Thunder: The Voice of God

What could be more appropriate than a photo of lightening on the planet Jupiter, the Original Father God himself?
The little bright spots are the Jovian Lightening.
Photo courtesy NASA

Anglo-Saxon and Norse, Greek and Roman http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/f/frazer/james/golden/chapter15.html

“Thor presides in the air; he it is who rules thunder and lightning, wind and rains, fine weather and crops.” In these respects, therefore, the Teutonic thunder god again resembled his southern counterparts Zeus and Jupiter.

Christian http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2018&version=31

Psalm 18:13-14

13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.

14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies, great bolts of lightning and routed them.

Daoist/Chinese Folk Religion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_mythology

Pangu, appearing in literature no earlier than about 200 AD, was the first sentient being and creator. At the end of eighteen thousand years, Pangu laid to rest. His breath became the wind; his voice the thunder; left eye the sun and right eye the moon; his body became the mountains and extremes of the world; his blood formed rivers; his muscles the fertile lands; his facial hair the stars and milky way; his fur the bushes and forests; his bones the valuable minerals; his bone marrows sacred diamonds; his sweat fell as rain; and the little creatures on his body (in some versions, the fleas), carried by the wind, became human beings all over the world.

Egyptian http://www.aelives.com/gods.htm

Baal, god of the sky and storms. The war cry of Ramesses III is like Baal in the sky, i.e. Baal's voice (the thunder) which makes the mountains shake.

Greek http://www.jonathantweet.com/religiongod.html

High above the clouds sits a bearded man on a throne, draped in flowing raiment. But this is no man. This is the supreme god, with a voice like lightning and thunder, whose unguarded visage to so terrible that it would strike a mortal dead.

Hindu http://www.khandro.net/nature_thunder.htm

Indian mythology tells us that at the beginning of the cycle of the universes, there once was only one Being whose name is Prajapati. So when we hear the roll of the thunder booming "Da, Da, Da" we can think it is the voice of the Creator repeating his instructions to all the various kinds of beings.

Jewish http://www.jhom.com/topics/voice/sinai.htm

In the second verse, a horn, or shofar is sounded, "a celestial flourish heralding the arrival of the king."[2] The verse recalls the book of Zechariah, in which God Himself poetically "sounds the ram's horn" and advances in a stormy tempest as He manifests His presence.[3] Here God similarly answers "b'kol" — in the same sound of the shofar and in thunder. The blare [kol] of the shofar grew louder and louder." As Moses spoke, God answered him in thunder [b'kol]" (Exodus 19:20).

In these verses in Exodus, the loud blast of the shofar, the blasts of the thunder, and God's voice — tied together by the word kol — merge into one potent emotional experience.

[2] Nahum M. Sarna, The JPS Torah Commentary: Exodus, Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, on Exodus 19:19.

[3] Zechariah 9:14: "And the Lord will manifest Himself to them, And His arrows shall flash like lightning; My Lord God shall sound the ram�s horn And advance in a stormy tempest."

Native American http://books.google.com/books?id=nTgS42X9scwC&pg=PA50&lpg=PA50&dq=religions+god's+voice+thunder&source=web&ots=sjzP8kwhGK&sig=OZmjCR3quydXizF7Rnc-NaXfLY8#PPA50,M1

The supreme being is at times manifest in the flash of lightening and in thunder, the latter being his voice; this belief exists among some Yuki Indians in California.

Oceania Aboriginal http://www.pantheon.org/articles/m/mamaragan.html

In Aboriginal belief, Mamaragan is the man of lightning who rides on a thundercloud and who throws bolts of lightning to men and trees. Thunder is his voice.

100 Ideas for Creating a More Peaceful World

Peace Poster Courtesy of Living Values Education

100 Ideas for Creating a More Peaceful World

From JustGive.org

Creating world peace takes many forms, but surely it begins with individuals. Here are 100 ideas for creating a more peaceful world. Everyone can play a part in creating peace. It continues to be the most significant challenge of humankind and requires the efforts of each of us.

1. Be generous with your smiles.
2. Commit daily acts of kindness.
3. Respect the Earth.
4. Walk in a forest.
5. Plant a tree.
6. Contemplate a mountain.
7. Don't pollute.
8. Live simply.
9. Skip a meal each week, and send $5.00 to an organization helping the hungry.
10. Erase a border in your mind.
11. Teach peace to children.
12. Read Chief Seattle's Letter to the President.
13. Be honest.
14. Demand honesty from your government.
15. Think about consequences.
16. Commit yourself to nonviolence.
17. Support nonviolent solutions to global problems.
18. Speak up for a healthy planet.
19. Demand reductions in military expenditures.
20. Be fair.
21. Pledge allegiance to the Earth and to its varied life forms.
22. Think for yourself.
23. Ask questions.
24. Recognize your unique potential.
25. Join an organization working for peace.
26. Be less materialistic.
27. Be more loving.
28. Support an Arms Trade Code of Conduct.
29. Oppose all weapons of mass destruction.
30. Sign the Abolition 2000 International Petition.
31. Work for an international ban on land mines.
32. Use your special talents for a more harmonious world.
33. Don't eat animals.
34. Help the poor.
35. Fight against militarism.
36. Study the lives of peace heroes.
37. Help create a community peace park or garden.
38. Commemorate the International Day of Peace in your community (the third Tuesday in September).
39. Help strengthen the United Nations.
40. Support the creation of an International Criminal Court hold individual leaders accountable for crimes against peace, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide.
41. Read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and demand that your government live by it.
42. Be aware of the rights of future generations.
43. Sign the Cousteau Society Bill of Rights for Future Generations.
44. Make decisions as though all life truly matters. It does!
45. Join an action alert network.
46. Make your voice heard by speaking out for peace.
47. Laugh more.
48. Play with a child.
49. Support health, education and the arts over more weapons.
50. Help educate the next generation to be compassionate and responsible.
51. Accept personal responsibility for creating a better world.
52. Sing.
53. Write a poem.
54. Organize a church service on the theme of peace.
55. Learn about another culture.
56. Help someone.
57. Support the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
58. Climb a mountain.
59. Clear your mind.
60. Breathe deeply.
61. Sip tea.
62. Express your views to government officials.
63. Fight for the environment.
64. Celebrate Earth Day.
65. Think like an astronaut, recognizing that we have only one Earth.
66. Be constructive.
67. Ring a bell for peace.
68. Plant seeds of peace. Work in a garden.
69. Change a potential enemy into a friend.
70. Watch the movie Amazing Grace and Chuck.
71. Share.
72. Be more peaceful.
73. Send a note of appreciation.
74. Tell your friends how much they matter.
75. Say "I love you" more.
76. Don't tolerate prejudice.
77. Demand more from your elected officials.
78. Walk by the ocean, a river, or a lake.
79. Recognize that all humans have the right to life.
80. Respect the dignity of each person.
81. Be a leader in the struggle for human decency.
82. Watch the movie King Of Hearts.
83. Send sunflowers to world leaders, and call for a world free of nuclear weapons.
84. Oppose technologies that harm the environment.
85. Lose an argument to a loved one.
86. Read Hiroshima by John Hersey.
87. Walk softly on the Earth.
88. Appreciate the power of the sun.
89. Speak out for global disarmament.
90. Support a stronger world order.
91. Teach nonviolence by example.
92. Remember that "No man is an Island."
93. Spend time in nature.
94. Boycott war toys.
95. Be thankful for the miracle of life.
96. Read All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque.
97. Remind your leaders that peace matters.
98. Oppose violence in television programming for children.
99. Listen to Beethoven's Ode to Joy.
100. Celebrate peace.

Copyright 2000 by the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. Reproduction encouraged. 1187 Coast Village Road, Suite 1 Santa Barbara, California 93108-2794 (805) 965-3443; Fax (805) 568-0466. http://www.wagingpeace.org/.

Religious Tolerance collage

This is a collage I made just before the Summer Solstice.



















Let's give that Peace a chance, shall we?!