TASKE INC BLOG

To School, Through School, and Beyond

2012-02-01T21:53:00.001-05:00

A mother drops her child off at school and prays that he has a productive day. She prays for her daughter's well-being; for her to learn, mature, and develop the necessary social skills needed in life. A father meditates on the welfare of his child. In some cases, he may even erroneously attempt to live vicariously through his son, a chip off the old block.

The inspiration for this article came while thanking Mother and Father God for protecting my children on the way to school; while they were in school; and assisting them in making it home safely. It dawned on me, that's exactly what we do as Spirits when we make the decision to come to this school called Earth. We leave home to go to school; we spend a number of earthbound years studying, learning, growing, and then we make the transition back home. It's the same concept that we have been involved in all of our lives. It's all about learning. Almost all of our lessons are centered around love, and how to love. It is our common denominator; our common bond as Spiritual Beings made in the image of a loving Creator.

The lessons we are here to learn come in various levels of difficulty. Some assignments are more arduous than others, but all are based on what preceded our current circumstances. Instruction and guidance generally comes in small, easily attainable doses at first. However, if we ignore, or sleep through the intended message, the second time around, the homework will be a tad bit more complex, because we made it so. Another way to put it, you've made your bed, now you must sleep in it, or, "as you sow, so shall you reap."

Scapegoating is never an option because it is tantamount to cheating on an exam. If you're not found out initially, your actions will revisit you. Blame others and you miss the intended lesson, and to your inattentive dismay, the instruction will come back with a vengeance.

We learn by expanding our awareness about ourselves and scapegoating does not allow that. Learning about the world helps us to progress, succeed, and evolve. Spiritual regression takes place when we blame our problems on someone else. The challenges we face in the areas of finance, health, and relationships, are all part of the curriculum. Every day, there are new lessons to learn and challenges to overcome.

Changes are inevitable. How we deal with Change is an effective way to build character while increasing our intellectual flexibility.

Everyone graduates from this school we call earth. What we refer to as "death" is simply a transition or graduation from this life to our eternal home. In the spiritual realm, we recognize the realities, possibilities, and requirements of our past lives. Contrary to popular belief, there is no punishment for our actions; we simply have more studying to do. In other words, if we do harm to someone, that same harm will be meted out to us at some point in our evolution. This occurs because it's the most effective way to teach us, first hand, how we made another 'Being' feel. What better way to learn a lesson? There would be absolutely no growth if "eternal damnation" awaited the 99% of people who make mistakes in this life. Some more egregious that others, but missteps nonetheless.

God has great compassion for human weakness. Karmic choices follow our earthly deeds, otherwise we would learn nothing by coming to Earth. Unfortunately, because of religious dogma, brainwashing, fear, and hereditary ignorance, most of us don't realize that the tremendous risk of life and sanity on this planet are not designed to cause us anymore suffering after death.

B. E. Shaw Sr.

Spiritual Beings

2011-05-01T22:30:00.001-04:00

Many have heard the adage, "we are spiritual beings having an earthly experience." Most religions will agree on this fact but the debate stems from what happens after this particular life. This is where all the vast, complex, and wide-ranging disparities come into play. This is what causes most wars to be fought and historically, has created major dissension. Unfortunately, many future conflicts will stem from religious nonconformity.

This lens will enlist the assistance of some of the greatest thinkers of our time and associate their thoughts with those of the author, and contrast it with general public opinion. In the case of religion and "man-made-spirituality" most of what we know about the subject, comes from "Mom and Dad," Uncle Louie, Aunt Mildred, your Sunday School teacher, Bill, who for some odd reason always had a weird "twinkle" in his eye when he was around children, and of course, Pastor/Bishop/Minister/Priest Johnny. The reader knows where I'm going with this so before you utter the phrase, "I don't receive the word from MAN/WOMAN, I get "God's Word" from my "Savior." Maybe you do, but it's been filtered through the aforementioned. For example, David Koresh, Marshall Applewhite, and Jim Jones all led mass religious movements that ended in horrific tragedies and their members could have, and probably did say the same thing, "I get the word from God." Of course these are extreme examples so let's just stick to the pedophiles, whore-mongers, and avaricious men of today that make up a good percentage of the clergy around the world. If you sit in that synagogue, mosque, temple, or church, and listen to someone who is not morally correct, your instruction is not coming from a Loving, Divine, Presence that we refer to as God, iIt's coming from Pastor Fred, regardless of how you slice it.

So lets take a look at some of the time tested aphorisms uttered throughout the ages that ring true to this authors heart. What I'd like the reader to do is compare past writings from erudite citizens with your experience over the years with your religious/spiritual teachers. I will translate what their sayings mean to me and how it resonates in my soul.

Continued

Religious Fervor

2011-05-01T22:26:00.002-04:00

What is it going to take for the masses to realize that religion is the most divisive and destructive force created by man. Again, "created by man." Unfortunately, the devout believers of the many religions absurdly believe that theirs is truly ordained by the Creator and the others are projects supported by the devil.

No one seems to stop and think, or dare to do any research (outside of their particular book), on the fact that Satan himself is also a mythical product of Man. Most religions have their own book, purportedly to be the "word of God," so how can it be incorrect. It comes straight from God, so it's a book to live by and if you do not abide by this book, you're going to an awful place when you die.

Think about everything associated with God. Nature, trees, the Rain Forest, beautiful sunsets, peace, tranquility, and love. If God did write or inspire a book it would be the most peaceful, awe-inspiring, motivational, positive, and most dynamic book you ever read. There would be no instruction on war, killing, famine, slavery, judgment, killing first born, etc., etc. The myriad negative passages in the Bible and Koran do not come from, nor were they inspired, by a loving presence in the Universe that we refer to as God. It's just not possible.

Continued

Man's Subconscious is Immortal

2010-02-09T16:46:00.013-05:00

This is an extremely profound excerpt from Edgar Cayce, the book is called "Edgar Cayce Modern Prophet."

Thought is the Builder - the wet clay responsive to the potter's hands - and the survival of the soul depends utterly on its power to mold its destiny at the subconscious level, where the clay is moist enough to respond.

Just as a series of chain reactions alters the atom from a harmless particle of solid matter to the mushroom cloud that obliterated Hiroshima, the chain reactions of positive thought can eventually release the soul from solid matter and return it to the freedom of its fluid state at the astral level. It's because we lack the equivalents of such convenient scientific terms as "atomic fissure," that we are reduced to referring to the the process which releases the soul as "the tragedy of death."

This is akin to throwing away the potato and glorifying the potato peel. It is far simpler to think of the soul in terms of Telstar. It takes two booster-rockets to free it of gravity and set it into astral orbit. As soon as the rockets fulfill their function, they burn out and fall away, just as the flesh body - the earthly shell of the soul - burns out and falls away in death, to be followed by the expended "ego," the discarded conscious mind of the earth shell.

The soul is no longer entrapped in matter. It is free. All that it retains from its sojourn in its earth shell is the total recall of its worldly experiences, now safely stored in its "memory bank." But only the "conscious" mind has been discarded.

The subconscious mind has survived because it neither consist of, nor depends on, matter. It now becomes the conscious mind of the soul, and will continue to function as such until the soul returns into the earth's dense matter to begin its next life.

Edgar Cayce

The Power of Guided Imagery

2010-01-27T12:23:00.001-05:00

Guided imagery, sometimes known as “guided visualization”, is a safe and powerful technique that can be used for healing, stress relief and personal development. It’s incredibly simple to use. All you need do is listen to your guide while they lead you through a series of relaxing visualizations.

These visualizations are so vivid that they actually bring about positive changes in your body and mind. Guided imagery visualizations are usually tailored to help you accomplish specific goals, from sporting achievements to physical healing, to personal transformation, or deep relaxation...whatever your goal may be.

The use of guided visualization and guided meditation is one area where modern science and ancient spiritual practices find some common ground. Guided imagery has been used for thousands of years by shamans and mystics around the world, but it also features in the more recent teachings of eminent psychologists such as Freud and Jung. In the modern era, guided imagery is the focus of a great deal of scientific investigation, and it is now widely used in the medical professions as an alternative healing technique. It is not a substitute for traditional physical or mental care, but it is often used to reinforce traditional healing practices. In fact, scientific study on the effects of guided imagery has been undertaken for conditions such as cancer, HIV, anxiety, wound healing after surgery, depression, memory, congestive heart failure, eating disorders, insomnia, pain management and osteoarthritis.

Sleep Robbers

2009-08-31T00:54:00.002-04:00

Sleep Robbers are self-induced Spirits that, night after night, rob you of much needed sleep. These Spirits emanate from your soul based on your thought process. If you are thinking negative, immoral, or lustful thoughts as you drift off to sleep, you are activating these amoral Spirits that hinder your ability to get a good nights rest. Once these nocturnal bandits are controlled you will rest peacefully, even if you only sleep 4 to 6 hours.

Drink four to six 1-pint bottles of water every day or the equivalent in glasses of water. This will keep you hydrated and it helps keep your mind clear. Do not over-indulge in alcohol consumption. Do not ever resort to pills or medication to help you sleep. No one dies in vain, and if the "King of Pop" leaves one strong message behind (aside from his great music) that is the message of being addicted to medication. Regardless of what you are dealing with in life be careful not to use alcohol or medication as a crutch. You must heal yourself, or correct sleep deprivation naturally, without any man-made substances.

Go to sleep each night thinking positive, uplifting thoughts. When you drift off to sleep thinking about bills, you activate a "lacking Spirit." Go to sleep entertaining strong sexual thoughts, you activate the "Whoremonger Spirit" or the "Spirit of Lust." If you're thinking about how someone "did you wrong today, or yesterday," you activate a "Vengeful Spirit." All the aforementioned Spirits are "Sleep Robbers" and throughout the night they naw at your subconscious mind, hindering your sleep in the process.

Stay away from anger and resentment as these emotions invoke very disturbing Spirits. These deleterious Spirits actually stay with you all day long and into the night. Believe it or not, these are Spirits that have decided for whatever reason, not to move on. When you dwell on negativity, this draws them closer to you and they linger. They linger because you are providing a quenching of their thirst. They have nothing physical to attach their misery to, however, as your thoughts are powerful, you give them something to latch on to. Sounds a little weird, but it's true. I have lived it, I have experienced it.

WOW! Pay it Forward!

2009-08-28T21:38:00.005-04:00

What a fantastic movie! "Pay it Forward" starring Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, and Haley Joel Osment.

The theme of the movie was to do three good things for people. Could be a stranger or someone you know. The blessing, gift, or good deed must come from the heart and not for monetary or religious reasons.

Pay it Forward, as opposed to Pay it back. Do the deed before it appears to be needed. A brilliant concept and when you watch the movie and the performance of Haley Joel Osment (the little boy who played in the movie, "Sixth Sense" .. "I see dead people" was the famous line) was phonomenal. This kid is one of the best child actors I've ever seen. To say he stole the show would be an understatement.

I would see the movie on the programming or TV Guide but never watched it. I would always bypass it. Today, 08/28, I decided to check it out. It grabs your attention from the start. It was a little difficult to follow at first but as the meaning of the movie begin to manifesrt itself it got more and more interesting.

This turned out to be a very spiritual movie, one that touched my heart. I recommend not only watching the movie but also take heed to its message.

Awaken to the Truth

2009-08-10T23:30:00.020-04:00

When we realize that the ancient, pre-Christian world was filled with stories about superhuman gods, goddesses and heroes of all cultures whose purported lives on Earth were replete with miracles of all manner, we must recognize that it is only by extraordinary human perseverance that one particular set of fabulous tales from one particular culture has become accepted as "true," while all the rest are deemed "myths." In actuality, the acceptance as "history" of such patent fairy tales as the son of God born of a virgin who miraculously heals the sick, raises the dead, walks on water, transfigures on a mount, resurrects from death and ascends into heaven ranks as cultural bias and extreme prejudice, not reality. It is high time that this fallacious development and lopsided injustice be exposed and the whole of the human cultural record be embraced.

Let's focus a moment on the "son of God born of a virgin who miraculously heals the sick, raises the dead." Here are other mythological figures in ancient antiquity that existed before the Jesus figure with identical characteristics and pretty much the same story:

There were myriad mythological Solar Messiah's whose exact same story was told
long before the birth of the last "Messiah." Starting with:

Horus - 3000 BC
Born of a Virgin
Born on Dec 25th
Dead for 3 Days - Resurrected

** Horus is one of the oldest and most significant of the deities in the Ancient Egyptian religion who was worshipped from at least the late Predynastic period through to Greco-Roman times. Different forms of Horuses are recorded in history and these are treated as distinct gods by Egyptologists.

Attis - Greece - 1200 BC
Born of a Virgin
Born on Dec 25th
Dead for 3 Days - Resurrected

Mithra of Persia - 1200 BC
Born of a Virgin
Born on Dec 25th
12 Disciples
Performed Miracles
Dead for 3 Days - Resurrected
Aka: the "Truth," the "Light"

Krishna - India - 900 BC
Born of the Virgin Davakie
Star in the East
Performed Miracles
Dead for 3 days - Resurrected

Dionysus of Greece - 500 BC
Traveling Teacher
Performed miracles
Turned water into wine
Aka: "King of Kings," "God's only begotten Son", "Alpha and Omega"
Dead for 3 days - Resurrected.

Jesus Christ
Born of a Virgin
Born on Dec 25th
Dead for 3 Days - Resurrected
Aka: the "Truth," the "Light," "King of Kings"

There were many other deities that were ascribed the very same characteristics and all came before Jesus Christ.

Why is this the case? Here's the answer. The birth sequence, Dec. 25th, is completely astrological. The Star in the East is Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, which on Dec 24th aligns with the 3 brightest stars in Orions Belt. These 3 bright stars in Orions belt are called today what they were called in Ancient times, the "Three Kings." The Three Kings and the Brightest Star Sirius, all point to the place of the sunrise on Dec. 25th. This is why the 3 Kings "follow" the star in the east in order to locate the "sunrise" or "the birth of the sun."

And why was Jesus historized instead of the others? A multinational cabal largely composed of Jews, Samaritans, Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians created the Jesus character and later the Christian tradition, in order to unify the Roman Empire under one state religion. The legend of Jesus Christ as a historical figure was further solidified at the Council of Nacea in 325AD.

It can be concluded that the mythical figure of "Jesus Christ" was largely contrived in order to raise the Jewish religion and scriptures to the forefront of religious ideologies, to fulfill the biblical "prophecy" that the Jews are the "chosen people," that their nation is the "Holy Land" and that their tribal writings represent "God's Word." As stated in the Old Testament:

"For you are a people holy to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, out of all the peoples that are on the face of the earth."

2009-07-26T22:23:00.003-04:00

It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting... Before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams, master the lessons we have learned as we have moved toward that dream.

That's the point at which most people give up.... [At this point] Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity.

-- Paulo Coelho

Mr. President

2008-11-16T20:39:00.002-05:00

The 44th President of the United States is Barack Hussein Obama Jr. Former Democratic U.S. Senator from Illinois. He is 47 years old and was born on August 4,1961. He has been married to Michelle Robinson since 1992. He has two daughters: Malia and Sasha.

How did this historical event occur? It starts with the meticulous preparation. The Obama camp had very few gliches in the campaign. They took a few hits with William Ayers, ACORN, and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, but those forks in the road were not enough to derail the road to the Whitehouse. The overall effectiveness of the campaign cannot be overlooked. His strategy is a major reason why Barack Obama is now the 44th President of the United States of America. Also there is the Internet, which he used to his advantage to collect small donations from across the globe. His financing allowed the Obama camp to attack states that McCain initially thought were secure and forced McCain to try to protect those states.

"Despite all of the talk, the speculation, and the hype, I understand the difference between a book club and free refrigerators ... and this critical moment in our nation's history, I came out here for, I suspect, the same reason you did: Because I care about this country."

Those were the words talk show icon Oprah Winfrey uttered in convention hall, in Des Moines to campaign for Barack Obama. What better place for Ms. Winfrey to show her support, than in Des Moines, Iowa. Obama was expected to win Iowa narrowly, and won 54% to 45%. This is what is called, "The Oprah Effect."

The Oprah Effect is a phenomenon that suggest Ms. Winfrey is more than a celebrity, "she's a social icon, an earth mother, a television priestess of sorts whose predominantly female flock takes her words to heart. " In other words, everything she touches, or endorses, turns to gold. Any book she endorses, the author is an instant millionaire.

Another reason this historical event occured: Sarah Palin. It would be inappropriate to place the blame on Mrs. Palin. However, her selection as McCain's running mate was a huge mistake. It was an insult to female voters across America because the obvious attempt was to capture the Hillary Clinton supporters by any means necessary. If McCain wanted to select a female running mate there were several, more wiser, choices than an unknown Governor from Alaska.

Finally, there's former Secretary of State Colin Powell's endorsement. This was not just any endorsement. First you have to look at the fact that by resigning from the George W. Bush cabinet, Powell distanced himself from the Bush Administration. He distanced himself and also went into a mini, self-imposed exile of sorts. Not to say that was his plan, but we didn't hear much of anything about Colin Powell until Oct. 19, 2008, when he appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Here was a highly respected American, crossing party lines, and eloquently voicing his support for Barack Obama. He prefaced his endorsement by stating, "he was not supporting Obama because of his race." "But he said McCain’s choices in the last few weeks — especially his selection of Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska as his vice presidential running mate — had raised questions in his mind about McCain’s judgment."

So America has it's first African American President. In this author's opinion, he's definitely qualified to be Commander in Chief. He is the 44th President of the United States who just so happens to be black. His oratory skills, his intelligence, and his abilty to organize will make him a formidable president. Besides, who could do a worse job than George W. Bush. We have no where to go, but up.

I wonder why?

2008-10-18T17:51:00.006-04:00

I wonder why people question Obama's patriotism? He has served on the Illinois State Senate for eight years. In 2004 he became the third African American since Reconstruction to be elected to the U.S. Senate. No one called him a "terrorist" before now. I wonder why?

People say he's anti-Christian. No one questioned his religious beliefs before. Furthermore, we live in a country where people are free to practice whatever religion they wish. I think I read, somewhere in the U.S. Constitution, about the "freedom of religion." By the way, he is a Christian, not that that should matter, but we do live in hypocritical "Christian" America, therefore one must associate himself with the popular religion of the land or be ostracized. Who cares what Matthew 7:1 says!

I wonder why people question his ability to lead. No one questioned his leadership qualities when he became the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review.

I wonder why people say, "we're scared of Barack Obama." No one was afraid of George W. Bush as he stole the presidency in his first term, and all Americans know that Bush ascended to the highest political office by chicanery. We did not fear George, but we fear Barack, I wonder why?

It's Time for a Positive . . .

2008-10-16T14:10:00.051-04:00

*** VOTE WARNING *** For those who normally vote "Straight Democratic", please pay close attention!!!!! I was informed this weekend by a group of Obama volunteers that when voting for the presidential candidate this November, you have to make sure you punch Barack's name first, then proceed to punch "Straight Democratic" or else the vote for the president won't count. I'm not sure if any of you are aware of this, but we know they won't tell us this at the polls. Please make sure to inform others.I watch the political shows on CNN and it's amazing to me how a good portion of the nation, mostly White America, cannot accept the fact that this Black Man is totally dominating the presidential race. He's without a doubt, more qualified, and has a qualified running mate in Joe Biden. On the flipside, you have a 72-year-old candidate who has sided with President Bush on many issues, and America clearly see's the total mess Bush has us in. Certainly McCain has much more experience than Obama for the simple fact that he is 26 years older. But that's like the 62-year-old co-worker in your office, just because he's 15 - 40 years older than everyone else doesn't make him a better employee. Usually it's just the opposite; he or she is probably not doing very much at all except walking around with a cup of coffee all day.

McCain has a running mate with issues GALORE, so I won't even go there. The Palin supporters appear to have turned a deaf ear to everything that is going on with "That One" and is willing to jeopardize their very own futures because they simply don't want a Black Man in the Oval Office. White America, you can try to dress it up however you want, but truth be told, if Obama were Caucasian the nation would be talking about what a landslide victory this is going to be. America would be asking, why McCain made such an unwise choice of VP candidates.

Race still rules in America. This is why the reaction to the OJ Murder Case was split along racial lines, because Race Rules in America. OJ is in prison now for the rest of his life, but that is certainly not the point here. The OJ Murder case served as the barometer of race relations in America. The split reactions clearly showed where we stand, otherwise, the "not guilty" verdict would have been met with the same nonchalance as when Robert Blake (Baretta and "Mickey" from the original "Little Rascals") was found not guilty of murdering his wife. No one cared about Robert Blake. Not to make light of anyone's untimely passing, especially because of a senseless murder, but husbands' kill wives (and sometimes boyfriends) on a regular basis in America and across the globe, and the nation was never as emotionally involved as we were with the OJ case. Most Blacks carried on like OJ was a close relative, and most Whites conducted themselves as if Nicole and Ronald were long lost siblings. How in the world can you sit there and tell me the OJ murder case was not about race?

What's staring America in the face now, is it’s first Black President. A Black Man, elected to the most powerful position in America, and arguably the most powerful position in the world. We are quickly approaching 2009 and America is still blinded by RACISM, even to the point of sabotaging it’s very own future.

WHU

Affirmations - Voice Alarm Clock

2008-09-07T10:09:00.031-04:00

1. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
2. I always have more than enough money!
3. My income is greater than my expenses!
4. I make sound financial decisions!
5. My investments are profitable and growing!
6. I am accumulating a substantial net worth!
7. I trust my creative mind to produce profitable ideas!
8. Money flows to me from expected and unexpected sources!
9. Checks come in the mail, and PayPal!
10. I am and always will be financially secure!

Spiritual growth and healing on your spiritual journey!

H O L Y - S U B T E R F U G E !

2008-07-27T00:16:00.019-04:00

I had to post this about Earl Paulk (I am not going to even put "Bishop" before his name). I once attended the "Cathedral of the Holy Spirit" in Decatur, GA. Me and my ex-wife were actually married in the Chapel at the Church. We were active members for a few years. After our divorce me and my two children would attend sporadically. I only attended because I really enjoyed the singing and occassionally they would bring in an interesting guest minister or speaker. I have not been to the Cathedral for about two years now and I knew there was scandal, but to this degree, I had NO IDEA! And if you want to "cut to the chase" go directly to the subtitle "Controversies" highlighted in green.

I googled Earl Paulk, and here's what I found - and the local news video totally supports the article:

Dr. Earl Pearly Paulk, Sr.

Paulk was born 30 May 1927 to Addie Mae Tomberlin Paulk. At 17, Paulk said he received a call from God to enter ministry and spread the word of God, traveling and preaching on the weekends while attending college. He later married Norma Davis. Paulk attended the Candler School of Theology, becoming the first Pentecostal to attend the seminary, which was predominantly Methodist.

Civil rights work

Paulk's pastoral ministry began at Hemphill Avenue Church of God in Atlanta just as the civil rights movement was getting underway. He claims to have been one of the few white pastors who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. but there is as yet no evidence of this. Paulk alleges that he signed The Atlanta Manifesto, a statement prepared in the fall of 1957 by a group of clergymen in Georgia, relating specifically to the violence in Little Rock, Arkansas, and in general to issues of racial integration from the point of view of Christian social responsibility. However, a list of the original signers did not include his name. Paulk was somewhat more liberal than most Church of God pastors of the time. For instance, he allowed women at his church to wear jewelry.

Church & Ministry

In 1960, Paulk founded "the Harvester Ministry" with his wife, his brother Don, and his sister-in-law Clariece in an area of Atlanta called Little Five Points. In 1972, the church moved to the southern part of DeKalb County and became known as Chapel Hill Harvester Church. While there, the church experienced massive growth, enlarging the building several times, having services in a tent, then building the K-Center, and ultimately settling into a large, almost Gothic building off Interstate 285 in Decatur; thus the church's unofficial name as the "Cathedral at Chapel Hill". The church was famed for combining visual arts (particularly with the dance team) with a liturgical style. Paulk, who had previous television and radio ministry experience, later expanded his media ministry and for many years his show aired on TBN. He also was a semi-regular guest on TBN's "Praise the Lord."

In 1982, Paulk was ordained as a bishop in the International Communion of Charismatic Churches. His public housing ministry was named one of a "thousand points of light" by President George H. W. Bush[citation needed] The church has long been known for being one of the few truly integrated churches in the South.

Controversies

Paulk has been involved with many sex scandals spanning several years.

Jessica Battle

In 2001, Jessica Battle, a college student who had been part of the dance company, sued Paulk, accusing him of molesting her between the ages of 7 and 11, and later of forcing himself on her when she was 17.[1] The suit was settled out of court in 2003 for $400,000, alleged using money from Mona Brewer and her husband, Bobby Brewer.

Cindy Hall

Cindy Hall was born in 1960 and was one of the first children born into Chapel Hill Harvester. In 2003, she claimed that Paulk had convinced her into a lengthy affair that also included her having sex with Paulk's brother, Don. Hall alleges that the affair began in 1983 (in a manner very similar to Mona Brewer's a few years later) when Paulk prayed for her, then kissed her. He then would say he intended to "make love" to her.[1] At one point, Paulk supposedly would tell her that they had a "special gift of love outside holy matrimony".[1] The relationship became a weekly occurrence.

Hall chose not to become involved in the Brewers' lawsuit in part because of the length of time since her relationship with Paulk. Hall also claims that at Paulk’s request, she denied having sex with him, lying under oath at her deposition for the Battle case.

Mona Brewer

Mona Manning Brewer came to the church at the age of 19, four years after her conversion to Christianity. She was a Sunday School teacher who married Bobby Brewer in 1987. She was also featured regularly as a soloist on the television program. Brewer claimed that in 1989, Paulk felt "'impressed of the Lord' to get to know her better". She then stopped by his office the next day. Soon she made regular appearances. She alleged that a church official stated that there had been a "word of knowledge" claiming that she was about to enter a new relationship that would benefit her.

As it turned out, the "relationship" in question became a sexual one with Paulk on September 12, 1989.[1] Paulk preached the following Sunday that "when you are in despair, God will send you a resurrection", later claiming that Brewer was his resurrection. She didn't break the relationship off until September 2003. The Brewers eventually sued Paulk and his church on August 31, 2005, claiming Paulk misused his position to manipulate her into a sexual relationship, and claiming Paulk owed US$400,000 for a loan Brewer issued to settle the Jessica Battle suit, which he denies.

Paulk denied the allegations from Brewers but his attorney did acknowledge a sexual relationship between the bishop and Mona Brewer.[1] Paulk claimed that the relationship was brief and that she was the initiator.

On Monday, March 5, 2007, at a pretrial hearing, the Brewers' lawyer wrote out a request for dismissal of the case by hand and handed it to lawyers for Paulk and the church. This was just as a ruling was about to come on a motion by Paulk's lawyers to dismiss the allegations. By dropping the case before the ruling, the Brewers left open the possibility of filing another suit with the same allegations. "We were having difficulty even at this point getting witnesses to speak out against the acts of Bishop Paulk and the church," Levenson said. "Sometimes you just have to do this."

Donnie Earl Paulk

On October 14, 2007, Donnie Earl (D.E.) Paulk, who had succeeded Earl Paulk as Senior Pastor of the Cathedral at Chapel Hill informed a shocked congregation that a court-ordered DNA test had proven that he was actually the son of Earl Paulk and not his nephew, as he had been told all his life. The test confirmed that he was the product of an incestuous relationship between Earl Paulk and Clariece Paulk, who was married to his brother Don. [2] Perjury charges were laid on 14 January 2008, as both Earl and Clariece Paulk had denied under oath that there had ever been a sexual relationship between them. On 15 January, Paulk pleaded guilty to the charges, for which he was sentenced to ten years probation and a thousand-dollar fine.

Allegations by daughter and granddaughter Paulk's daughter Beth Bonner appeared on WAGA in Atlanta on 11 December 2007. Offering an apology on behalf of the Paulk family for her father's alleged misdeeds, she claimed to have confronted him as far back as the 1980s about his immorality. According to her, he had confessed and promised to reform, but reneged on his promise. Revelations that D.E. Paulk was Earl Paulk's son and not his nephew had come as no surprise to her, she said.

Interviewed on the same station the next day, Bonner's daughter, Penny White (nee Penielle Brooke Bonner) went public with allegations, previously made only in court papers, that her grandfather Earl Paulk had sexually abused her as a child. Earl Paulk issued a statement through his lawyer denying the charge.

Expanding Consciousness

2008-07-15T20:41:00.007-04:00

No one gets away with anything; your Spirit won’t allow it. When you make the transition from this life to the next, your own Spirit evaluates your life in a panoramic, non-judgmental review. The emotions and feelings of those individuals that you mistreated or abused will be displayed. You will feel the exact emotion of what the recipient felt at the time of your transgression.

If your Spirit deems it necessary to experience the pain and suffering you subjected to another in your lifetime, then a karmic effect is created that leads to another physical incarnation. In this subsequent life you will, at some point, experience a very similar, if not harsher punishment than what you meted out in your previous embodiment. The Universe is Fair!

Often on the daily news you hear of a tragedy that occurred to an individual who, by all accounts, had all their “ducks in a row.” He or she was a model student/citizen and had no enemies to speak of, but inexplicably that person was murdered in a horrible fashion. Absolutely no one can explain why anyone would commit such a heinous crime to such a “loving and caring” person. The explanation is rather simple. I don’t mean to be harsh, so if the reader has recently loss a loved one in such a traumatic fashion, please accept my apology. But it’s the karmic effect of the Spirit allowing you to experience a similar fate. In this life, you are the victim. In your last earthly experience, you were the perpetrator.

Look at all the innocent victims of 911. Over 3000 American lives tragically lost. Miraculously, some people didn’t report to work that day, or missed their train or carpool. Some called in sick or just didn’t feel like coming to work that day. Those people’s lives were spared. But many of the people who did go to work on 09/11/2001 suffered a horrible demise. No one can imagine the fear these people experienced shortly before their physical deaths. Many had the option to jump to their deaths, be crushed, or burned; some options huh? As difficult as it might be for you to imagine, the pain and suffering the 911 victims felt could very well have been the pain and suffering they brought on others in a previous life. Now you’re thinking, no way would Mary Ann be that type of person in this life or any life. But Mary Ann the ego, was a different human being in a previous life. The Mary Ann you knew was Tim, Tukiko, or Surayya in a previous existence. A being with the same spirit, but with a different earthly body, and a totally different experience.
Take the ex-gridiron great, Orenthal James (OJ) Simpson. Many feel he got away with murder, however, his Spirit will deal with it when it is time and the law of cause and effect, or reaping what you sow (and this is not Biblical, but a Universal Law), will ensure OJ will learn and grow spiritually from the harm that he’s done in this life. His re-incarnated spirit will face a scenario of a young man/woman who has it all together and inexplicably, a tragedy will occur. Or the entity will suffer from the onset of life till the end of that life. Whichever is the case, it will be a tragedy just as brutal, if not more, as the murders of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown.

"If we abused people in one life, our higher self would probably cause us to reincarnate into a situation where we'd get abused to make us realize the misery we've caused others."

If your Spirit were not wearing the blinders of religion, tradition, customs, hereditary bollocks, and blind faith, you could clearly see this. You would see it because the Spirit speaks clearly if you listen. Be still and know!

A late relative of mine, Raymond, was born with a predisposition to shyness. As Ray approached his late teens he began to slowly but surely overcome his bashfulness. In his early 20’s however, he had a major setback. Someone spiked his drink with an almost lethal dose of something (we never found out who did this or what the substance was) and he was never the same. He was diagnosed with severe social anxiety disorder; his weight increased to over 400 lbs, and he was on medication for the rest of his short life. He passed away at the age of 33 having lived for 13 years in a bizarre, sad, almost vegetative state. Raymond did not harm a soul in his short trip to this earthly plain, but he lived a sad, painful life. So you ask, why?

I am certain that Raymond’s 33 years on this earth was the karmic effect of a previous life. This type retribution is applicable to anyone. The Universal Law of Cause and Effect is just as real as the Law of Gravity. It shows no favoritism and the wheels that turn this immutable law is our very own collective spirits; our collective consciousness. The Universe is Fair!

I believe that our collective selves make up the God factor. Man has created a God of vengeance; a judgmental Spiritual Being waiting to judge our lives at the time of death. Here are 3 quotes to help me with my point.

Abraham Hicks ..

God is consciousness that is expanding.” The best explanation I've heard so far, about who or what God is. Abraham went on to say, “Sometimes humans feel unsettled about this [definition] because there are so many who have been happier seeing God as just an exaggerated version of man; someone very much like Man but bigger, [and] hopefully smarter.

Steven Pavlina ..

When enough people switch their primary polarization from fear to unconditional love, this planet will become a true paradise. That’s a good thing for all of us, one that’s more important than all the money in the world.

Kevin R. Williams ..

Discovering a higher reality and the supremacy of love: It is the illusion of separation (i.e., that we are not, in fact, all part of one giant Whole), which is the source of many of the problems humanity has faced. This constant desire for self apart from the Whole must be overcome in order to become the spiritual beings we really are. We are actually spirit beings having a highly evolved human experience. Everything on the physical and soul level is slowly evolving toward perfect unity with the Whole. Here in the physical realm, we are "enrolled" in a "World-School" for a class called Introduction to Eternal Life 101 to learn how to live with and love the people around us forever.

NDE (Near Death Experience) research reveals an open secret about our lives on Earth. Life is a test. It is a gigantic examination that we will be graded on after death. There is no judgment except self-judgment and we should not even do that. There is no condemnation but self-condemnation and we should not do this either. The life review after death is for our educational benefit, enlightenment, and soul evolution. The life review is where we discover what we have been filling the void within us our entire life. The more we fill our void with love for others, the more we have evolved as soul. The love we have found within our void is what draws us into the light.

Edgar Case

In simple terms, we are children of God. If God had kids, wouldn't they be Godlike themselves? But God's kids are souls, not people as we normally experience them. We've become hardened by our concrete, physical existence, and forget that we are souls. So to say that we are children of God seems only a wistful, poetic image, certainly not a literal truth. It is true, however, and it is coming time to get back to that truth. It will set us free. It should also enhance our self-esteem and give us the will toward assuming a creative responsibility toward life.

This is the Power of Love, the power that we have as spiritual beings. Power, that if ever harnessed for the overall good of Mankind, would clearly show the components of "God."

There is a Native American saying, “No tree has branches so foolish as to fight among themselves.” To display our collective spiritual power we need to stop fighting amongst ourselves and understand that ... We are one!

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Spiritual Subterfuge

2008-07-01T23:04:00.109-04:00

Read, read, read is what I preach to my children. Almost daily they hear this chorus about the necessity of reading. Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. Our society’s lack of reading clearly explains why people are so spiritually gullible and unaware. As a whole, we refuse to read. When and if we do read it's limited to the bible, a love story, or some other work of fiction (bible excluded).

Let's look at death; most people fear the "grim reaper." Why? Fear and Ignorance are the culprits. We fear an eternal damnation. The prophecies in the book of Revelation tend to scare the hell out of people (pardon the pun). You would be surprised the burden that's lifted when/if you ever realize that hell is just a story created by man. A story created in order to intimidate you into giving a good portion of your income to the church. It was true thousands of years ago, and it is true today. Don't believe me? You think I'm a "blasphemer?"

Let's break the "tithes" or "tithing" down and analyze this religious phenomenon. The median household income in the United States is about $50,000 annually. That averages out to $4166 per month, multiplied by 10% for tithing, equals $416 per month. This is the amount that should go to the church. That's a car note. And I won't mention one thing about gas prices. Bear in mind, most middle income couples make at least 20k to 30k more than the medium income. If you give less than your allotted 10% you're going to hell, right? Or does God give you a pass? Or can you make it up in other ways?

I was in the Dollar store today and this particular store always plays gospel music. That's fine; I have no problem with gospel music. Today, however, something came over me when I heard what sounded like an "Old Negro Spiritual." It sounded like one of those very soulful, religious, Mahalia Jackson songs from decades ago. By the way, I have the utmost respect for the late Ms. Jackson. Anyway, as I listened it dawned on me that, these are the type songs that were sang in, and originated from the cotton fields, from the slave quarters centuries ago.

Look back on the history of Black People in America you'll realize that the majority of Black America today are the descendants of slaves brought to America on slave ships. You know the story. Once on American soil, those slaves were forbidden to read. Their masters clearly enforced the law, "You cannot read. It is illegal for you to read." The slave master did all the reading, mostly from the bible, and it was solely up to the him to interpret what was read. It was the slave masters responsibility to interpret the "good book" for your ancestors. This is the religion that has been passed down to the African American of today. This applies to the European American as well; your ancestors passed your religion down to you as well. The difference is, those unwilling pioneers from Africa did not practice the Christian religion that was forced upon them. If you are ok with this concept then you have to be ok with the belief that the genocidal atrocity that was slavery was necessary to save the souls of black people.

I look back on my Baptist upbringing and take myself back to the Sunday morning church service. I think about Ms. Daniels, a lifetime member of Greater Bethlehem Baptist Church. She would sit in the same seat and instead of saying "Amen" from time to time, her words of approval were, "Sho-nough, Sho-nough." I'll translate that for the ebonically challenged, she was saying, "Sure enough, sure enough." What I see clearly now is that Ms. Daniels and the majority of the older members of the church could not read. Thus, their interpretation of the bible, religion, and spirituality came almost entirely from the philandering, pedophiliac minister (not all the ministers of G.B.B.C. were pedophiles but that's another subject). Well, guess what, Ms. Daniels, and many others passed their religious interpretation on to you! Sho-nough, sho-nough!

Remember in church when "the spirit" would move people to "shout." Remember the "shouting" in church? This is when an individual (usually female) would be "touched by the Holy Spirit" in a way that would make them scream uncontrollably and they would have to be restrained by members of the church, or be ushered out into the hall. Where is that "shouting" today? You don't see that in the churches today. The shouting has been replaced by "speaking in tongues" (ecstatic speech or prayer using an unintelligible language that is considered a gift of the Holy Spirit). Back-in-the-day, shouting, or being "happy" in church, was also considered a "gift of the Holy Spirit." Did God or the Holy Spirit alter his gift-giving or did Man alter it?

As stated in the movie Zeitgeist:

The more you begin to investigate, what we think we understand, where we came from, what we think we're doing, the more you begin to see we've been lied to. We've been lied to by every institution, what makes you think for one minute that the Religious Institution is the only one that' never been touched? The Religious Institution's of this world are at the bottom of the dirt. The Religious Institutions in this world are put there by the same people who gave you your government, your corrupt education, who set up your International Banking Cartels ...

It's about Control .. about controlling your mind!

As stated in the book NDE (Near Death Experiences) by Kevin R. Williams

Some people erroneously believe one must have a certain religious affiliation or believe in God to have a pleasant afterlife experience. However, even in this physical world, one does not have to be religious to experience love and happiness. In the same vein, to have a pleasant afterlife experience, one does not have to be religious. Experiencers say it is not the religion one professes which matters. It is the spiritual condition of their inner nature that matters. People primarily motivated by fear, anger, hatred and evil, will generally find themselves together with like-minded people after their death.

Simple logic suggest that a loving, merciful, caring God would not demand of its' progeny, "Give me - the church, your pastor, Jesus, whomever - 10 % of your earnings, off the top, before taxes, before anything you do, or plan on doing with your hard-earned income, to prove your love and obedience to me. If you do not do this, I still love you, but the consequences of not doing so are eternal damnation in a place of unremitting pain and suffering until the end of time and beyond. A loving Creator would not offer such a scenario because the origins of the aforementioned quagmire are rooted in greed and evil. Greed and Evil are characteristics of Man, not God. To adhere to a doctrine of forcible love and obedience would be perpetual blackmail at the highest degree.

B.E.S.

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Why Attack Oprah?

2008-07-01T22:04:00.006-04:00

Millions insist that Jesus is the only way to God/Heaven. In the video, Oprah speaks with author Eckhart Tolle about "other ways to God, other ways to Nirvana," while a Christian narrator takes verbal, uncontested jabs at her. (See YouTube Video) I agree 100% with Oprah and not because of who she is but because what she talks about is logical to me. The danger to Oprah however, is it appears as if she is taking on the Christian/Catholic Church and that is very dangerous. Why? Because some Christians are, by their historical nature, arrogant, confrontational, and can be a tad violent if you do not agree with their way of thinking.

Truth be told, what Oprah talks about is no different than what millions of others talk about every single day. However, since she is who she is, and simply by mentioning her name you get publicity, they attack Oprah instead of the charging bull that is a Free-Thinking Society. More and more people are beginning to think for themselves. These free thinkers are not fearful of a judging, punishing God/Jesus who will condemn your soul to unspeakable, everlasting punishment. “If you don't call me LORD or drop to your knees and confess JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO SALVATION or eternal life,” I’m sending you to the pits of hell. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, go straight to hell. How absurd is this? At death, the body expires and there is no longer a physical you, so where is the pain; where is the torment? Is it in the mind, or do the hell-dwellers retain a physical body in order to experience the torment forever and ever?

At the end of the video the narrator says "Christians turn off your televisions and pray." In other words, "Don't watch Oprah, or any other program that suggest other ways to nirvana." Did the author make this suggestion to keep Christian followers in the dark as they have since the times of Emperor Constantine – a pagan emperor who collated many books of the bible.

"So dark the con of Man," to use religion, hellfire, brimstone, and eternal damnation as the most powerful method of control in the history of the world.

One question I've had for the past 30 years is this: why are Christians so concerned about the eternal fate of others? Can’t you just mind your own business? Just associate with fellow Christians, we don’t mind; we won’t be hurt. Christians are quick to tell you, "oh no, I am not trying to save your soul, only the Holy Spirit can do that!" Then why are you always in my face? You believe what you want to believe and leave me alone, and stay away from my children too! If you believe I am going to hell, so be it; that's your belief not mine.

When "Christians" talk about heaven, and their imperative need to get there, I wonder (hypothetically speaking) what about the billions of people, including friends, relatives, acquaintances, strangers who helped you from time to time in your earthly incarnation; what about those people who did not share your beliefs? Can you sit behind your pearly gates and not be concerned about the fate of billions that, in your world, would be suffering such an atrocious fate as hell? Or do you say, "I told you so."

Is that part of your memory/existence erased? What does that say, or what would that say about the mentality or spirituality of the heavenly inhabitants? Do you turn a deaf ear to your suffering, former earthly compatriots? While loved ones roast eternally? Or, do you do what Chris Nielson (Robin Williams) did in the movie, "What dreams may come" and leave the serenity of heaven and enter the pits of hell to rescue your loved one? We all know the answer to that question; unless you have a total spiritual makeover when you hit the proverbial Pearly Gates there would be billions who would use their spiritual where-with-all to commandeer a loved one from Satan’s grasp, as Chris Nielson did, or did he? (I want spoil it for you, rent the movie).

We are spiritual beings experiencing an earthly, physical existence. We are eternal and will return to the source from which we came, and our journey as eternal travelers will continue.

B.E.S.