Ten Commandments

Political

Agenda

Containing The Consideration of Root Causes

Warnings as to Possible Future Consequences

Cora E. Cypser

published by

Kim Pathways

A Political Agenda contains poems that advocate the use of restorative justice in our internal communities and in international relationships.

Contents

Ten Commandments------------------------------------1

Guns and Neighbors------------------------------------2

Feeling Superior-----------------------------------------3

The Mountain of Hatred-------------------------------3

All The Earth Is Holy ----------------------------------4

Symbols as Salvific -------------------------------------5

Who Are You? Who Are We? -------------------------6

Jesus, Both Symbol and Son --------------------------6

Those Anointed by God---------------------------------7

The Problem with Priesthood--------------------------8

Categorizing ----------------------------------------------9

Attacking Another ---------------------------------------9

Doing Unto Others -------------------------------------10

The Silence of Birds -----------------------------------10

Restoring Soul and Body ------------------------------11

Worshiping The Unknowable-------------------------12

Symbols---------------------------------------------------13

Our Relationship with The Divine ------------------14

Sharing Divinity ----------------------------------------14

Who Is Your God? -------------------------------------15

Beyond Creeds ------------------------------------------16

Original Sin----------------------------------------------17

Don’t Blame God ---------------------------------------18

God at Home in The Galaxies------------------------19

Resurrection --------------------------------------------20

Sacraments ----------------------------------------------21

Order Out of Chaos ------------------------------------22

Holiness Out of Multiplicity --------------------------22

One True Church --------------------------------------23

Woman-Speak ------------------------------------------23

Abuses in Churches -----------------------------------24

On Abortion: Who Is The Perpetrator? ------------25

The Seamless Garment of Life ----------------------25

Theologians---------------------------------------------26

Teach Peace --------------------------------------------26

The United States Constitution----------------------27

Philosophy of Love------------------------------------27

Theories on Violence----------------------------------28

Speaking Good Tidings-------------------------------29

Tribal Warfare and Homosexuality----------------29

What Has Forgiveness To Do with Power? ------30

A Gift for You------------------------------------------30

Steps to Forgiveness ----------------------------------31

Forgiving and Excusing------------------------------32

Prisons---------------------------------------------------32

Write Down The Vision-------------------------------33

Worship Is for All--------------------------------------34

Representing Others-----------------------------------35

Resenting Others---------------------------------------35

The Purpose of Government-------------------------36

Police at St. Peter’s Square---------------------------37

The Death Penalty for Murderers-------------------37

Duties and Mandates ----------------------------------38

A Clear Message----------------------------------------39

Political Considerations-------------------------------40

Those Addicted to Power and Control --------------41

Where Are We Going? --------------------------------42

Excuses for Inaction - --------------------------------43

A Wake-up Call ----------------------------------------44

What Makes A State -----------------------------------45

War and Terrorism ------------------------------------46

Who Should We Fight? -------------------------------47

Palestinians and Others ------------------------------48

Light of The World ------------------------------------49

The Age of NGOs---------------------------------------49

Health Care for All-------------------------------------50

Remembering The War Resistors*-------------------51

Thoughts on Democracy-------------------------------52

Repairing The Quilt of Existence--------------------53

Root Causes and Future Consequences ------------54

Law and Order ------------------------------------------55

What Are Laws For? -----------------------------------56

Pot-Latch and Politics----------------------------------56

Congress, Are You Listening? ------------------------57

Not Jubilee Justice--------------------------------------58

Connections ---------------------------------------------59

Odious Debt ---------------------------------------------60

Vibrations-------------------------------------------------61

Wings to Fly----------------------------------------------62

Pleading for The Children-----------------------------63

Speak Gently to The Children-------------------------64

Importance of Resources-------------------------------65

Healing----------------------------------------------------66

Fourth Generation --------------------------------------67

Banners in Washington --------------------------------68

The Ballad of Tim McVey------------------------------69

The Ethics of War ---------------------------------------70

Artists ------------------------------------------------------71

Forgiveness Litany --------------------------------------72

Goals for Humankind-----------------------------------74

Ten Commandments

Early people reflected long and hard

and came up with ten rules to live by.

Jesus shortened these rules to:–

Love God and love your neighbor.

Another set of ten

could include the following:

We are to reflect on God

and to reflect this God.

We are to respect God’s creatures.

We are to respect the earth

and share its resources.

We are to ensure that all people

have food, clothing, and shelter.

We are to ensure that all people

have meaningful education and work.

We are to ensure that all people

have time for rest and reflection.

We are to give considerate treatment

to the mentally and physically ill.

There is to be no abuse or slavery

of men, women, or children

or cruelty to animals.

We are to seek out root causes

before passing judgment.

We are to speak the truth.

Guns and Neighbors

What are guns for?

Do we need guns to kill our neighbors?

Who do we intend to kill?

Give a bully a stick and he will use it.

Why?

Because he is afraid.

We all have fears

and we have a desire to defend ourselves.

One of the reasons a bully is a bully

is because he is afraid.

Give a gun to a policeman

and he will use it.

Why?

He believes it is his friend

and that the gun will keep him safe.

Guns are not necessary

for an orderly society.

Note that not all countries have armed police.

Those in the police and the military

have the same rights and responsibilities

as everyone else

to treat their neighbor

as they would like to be treated themselves.

They are to respect the people

they are called to serve.

The same goes for prison personnel.

They are not to damage those in their charge

but to encourage them to fulfilled living.

Feeling Superior

Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those

who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly.–Luke 6:27

We tell ourselves

that we are better than animals

that we have souls

thus placing a great divide

between our motherhood

and that of the protective deer shielding her fawn.

We tell ourselves (for some unconscious reasons)

that we are better than some other people

because we are a different color

think different thoughts

or live in deserts rather than on hills.

The Mountain of Hatred

Jesus said, "If two make peace with each other in this one house,

they will say to the mountain, 'Move away,' and it will move away."

–Gospel of Thomas (48), Nag Hammadi Library.

Have you seen how we are surrounded by good people!

The world is a great temple

filled from the east to the west

with those who mediate peace and pursue truth .

The dreary ones who do not understand

acts of kindness and consideration

those who believe in retaliation

holding a burning hatred in their hearts

these folk will come but slowly to the idea of restoration.

If forgiveness abides in the heart

the mountain of hatred melts away.

All The Earth Is Holy

Come to the Holy Place with me.

We will go there singing, praising.

The people there have hearts like yours and mine

and dreams like ours

and plans of good things they will do.

Like you and me, they hurry on.

They’ve schedules to meet.

They’ve loved ones waiting.

They are worrying and praying

as they hurry.

So many goodly people

with good minds and kindly hearts!

How God must love to watch them scurrying

from train to platform

from door to subway

from street to home.

All holy places!

All holy people!

Where is the heaven that can hold

their prayers, their dreams, their hopes?

The Spirit runs along beside them

holds them up, fills them with kindness.

Surely, Grand Central is a Holy Place

from tunneled roadways for the trains

to painted constellations on the ceiling.

The Spirit surely dwells content

with those who roam these halls

and rush within these walls.

Symbols as Salvific

No man drinks old wine and immediately desires to drink new wine.

And new wine is not put into old wineskins, lest they burst; nor is

old wine put into a new wineskin, lest it spoil it. An old patch

is not sewn onto a new garment, because a tear would result.

–Gospel of Thomas (47), Nag Hammadi Library

All of us have a set of symbols

that represent our religious beliefs.

As we cannot see God

we need other ways to interact with the invisible.

We are all different

and come from different households

from different cultures

from different belief systems.

Thus our symbols will be different

and how they affect us

will be different.

This does not mean that my symbols are wrong

and that your symbols are right.

Mine are right for me

and your symbols and interpretations

are right for you

and we each must respect

the symbols and values of each other.

A new generation

must not be afraid

of new paths to the holy.

Who Are You?

Who Are We?

His disciples said to him, "Who are You, that You should say these

things to us?" Jesus said to them, "You do not realize who I am from

what I say to you, but you have become like those who either love

the tree and hate its fruit or love the fruit and hate the tree."

–Gospel of Thomas (43), Nag Hammadi Library

Some worship the Creator to excess

and disdain Creation and the human creature.

Some glorify the human being and the material world

and ignore the Creator Spirit.

The way to go is moderation.

Visualize the God-Spirit in everyone.

At the same moment recognize the marvel

of the created and the creation.

Jesus, Both Symbol and Son

The pharaoh called his citizens and servants

his dear sons, and so it was.

He was a father to them.

Jesus was servant to the Most High God

and thus was named God’s model son

entitled to call God his Father.

As son he was ordained to holy service

offered divine appointment

a life of meaning and fulfillment.

Paul, too, was offered ordination

by the Father, Mother, Friend of all of us

who continues to offer this ability to serve

to all the men and women of the world!

Those Anointed by God

“I will deliver your enemy into your power, do what you like with him.”

I will not raise my hand against him for he is the anointed of Yahweh.

– I Samuel 24:5-8

Like David hiding in the cave

and having King Saul walk in

helpless and open to David’s whims

we have an obligation

not to harm the Lord’s Anointed.

But we are all anointed of the Lord.

Thus we are not to harm each other

in our disagreements and blindnesses.

We must respect others as holy

and also equally respect ourselves

as ordained and anointed.

The prophets’ dream is that

there is to be no hurt or harm

in all the holy mountain

which is the earth.

The Problem with Priesthood

“You must not call anyone here on earth ‘Father,’

because you have only the one Father in heaven.”

Matthew 23:9

Putting one person in charge

and calling him ‘Holy,’ or ‘My Lord,’ or ‘Father’

gives both him and you an incorrect impression.

A better solution for leadership

is a parish council guided by a parish coordinator

with rotating facilitation to keep the process orderly.

There could be several possibilities of homilist

or all parishioners could give homilies

or spoken confirmation of their faith.

Quakers should not abandon their stand

on unpaid servers at their services.

Catholics could save their “priests” as financial advisors

for that is what many of them turn out to be

builders of schools and churches

rather than builders of loving community.

Protestants, Jews, and Muslims

would also profit from unpaid rotating facilitators.

This would allow the spirit to work

through all in the congregation

and allow peace and justice to be the true leaders.

Categorizing

If we call people ‘nice people’

that means we have some control over them.

When we can't control people

we put them down by saying they have strange ideas.

If we call our God a ‘nice God,’ a ‘loving God’

we are controlling God by giving God

such pleasant characteristics.

If we make our God authoritative

one who tells us to kill our enemies

or to destroy those who do not worship God

as we believe God should be worshipped

then we can enslave or kill whomever we please.

Having an authoritative God allows us

to be authoritative to others.

Attacking Another

Don’t assume people are evil because of their behavior.

They are doing the best they can under the circumstances.

- Bernard Lafayette

Before you attack a person

it is necessary to call him a name

to make him less than human.

The person is not the problem–

the problem is often an inhumane society.

Changing the social circumstances

can help solve the problem.

Doing Unto Others

Treat others as you would like them to treat you.–Luke 6:30b

What you do to the citizen in prison

when you swear at him, when you push him around

when you think of him as unequal

that is reflected to the heavens.

Who am I to judge another?

Do I understand what thwarted his soul’s music?

What you do to the non-citizen in prison

the stranger from a foreign land

the one who does not speak your language

the one who has fled his native country

your treatment of him is reflected to the heavens.

Who am I to judge another?

Have I lived in his land, spoken his language

experienced his trauma, slept in his skin?

The Silence of Birds

Tell the bird watchers

that the birds are quite quiet

unless there is a need for them to sing

in order to warn against danger

to announce territorial rights

to invite to courtship.

How quiet they are

when it is necessary

to protect their young

by silence.

How quiet are the foreigners dwelling in the land

when governments rise up to denounce

and stereotype and invite hatred.

Restoring Soul and Body

“When you make the two one and when you make the inside like the outside

and the outside like the inside, and the above like the below, ... and when

you fashion eyes in the place of an eye, and a hand in place of a hand, and

a foot in place of a foot, and a likeness in place of a likeness ...; then you

will enter the Kingdom.” –Gospel of Thomas (37:25), Nag Hammadi Library

Nonviolence requires

that you bring the best out in another.

When you treat everyone with equality

and treat the other as yourself

and can replace what has been destroyed

then heaven will arrive.