What came first, man or religion? Just a thought...

Cruelty disguised as law is still cruelty.

Just as the power of the sun is the only force in the natural universe that causes a plant to grow against gravity, so the grace of God is the only force in the spiritual universe that causes a person to grow against the gravity of their own ego. - Simone Weil

"The love of our neighbor in all its fullness simply means being able to say, "What are you going through?" - Simone Weil

Preach the Gospel.
Use words when necessary.
- Francis of Assisi (paraphrased)

"The surest dependence must be upon the light of Christ within” - John Greenleaf Whittier

"What is the “world” that Christ would not pray for, and of which He said that His disciples were in it but not of it? The world is the unquiet city of those who live for themselves and are therefore divided against one another in a struggle that cannot end..." - Thomas Merton

"Sometimes when I’m dealing with difficult people, I visualize them as children, before the dysfunction began in earnest." - Amos Smith, Holistic Mysticism

I seek peace, unity, and social justice without partisan divides, focusing on case-by-case discernment of issues rather than party platforms and dogma. As a quaker I prioritize divine guidance over party loyalty.

Real prayer is not transactional

Perfect answer!

That's cool. For me it's now more about picking issues than picking sides. To me, one is about ideals the other has become about power and dominance. I'm picking harmony and nonviolence. 🕊️

So when I recently renewed my ID I also changed my voter registration to indicate that I am not affiliated with any party. I feel this better allows me to promote harmony, non-violence and tolerance (even if only in myself). That's a big change for me.

@ronhogan.bsky.social I read "An Everlasting Dominion That Shall Not Pass Away" a couple days ago... Thank you.

I remember now, it's by Ron Hogan, a recent Friends Journal article.

I believe that as Friends (Quakers), we must continue striving to inspire rather than coerce—leading by example, and abstaining from any movement which aspires to rule by force or dominance over others. (I borrowed those words but can't remember where it came from)

Recently I've received some internal promptings and after long thought I have discerned that spirit is encouraging me to withdraw from partisan politics. This is not to say that I do not or will not support or oppose causes, far be it, but partisanship, for me, has just become too virulent.

I'm going to see if I can start a new life here on bsky.