disobeyed Yahweh and did kill others, even fellow Jews. It seems that only that it is only now that the might and fear of the Romans has stopped a great deal o the killing. Even hating and creating fear is a form of killing the human spirit or soul. Jesus also mentioned that changing humans’ habitual ways of doing things takes a long time and even centuries. He often stated that Our Father could not stop humans from doing destructive things without destroying our ability to choose and to create. I will do my best to think of other answers and talk with John about it the next time I see him – in person or my adventurous dreams.”

"I would also like to know whether Jesus ever said anything about him being the Messiah or having any kind of special relationship with Yahweh?" 

"No he did not, and I'll ask John about that the next time I talk with him. And I want you to know I enjoy your visits even if you don't bring up questions about Jesus." I told her that I felt the same way - I just enjoyed being in her presence even if it only was in my dreams. And I remember a twentieth century song that had a line like that. - 'I'll see you in my dreams.' Mary suddenly looked rather startled like she had seen something in the sky and said, "Maybe this will help, when he returned from the east he mentioned that there was a fellow named Buddha who talked about all of creation was connected and that we all must learn to realize, deep down in our being, that we are one with every other person. And I remember him saying he could not understand why Romans and others can kill and enslave other humans. He had shaken his head and looked quite puzzled and saddened by the thought. Does that help?" I nodded and wondered about what Jesus had experienced in India.

I wanted to know more about what the boy Jesus thought about when he was very young, but just then, I flew or somehow disappeared . . . Now, please.

Nurture your heart, ponder this menu, and then enjoy your banquet.